President Muhammadu Buhari celebrated his 76th birthday on Monday.
Many happy returns, Baba! #PMBAt76 pic.twitter.com/v86a0Ym10N
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) December 17, 2018
Happy birthday, once again, Mr. President. May you live long and well sir! pic.twitter.com/7lseQO2vjo
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) December 17, 2018
Happy 76th birthday, Baba! #PMBAt76 pic.twitter.com/6Qmjqsp2Pt
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) December 17, 2018
Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Monday approved the names of 12 nominees for the board of National Assembly Service Commission (NASC).
This is contained in a statement by the Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the Senate President, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja.
The nomination and appointment of the members of the NASC is one of the demands of the striking National Assembly workers.
Those nominated included Senator Joy Emordi (Anambra) who is being proposed as the Chairman, Nuhu Musa (Jigawa), Hon. Bilyaminu Yusuf Shinkafi (Kebbi), Barr. Femi Agge (Edo), Uthman Olakunle Taofeek (Lagos), Prince Adenekan Olateru-Olagbegi (Ondo) and Amb. Abdulazeez Sheikh Usman (Kwara).
Other nominees are Awalu Aliyu Ohindese (Kogi), Henry Odey Adagba (Ebonyi), Dr. Rufus Omeire (Imo), Hon. Bilyamini Bunbot (Bauchi), and Ahmed Ashemi (Borno).
In line with the provisions of Sections 3 and 4 of the National Assembly Commission Act, 2000, the names of the nominees will be presented to President Muhammadu Buhari for appointment.
The Presidency has disclosed that the Mohammadu Buhari led administration has created 12 million jobs since it was elected into government.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, made this known when asked about the Nigerian Bureau Statistic (NBS) data indicating that millions of jobs have been lost when he appeared on Sunrise daily, a programme on Channelstv.
Disputing the figures of number of job losses released by the NBS, he said the Director General of NBS, Dr. Yemi Kale, had admitted to the Federal Government that they had only focused on white collar jobs losses.
“There was a departure last week. The NBS chief while addressing the Federal cabinet and made admission himself that they had concentrated their analysis over time on white collar jobs and that they haven’t taken into cognisance of jobs creation in the area of agriculture ” he said.
“The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria made an open claim that they have created 12 million new jobs and nobody has come out to dispute that”.
“When he finished addressing the Federal cabinet last week, the DG was told to go out and address the public about what he had just told them. They said to him, you are just saying to us that Jigawa, Kebbi and Ebonyi are reporting the lowest employment rate on the account of agriculture”.
“So I think that the data collected on the basic of which some of the judgements that have been passed are misleading. There is now a convergence. The data has been unfair to this administration, they have ignored job creation in the areas of agriculture and now that it is being integrated, Nigerians will be impressed with us as we have created at least 12 million new jobs in the area of agriculture.
But the DG of NBS, Dr. Yemi Kale in a response to a question tweeted to him on his official twitter handle about Shehu’s claim of admitting to misleading the public on the number job losses denied the statement credited to the presidential spokesman.
“neither the statistician General nor NBS ever made any such admission at anytime to anybody and the unemployment computations does take into account all sectors, age groups and both rural and urban areas” he tweeted.
Towards marking President Muhammadu Buhari’s 76th birthday, there was special military parade in his honor on Monday.
The parade by 203 members of the guards brigade was held at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa.
The various military display started when the President arrived the venue around 12.22p.m with the rendition of the National anthem.
It was the first elaborate ceremony marking his birthday since the inception of the administration in 2015.
The ceremony was still in progress at the time of filing this report.
“That’s him, that’s him,” the two old women, wrinkled and bent with age, exclaimed. You could see wonderment and fulfillment in their eyes. And as if on cue, they both began to cry.
It was in Bauchi earlier this year. President Muhammadu Buhari was visiting to commiserate with the people on the ravages of windstorm, which had destroyed many homes and other property. As he waved at the tumultuous crowd, the two women saw him, perhaps for the first time in their lives. And so great was their satisfaction, their pure joy, that they began to cry.
That is the kind of emotion that courses through millions and millions of Nigerians when they behold their President, the honest man (mai gaskiya), the man of integrity, man of accountability, one whose word you can take to the bank. The man who loves them, and they love and trust in return.
Don’t misunderstand me. Not all estimated 196 million Nigerians share this sentiment. Not possible. There are those who are passionately opposed to the President. They are a very vocal minority, who abhor his integrity, hate his sense of accountability, and even want him dead. But we are not talking about those who Fela Anikulapo-Kuti called “opposite people.” On this day of his 76th birthday, we are talking of the teeming masses who love Buhari, and who can go to the ends of the earth for him.
Why do they love Buhari? Or better still, why do we love Buhari? The old, the young, men, women, boy, girl, the strong, the infirm. Why do we love the tall man from Daura? For many reasons.
I have said it before, and say it again. It will take a while before Nigeria will see another political leader with such ability to pull an unsolicited and uninduced crowd like Muhammadu Buhari. Anywhere he goes, he doesn’t have to procure the crowd. They turn out in their numbers to see and hear him. They will trek from Africa to China, walk from Cape Town to Cairo, all to see, hear and cheer the man they love.
Why?
Many reasons. He is an honest man. My father, that stern educationist, who ran the home and the schools he administered with an iron hand, used to tell us: “Honesty is the best policy.” That was true over 50 years ago when he drummed it into our ears, and it is still true today. And will remain true tomorrow, and forever. That is why we love Buhari. He is an honest man, who will tell the truth to his own hurt.
At a recent meeting with governors, while discussing the seemingly knotty issue of minimum wage, the President told them to level with him. He said he knew that general elections were by the corner, “but I don’t like to lie to anybody. I will still like to tell Nigerians the truth, and nothing but the truth, as to what we can truly afford to pay.” Consultations are still ongoing.
Some people will give you fibs, just because they want to hoodwink you, and get your votes. They will announce that they’ve increased the salaries of fictitious workers, even when truly they are owing many of their employees. But not President Buhari. Nothing for him is a matter of life and death. Truth is the best thing in a man’s keeping. Make yourself an honest man, and there is one rascal less in the world. That is why we love the man.
Accountability. I will never forget a promise Buhari made to the crowd at a campaign rally in Lagos in 2011, when he ran with Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly. Two honest men. “Every kobo that comes into the treasury will be used for the good of Nigerians.” That’s the accountable man, who would not dip his hands into the treasury for private gains, who will not line his pocket at the expense of the people. That is why we love him.
Just over a week ago, I met a man who was an accountant at the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), when the then Gen. Buhari was chairman. Executive Chairman, who could do anything he wanted, since the place was awash with billions of petrol money.
“I told him his salary would be N200,000 monthly,” the man recounted.
“He said it was too much, since he still drew pension from public coffers as a retired General and former head of state. I don’t know how he calculated it, but he said he would rather be paid N84,000 monthly. And that was what he earned.”
Yet some people say don’t follow this honest man. Till he has one tooth left in his mouth, and is bent double over his walking stick, we will, no matter what they say. Honesty is still the best policy. Today, tomorrow, and forever.
See all the positions he has held in this country. Governor of North-east, then made up of what is now six states. Minister of Petroleum for over three years. Head of State for 20 months. Chairman of PTF for many years. Yet he remains a man of modest means. That is why we love him.
In the early days of this administration, when oil prices had crashed to as low as 39 dollars per barrel (from as high as 115 in preceding years, stabilizing at over $100 for a long time, yet we had no savings, no reserves), it was usually a spectacle to see the President and the then Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, seated and apportioning funds for the week. Depending on what was in the coffers, they prioritized spending, just like traders with low capital base.
Nigeria had been run into a hole. No reserve for the rainy day, and we were being badly beaten by the rain. Yet salaries must be paid as at when due. At least 27 states could not meet their obligations, till President Buhari gave them a lifeline. And then, one day, a counsel was given at a meeting: “This is the time to ideally cut the strength of the federal civil service by at least half, as we may not be able to carry the load for long.” It made a lot of fiscal sense. But to the President, it was nonsense. “If it lies within my powers, I will ensure that no single person loses his or her job. Yes, it may be the right thing to do, looking at the state of our finances, but I won’t do it,” President Buhari said.
And you say we shouldn’t love this President? We will love him till Africa and China meet.
A confederacy has arrayed itself against the honest man. A crooked confederacy. Anybody that is anybody in the pantheon of questionable character is there. Are Nigerians fools? After their eyes have been opened, will they willfully afflict themselves with blindness again? Not on their lives! The country will never go back to the slave market. Not after we have known prudence, experienced accountability, and we are are inching out of the morass in which we were soused and marooned.
For more than five decades, mere lip service was paid to diversification of the economy. But we remained a mono-product country. Oil. So, whenever the price of oil crashed in the international market, we simply crashed with it. Now gradually, and inexorably, we are on the road to a diversified economy. Wonders are being done in agriculture. Mining is flexing muscles. Manufacturing is showing prospects. All in less than four years.
What of infrastructure? The sum of N2.7 trillion spent in two years. The roads are roaring to life. The rail is snaking in. Power is powering back. Wonders are being unfolded in different parts of the country. And we shouldn’t love this President? We will, no matter what the naysayers say.
Hear pensioners rejoice: This is the best administration we’ve had since the advent of Contributory Pension Scheme 14 years ago.
Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State spoke at a meeting of governors with the President last Friday. He said since the creation of the state, this was the first time pensioners were being paid, adding that pension liabilities have been cleared by about 40%. Just because there is a President that cares.
Former Nigeria Airways workers. Railway workers. Former Biafran policemen. And many others, have had their pensions paid. And we shouldn’t love the ‘birthday man?’ They should tell it to the marines.
When you have a heart for men, it is God himself that keeps you alive. We have seen a practical demonstration in President Buhari.
From the brink of death early 2017, there is now an unmistakable glow in him, evidence of good health from the inside. It is God at work. No wonder wicked people came with the idiocy of Jubril of Sudan. Otiose. Hollow. Products of addled minds. That was why we ignored them, till the President himself responded to a question from Nigerians in Poland two weeks ago.
And you know what? Our love for this President is at no cost. No charge. Whether we work for him, and for him, or we don’t, the real cost of our love is no charge.
Do you know that classic song, No Charge, made popular by Shirley Caesar and Sonia Spence? It told the story of a small boy who decided to charge his mum for all that he considered favours he had done her.
“For mowing the yard, five dollars
And for making my own room this week, one dollar
For going to the store, 50 cents
And playing with little brother while you went shopping, 25 cents
Taking out the trash, one dollar
And for getting a good report card, five dollars
For raking the yard, two dollars
Total owed, fourteen seventy-five.”
The woman looked at her son, standing there expectantly. Then she collected the paper from him, and wrote on it:
“For the nine months I carried you,
Growing inside me, no charge
For the nights I sat up with you
Doctored you, prayed for you, no charge
For the time and tears, and the cost through the years, no charge
When you add it all up, the full cost of my love is no charge.”
For millions upon millions of Nigerians who love this President, it is an unconditional love. The full cost of our love is no charge. Happy birthday, Mr President.
Adesina is Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity.
THE Conference of All Progressives Congress (APC) Publicity Secretaries (CAPS) has passed a vote of confidence in President Muhammadu Buhari for bringing about change that has brought real impact in the lives of Nigerians.
It has accordingly endorsed the President for a second term in office to consolidate on the gains of his administration.
CAPS spoke at the weekend in a communique issued at the end of its third summit with the theme: “Consolidating and communicating change”, in Makurdi, Benue State capital.
The communique was issued by the conference chairman, Joe Igbokwe, an engineer and co-signed by the secretary, Okelo Madukaife (Southeast), Abubakar DanMusa (Northwest), Mrs. Naomi Joel Awak (Northeast), Usman Adaji, an engineer (Northcentral), Mens Ikpeme (Southsouth) and Alex Kalejaiye (Southwest).
It reads: “CAPS traditionally looked back at periodicals of performance and based on the papers presented, submissions from hosts and tour findings in parts of Benue, resolves that change as envisaged by APC and is being implemented by its Federal administration is, indeed, real, impactful and beneficial. Hence, due credit is hereby extended to President Muhammadu Buhari for leading this revolution.
“That a vote of resounding and implicit confidence be passed and is hereby passed on President Muhammadu Buhari, who deserves a second term to consolidate.
“That Benue State has suffered in the hands of PDP elements, who commit heinous crimes against the people and pass the blames to others. But having exposed all these, we aver that the provision of infrastructure, payment of salaries, motivation of workforce, creation of industrial base, security of Benue State is better placed in the hands of a brand new APC government in Benue State, come May 2019.”
The communique added: “That CAPS looks beyond the myriad of fake news, manufactured by an opposition bereft of ideas to second term of moving to the next level, where the successes of change – doing more with less funds, honesty, self-sufficiency, submission to the law, ridding the nation of official corruption, vast infrastructural development, increase in foreign reserves and sustaining a productive diversified economy – is consolidated.”
The CAPS members told reporters that fake news and cheap propaganda would not win the 2019 election, but the achievements of change so far and their consolidation in the coming second term would be vigorously propagated and communicated.
He said APC publicity secretaries, particularly at state levels, remain pivotal drivers of communicating change and, therefore, called for moral, logistic and financial supports to enable them function optimally, particularly, in those states where APC has not formed governments.
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has urged the academics to focus their researches in solving the country’s challenges.
Buhari spoke at the weekend at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife’s convocation for 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 sets of graduands.
It was a day renowned literary giant and scholar, Prof. Biodun Jeyifo, was honored by the university with honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)
The university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, said Jeyifo had registered a permanent presence in the global arena of literary criticism, social activism and public discourse.
According to Prof. Ogunbodede, Jeyifo’s works have impacted positively on the study of African Literature as well as related field such as Theatre, Film, Africana Studies, African-American cultural studies and post-colonial studies.
However, Buhari lamented that the society had been confronted with unprecedented problems, challenging the academics to lead in finding solutions to them.
The President, who was represented by the National Universities Commission (NUC) Executive Secretary Dr. Sulaiman Yussuf, said: “We should put our academics to task by challenging them to come up with solutions to the myriad of problems confronting our country in particular and the African country in general.”
He expressed worries that most Nigerian academics use their intellect to develop foreign countries at the expense of Nigeria, where they obtained education, leaving the problems facing their own country to persist.
Buhari added: “Most academics of Nigerian origin have been harnessing their intellectual capabilities, prowess and talents to further develop foreign countries, where they reside at the expense of their native county. More surprising is the fact that these are Nigerians who acquired their degrees, certificates or diplomas from institutions of higher learning here in Nigeria.
“It is unfortunate that most of the outcomes of numerous researches and papers presented by our scholars at national and international conferences usually end up on the shelves of their respective authors, supervisors, departmental or faculty libraries and other university archives.”
He reiterated commitment to supporting education for optimal development through adequate funding and motivation of staff with improved welfare.
Buhari, who promised to use what he described as meagre resources to put an end to the agitation and incessant strikes embarked upon by the unions, called on the university management to come up with recommendations, targeted research, policy briefs “and any other thing that you think will assure us that our funding of education is not a wasteful venture.”
The university’s chancellor, Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, appealed to the institution’s personnel not to use industrial action as an option to press home their demands for welfare and other demands from government.
The monarch, who advised them to embrace dialogue and negotiation at all times, called on the graduating students to apply the knowledge they had acquired to strive for and promote positive change and excellence in their various states and across the globe.
The vice chancellor expressed zero-tolerance for defiant behaviours such as cultism, violence and sexual harassment.
Prof. Ogunbodede added that 13,809 students covering the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 academic sessions graduated at the event and they were awarded diplomas, first degrees, masters of philosophy and doctors of philosophy degrees.
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari and Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) Chairman Senator Kabir Marafa at the weekend met to deliberate on measures to ensure smooth supply of petroleum products in the festive period and beyond.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Marafa stated that there are adequate quantities of the products that will last six months.
But he said some technical issues are threatening to disrupt the free flow of the products to the populace.
The senator was optimistic that the issues bordering around payment of subsidies, forex differentials and interest will soon be resolved from the outcome of the meeting with the President and forthcoming meetings with stakeholders in the next few days
On why he was at the Villa, Marafa said: “Basically, there are two issues. One is regarding the committee I chair in the Senate – that is the Committee on Downstream. There has been some disquiet in the industry regarding marketers’ payment with Ministry of Finance, Debts Management Office (DMO) and the Central Bank, which we feel if not carefully handled, some enemies of the administration might bring about technical issues that could lead to queues on the line, especially government has provided enormous quantities of petroleum products across the country that can last the country up to six months through Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
“So, some people are not too happy about it and they want to sabotage the efforts of the government.
“So, I’m the chairman and the President being the Minister of Petroleum Resources, I came to share some information and tap on his versatile experience in the industry as a former Minister of Petroleum Resources 40 years ago; so there is abundant experience there.”
On the threats by depots owners to shut down with the festive period around the corner, he said: “That is what I said. So, we are now talking of technicalities. There is fuel in the country, in our seas and in our depots all across the country. But there are some technicalities now regarding payment of subsidies, forex differentials and interest, which this government inherited.
“They are not a creation of this government. However, government is a continuum and when the President came in, he was confronted with it and he agreed and said fine, I have stopped subsidy but since there are claims, we will look into it and pay.”
According to him, bureaucracy has been hindering smooth payment of outstanding arrears owed depot owners, which was inherited by the Buhari administration.
“But now, the bureaucratic nature of the computations is what dragged up to this time and depots owners are not too happy with what the Ministry of Finance has done and may be some other agencies.
“So, we have been on it in the Senate and the House of Representatives for almost two weeks now. Finally, today, I have had quality time with Mr. President and we have looked into the whole thing.
“By next week, we will invite all the stakeholders. I believe we should be able to get to the root of the matter. As for the depots owners, we are going to plead with them again to give more time, especially now that we have discussed with the head of the executive arm of government.
“So, I’m sure everything will be resolved in the next few days.”
He added that the second issue that brought him to the Villa was the political situation in his state, Zamfara State.
With the courts now handling the issues that trailed the state All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary elections, he was confident that the issues would soon be resolved.