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Tag: Acting President Yemi Osinbajo

  • Rice importation will end soon, says Bagudu

    Rice importation will end soon, says Bagudu

    The Governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, on Friday expressed optimism that with the high level of rice production in the country, Nigeria will soon end importation of the product.

    He spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Bagudu, who was accompanied to the Villa by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, said that the policy of the Federal Government which supports farmers and domestic production was yielding positive results that have already witnessed drastic reduction in the importation of rice.

    He said that records from the Ministry of Agriculture showed that rice importation in the country has gone down to about 80 percent  and will continue to fall.

    The governor noted that policy reversals in the past did not only affect farmers but the complete value chain of production.

    Asked whether rice importation will end soon, he said “indeed so”.

    “We all thank the policy because it is the policy of the federal government 36 states of the federation produce rice but what has happened is that periodic policy reversals have held the farmers back, but now we have a policy that supports domestic production.

    “We have a policy according to the minister of agriculture, import of rice has gone down by over 80%, he also announced that this year we will be producing enough to meet our national self-sufficiency quest, all thanks to the policy,”.

    On the recent commissioning of the WACOT rice parboiling mill worth N10 billion in his state, governor Bagudu said that it was an indication that the policy framework of the federal government on agriculture was working. The rice mill was commissioned by acting President Osinbajo.

    He said “it signifies that the policy framework of the federal government is working and we want to thank the Federal government for that.  President Muhammadu Buhari, was in Kebbi in November 2015 and planted the seed.

    “The acting president now wants to end the value chain by commissioning a mill that will process such rice   that is being produced by our teeming populace,” he noted.

    The governor said that the WACOT rice mill was already producing and distributing across the country.

     

  • Osinbajo, PANDEF meet in Aso Rock 

    Osinbajo, PANDEF meet in Aso Rock 

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday night met behind closed doors with members of the Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF).

    The meeting started around 7p.m at the Vice President’s conference room.

    Some of those attending the meeting included Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, elder statesman, Edwin Clarke and Alfred Diete-Spiff.

    Other are God knows Igali, Timi Alaibe, Obong Victor Atta, Graham Douglas, Dan Etete, Captain Idahosa Okunbo, Paul Ogbebor, and Senator Ndoma Egba.

    The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

    Details Later…

     

  • FEC okays N20.6 billion for road contracts

    FEC okays N20.6 billion for road contracts

    …Approves policy for technology acquisition

     

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved N20.6 billion for road contracts in Plateau and Kwara states.

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, briefed State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting chaired by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He was with the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, Minister of Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah and the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu.

    The two roads, he said, are N10.4 billion for the reconstruction of Pankshin-Balank-Yalen-Salak-Gindiri road in Plateau state and N10.2 billion for reconstruction of Sharre-Patigi road in Kwara state.

    He said “The ministry presented two memoranda to the council. The first was to with respect for approval to construct the Pankshin-Balank-Yalen-Salak-Gindiri road in Plateau state for N10.46billion.

    “The second one is the Sharre-Patigi road in Kwara for N10.2 billion; both prayers were approved by the council.

    “The other memorandum was in respect to inherited liabilities from the old power ministry where a judgment of N119 billion had been signed against the Federal Government as a result of acts of officials of government who varied the presidential approval without seeking further directive from him and then awarded the contract on that basis.

    “So the party who was the beneficiary of that contract which they subsequently sought to withdraw went to court and got a judgment,” he said.

    Onu said that the Council approved a policy to encourage technological advancement in Nigeria.

    The initiative, he said, will help Nigerian firms to produce what the country needs as it will boost foreign investment in Science, Technology and Engineering from where local content could be developed.

    Through the policy, he said that technology transfer will be facilitated with more taxes to be paid to government, and wealth creation for the country and people.

    “The Federal Executive Council in its deliberations approved a policy that will help us to change the direction that we have been taking as a nation, a direction that will be very useful in helping us to start looking inwards to produce the things that we need as against depending on other outside people to import our requirements.

    “Some of the highlights will involve for example where we have bulk purchases of major items that we are bringing into the country that those who normally would have supplied from outside the country will now come to Nigeria to establish their factories to produce in Nigeria.

    “By doing so they will offer job opportunities to our people, tax will be paid to government so wealth will be created but most importantly Nigeria will now acquire the necessary technology that will help us to build capacity.’’

    Onu said that FEC agreed that henceforth whoever wanted to practice any profession, in Engineering, Science and Technology, Medicine, Accountancy, Quantity Surveyors and others must be certified by appropriate professional bodies in Nigeria.

    He said the measure was very important in building the nation’s local capacity adding that there were so many areas that the fiscal policy had covered.

    According to him the aim is that in the next 10 years Nigerian firms shall be in a position to carry out very complex jobs, especially the ones that they do not currently have the expertise to do.

    He said the country would for now rely on foreign companies for such jobs but when they arrive they have to work with Nigerian firms who would understudy them from project conception to inauguration.

    The minister stated that it was the only way that the country could acquire the necessary technology to build our local capacity hoping that in 20 years Nigerian firms should be competing with the best in the world.

    He said FEC has accepted to declare a state of emergency on Science and Technology because the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017 to 2020 recognised the cardinal place of science and technology in driving the recovery and growth plan.

    “We are not looking for transfer of technology because we know it would not happen; what we are looking for is acquisition of technology and we are interested in building our own capacity.

    “We are convinced that we can do this and we believe that with the new policy we will be in a position to acquire technology,’’ he stated.

    Onu noted that the country could train professionals using the foreign professionals adding that the Ministry of Interior would be involved to ensure creation of a new classification in the immigration policy in that regard.

    He also said that the ministry of foreign affairs would help the country to improve its free visa status ranking from the present 92 position.

    He described the position as very low as it allowed Nigerians to enter only 45 countries on free visa.

    He said this was a difficult journey but would take Nigeria to where it should be in the committee of nations.

    Onu added that the approval had not been done since the country became independent and added that in project design the country would insist that all the language would be in English rather than any other foreign language.

    He noted that with the movement of other nations toward solar and other means of technology outside oil the country should be preparing for a post-crude oil era.

    Enelamah said that FEC approved a memorandum that was presented to amend the list of pioneer industries and products that will enjoy pioneer status going
    forward.

    This, according to him, is line with the ease of doing business policy of government.

    He said “As many of you know the pioneer incentive scheme is governed by ye Industrial Development Income Tax Relief Act and the whole purpose is to give tax holidays to industries we consider pioneer. Pioneer doesn’t mean that they are new it only means that they are not yet mature, we want those industries to grow.

    “We want to attract investment in them and you will find that this covers a wide range of industries and those tax holidays ranges from 3-5years. The pioneer list was last reviewed by the Federal Executive Council in 2006, so you could see that this was long overdue.

    “On doing the review, special attention was paid to the ERGP to capture the current realities that will help to implement the plan to make sure we attract the kind of investment, industries and players that will help to implement and realize our objectives in the ERGP.

    “I should also point out that there was multi stakeholder engagement, private and public sector in arriving at the industries that will be included in the pioneer incentive scheme.

    “In terms of the recommendations approved by FEC today: we have tried to remove all ambiguities in the definition of industries by reclassifying industries according to the international standard in industrial classification which is the global standard which is also the standard that is used by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics.

    “The other thing we also did is to agree that the pioneer list will be reviewed regularly every two years, biannually so that just that if things come up, we live in a fast changing world and we are being responsive to our world. In the case of additions to the list they will be effected immediately, for deletion of industries that we consider mature there will be a three year window that will be allowed for those that are already investing in that industry that were enjoying pioneer status to carry on till the end of that three year period.

    “Against this backdrop, we then approved 27 industries that were recommended for addition to the pioneer list today. We also recommended and it was accepted by the Council that mineral oil prospecting which is governed by the Petroleum Profit Tax should not be part of the pioneer industries list which is really industries governed by the Companies Income Tax Act.

    “It was also accepted that given the success we have achieved in cement which are now net exporters, maybe that is an industry which we could say that we are now where we want to be in terms of maturity even though there is still a lot of scope for the application and the use of cement and you know that will continue. We already have critical mass in cement.

    “The scheme will ensure that will not deprive us of revenue. It is an incentive to make people enter your market, new enter industries, invest more for people who are already here. It will increase our tax base over time,” he stated.

     

  • Osinbajo to #BBOG: More Chibok girls to return soon

    Osinbajo to #BBOG: More Chibok girls to return soon

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has assured members of the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) advocacy that more or all of the Chibok school girls will be rescued soon.

    The acting President also informed the group that he has been meeting with security chiefs daily and making contacts with hostage negotiators across the world.

    Osinbajo who was represented by his Special Adviser on political matters Babafemi Ojudu made the revelation Tuesday in Abuja, while addressing members of the #BBOG.

    He added that the reason why the public is not being made aware of the negotiations being made is for security reasons.

    His words, “I have been asked by the acting President to welcome the group, the acting President would have received the group personally but he had to receive the President of Ghana.

    “I’ve been asked to assure you of the support of the government in your agitation for the return of all the girls that are still being held by terrorists in the north east.

    “On the issue of the Police women being held and the girls, the acting President has been meeting on a daily basis with the security chiefs, making contacts with negotiators across the world who have helped in the past to help in the negotiation for the release of others, we have not for any moment forgotten the girls who could be any of our children.

    “In the last two weeks, the acting President has helped coordinate the efforts at freeing the kidnapped boys in Lagos, he called on the deputy governors of Ondo and Delta states and other security operatives to leave their jobs and go and search for the pupils and when they were rescued, he was the first person to be called.

    “He said that the fact that we are not coming out to say what is being done is strategic and for security reasons negotiations are going on, efforts are being made and intelligence being gathered very soon more of the girls if not all will be brought back to their parents safely.”

    Leader of the #BBOG and former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili urged the Federal Government to send a high powered delegation to the parents of the remaining Chibok girls to assure them that the FG is not sleeping.

    She said, “We want our government to spare no effort in immediately securing the release of the remaining Chibok girls, we want all the 113 girls to be brought back.

    “We need the Federal Government to immediately send a high powered delegation to the parents of the remaining Chibok girls, it is not right that their daughters are still with Boko Haram 1205 days after they were abducted and nothing has been done concerning their own state of distraught. When the 82 girls were rescued, it presented the opportunity for the Federal government to engage with those whose children are not back, it is time to go and visit them and the visit must be a high powered delegation visit to assure them that the Federal Government (FG) is not sleeping on the will concerning their own daughters.

    “We must end the empathy deficit approach in our country, we must learn to stay with those who face tragic circumstances, managing the tragedy on the state of our Chibok girls parents is an important way for the government to signal citizens that it cared about the dignity of the human life.

    “We ask the government to immediately provide accurate data and details of the missing police women and the lecturers and staff of the University of Maiduguri and any other one that is known to be abducted or killed in the cause of that mission, we want it immediately, the nation cannot be in the dark when thugs happen to citizens.

    “We ask that the FG would immediately invite the families of the victims pf the police abduction as well as the University of Maiduguri abduction, the Federal Government must invite them and have a meeting with them in order to give them insider details that it may not be able to share with the public, that is the way that government properly constituted behave, it’s not enough to say you are doing something, it’s important to demonstrate that you actually care about.

    “We want the FG to set up the structured system of public reporting on the specific abduction issues, of reporting progress made, the government cannot treat citizens as if they have no right to know, we have the constitutional right to know, we ask that the structured system be for the overall counter insurgency efforts. Let there be no falsehood or manipulation of the war, let there be truth.”

     

  • Nigeria, Lake Chad Basin neighbours working against insurgency – Osinbajo

    Nigeria, Lake Chad Basin neighbours working against insurgency – Osinbajo

    …Receives AU’s Peace & Security Council in Abuja

     

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday said that countries in the Lake Chad Basin have worked together very well dealing with the terrorist insurgency in the region and the consequent humanitarian crisis.

    He made the remark while receiving a delegation from the African Union Peace and Security Council which has been visiting countries in the region on a fact-finding mission on the crisis as part of its mandate.

    “The Lake Chad Basin collaboration is one we are extremely proud of, where we as Africans are working together on our own issues. I am pleased to say the countries have worked greatly together,” the Acting President said.

    Osinbajo, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Laolu Akande, cited the progress of the Multi-National Joint Task Force set up to address the terrorist insurgency.

    He noted that unlike in the past when there were difficulties when the militaries of the 4 countries tried to work together, the MNJTF surmounted the challenges and has succeeded.

    The Buhari administration, he said, is extremely pleased with the cooperation and hoped to get more.

    He however observed that the humanitarian consequences of the insurgency are compounded by deep poverty, making the costs of dealing with the situation “huge and enormous.”

    He recalled that there are for instance about 2.4m displaced persons, extensive destruction of property, infrastructure, schools, homes and farmland.

    In some cases, he said, the situation required the “rebuilding of whole societies.”

    But he expressed satisfaction with the work of the Peace and Security Council of the AU.

    “I am extremely pleased and encouraged by the work of the PSC, the time and attention paid to this issue. These are matters we must address now and in the future.” he said

    The PSC delegation was led by its Chairperson for the month of July, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, who is also Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and to the AU.

    In his remarks, he told the Acting President that the PSC delegation have been visiting the 4 countries in the Lake Chad Basin in the past 5 weeks, and have specifically visited 7 cities in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

    “This visit is the high point of our mission,” Adeoye stated adding that Nigeria’s commitment to peace in Africa has been well demonstrated.

    The PSC of the African Union is the standing organ of the Union for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. Membership of the 15 member-council are drawn -three each- from Central, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Africa.

     

  • Osinbajo orders continued search, rescue missions in Borno

    Osinbajo orders continued search, rescue missions in Borno

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has condemned the appalling ambush, attack and abduction of soldiers and civilians on duties at the Lake Chad Basin Frontier Exploration.

    The terrorist attacks had resulted in a number of deaths of hardworking and innocent Nigerians, and abduction of some Nigerians.

    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Laolu Akande, the Acting President while noting that the objective of the patriotic exercise was to open up new areas for oil exploration for the common good of all Nigerians, commiserated with the families, relatives and associates of those who lost their lives in the despicable onslaught.

    He also wished the injured persons speedy recovery.

    The statement reads: “The Acting President after an emergency meeting with the Military chiefs on Thursday issued fresh directives to the Nigerian military and all security agencies to immediately scale-up their efforts and activities in Borno State in order to maintain a strong, effective control of the situation and secure lives and property.

    “While commending the military for the progress already recorded with the rescue of some of the abducted, Prof. Osinbajo has also ordered the continuation of search and rescue missions to locate and ensure the freedom of all remaining abducted persons as soon as possible, using all available and expedient means in the circumstances.”

    Justice, the Acting President said, would be pursued for the victims and against those who engage in the unacceptable, criminal and terrorist conduct.

    Acting President Osinbajo also paid tribute to the resilience, courage and bravery of officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces for their gallant endeavours and sacrifices for the peace, security and territorial integrity of the country.

    He eulogized the Nigerian soldiers who have paid the ultimate price in the mission and others linked to the current insurgency.

    Osinbajo gave assurance that the welfare of the families of the soldiers will be prioritized.

    He also commended the diligence of the management and staff of the NNPC, and the lecturers/consultants from the University of Maiduguri in pursuing Federal Government’s resolve to grow the nation’s current crude oil reserve base through potential exploration in the Lake Chad Basin.

    He said that the government will by no means be dissuaded.

    He said: “Some of these extraordinarily selfless Nigerians from the NNPC and the University Of Maiduguri put their lives on the line that we and generations to come will enjoy the resources of this land.  We will never forget that sacrifice”

    Even though pockets of terrorists have been launching attacks recently in Borno State, the Acting President assured the people of the State, the region and all Nigerians, that the Federal Government is not only on top of the situation, but will define the end of the atrocities by both winning the war and winning the peace in the North-east.

  • God has answered prayers on Buhari, says Udom

    God has answered prayers on Buhari, says Udom

    …Says Buhari, governors not supernatural

     

    Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel Udom on Friday declared that God has already answered the prayers of Nigerians over the health of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He was one of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governors that met with the President in London on Wednesday.

    The President has been in the United Kingdom since May 7th to meet up with follow up consultation with his doctors.

    His absence had fueled speculations in the past few weeks.

    Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, Emmanuel Udom said “Let me thank God for the life of the president and thank God for Nigerians too. And also appreciate Nigerians who have prayed sincerely and earnestly for Mr. President and I think God has actual answered the prayers of Nigerians.

    “From what you could see from the photographs you could see that God has actually answered our prayers, so some of us were quite excited to see Mr. President welcomed us, discussed with us and he was also happy to see us.

    “So what you are seeing both on TV and newspapers are genuine and correct. God has actually healed our president and we thank God for that.”

    On when the doctors will discharge the President, “I’m sorry I’m not the doctor I’m just a governor.

    When asked to guess from what he observed during the visit, he said “I’m not a medical doctor. Let me say something here, even when you have a biological father you love your father, you take interest in his well-being. I mean as a father to the nation, in my personal opinion, I don’t think that is the issue now.

    “The issue is that we should thank God that God has answered our prayers, that is where I am coming from. And let me also say, some of us behave as if the president, the governors are superhuman, we are normal human beings, we also have challenges.

    “So let us not think that because we are governors or president we are superhuman. No. We are not God we mere mortals like any of us here. So that should also make us play down on the way we look at certain issues,” he added.

    On what the delegation discussed with the President, he said that what was discussed was in the best interest of the country.

    He said “I don’t think when you hold meeting even with your wife and children you will come and make that public. The president is father of the nation and we represent the sub unit of this nation and so is not everything that we discussed that we should just come and say.

    “It was a closed door meeting but be ready assured whatever the president will discuss with the governors will be in the best interest of all the citizens of this country,” he stated.

     

  • Osinbajo meets security chiefs over insecurity

    Osinbajo meets security chiefs over insecurity

    … Orders troops back to command centre

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday met behind closed doors with service chiefs over terrorists’ attacks in some parts of the country, particularly in Borno State.

    Several people have been killed recently in renewed attacks by remnants of Boko Haram sect in the North East.

    To check the insurgents’ onslaught, the Acting President has ordered movement of troops back to the command centre.

    Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, said: “We just finished a meeting with the Acting President and the three Service Chiefs. We agreed that they should move back to the Command Centre again and see what is happening there.

    “We have also agreed that we should get more surveillance devices, cameras that would be able to see distant attackers coming to the position of our troops.

    “So also the period of the raining season is a difficult moment for us. We cannot dominate the environment like we did during the dry season. But effort is geared towards regaining back our areas and we assure that all these ambushes that are happening regularly would be stopped.”

     

     

  • Osinbajo swears in new ministers

    Osinbajo swears in new ministers

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday charged cabinet members to join the anti-corruption battle of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    According to him, it’s not enough to just support the war in words only.

    The ministers, he said, must support the battle in deed.

    Osinbajo spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja while swearing in two ministers-designate, Stephen Ocheni (Kogi) and Suleiman Hassan (Gombe) at the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC).

    While Ocheni is replacing the late Minister of State for Labour, Mr James Ocholi, who died in a ghastly auto-crash along Kaduna-Abuja highway in 2016, Hassan is replacing Amina Mohammed, who resigned as Minister of Environment to take up the job of Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.

    The Senate had screened and confirmed the appointments of Ocheni and Hassan in May.

    While charging the new ministers to key in to the programmes of the administration, Osinbajo disclosed that their porfolio will be announced later.

    They were however directed to join the FEC meeting on Wednesday.

    Osinbajo said “Our latest members of the federal executive council are Stephen Ocheni (Kogi) and Alhaji Suleiman Hassan (Gombe).

    “We welcome you to the federal executive council, were you have just been sworn in from ministerial nominees but now  ministers of the federal republic Nigeria. Their portfolio will be announced shortly. From this moment they will join the federal executive council and will sit in our meeting this morning. So Prof and Alhaji you will not have time to celebrate much this morning. You will have full meeting today.

    “The federal executive council is one that is committed to the very far reaching and reform Programme of this government. That reform Programme is contained in our Economic Recovery and Road Plan. We have focus our attention on key areas of that economic recovery plan and we believe those key areas are things that need to be done to make a difference in the Nigerian economy and in the lives of Nigerians.

    “Time and time again we have continued to emphasis the need for ministers to pay particular attention to all the areas that we have highlighted in the economic plan.

    “The President Muhammadu Buhari decided to task ministers with specific functions and so we expect our new ministers to be part of this Herculean task in turning around the Nigerian economy and making live better for the citizens.

    “Of course you know that aside from the economy we have two key areas highlighted by the president during the course of the campaigns and have become center pieces of our administration Programme – security and the anti-corruption fight.

    “We expect that members of the federal executive council will focus on these key areas as well. We have of course made tremendous progress in security, we have issues and challenges here and there but there are compared to where we are coming from very minor indeed and we are tackling them on a day by day basis.” he added

    On the anti corruption fight, Osinbajo said, “we are focused we believe that the primary thing is for those of us who have the privilege of serving to ensure that by our own point and actions we support the anti corruption fight and also that our conducts will be exemplary so that we will show by practice not just by words that we are determined to ensure that this country is run by a good government. And where there is honesty and integrity service will be delivered.

    “Even as I welcome you to this cabinet, I congratulate friends and family who are here and I can only say going by your antecedence as contained in your resume read out, it is evident that you are deserving of positions held in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and that you are capable of rendering all he task that will given to you. The only reward is more hard work and I wish you the best as minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” He said

     

     

  • Another suit wants court to compel FEC to declare Buhari incapacitated

    Another suit wants court to compel FEC to declare Buhari incapacitated

    A new suit seeking to compel the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to declare ailing President Muhammadu Buhari incapacitated and unfit to continue in office was filed Thursday before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

    The suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/ 671/2017 filed by a group, Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International (KHRFI) is coming three weeks after a similar suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/508/2017 was filed before the same court by a United States-based Nigerian, Toyin Dawodu.

    The suit filed Thursday has the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, the Executive Council of the Federation (otherwise known as the Federal Executive Council), the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), and the National Assembly as defendants.

    KHRFI also filed an ex parte application to seek a mandatory leave (permission) of the court to commence the main action under the judicial review procedure of the Federal High Court.

    When granted the permission sought, the suit, the plaintiff, by virtue of the adopted procedure, intends to ask for a judicial review of whether or not the four respondents to the suit – Osinbajo, the ECF, the AGF, and the National Assembly, had failed to perform their constitutional mandate and obligation under section 144(1)(a) and (b) of the 1999 Constitution in relation to Buhari’s health status.

    It intends to seek among others, an order of mandamus compelling FEC to pass the resolution declaring Buhari “incapable of discharging the functions of his office”.

    It The plaintiff’s position that the declaration by the Executive Council of the Federation will  enable the Senate President “to constitute a medical panel that will verify the declaration of the Executive Council of the Federation pursuant to section 144(4) of the Constitution.”

    In a supporting affidavit, lawyer KHRFI; Patricia Chigbundu said the ongoing medical vacation embarked on by the President on May 7, 2017 was the third in the series of such trips.

    She said the President has spent over 60 days abroad since May, yet “Nigerians were not informed on the health conditions of the President.

    “That the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, had also embarked on medical vacation on January 19 to March 12, 2017 and stayed for over 60 days and Nigerians were not informed on the health conditions of the President.

    “The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, embarked on medical vacation from June 6, 2016 and Nigerians were not also informed on the health conditionsof the President.

    “Before the latest medical vacation on May 7, 2017, the President was not able to preside over the Federal Executive Council meeting.

    “All these series of medical vacations are affecting good governance in Nigeria and Nigerians deserve to know the true condition of the state of health of their President.”

    KHRFI wants among others:

    *A declaration of the honourable court that the  Executive Council of the Federation has failed to perform its constitutional duty by failing, refusing and neglecting  to pass a resolution declaring the  President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari who has been away for more than 60 days on third medical vacation since the assumption of office as the President  in 2015 incapable of discharging   the functions of   office;  in view of section 144 (1) (a) and (b) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

    *A declaration of the honourable court that the  Executive Council of the Federation  that in the circumstances of the Executive Council of the Federation not passing a resolution  declaring the President incapable of discharging the  functions of his office, the  Senate President  should not go ahead    to constitute   a medical panel  to examine the health condition of the President,   to determine if the President is suffering from  infirmity of body and mind,  and whether the President   has become permanently incapable  to discharge the functions  of  his office;  in view of section 144 (4) of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria (as amended).

    *An order of mandamus compelling the  Executive Council of the Federation to immediately and without any further delay  perform its constitutional duty by   passing  a resolution declaring the  President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari who has been away for more than 6o days on third medical vacation since the assumption of office as the President  in 2015  incapable of discharging   the functions of   office;  in view of section 144 (1) (a) and (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

    *An order of mandamus compelling the  Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria    to go ahead    and constitute   a medical  panel  to examine the health condition of the President Muhammadu Buhari    to determine if the President is suffering from  infirmity of body and mind and to determine whether the President   has become permanently incapable  to discharge the functions  of  his office;  in view of section 144 (4) of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria (as amended).

    Daudu, in his case, wants the court to declare that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has the powers to set up the medical panel to determine Buhari’s health status in the absence of a resolution of the Executive Council of the Federation declaring the President unfit to continue in office as provided under section 144 of the Constitution.

    The suit is now before Justice Adamu Abdu Kafarati, awaiting a hearing date.