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Tag: BUHARI

  • The Economist tips Buhari for victory in 2019 election

    President Muhammadu Buhari will win next year’s election, The Economist has reported.

    The respected magazine has also predicted that the opposition coalition may collapse before the general election.

    But Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar yesterday said the forecast of the London-based magazine failed to meet the attributes of objectivity, balance and fairness.

    According to The Economist in its latest edition, “The World in 2019”, there is little hope that Islamist insurgency in the Northeast will end.

    In a country appraisal for Nigeria under “The world in numbers”, the magazine said:  “The president, Muhammadu Buhari, will win re-election in February, as a new opposition coalition may collapse before the vote.

    “Given the outlook for continuing political weakness, there is little prospect of progress in the fight against the Islamist insurgency in the north, nationalism in the oil-producing Delta and secessionism in the Biafra region.

    “Market-based reforms will languish, holding back growth yet again.”

    The magazine’s other predictions for Nigeria are: GDP growth (1.9%); GDP per head-$2, 410(PPP: $6,020); inflation (13.6%); Budget balance (5GDP) is -2.0 and population (201.0m).

    In a separate report, the Foreign Correspondent of The Economist, Aman Rizvi, distanced himself from the official position of his magazine.

    He said the election will be close, with the PDP having a slight edge.

    Rizvi said: “Mr. Buhari’s approval ratings have languished below 50 % for most of 2018. Ominously, he has been hit by a wave of defections to the PDP.

    “Desertions to the APC four years ago, by many of the same people, felled ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

    “Mr. Buhari’s electoral opponent in 2019, Atiku Abubakar, is one such double-turncoat. He is also a septuagenarian, billionaire businessman, former vice president and three-time presidential aspirant.

    “With Mr. Abubakar distrusted for his wealth and opportunism, the election will be close. Its outcome will hinge on who arouses less apathy.

    “So, who will win? Many Nigerians do not care. The back-and-forth floor-crossing has convinced them that the same people will be in charge either way. The PDP holds a slight edge, if only because expectations for Mr. Buhari were higher and his failure to meet them was more recent.”

    But Atiku has rejected the latest prediction of The Economist.

    A statement by the Special Assistant on Public Communication and Strategy to Atiku, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, said the forecast was a “poorly-executed hatchet job”.

    The statement said: “The political camp of the PDP presidential candidate has described as a poorly-executed hatchet job, the prediction by The Economist of London, in which the magazine put on the garb of a partisan and made no pretenses to professionalism while predicting that President Buhari will win next year’s poll.

    “With the tacit endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term, in its current edition, the erstwhile influential news magazine has hit a new low by throwing all pretences to the wind to take up the job of presidential spokespersons.

    ‘’It is common knowledge that the Economist’s fortunes have taken a nosedive in recent months with its flip- flop on issues, especially as it pertains the upcoming presidential election in Nigeria.

    “But the magazine hit a new low in its current edition , The World in 2019, where it made projections of issues and events that will shape the year 2019 across many countries including Nigeria.”

    Shaibu said even if the All Progressives Congress (APC) or President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokespersons had written that story, it could not have been so recklessly partisan, so undisguisedly biased and so devoid of any shred of professionalism.

    He said the story, which says “the president, Muhammadu Buhari, will win re-election in February, as a new opposition coalition may collapse before the vote” failed to meet the attributes of objectivity, balance and fairness.

    Shaibu said it was scandalous that the magazine went ahead to predict a victory for the APC candidate even when it said  Buhari’s second coming portends disaster for Nigeria.

    He said it was equally strange that the magazine whose Intelligence Unit predicted that Atiku will lead the new government come 2019 has now made a U-turn to endorse President Buhari.

    ‘’But we hasten to say that with or without the endorsement of The Economist or any news medium for that matter, we will defeat Buhari fair and square,” he said.

    Shaibu said when on May 29, 2019  Atiku Abubakar is sworn in  as the President of Nigeria,  The Economist will have to look elsewhere for patronage, since there will be no more room for cash and carry forecasts, and fully-paid for endorsements.

    He said that the PDP candidate was aware that “when fake news materials are planted in big news outlets, they often help to lay the groundwork for rigging in elections but warned that members of the opposition party and their supporters will resist the rigging of next year’s elections”.

    Speaking with our correspondent, the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lanre Issa Onilu, said: “I will say that The Economist is just living up to its reputation. What the magazine has said is not new to most Nigerians; it is a report of the reality.

    “I am not surprised that PDP did not find the report palatable. For a political party that has been living in denial, instead of addressing issues as copiously enumerated by The Economist, PDP has chosen to behave like a baby whose toy has just been taken away from him or her.

    “PDP lacks credibility and any publication that is worthy of its own reputation will be taking a huge risk by making any attempt to dress PDP in a borrowed robe. PDP is a damaged product that has thrown up a discredited candidate. We can only commend The Economist.”

    Asked if the 2019 presidential poll will be a close race, Onilu said: “We think if The Economist conducts further research, they will come to the conclusion we have already reached  to the effect that next year’s presidential election is a no-contest.”

    He dismissed insinuations that PDP might have a slight edge over APC.

    “No. PDP cannot have a slight edge,” Onilu added.

  • Buhari: I’ll not complain again about Nigeria’s problems 

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday promised that he will no longer complain about the problems his administration met at its inception.

    According to him, lamenting Nigeria’s history of corruption and mismanagement of resources has not helped his administration much.

    The President spoke during his interaction with Nigerians at the Kraków Holiday Inn , Poland, an event put together by Abike Dabiri, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and  Diaspora, as part of his engagements on the sidelines of the global summit on Climate Change taking place in Poland.

    Instead of complaining, Buhari said, he will face the challenges head on.

    His words:  “We inherited so many problems. Actually, l have said l will not complain because l asked for it. I tried to become President three times and l lost , but l was lucky the fourth time, l became one, so l can’t complain”

    “Who asked me to do it again? Three times l ended up in the Supreme Court. The third time, l said, ‘God dey’ and the fourth time, God and technology, using the Permanent Voters Card and the Card Readers, they couldn’t rig the elections; so l won.”

    Buhari also expressed delight at the resilience of Nigerians in Poland, which he said had helped them maintain good relationship with their host communities despite such cases of hostilities and racial discrimination.

    The President had earlier been briefed about the challenges Nigerians face in Poland as well as their relative good behavior despite the hostility and discriminations by some of their hosts.

    The President had told his audience that he will attempt to respond to the questions raised by them, even though they might not be satisfied with his responses.

    “You may not be satisfied with my answers, but l will be very sincere with you, as l keep trying to do with all our people where ever they are,” he said.

    On security, Buhari said he had always taken it as his No 1 priority, because of the understanding that any investments drive will be useless without first securing the environment.

    “It just makes sense. You have to secure our country or even the institutions or environment to manage it properly. If they are not secured, you are wasting your time. So, security has always been our number one priority.”

    “Those in the Northeast will tell you that before we came, the so called Boko Haram used to hold about 17 local governments; now, physically , they are not holding any local government. So they have resulted to real guerilla tactics of hit and run.

    “They mobilise, hit targets and then disappear again because they know the area more than the soldiers that are defending them. Our soldiers, are from Port Harcourt, Lagos, Sokoto, but they are locally there and know the terrain more than the soldiers.

    He lamented that “it is not easy financing the war against terror”.

    Earlier, the Nigerian Ambassador to Poland , Eric Adagogo Bell-Gam, in his welcome remarks, had said that some Nigerians in Poland were stable professionally.

    He also noted that there were many Nigerians studying in Poland because of the relative cheap nature and quality of the country’s educational system.

    The ambassador lamented however, that Nigerians were like other non- Polish citizens, subjects of racial discrimination, as according to him, “ there is a very high problem of animosity, dislike for foreigners”

    “Even in Nigeria, we have this spectacular problem if getting visas from their embassy there. I used to ask them, you want to improve relationships with Nigeria, yet you don’t want our people to come. How do we improve?

    “From my perspective, l do not know about others, l found them a little bit less friendly to us than my encounters in other parts of the world where l have been lucky to serve.”

    Despite these, however, Nigerians in Poland, he said, “have been able to persevere, like the strong spirited people that they are, in spite of all the provocations, sometimes unwarranted, but l must say that a lot of our people here are living above board. Nigerians here have made us proud.”

    Among the Nigerians who met President Buhari were Adekunle Ayoola, a produce merchant promoting Nigeria agricultural produce in Europe; Larry Ugwu, an artist and curator, who has lived in Poland for 40 years and contributed to promoting Nigerian cultural heritage in the Polish society; Anthony Egwuatu, a Gynaecologist, who has lived in the country for 30 years, Olomofe Larry, a human rights activist, who has fought for justice for fellow Nigerians in the host country, among several others.

    With the President were Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Yahaya Bello and Abubakar Sani Bello of Enugu, Kogi and Niger states.

    Others on his entourage include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, and the Minister of Environment, Ibrahim Jibrin. National Security Adviser, Babagana Mongonu was also there.

  • No nation can tackle climate change alone, says Buhari

    THE United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (COP24) kicked off yesterday in Katowice, Poland, with a conclusion by President Muhammadu Buhari that no nation can confront climate change alone.

    He urged UN-member countries to rededicate themselves to the task of rebuilding and restoring a healthy environment for future generations.

    His call came as the World Bank announced plans to double its investments in the fight against climate change. It announced $200 billion to tackle the menace.

    In his welcoming remarks, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda told delegates that the location where a coal mine was once operated was specifically picked for the conference.

    He said Katowice had become one of the greenest cities in Poland.

    Addressing other world leaders at the opening, President Buhari warned that the challenges of climate change, including rising temperatures, desertification, floods, low agricultural yields and drying up of water bodies, were enormous and evident to all.

    He spoke in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

    Citing the receding Lake Chad, the President noted that the effects of climate change were felt more on vulnerable communities, which lacked the capacity and technology to address such challenges.

    He said: “Obviously, no country can confront the phenomenon alone. In this regard, Nigeria believes in joint and cooperative efforts to tackle the problem.

    ‘‘We urge that efforts to address the challenges of climate change be pursued within multilateral frameworks. Concerted efforts should be made to strengthen sub-regional and regional organisations, to serve as hubs for Climate Action and partnership.’’

    Speaking on Lake Chad, the President reaffirmed that Nigeria was committed to saving the Lake, which is a source of livelihood to 40 million people.

    He said Nigeria would build on the success of an International Conference held in February in Abuja to create additional awareness globally on the serious environmental and security challenges facing the Lake Chad region.

    The President told the audience, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, that a consensus was reached at the Abuja Conference that an inter-basin water transfer from the Congo Basin remained the most sustainable option available to resuscitate and safeguard this precious water body that was once the sixth largest fresh water Lake in the world.

    On behalf of the member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), President Buhari thanked the Italian government for donating 1.5 million Euros towards completion of the feasibility studies on the proposed inter-basin water transfer project.

    He said: “I once again call on the international community to support this worthy project, for the benefit of nearly 40 million people that depend on the Lake for their livelihood, and to guarantee future security of the region.

    “‘I would like to reiterate Nigeria’s commitment to constructively supporting multilateral action aimed at addressing climate change.

    “We must rededicate ourselves to the task of rebuilding and restoring the healthy environment we inherited for future generations.”

    Buhari used the occasion to highlight what Nigeria had done and doing on climate change after adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2015.

    He said: “We in Nigeria have commenced the implementation of our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

    “In the next 15 years, we aim to achieve 20 per cent emissions reduction below Business as Usual (BAU) and 45 per cent emissions reduction with the support of our international partners by 2030.

    ‘‘Our efforts include the review and introduction of new responsive legislation/policies, strengthening institutional and manpower capacities, and encouraging gradual transition to low carbon economy.

    ‘‘Nigeria has also recently ratified the Doha Amendment and will soon deposit the instrument for ratification.’’

    The President pledged that Nigeria would continue to pursue industrialisation and economic development, with sound environmental management and best practices.

    According to him, Nigeria has unlocked the potential of its sovereign green bond to galvanise private capital to finance environmentally sustainable projects.

    ‘‘In support of our NDC aspiration, we have embraced the issuance of green bond as an innovative and alternative source of funding projects that would reduce emissions and provide robust climate infrastructure like renewable energy, low carbon transport, water infrastructure and sustainable agriculture that our country needs,’’ he said.

    He restated Nigeria’s belief that technology could be a powerful solution for simultaneously addressing climate change and advancing development, stressing the need for developed countries to accelerate the finance for research and development, in addition to promoting access to climate-friendly technologies.

    He said: ‘‘In addition, there is the need to raise global climate action in the pre-2020 period, in terms of mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation.

    ‘‘For us in Nigeria, we are promoting technologies and practices, such as sustainable land management, climate resilient agriculture, water efficiency and clean energy.

    ‘‘We have also developed insurance-based initiatives to deal with loss and damage, as well as adaptation to internally acceptable practices.’’

  • Knocks, kudos for Buhari, Atiku manifestos

    As Nigerians warm up for next year’s presidential election, the manifestos of President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress(APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flagbearer, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, are in the public domain. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN spoke to some Nigerians who bared their minds on the contents of the two campaign documents.

    The 2019 presidential election will be a straight fight between President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The manifestos of the two gladiators have become subject of public discourse.

    The President unveiled a campaign document titled: ‘Next Level’. Also the PDP presidential candidate released a document dubbed: ‘Let’s get Nigeria working again’. The two documents have elicited different reactions.

    The Next Level document gave insights in Buhari’s new economic drive with employment as a major thrust. The highlights include: the Engagement of one million N-Power graduates; Skill up  10 million Nigerians under a voucher system in partnership with the private sector; Anchor Borrowers Scheme to support input and jobs to one million farmers; Livestock transformation plan to create 1.5 million jobs and Agriculture Mechanisation Policy  to create five million jobs.

    They also include the provision of $500 million innovation fund to tech and creative sector to create 500,000 jobs; to train 200,000 youths for outsourcing market in technology, services and entertainment. The document stated that “soft loans of up to one million naira to small traders, artisans (carpenters, tailors, mechanics, hairdressers, barbers, plumbers, vulcanisers etc) and commercial drivers (taxis, keke and motorcycles.” Next Level will also take current number of 2.3 million traders, farmers, artisans under Trader Moni, Market Moni and Farmer Moni  schemes to 10 million Nigerians under the People Moni Scheme.

    The President also promised to increase power generation to 11,000 megawatts. The document pledged a minimum of 1,000 MW new generation increment per year; power distribution to get to get to 7,000 MW under distribution expansion programme.

    On security, President Buhari indicated plans to decentralise funding of police operations and foster true community policing by implementing direct transfer of funding to police divisions.  He also promised to execute the second phase of the farmer-herder and national livestock to end the decades-long conflict between farmers and herders.

    Atiku, in his campaign document promised to build a broad based, dynamic and competitive economy with a GDP of US900 Billion by 2025. “By 2025, we shall increase the flow of direct foreign investment to a minimum of 2.5 per cent of our GDP working towards achieving the lowest corporate income tax rate in Africa.

    Atiku also plans to accelerate investment to double our infrastructure stock to approximately 50 per cent of GDP by 2025 and 70 per cent by 2030; achieve a sustained increase in manufacturing output from nine per cent to 30 per cent of GDP by 2025; reduce the sector’s dependence on imported raw materials; achieve a diversified production structure with more processing of domestic raw materials.

    On electricity, Atiku said power sector reform will be a critical policy priority. By 2025, Nigeria shall make giant strides in diversifying its sources of power and delivering up to 20,000 MW. He has plan “to privatise all government refineries to competent off-takers with mandates to produce agreed levels of refined output; issue new licenses for Greenfield investment in crude oil refining and allied activities”.

    Atiku promised to develop 5,000 km of roads by 2025 through PPPs and community interventions; construct up to 5,000 km of modern railways through privatisation and public investments.

    The former vice president promised to restructure the country within six months in office if elected.

    Explaining why the APC chose ‘Next Level’ slogan for its 2019 campaign, Buhari said “we have worked hard to fulfil our promises and why the road may have been difficult, over the last three and a half years, we have laid the foundations for a strong, stable and prosperous country for the majority of our people”.

    He said: “Foundational work is not often visible, neither is it glamorous –but it is vital to achieving the kind of country we desire. Judging by the prior depth of decay, deterioration and disrepair that Nigeria had sunk into, we are certain that the past few years have put us in good steadto trudge on the Next Level of building an even stronger nation for our people.”

    But, the presidential candidate of Peoples Trust Party (PTP), Mr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, dismissed the Buhari and Atiku documents. He said the documents are not grassroots-based.

    According to him, the Buhari administration has failed to provide the expected leadership to drive growth, security of lives and property as well as economic prosperity and business growth for the people.

    Hashim claimed that over 80 million Nigerians live under acute poverty. “There are people who have been living on government pay since they are barely 23 years old. They drive cars they did not buy with their money. They take free money. They do not know how to create money. They do not know what the grassroots are feeling, that is why when they were unveiling their policy document, they sat down in the Presidential Villa, they did not go to the grassroots.

    “We know the policy of the APC. The policy of APC is poverty forever. So you cannot believe any policy document from them because after four years, what have they got to show?

    As for for the PDP, he said “we already know what their policy document is. It is corruption, corruption, corruption; selling of government property at cheap prices to themselves. That is their policy document.

    But, the PDP has argued that the policy document articulated by its candidate embodies the collective mindset, yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians in their quest for new leadership and better life.

    The party’s spokesman, Kola Ologbodiyan said “the Atiku Abubakar  policy document is a product of very wide, painstaking and productive consultations with Nigerians from all walks of life, critical stakeholders and development partners in key sectors, in the overall determination to chart a new course for our nation.

    “The policy document foretells a new dawn as it articulates practical solutions and answers to themyriad of economic, social and political challenges facing our nation and sets out all-inclusive templates for national rejuvenation , cohesion, protection of human rights and democratic tenets , wealth creation, transparency and elimination of corruption in governance.”

    Ologbodiyan said: “In line with the PDP’s people-based manifesto, the Atiku Abubakar policy document places utmost priority on the people by focusing chiefly on their yearnings for job creation, infrastructural development, poverty eradication, human capital development, inclusiveness and national unity”.

    Public Affairs analyst, Dr Ken Mbadiwe said from the remarks of the president at the unveiling of his campaign document-Next Level, Nigerians are in the best position to appraise the administration.

    He said: “Though I have not read the documents but from the statements made by the president during its launching, I get the impression that the regime used the first tenure to record some successes in addressing the challenges bedevilling the nation for some level of socio-economic development which the president considered as laying of foundation needed for sustainable socio-economic performances.

    “Since Nigerians have witnessed the performance of the regime in so far as laying of the foundation is concerned amid limited resources, Nigerians are in the best position to make fair and realistic assessment of the progress against plans, and as to whether the regime has laid foundation strong enough for its next level for which it canvasses electoral mandate needed to continue after first tenure.

    “Though the regime has some shortcomings, I believe it has tried in delivering on its campaign promises and should be allowed to address the next level of challenges.”

    According to Mbadiwe, the Buhari administration has restored transparency in governance. It has implemented a responsible and transparent fiscal plan for the challenging economic times that saw the country doing more with lesser oil revenues.

    He said the grand scale corruption perpetrated by the highest office in the land has been nipped in the bud by the Buhari administration through the introduction of Treasury Single Account which has made it more difficult for ministries and departments and agencies to indulge in corrupt practices.

    The National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, faulted Atiku’s promise to create 10 million jobs when he could not do anything as Vice to President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    Oshiomhole said: “If you are going to create 10 million jobs , how come that when you were in government and you produced a SEED document where you promised to create seven million jobs, by the time when that government was out , we had lost Michelin, Dunlop closed down, textile industries closed down, we witnessed unprecedented industrial obituary and factories were closing one after the other.”

    The APC leader urged the electorate to take Atiku to task over his plan to sell off government refiniries. He said a presidential candidate seeking power to serve the interest of the populace would never contemplate selling refineries, which are major source of revenue for the country. This is another plan by the PDP to sell oil refineries to their members at cheap prices as they did with public enterprises in their 16 years misrule. Nigerians should reject PDP at the polls. The party doesn’t mean well for the people.

    A former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), described the campaign manual of President Buhari as a “complete disaster”.

    Agbakoba said the president’s campaign document has no “conceptual overhang”. He noted that the Atiku’s document addresses national needs.

    He said: “Buhari’s document is a handout; it is not a political document. It has no conceptual overhang. The one for Atiku is 80 per cent. It’s got the right stuff in it. It needs more work but it’s a working document. It’s something I can live with. I see nice things there. It’s a conceptual framework that creates microeconomic stability. It’s got all the nice indicesin it. On evaluation, it is clear that the economic blue print unveiled by Atiku addresses national needs than Buhari’s economic plans.”

  • Buhari: those who wish me dead behind clone rumour (video)

    The President lashed out yesterday at the purveyors of the rumour that he was dead and the occupant of his seat is a clone.

    The sponsors of the rumour are “ignorant and irreligious”, President Muhammmadu Buhari said yesterday in Poland.

    There have been rumours that the real Buhari was dead and the person occupying the number one seat is another person or a clone, a Jibrin from Sudan or Niger.

    The government has been warning Nigerians to shun fake news, stressing the security implication of such news items.

    Reacting to the rumours of his clone for the first time, Buhari said many people had hoped he was dead during his ill health.

    The President was responding to a question from a Nigerian who wanted to know if he was the real Buhari or the much talked about Jibril from Sudan, at a town hall meeting in Krakow, Poland.

    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President said: “It’s real me, I assure you. I will soon celebrate my 76th birthday and I will still go strong.’’

    He added: “A lot of people hoped that I died during my ill health. Some even reached out to the Vice President to consider them to be his deputy because they assumed I was dead. That embarrassed him a lot and, of course, he visited me when I was in London convalescing… It’s real me; I assure you.”

    The President said he was looking forward to celebrating his 76th birthday on December 17 and jocularly added: ‘‘If I am getting harassed by anyone, it is my grandchildren, who are getting too many.’’

    He told his audience that his administration will continue to maintain focus and deliver on the three focal points of his campaign in 2015: security, economy and the fight against corruption.

    ‘‘Those in the Northeast will tell you that in spite of the recent setbacks, there is a difference between the time we came and before.

    ‘‘We are not doing badly on security, economy and agriculture. We have virtually stopped the importation of food, especially rice and we are saving a lot of money.

    ‘‘We now have food security and that has come with fiscal security because a lot of young educated people have not regretted going back to the farms and earning a respectable living.

    ‘‘I am afraid, this is not receiving good publicity… but a lot of people in the rural areas are enjoying the benefits of our interventions in agriculture,’’ he said.

    President Buhari, who is in Poland to attend the UN Climate Change Conference, COP24, reaffirmed that no territory of Nigeria is under the control of Boko Haram terrorists. He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and supportive of the Federal Government’s efforts to ensure the security of lives and property in the country.

    While acknowledging that it has not been easy financing the security sector, the President said the Armed Forces were equal to the task.

    He noted that it was regrettable that herdsmen and farmers’ clashes had been politicised, promising that the government will keep prioritising security because that is what many investors consider first before investing in the country.

    On the fight against corruption, Buhari said all recovered stolen assets will be sold and the proceeds returned to the treasury for the benefit of Nigerians.

    On women representation in his administration, the President told the meeting: ‘‘I have plans for all Nigerians. I am not a male chauvinist. If I’m a chauvinist, will I give the Finance ministry to women?’’

    Nigeria’s Ambassador to Poland, Mr Eric Adagogo Bell-Gam, praised Nigerians living in the country for being worthy ambassadors of Nigeria.

    Among those who met President Buhari were Mr Larry Ugwu, an artist and curator, who has lived in Poland for 40 years and has contributed immensely to promoting Nigerian cultural heritage in the Polish society; Anthony Egwuatu, a gynaecologist, who has lived in the country for 30 years and Mr Olomofe Larry, a human rights activist, who has fought for justice for fellow Nigerians in the host country.

    The event was organised  by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant to the President Diaspora and Foreign Affairs.

     

  • Presidential candidates to Buhari: don’t sign new electoral law

    THE Forum of Presidential Candidates has warned President Muhammadu Buhari against signing into law the amended Electoral Act passed by the National Assembly.

    The forum faulted the section of the new Act, which stipulates electronic verification of voters and transmission of results.

    According to the forum’s chairman and presidential candidate of Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA), Alhaji Shitu Mohammed Kabir, the new Act is embedded with  “deliberate hurdles” capable of derailing the 2019 general elections.

    The APDA presidential candidate, therefore, threatened to sue President Muhammadu Buhari and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court should he go ahead to assent to the bill.

    Kabir, who spoke after the 40 presidential candidates under the forum rose from a meeting at the weekend, argued that INEC did not have the capacity to respond to the challenges that might spring up.

    The constraints and impediments of time and resources in difficult terrains, he said, would deliberately deny many local communities the opportunity to vote.

  • 2019: Olawepo-Hashim in neck and neck against Buhari, Atiku, says social media data

    OF the 73 presidential candidates for 2019 race, three are neck and neck in social media engagements by Nigerians, new social media data have indicated.

    According to the data, distilled from Facebook in particular, in the last 72 hours, the trio of Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Atiku of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim of the People’s Trust (PT) are in the frontline in that order.

    The data revealed a new development in the race as Olawepo-Hashim has surpassed other third force contenders to emerge the closest challenger to Buhari and Atiku.

    The news came as Action Democratic Party (ADP) presidential candidate Mathias Baba Tsado yesterday suspended his ambition to support Olawepo-Hashim.

    Tsado said he decided to sacrifice his personal ambition due to his strong conviction for the PT candidate.

    Speaking during a briefing in Abuja, he described the gesture as a milestone and a new agenda for the country.

    Olawepo-Hashim, in his remarks, said he had been in discussion with 20 political parties, who have already pledged to work together to beat the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding that the parties will be made public soon.

    The other 70 candidates were far behind the three leading candidates, especially on Facebook engagements where the bulk of Nigerians voters are known to be actively involved.

    Facebook was used for the rating as it represents a diversity of active voters across the occupational and professional lines.

    Facebook’s geographical spread and acceptability also make it a good tool.

    While Buhari and Atiku are leading, their engagement figures have been going down in the last few hours.

    Olawepo-Hashim’s figure is, however, on the rise while other third force candidates are far below the top contenders in the rating.

    Specifically, the likes of Oby Ezekwezili, Kingsley Moghalu, Fela Durotoye and others recorded very low engagements from Nigerian Facebook users, which measure how voters interact with candidates on their personal campaign pages.

    Segun Asaolu of Public Opinion poll, affiliated with NOI polls, said the use of data from Facebook added a level of credibility to the rating ,adding “on Facebook, you have the real voters-artisans as well as professionals.

  • Buhari to critics: I’m the real Buhari

    President Muhammmadu Buhari on Sunday in Poland replied his critics, saying he is the real Buhari in flesh and blood.
    There have been rumors for several months that the real Buhari was dead and the person occupying the number one seat is another person or a cloned figure.
    But reacting to the rumors of his cloning for the first time in Poland, he said that a lot of people had hoped he was dead during the period of his ill health.
    Buhari was responding to question from a Nigerian who wanted to know if he was the real Buhari or the much talked about Jibril from Sudan, at the town hall meeting in Krakow, Poland.
    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, the President said “It’s real me, I assure you. I will soon celebrate my 76th birthday and I will still go strong.’’
    He added “A lot of people hoped that I died during my ill health. Some even reached out to the Vice President to consider them to be his deputy because they assumed I was dead. That embarrassed him a lot and of course, he visited me when I was in London convalescing… It’s real me; I assure you,’’
    The Nigerian leader said he was looking forward to celebrating his 76th birthday on December 17 and jocularly added: ‘‘If I am getting harassed by anyone, it is my grandchildren, who are getting too many.’’
    He used the occasion to reiterate that his government will continue to maintain focus and deliver on the three focal points of his campaign in 2015: security, economy and the fight against corruption.
    ‘‘Those in the North East will tell you that in spite of the recent setbacks, there is a difference between the time we came and before.
    ‘‘We are not doing badly on security, economy and agriculture. We have virtually stopped the importation of food especially rice and we are saving a lot of money.
    ‘‘We now have food security and that has come with fiscal security because a lot of young educated people have not regretted going back to the farms and earning a respectable living.
    ‘‘I am afraid, this is not receiving good publicity… but a lot of people in the rural areas are enjoying the benefits of our interventions in agriculture,’’ he said.
    President Buhari, who is in Poland to attend the UN Climate Change Conference, COP24 reaffirmed that no territory of Nigeria is under the control of Boko Haram terrorists, calling on Nigerians to remain vigilant and supportive of Federal Government’s efforts to ensure the security of lives and property in the country.
    While acknowledging that it has not been easy financing the security sector in the country, the President said the Nigerian Armed Forces were equal to the task.
    He noted that it was regrettable that herdsmen and farmers clashes in the country have been politicised, assuring that the Nigerian government will continue to prioritise security because that is what many investors consider first before investing in the country.
    On the fight against corruption, he said all recovered stolen assets will be sold and the proceeds returned to the treasury for the benefit of Nigerians.
    On women representation in his government, the President told the meeting: ‘‘I have plans for all Nigerians. I am not a male chauvinist. If I’m a chauvinist will I give the Finance Ministry to women?’’
    In his remarks, the Ambassador of Nigeria to Poland, Mr Eric Adagogo Bell-Gam praised Nigerians living in the country for being worthy ambassadors of the country.
    Among those who met President Buhari were Mr Larry Ugwu, an Artist and Curator, who has lived in Poland for 40 years and has contributed immensely to promoting Nigerian cultural heritage in the Polish society; Anthony Egwuatu, a Gynaecologist, who has lived in the country for 30 years and Mr Olomofe Larry, a human rights activist, who has fought for justice for fellow Nigerians in the host country, among several others.
    The event was put together and anchored by Hon. Abike Dabiri, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Diaspora.

  • Farmers affected by flood to get compensation – FG

    Farmers affected by flooding this year received cheery news yesterday. President Muhammadu Buhari said plans  had  been concluded to duly compensate them.

    Buhari, in a recorded goodwill message to mark the 22nd Farmers’ Day celebration of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), regretted the floods that impacted negatively on farmers and fishermen across the country.

    The celebration, which attracted hundreds of farmers from Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Imo states under the auspices of NAOC’s Green River Project (GRP) held at NAOC-GRP Farms, Igbogene, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital.

    Heads of other oil companies, captains of industries, contractors, traditional rulers and other stakeholders attended the event, which was spiced by performances from traditional dancers and “Port Harcourt Boy” crooner, Duncan Mighty.

    Describing flood as a natural disaster, the president assured the flood-impacted farmers that his administration was with them in their time of need.

    He said: ”Two weeks ago, the National Food Security Council met and we approved a compensation package for all flood impacted farmers and fishermen.

    “I want to assure all flood affected farmers and fishermen that you will be helped.

    “This government is with you in your time of need. As I speak to you now, the modalities for this compensation programme are being finalized and very soon, we shall start implementation.”

    President Buhari commended the theme for the Farmers’ Day, which is, Youths, Agents of Agricultural Development in the Niger Delta, noting that farming is the bedrock of the Nigerian economy.

    “Our future economic prosperity hinges to a large extent on how we modernise and expand our agriculture,” he added.

    Underscoring the place of youths in developing agriculture, President Buhari said: “Youths account for some 62% of our population.

    This group, full of energy and drive, are the catalyst that will steer Nigeria in the direction that will make us realise our full potential.

    The president urged youths to stay focused stressing active participation was a patriotic duty, whose success will create millions of jobs for many generations to come.

    “We cannot afford to remain a mono-product economy, relying only on oil as our mainstay.

    “We cannot continue feeding ourselves with imported food when God has blessed us with all the bountiful resources we need to feed ourselves,” he said.

    Thanking farmers across the country for their resourcefulness, President Buhari disclosed that the country was on course towards food self-sufficiency, adding that the importation of rice, maize, and other grains had significantly reduced.

    He also said that the federal government was working to revive the River Basin Authorities, in order to plan for lean times.

     

  • …Buhari, Tinubu, govs, others pay tributes

    President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the Yoruba nation over the passing of the founder of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr Frederick Fasehun.

    The President, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, also condoled with the family of the medical practitioner and the government and people of Ondo State.

    He recalled the prominent role Dr Fasehun played as a member of the defunct National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) which campaigned against military rule in the country.

    The President prayed that Almighty God comforts all those who mourn the octogenarian and grant peace to his soul.

    All Progressives Congress (APC) national stalwart Asiwaju Bola Tinubu described the late Fasehun as a renowned pro-democracy and good governance activist, committed democrat, tested political player and Yoruba nationalist who left behind fine legacies.

    He charged the Fasehun family and other associates of the late leader not to allow his legacies to die.

    Tinubu, in his reaction to the death of the Afenifere chieftain in a statement by his spokesman Tunde Rahman, said: “Dr. Fredrick Fasehun was a renowned pro-democracy and good governance activist, committed democrat, tested political player and Yoruba nationalist. I say all of that because I knew him well. We related very closely.

    “He was known for his Yoruba nationalistic fervor. Like an Afenifere chieftain that he was, he fought stridently for the Yoruba cause.

    “He canvassed true federalism and political restructuring. He fought as well for the cause of the Nigerian nation.

    “The good thing about Baba is there was never a time that he sat on the fence.

    “Although trained as a medical doctor, he was very active politically. We were together in the forefront of the agitation for the de-annulment of June 12.

    “He founded the Oodua Peoples Congress to actualise June 12 but espoused non-violence.

    “Nonetheless, he remained a torn in the flesh of the military. It was therefore no surprise that Dr. Fasehun was imprisoned for 19 months from December 1996 to June 1998 by the General Sani Abacha regime.

    “And when democracy fully returned to the country he participated actively.

    “He was an extremely humble and modest man. I will miss him dearly. The Southwest, particularly Lagos and Ondo states, will miss him. Nigeria will miss him also.

    “I commiserate with the government and people of Ondo State. My sympathy and condolences particularly go to the Fasehun family at this moment.

    “I hope and pray that God Almighty imbue them with the courage and strength to carry on. I enjoin them to continue with the fine legacies left behind by Baba.”

    Ondo State governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu praised the late Fasehun as a disciplined citizen, a Pan-Yoruba and nationalist to the core.

    He said the intelligent medical practitioner used his energy and other resources to fight for the interests of his people and the common man.

    He described as a shock to Ondo State and the entire country, adding that the deceased would be sorely missed by lovers of justice and peace.

    Akeredolu in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Segun Ajiboye, said the late Fasehun’s argument for egalitarian society where merit and equity are made parametric conditions for selecting leaders or people’s representatives would continue to dominate socio-political discourse.

    The governor said social scientists would also remember the deceased as a detribalised Nigeria per excellence whose place in the nation’s political history cannot be wished away, even in a hurry.

    Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II lamented the death of the late OPC chief.

    In a statement by his Director of Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, the Ooni, who is the Spritual Head of the Yoruba race, commiserated with the people and government Ondo state and Yoruba nation.

    He said: “Baba Ooni sees Dr. Faseun a true Pan Africanist, a fearless Nigerian nationalist and committed Yoruba patriot, who as an Oodua Self-Determinationist spent the last 26 years of life struggling for the survival of the Yoruba people within and outside the shores of Nigeria.

    “It’s a pity we have lost such a  wonderful descendant of Oduduwa, who always defended and promoted the interests, integrity and the cultural values of the African People, Yoruba race in particular.

    “The Royal Court of Ife will never forget Dr Fasheun for his incorruptible loyalty to the sacred throne of Oduduwa.

    “The good people of Ile-Ife which is the ancestral home of the Yorubas will miss him for the love and respect he ceaselessly showed on us.

    “The Yoruba people all over the world will miss him for his committed struggle for the socio-political/economic survival of the race and Nigerians will miss him for his fights for fairless and justice as a Nigerian human right activist.”

    The Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Adewale Akanbi, Telu I, in a statement by his media aide, Alli Ibrahim, said the late OPC leader had spent his entire life defending the interest of the Yoruba and Nigeria and therefore deserved to be immortalized.

    The royal father said Nigeria has lost an illustrious citizen whose  experience in peace process and nation building is most needed at “this critical of our national life.”

    He enjoined governors of the South West to declare mourning period for the loss, which he described as colossal.

    The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief (Dr) Gani Adams described the death of Fasehun as a great loss to the Yoruba race.

    Adams also said the death was a great loss to Nigeria and the world at large, pointing out that Faseun left behind a worthy legacy.

    Adams, in a condolence letter, pointed out he received the news of the death with shock and disbelief.

    The Aare Ona Kakanfo added the deceased in his life time made outstanding contributions to the progress of the nation in many capacities, and no doubt left behind a worthy legacy through his careers as a renowned medical doctors and politician among other achievements.

    “Baba deserves all respect because he acquitted himself so diligently, and will also be remembered as a distinguished leader in all ramifications, and one that was greatly admired by the general public and his peers as a straight forward and complete gentleman.

    “He demonstrated wisdom, honesty and good leadership, established friendship, harmony and accommodation across board.

    “He was as a community leader and a prominent patriot, which was no doubt a testimony to be reference to.

    “Baba exhibited very good leadership qualities, wisdom and wealth of experience which indeed he put to use in the discharge of his responsibility as well as upholding the institution’s tradition of excellence while alive,” said Adams.

    Chairman of Senate Committee on Local Content Solomon Adeola praised Fasehun for contributing immensely to human and democratic rights in Nigeria.

    In a statement by his Media Adviser Kayode Odunaro, Adeola said: “My senatorial district has lost a prominent Nigerian who stood for truth and fought the rights of his people in Nigerian federation.

    “His role in the fight to enthrone democracy against military rule in Nigeria remains indelible in history.”