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Tag: APC

  • Lawmaker urges youth to shun violence

    A member of the House of Representatives representing Ado-Odo/Ota Constituency, Babatunde Ogunola, has called on youths to eschew violence and embrace peace in the New Year.

    The lawmaker made the appeal at the weekend when he met with young professionals and artisans in his constituency.

    Ogunola said the future of the constituency and the nation at large is in the hands of the youth, while urging them to live in harmony with each other.

    “The youth are the engine room of any nation building or development. The youth of Ado-Odo/Ota Federal Constituency must show example to the entire nation that we can live in harmony despite our social, economic, religious and political differences. We must not allow any politician lure us to foment trouble or use us as political thugs. The destiny of the nation is in our hands and we must do everything to build a strong and united Nigeria. Ogunola admonished.

    Meanwhile, the lawmaker who is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) revealed that he has taken delivery of about 500 tricycles, which will be distributed to unemployed youth in the constituency as part of his empowerment programme.

  • Groups who shaped events

    Groups who shaped events

    Some groups of individuals and organisations, by their actions for good or for ill, shaped the news during the year and got the newshounds racing after them.

    APC

    SIGNS that the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) is losing its grip on the nation’s politics at the centre became obvious with the emergence of progressive politicians under the banner of the All Progressives Congress(APC).The party was formed when three political parties, namely Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN), Congress for Progressive Change(CPC) and All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP) as well as a fraction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) merged into what has turned out to be the biggest threat to PDP’s long stay in power.

    Since the APC was registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on July 31, more and more PDP stalwarts have joined its fold. The latest is the defection of five aggrieved PDP governors and 37 members of House of Representatives.

    Political watchers have described the coming of APC as the most political masterstroke of the year, not only because it has put paid to the possibility of a one-party system that the ruling party was almost foisting on the polity, it has emerged as a vibrant opposition putting the ruling party on its toes and most importantly, it has come to offer the most convenient alternative for change as Nigerians await 2015 general elections with bated breath.

    With the emergence of APC and its continued spread all over Nigeria, political observers are already reckoning that the pendulum could swing in its favour in 2015 elections.

    Peoples Democratic Party

    About 15 years after it was formed, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has ruled the country for 14 years, and prides itself as Africa’s largest party, has suffered significant reversal of fortune since its rancorous special convention at the Eagles Square, Abuja on August 31. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, seven governors and other aggrieved chieftains of the party had stormed out of the convention to form another faction of the party called the New PDP.

    Members of the splinter group included deposed former Secretary of the party and former Governor of Osun State, Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola; erstwhile National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje and former Kwara State Governor, Senator Bukola Saraki, among others. The seven governors, otherwise called the G7, are Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State, Sule Lamido of Jigawa State and Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State.

    Giving reasons for breaking away, the group, among other allegations, claimed that the list of delegates for the election of national officers of the party had been manipulated by the leadership of the party to favour their candidates. Baraje, the leader of the break-away faction, accused the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, of running the party like a personal fiefdom without recourse to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party and the illegal dissolution of the Adamawa State chapter of the party by Tukur to cause confusion.

    While talks were initiated by the Presidency with the splinter group, ‘irreconcilable differences’ led to the merger of the group with the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC) on November 26, 2013, hinging their decision on their bid to rescue the country from the jaws of PDP. Two members of the faction, Governors Aliyu and Lamido, however, did not defect with their counterparts, citing ongoing talks with President Goodluck Jonathan as reason for remaining in the PDP.

    The biggest blow was dealt on the party on December 18 when 37 members of PDP in the House of Representatives, including the Chairman, House Committee on Publicity, Mr. Zakari Mohammed from Kwara State and Dakuku Peterside from Rivers State, defected to APC. The defectors in a letter to the Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, cited the divisions and factions in the PDP as reasons for pitching their tents with APC. There seems no end in sight yet to the crisis rocking the party that prides itself as the biggest political party in Africa as there are speculations that more members may dump it for the increasingly popular APC.

    ASUU
    The 2013 academic session was ruffled by a face-off between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government (FG) over the latter’s non-implementation of an agreement the two parties reached in 2009. The deadlock led to a strike action by ASUU, which commenced on July 1.
    In the botched 2009 agreement, ASUU claimed it was owed N87 billion. The agreement also included payment of funding requirements for revitalising the Nigerian university system; provision for progressive increase of annual budgetary allocation to education to 26 per cent between 2009 and 2020; transfer of landed property to the universities; payment of earned allowances as well as amendment of the pension/retirement age for academics on the professorial cadre from 65 to 70 years.
    Fruitless meetings, including a 13-hour parley presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, were held to resolve the matter with the FG insisting on fresh negotiation of terms, which ASUU rejected. The breakdown in negotiation later culminated in a threat issued by the Federal Government, asking striking lecturers to resume duties on December 9 or risk sack. But the prolonged strike humbled the FG. In a dramatic twist, the FG by popular demand bowed to ASUU when it announced the payment of N200 billion into the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The amount was meant for the renewal of infrastructure in public universities in the country.
    ASUU finally signed a new agreement with the Federal Government on December 11, while the strike was called off on December 17, thus ending the five-month face-off.
    BOKO HARAM
    Despite the claim by security forces that Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, had been killed in a shoot-out, the Islamic sect has yet to quench its thirst for killing innocent people, especially in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria. In the latter part of the year, it continued its reign of terror, launching deadly attacks on both civilian and military base, especially in Borno and Yobe states.
    There were also the most heart-rending killings of innocent students. The insurgents invaded schools in Yobe during the night during the year and mowed down students in a most heartless manner.
    One of the sect’s most unforgetable killings were those of Ibadan bean sellers who were ambushed at a road block mounted by the insurgents and massacred. The episode created some anxious moments; but for the deft handling of the Oyo State government, it could have elicited reprisal attacks.
    The latest of the onslaughts was the one carried out on the on the 202 Tank Battalion in Bama, Borno State with explosive devices. Five aircraft were destroyed in the attack.

    CIVILIAN JTF
    Worried by the spate of killings by the sect, some youths in Borno State volunteered to dare the deadly sect in order to stop the orgy of violence. Armed with bare sticks, knives and swords, they resisted the sect members who wield improvised explosives and guns.
    Although, the CJTF has restored relative peace by checking the free reign of the Boko Haram sect, it is not without some casualties as the quite courageous group became the target of the sect. The confrontation between the two groups left in its wake the death of 25 CJTF members between September and October.

    ASSOCIATED AIRLINES PLANE CRASH
    Notwithstanding some renovations carried out at the nation’s airports, the nation was thrown into another round of mourning barely two years after a Dana aircraft crashed in Iju-Ishaga, a suburb of Lagos. This time around, a charted aircraft (Embraer 120 jet) operated by Associated Airlines and conveying the remains of former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, crashed into the fence of a building near the Murtala Mohammed Airport on October 3, 2013, shortly after taking off from the airport.
    The incident claimed the lives of Ondo State Commissioner for Tourism, Mr. Deji Falae, renowned funeral manager, Mr.Tunji Okusanya and his son, among others. Agagu’s son, Feyi, and a few others survived the crash.
    Preliminary reports released by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) later revealed that the crash was caused by human and mechanical errors.

    SUPER EAGLES
    It was celebration time for Nigeria on February 10, 2013 when the Super Eagles beat Burkina Faso to emerge winners of the 2013 African Cup of Nations which took place in South Africa.
    During the finals, the Super Eagles defeated The Stallions of Burkina Fasso by 1-0 in an explosive match with Sunday Mba scoring the winning goal in the 40th minute. The trio of Sunday Mba, Victor Moses and Emmanuel Emenike displayed outstanding performance during the tournament.
    It was the third time Nigeria would win the trophy, having won it previously in 1980 and 1994 while Burkina Faso’s appearance at the finals was the first.
    Before the tournament, not a few Nigerians had written off the Super Eagles on the grounds of lack of cohesion. However, the team’s head coach, Stephen Keshi, who captained the team to victory in 1994 in Tunisia, reengineered the team for a spectacular outing at the championship to clinch the coveted trophy for Nigeria.
    The team became the recipient of cash rewards from President Goodluck Jonathan and many corporate organisations.

    GOLDEN EAGLETS
    Nigeria recorded yet another victory in world championship football when it made a mince meat of Mexico, winning by 3-0 in the 15th edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup on November 8 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
    The Golden Eaglets launched into early lead following a first half own goal by Erick Aguirre. The team fired on all cylinders resulting in second half strikes from Kelechi Iheanacho and Musa Muhammed to secure a fourth title on Asian soil.
    Aside the superlative performance of the highly talented lads, Nigeria holds the record of the highest goals in a single U17 World Cup tournament with 26 goals, setting aside the record set by Germany in Mexico 2011.
    The team members and their trainers were later hosted to a lavish reception for their brilliant performance with mouthwatering cash rewards.

  • Nigeria needs rescue mission, say APC governors

    Nigeria needs rescue mission, say APC governors

    ll Progressives Congress (APC) governors yesterday said the economy is in danger and the nation needs a rescue mission.

    They said democracy is under threat and urged Nigerians to prepare to shape their destiny as from 2014.

    The governors, who made their position known in a Christmas message in Abuja by the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), urged Nigerians not to lose hope.

    The statement reads: “Our national economy has crashed to a level that is hardly explainable by rational economic theories. The common scorecard shows a nation that is efficient in mismanaging unmatched resources and wanton profligacy. Reversing this trend is not a mission that any group can accomplish alone. It requires the support of Nigerians.

    “It is a difficult task, but we are confident that with your support, we shall seize the initiative and return Nigeria to a land where votes count and where the government will be accountable to the governed.

    “After 14 years of democracy, our electoral system has continued to be a major source of national disappointment. The elections in Delta and Anambra states have clearly rolled back the small progress that was recorded in Edo and Ondo states. With the state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe and the declaration by the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC) that it will not be able to conduct elections in those states, democratic rule in the country is under threat and all democrats must rise to the occasion and save our democracy.”

    Condemning the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) “insensitivity” to the security of life and property, the governors said: “The hard and incomprehensible reality is that the Presidency, Federal Government and PDP have become reckless, dishonest and completely insensitive to minimum requirements of protecting Nigerians.

    “The government, as far as the conduct of the Federal Government shows, is all about the political aspirations of functionaries of government, notably Mr. President. This is unfortunate and the consequence is the increasing wave of both intra-party and national political crises, without any visible demonstration of capacity by the federal government and the ruling party to manage or resolve the crises.”

    They advised Nigerians not to lose hope and assured that APC would make a big difference.

    The statement added: “Together with our party leadership, we reaffirm our unflinching commitment to move Nigeria forward. The nation cannot continue to be run the way it has been since 1999. Something must give. True, the resilience of Nigerians has been tested severally by the antics of a government that has continually defrauded the people at the ballot box and continues to play politics with ethnic and religious sentiments while proffering no solutions to tackle insecurity, poverty and unemployment, yet, it is not the people, but this government, that must give way.”

    APC governors said the merger of opposition parties was part of steps to rescue the nation from its abyss, adding: “There is no doubt that the merger of opposition parties today represents a major source of hope for the nation and our people are full of expectations that the APC, its leadership, elected representatives and governments will take the right measures to move the country away from the multitude of crises, halt the current movement towards collapse, restore the credibility of institutions of governance at all levels and respect and recognise the value of the human person. This demands that all political leaders be ready to make sacrifices.

    “We acknowledge and commend our party leadership for demonstrating high resolve to set aside all their personal positions and aspirations to provide the needed leadership to unite all Nigerian progressives.

    “As progressive governors, we are proud of the achievements of our party and will continue to support our leaders towards rescuing our dear nation, Nigeria.”

    Recommending a national reconciliation agenda for the nation, the governors said: “Given the severity and intensity of the crises facing our dear nation, it is clear that rescuing Nigeria will have to commence with a strong commitment to a national agenda of reconciliation to resolve grievances of citizens and bring forth a clear roadmap for nation building founded on respect for our diversities.

    “Such a commitment should be founded on the principles of acknowledging the deep-seated anger of citizens and recognising that it is a product of injustices over years of bad governance. As a result, governments at all levels at different times have infringed on the rights and liberties of citizens. Citizens have, in turn, been abused and, in many instances, violated. It is the view of the PGF that reconciliation, founded on the principles of forgiveness, with governments demonstrating a strong commitment to break away from the past culture of infringements, must form the foundation of a new Nigeria.”

  • Party faults arrest of Kano lawmakers

    Party faults arrest of Kano lawmakers

    •’It’s political vendetta’

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday described the arrest of the Speaker, Clerk and nine members of the Kano State House of Assembly by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as “political vendetta by a hurting presidency, whose target is the governor”.

    In a statement by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC said: “Since the arrest of the lawmakers for approving a budget cannot be justified by any law, it is clear to all discerning Nigerians that the only motive is to harass and intimidate the lawmakers of a state that recently escaped from the hell-hole called the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the APC.

    “The politically-motivated arrest marks the beginning of the long-expected series of persecution by a desperate Federal Government of APC states, especially those that recently ducked the cascading PDP plague.

    “We call for the immediate release of the legislators by the malleable EFCC, which has suddenly found enough resources from its dried-up coffers to go after innocent men, when the same commission looked the other away while monumental corruption stalked the land, whether it is the Oduahgate, the fuel subsidy scam or the SURE-P heist, to list a few.

    “Nowhere in the world are lawmakers arrested for carrying out their constitutional- role of approving a budget. The world must be having a good laugh at the lack of ingenuity by a government that is so eager to extract a pound of flesh from supposed political enemies that it would orchestrate arrests for offences unknown to law.

    “The allegation that Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s supplementary budget was meant to cover-up a dubious transaction, due to a budget review request to the Assembly to the value of N28 billion from the initial budget of N24 billion, is as spurious and laughable, just as the EFCC’s claim that the arrest followed a petition by a stakeholder in the state is questionable.

    ‘”The tragedy of the unfolding scenario, which will surely extend to other APC states in the days ahead, is that a democratically-elected government is toeing the well-worn vindictive path of a military dictatorship by harassing and intimidating supposed opponents and stifling the opposition.

    “The Gestapo-style siege on the Kano Assembly is a throwback to what Nigerians thought was a bygone era of military dictatorship. We hate to say it, but we have been proven right in our warning in October that the President was using Rivers State to test-run fascism. Now, he seems ready to roll.”

    It vowed to use all constitutional means to resist any attempt to use state institutions against the opposition; to use trumped-up charges to victimise perceived political opponents and to curtail the citizens’ right of free association

    APC said: “From the moment our party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was dragged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal over a case that lacked merit to the arrest of Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido’s sons and the grounding of Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s plane, the Jonathan administration has not relented in its search for any crude measure to badger the opposition and perceived opponents to submission.

    “But if history is any guide, no force is good enough to stop an idea whose time has come. For us in the APC, the cheap shots from a diminished presidency and the evil machinations of a crumbling behemoth called the PDP can only strengthen our resolve to rescue Nigeria from the clutches of entities, which are steeped in medieval tactics of coercion, even as governance has suffered a crushing neglect.”

  • Tukur writes Tambuwal over legislators’ defection

    Tukur writes Tambuwal over legislators’ defection

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has urged House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal to “direct” lawmakers who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to return to the PDP.

    In a letter to Tambuwal, signed by Tukur’s lawyer, Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN), the PDP said the lawmakers’ defection could lead to “anarchy”.

    According to Gadzama in the letter dated December 19, the Federal High Court, Abuja, has directed that the defecting lawmakers maintain status quo.

    The order, he said, was made on December 17 in a suit by Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo and 50 other lawmakers against Tukur, Senate President David Mark, Tambuwal, PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The plaintiff’s counsel, Gadzama said, sought to move an application for interlocutory injunction restraining Mark and Tambuwal from sitting over deliberations to declare the plaintiffs’ seat vacant.

    Gadzama said Justice A. R. Mohammed suo motu (without prompting by any of the counsel), ordered all parties to maintain status quo pending hearing of the lawmakers’ suit on January 22.

    He said: “Despite the court order, 37 of the plaintiffs have purportedly declared their intention to decamp to the APC. This, you will undoubtedly agree, is not in tandem with the court order. The plaintiffs did not comply with the mandatory criteria for defecting to another party. While the PDP has filed a motion seeking to overturn the lawmakers’ purported movement to the APC, the Speaker should direct that the court order be maintained.

    “We enjoin you to act in obedience to the court order and direct the plaintiffs to revert to the status quo ante bellum. “

    Anything contrary to this will send out the wrong signal to Nigerians and the world that the federal legislators have no regard for the law and the Constitution they have sworn to uphold.

    “The action of the plaintiffs, if not contained, may lead to a state of anarchy, which is not good for our democracy, constitutionalism, rule of law and the polity.”

  • Duke, Ebri to join APC

    Indications have emerged that former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke may join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The ex-governor resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because, according to him, “it has become dysfunctional and unable to articulate a road map.”

    He, however, returned to the party later.

    Chief Tom Ikimi, the interim national vice chairman, south-south of the APC, dropped the hint when supervising the election for the interim executive council of the party in the state.

    He said they have been in touch with the former governor.

    “We are in contact with Duke. I believe sooner than later, APC will be strong in Cross River State.”

    Ikimi also said they have been in touch with another former governor of the state, Mr. Clement Ebri, who has been giving “a lot of insights about what is happening in the state.”

    He said APC would continue to grow strong across the country and would win the general elections in 2015.

    The lawmaker representing Obubra (1), Alex Irek, emerged as the Chairman of the Cross River State Interim Executive Committee of the APC in a poll, which took place at Etaval Hotel, Ibom Layout, Calabar.

  • Ribadu urges Christians to emulate Jesus

    Ribadu urges Christians to emulate Jesus

    Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and presidential candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, yesterday urged Christians to learn from the life of Jesus Christ, whose birth Christmas stands for.

    A statement by his office in Abuja said the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain underscored the need for unity among Nigerians to pave the way for the socio-political advancement of the country.

    Ribadu said Jesus Christ was a special gift to the world, as he lived an exemplary life for the wise among mankind to study and emulate.

    He said: “At this important turn of economic, socio-political challenges for our country, our Christian brothers and sisters have significant roles to play by drawing from the esteemed life of Jesus Christ.

    “Christmas, therefore, should not be for the merriment of it alone. It should be a time to reflect and imbibe the virtues of charity, humility, tolerance and unity, as exemplified by Jesus.”

    According to him, tolerance is needed not only between followers of different faiths but also among various shades of political inclinations.

    On unity, Ribadu emphasised that Nigerians need to be united to confront the present challenges mitigating against the country’s progress.

  • Treason, what treason?

    Treason, what treason?

    •Call for presidential impeachment cannot amount to treason, since impeachment ais a constitutional provision

    On December 15, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the All Progressives Congress (APC) interim national publicity secretary, called on the National Assembly to commence immediate impeachment proceedings against President Goodluck Jonathan, for sundry constitutional infractions. He claimed he spoke with a “high sense of responsibility”.

    Alhaji Mohammed accused the Jonathan Presidency, and the smarting Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of plotting to plunge the country into chaos, by courting the courts to declare vacant the seats of its five former governors that just defected to the APC, despite the precedence of a Supreme Court judgment that rejected a similar prayer, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo attempted to remove estranged Vice President Atiku Abubakar, for defecting into the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    Hinting at a possible judicial collusion bordering on high corruption, Alhaji Mohammed warned of “widespread repercussions as the APC has resolved that henceforth, every act of impunity of the PDP and the Presidency would be met with stiff resistance in the form of a vociferous telegraphing of people power, the likes of which have not been witnessed in these parts”. He added that since impeachment is “stipulated in the 1999 Constitution”, and the Jonathan government is at sea on security, corruption, massive unemployment and mass hunger, not to mention impunity, impeachment was a legitimate means to remove the president.

    But Dr. Reuben Abati, chief presidential spokesperson, dismissed “the reckless and irresponsible call by the APC” for Jonathan’s impeachment; and warned that “the APC and any persons who make themselves its willing tools for the breach of public order and safety will be made to face the full sanctions of the law. Those who are threatening fire and brimstone,” he declared, “should be ready for consequences of treasonable action”, adding that the APC could not browbeat the courts in pending political cases before them.

    Beyond legitimate attack and response, emotion and counter-emotion and partisan bile and counter-bile, the two issues here are impeachment and treason.

    Does an urge to impeach the president amount to treason? Certainly not, for a provision of the Constitution cannot be said to subvert the same constitution. That would be a contradiction in terms.

    But could a call for impeachment be reckless? Yes, if it is just to settle political scores; and thus slaughter the Constitution on the altar of crass partisanship. But is that the case here? Political exchanges are never clear-cut, for emotions mix with stark facts to produce a strange mixture.

    Still, the Jonathan Presidency would appear legitimately charged with flat-footedness in anti-corruption (witness the Stella Oduah case, for instance, in which the president appears helpless even with the House of Representatives asking him to dismiss the minister); and with dire constitutional breaches (the partisan abuse of the police in Rivers State; and the reprehensible conduct of the police commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu, in virtually levying war against the state government; and against real or perceived presidential opponents in that state).

    The Rivers State case is especially serious, for it taints the Presidency, and somewhat projects it as recklessly contemptible of the law that created that high office. That is a recipe for disaster, except the presidency changes tack and calls the constitutional bandits at the “front” to order; or faces possible sanction itself, if the opposition could muster the required number in parliament.

    Still, the impeachment option should be the very last, for it signals a point of no return for a republic grilling in illegality perpetrated by a president, its supposed guarantor-in-chief of law and legitimacy.

    So, let neither side go for broke. But let the Jonathan Presidency do the needful, after a frank soul-searching for, if the bitter truth must be told, its relentless impunity has turned PDP into a boiling cauldron; and pushed the country to this sorry pass.

    But as the opposition should be cautious in its utterances, let no one criminalise a justified call for impeachment. It’s no use issuing threats and flexing muscles, when the administration could quietly lower the political temperature by doing the right thing by law. It is the manifest folly of projecting power instead of projecting reason.

  • Commissioner empowers the needy

    Commissioner empowers the needy

    Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment Mr Tunji Bello has empowered 36 residents of Yaba/Mainland Local Government Area. The gesture took place at his quarterly scholarship/empowerment scheme held at the Mainland Independent Group (MIG) office in Yaba.

    He urged chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the area to close ranks in the party’s interest.

    Bello, who is the group’s patron, promised to sustain the scheme which started in April, saying: ‘’My modest contributions to poverty alleviation in Yaba and Mainland are in consonance with the principles of the APC’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    Bello said Governor Babatunde Fashola’s performance at the state level required complementary social responsibility by other officials at the local government and community level.’’ The Chairman, MIG, Hon. Kayode Aransiola; Coordinator Alhaji Ibrahim Megida and Woman Leader Alhaja Nimota Morenikeji said the gesture was unprecedented in the area’s political history.

    They praised Tinubu, Fashola and Senator Oluremi Tinubu for their ‘’people-centred policies,’’ adding: ”APC will make tremendous impact on the lives of Nigerians if it captures power at the centre.”

  • Senator Tinubu seeks halt to declining well-being

    Senator Tinubu seeks halt to declining well-being

    THE Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Employment Labour and Productivity, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, yesterday said there is need to halt the rapid decline in the well-being of Nigerians.

    The senator representing Lagos Central stated this in her Christmas message to her constituents.

    In a statement yesterday, Senator Tinubu noted that Christmas festivities offer the opportunity for Christians and non-Christians to celebrate life, take stock of the outgoing year and prepare for the next.

    She said: “I felicitate with all constituents of Lagos Central Senatorial District and, indeed, all the people of Lagos State and the entire federation in this season of goodwill.

    “Christmas, a time when Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, is also a time when all of us – irrespective of our religious divide – celebrate life, take stock of the outgoing year and prepare for the next.

    “Across our nation, 2013 has brought to the fore the need to halt a rapid decline in the well-being of our people. Uncertainties, strikes, declining infrastructure, extreme poverty, mass unemployment, insecurity and other challenges prevail.

    “Fortunately, we still see the radiance of hope in Lagos Central Senatorial District and our state. “However, the challenge of the moment is how all of us can collectively support and further strengthen the ongoing mobilisation for lasting positive change in Nigeria.

    “While people of goodwill and vision across Nigeria have continued to energise the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a vehicle of change towards fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of present and coming generations, we cannot afford to remain on the sidelines.

    “Next year (2014) promises to be the deciding year for all of us to increase the momentum towards change and determine the fate of our dear country, Nigeria.

    “As we celebrate Christmas, let us take into cognisance that it is also a season to renew hope about the possibilities to make a break from years of decay and achieving genuine transformation that would reach across all homes and individuals.

    “In this season of goodwill, we must remember those who are less fortunate than ourselves; also, our elderly, the disabled, the sick and vulnerable ones among us.

    “I wish you and your families much happiness, good health, today and throughout the coming year. Merry Christmas, a peaceful and prosperous 2014.”