The Nation Newspaper

Tag: BUHARI

  • Buhari vows to clean up Ogoniland

    Buhari vows to clean up Ogoniland

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Nairobi, Kenya, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme’s recommendations for the clean-up of Ogoniland and other parts of Niger Delta which had been damaged by oil spillage.

    Speaking during a visit to the United Nations Office in the Kenyan capital, President Buhari urged the UN to give more support for his administration’s efforts to clean up the region.

    In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President said: “When I came into office on 29th May 2015, one of the first tasks I carried out was to authorize the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) for the clean-up of Ogoni land.

    “The devastation caused by oil spillage has destroyed many lives and livelihoods and is clearly one of the reasons why many people in that region lost faith in government and resorted to the many criminal activities we are seeing in the region today.

    “The action our government took to implement UNEP’s recommendations has given the indigenes of the region hope that there are better days ahead.

    “Let me, therefore, express appreciation on behalf of the Government of Nigeria to UNEP and other development partners for their cooperation and support on this very delicate matter and also request for their continued support as we implement the recommendations and transform the fortunes of the region.”

    The President  applauded the outcome of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that was held in Paris in December last year.

    “The commitments agreed in Paris will clearly benefit Nigeria and many African nations adversely impacted by climate change. We therefore look forward to their fulfillment and implementation.

    “As the UN Office in Nairobi gears up to host the 2nd session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2) this year under the auspices of UNEP, I would like to take this opportunity to further pledge Nigeria’s commitment to this very worthy cause of having a safe, secure and clean planet,” he said.

  • Buhari seeks enhancement of Money Laundering Act

    Buhari seeks enhancement of Money Laundering Act

    President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the Senate to repeal and re-enact the Money Laundering Prohibition Act.

    This is contained in a letter to the Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, entitled: “The Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Bill 2016 and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill 2016.’

    Buhari said the bill provides for the repeal of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 as amended in 2012, to make comprehensive provisions prohibiting the laundering of criminal activities, expand the scope of money laundering offences, provide protection for those who may discover money laundering, enhance customer due diligence, provide appropriate penalties and expand the scope of supervisory bodies, while recognising the role of certain self-regulatory organisations to address challenges in the implementation of a comprehensive anti-money regime.

     It said: “I hereby introduce for formal consideration and enactment into law the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Bill 2016 and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill 2016.

    ‘’Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Bill 2016:  This bill provides for the repeal of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011, as amended in 2012, to make comprehensive provisions to prohibit the laundering of criminal activities, expand the scope of money laundering offences, provide protection for employees of various institutions, bodies and professions, who may discover money laundering, enhance customer due diligence, provide appropriate penalties and expand the scope of supervisory bodies, while recognising the role of certain self-regulatory organisations to address challenges in implementation of a comprehensive anti-money regime.

    “The Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill 2016: This bill seeks to facilitate the provision and obtaining by Nigeria of international assistance in criminal matters, including the provision and obtaining of evidence, making of arrangements for persons to give evidence or assist in criminal investigations, recovery, forfeiture or confiscation of property in respect of offences; restraining dealings in property or the freezing of assets that may be recovered, forfeited or confiscated in respect of offences; execution of request for search and seizure, location and identification of witnesses and suspects, service of documents and other matters connected herewith.”

  • Buhari hailed for appointing Fayemi, Ojudu

    Buhari hailed for appointing Fayemi, Ojudu

    A chieftain of Ekiti State All Progressives Congress and Convener of the state’s Revival Forum, Segun Otetubi, has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing former governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Senator Femi Ojudu into his cabinet.

    Otetubi said the appointments showed that President Buhari had a passion for the Southwest, especially Ekiti State, by appointing astute politicians and great leaders into his cabinet.

    The activist said the President proven that he was a detribalised and large-hearted leader.

    According to him, the appointments have empowered Ekiti State and recognised it as the Fountain of Knowledge with credible leaders.

    Otetubi said: “We have been awed by the intellectual capacity and breakthrough of these two leaders in Nigeria and beyond.

    “Dr Fayemi performed wonderfully well as the governor of Ekiti State with good legacies behind. He contributed immensely to the electioneering campaigns of President Buhari. He was at the forefront of change and indeed proved himself as an administrator with excellent skills. Dr Fayemi, as the Campaign Director of APC, played his role perfectly.

    With his background, he will surely perform well and make changes in the Ministry of Solid Minerals.”

  • Buhari administration’s disturbing deficits

    There appears to be an erroneous assumption that, when the Presidency and its complements of staff have been elected and appointed, then the structures of governance have been formed and other structures become dispensable or redundant. Even more worrisome is the scant regard paid to the statutory guidelines enabling the governance structures of some federal commissions, boards, agencies and other relevant institutions. An important example is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), wherein paragraph 14 of the 1999 constitution (as amended) clearly stated that the board of INEC shall comprise of 13 members without floating any provisos requiring piecemeal, staggered or discretional constitution of the board. Since the inception of the current administration, Nigerians have witnessed serial constitutional violations, starting with an illegitimate appointment of an interim-chairperson of INEC by proclamation, which made no reference to the Council of State and Senate approval as required under section 154 of the constitution. This was followed later by a piecemeal appointment of the board of INEC, without an amendment of the constitution to enable piecemeal appointments, yet the National Assembly appeared cowed and intimidated to ask the executive to follow the path of constitutionality by exercising their oversight functions.

    The proper constitution of governance structures in a democratic society is not a discretional whim of the President; those who are appointed may be by his discretion, except where specific directional orders are made by statute, but the proper constitution of such institutions centres around the core notion of governance. Most development authorities agree with the description, that governance defines the practices, traditions and decision-making processes which characterize a society, how the people identify and solve problems, meet needs, and take advantage of opportunities. For instance, elections meet the need of democratic society to select leaders through the aggregate assent of constituents in the form of votes. To meet this need, a body is constituted that is fairly representative of the zones of Nigeria, these representatives guided by the constitution, the Electoral Act and other statutes, make guidelines for conducting elections. How the decisions they make to effect these needs are reached is important to how the public perceive the legality of their actions and therefore its credibility, legitimacy and acceptability. It is, therefore, a developmental defect in governance, and consequently a defect in the practices, traditions, decision-making process in election management as required for a democratic society, when the executive arm of government  discretionally decides without reference to enabling constitutional provisions to appoint the board of INEC, a governance structure, provided for by law in a piecemeal fashion by appointing seven instead of the 13 members required by law, to make decisions which are only considered legal and constitutional when a minimum of five of the statutory 13 members meet to take such decisions on election matters. It is only then that it is properly constituted.

    The same nonchalance in the requirements of proper democratic governance is evident in the constitution of federal boards dissolved by the Buhari administration. The statutes enabling these boards envisage that such boards constitute significant accounting layers in the decision making of such institutions. Persistent  failures to properly constitute such boards concentrates decision-making centrally, or worse still, it places in abeyance, core functions of such institutions where higher level decision-making are needed to generate implementable recommendations. In other instances such as the case of the AMCON, appointees where named and empowered without following due processes. These developments suggest a gap in the consistency of tradition and practices of the democratic functions which should define governance in Nigeria. Allowing such gaps to grow rather than being addressed may lead to regressions in institution building required to consolidate democracy in Nigeria.

    The case of INEC is particularly worrisome because when the President dissolved the boards of federal agencies in July 2015, he rightly exempted those executive boards mentioned specifically in section 153 of the 1999 Constitution such as INEC, NPC, the Code of Conduct Bureau etc. Whereas the Presidency conceded to the importance of such boards, yet it did not follow up with the proactive appointment of the full board of INEC, despite the fact that the board was primed to conduct gubernatorial elections in 2015 and 2016. It only conducted a reactive appointment of six members to join the only remaining one legal member making a total of seven out of the constitutionally prescribed 13 members, and this was after it was reminded by key players in the Civil Society that a subsisting court judgment had pronounced elections illegal, if conducted by a commission which had no quorum that meets the statutory requirements envisaged from a full member board.

    While other boards and statutory bodies are very important, INEC has been used to instantiate these governance deficits because of the fundamental role it plays as a foundation stone for a democratic society, and the touchstone of early developmental drive. Most recent authoritative work on the fundamental requirements for enduring development are in consensus that strengthening institutions which form multiple pathways of decision-making blends the gap between representative and participatory democracy. If the object of electing representatives is to ensure that the interest of the voters and constituents are well represented as delegated to elected officials, then involving more participants in the decision-making practices and traditions of society through such boards, commissions and councils broadens the goal of democracy. Whereas concentrating all decision-making in Abuja with limited representation in public institutions such as INEC, through piecemeal appointments runs counter to such goals.

    The constitutional requirement for a properly constituted INEC is clearly stated as 13 national commissioners, who in making decisions for elections and election matters according to section 159 of the constitution must have a quorum of not less than five, determined only from a full board of 13. At the moment INEC has an inconclusive and inchoate board of only seven members and if they sit as five members or seven, what quorum does this represent? Is it a five member quorum of seven or a five member quorum of a hypothetical but non-existent 13?

    The minimum quorum envisaged by the constitution is that calculated or determined from a 13 full member board and not a mere bringing of five people together to assume the role of a “provisional” board. The regression currently in INEC is a sad commentary given that constituting such a board properly in line with the provisions of the constitution is for national development.

    It is not only worrisome that president Buhari almost eight months in office has been unable to properly constitute the board of INEC that was previously made up of men of integrity that made it possible for him to win the 2015 election, it is disappointing that in making the limited appointments he has done, he has not given the commission the needed credibility it requires by appointing people with proven track records that will attract the confidence of all political stakeholders.

    • Dr. Adewale writes from Ibadan, Oyo State.

  • Buhari seeks enhancement of money laundering Act

    President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate, seeking the repeal and reenactment of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act.

    The request is contained in the President’s letter to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki , entitled: “The Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Bill 2016 and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill 2016.

    Buhari said  the bill provides for the repeal of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011, as amended in 2012, to make comprehensive provisions to prohibit the laundering of the criminal activities, expand the scope of money laundering offences, provide protection for employees of various institutions, bodies and professions who may discover money laundering, enhance customer due diligence, provide appropriate penalties and expand the scope of supervisory bodies, while recognising the role of certain self-regulatory organisations to address the challenges faced in implementation of comprehensive anti-money regime.

  • We must act decisively against terrorism – Buhari

    We must act decisively against terrorism – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Eldoret, Kenya, said the global community must act with more determination and vigour against radicalisation and extremist ideologies which encourage terrorism.

    Speaking at a memorial service in honour of Kenyan soldiers killed by Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia recently, President Buhari said peace-loving nations of the world must now come together and deal with the threat posed to global security by terrorism with greater zeal and cohesion.

    In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President said: “Terrorists should not have a place in our communities, villages, towns, cities and countries. We must all rise against the culture of intolerance, hatred and extremist ideologies, which drive terrorism.

    “We must also act with more firmness against radicalization and all those who promote values and principles that threaten our unity and cohesion as a people.

    “Nigeria is willing to work with Kenya, other African countries and the global community at large with a view to defeating these undesirable elements.

    “We must take the battle to the terrorists whoever they are and wherever they are. This requires commitment, sacrifice, resources, collaboration and above all a realization that no country is immune to the scourge, as terrorists do not respect national boundaries, race, colour, religion or creed.”

    The President also applauded the bravery of Nigerian and Kenyan soldiers, and others around the world “who have remained faithful and committed to the cause of ensuring a secure and peaceful world in spite of daunting challenges.”

    He paid special tribute to the Kenyan soldiers who lost their lives in the terrorist attack on their base in Somalia.

    He said: “I wish to use this occasion to pay tribute to all the fallen heroes of the El Adde attack and pray for the repose of their souls.”

     

  • ‘I’m Buhari of Ondo State’

    ‘I’m Buhari of Ondo State’

    Lawyer and human rights activist Dr. Tunji Abayomi is taking another shot at the Ondo State governorship election. In this interview with Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain justifies why he should be given a chance to govern the state.

    Why do you want to be governor of Ondo State?

    The first thing is that, why is government constituted among people? The essence of government is to have a sovereign to which the people delegate their powers, to realize for them what you might call the possibilities to make life fulfilling; in terms of their hopes and aspiration and in terms of development. The whole essence why I’m running for governorship is because I believe that the above natural expectations of citizens of Ondo State have not been met. In the case of Ondo State, since the present government came to power, it is not only that they have not been met, they have been defeated. Those who are following developments in the state are embarrassed because Ondo State happens to be the state that receives the highest allocation from the federation account in the Southwest. Yet, it is embarrassing that the state cannot pay salaries. I was looking at the rating of states recently on the internet; I think as at today, the state is facing a challenge: its expenditure is about N6 billion per month and the total income is five-point-something billion naira. So, it is an indebted state. So, my mission is to see how I can turn the fortunes of the people around, through discipline, commitment to vital ends, responsible choices, compassion which would reduce the tendency for corruption and intelligence, as well as connection worldwide.

    There are about 18 aspirants gunning for the APC ticket. What gives you the edge?

    It is very simple; the first thing is that I have been in this journey since 2007 and in each instance I’m always the most popular candidate. As a matter of fact, they call me gomina mecunu (governor of the masses) in Ondo State. I’m more or less the Buhari of Ondo State. The second thing is that if you trace the journey of my right, you will know that by natural disposition, I’m closest to the ordinary people. Thirdly, out of all the competitors, I do not believe that there is one person who can claim to have the kind international connection that I have; as a lawyer, I have represented three presidents — Olusegun Obasanjo, Jerry Rawlings of Ghana and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Apart from that, I have been a member of the board of the Kennedy Centre; I have brought a member of the British House of Lords to this country; and I have connections with Canada and other Western countries. But, also, I have indigenous knowledge to know where the problems are, because of my constant and regular interactions with the people. Indeed, most people in Ondo State see me as a man of principle; a man that is consistent. I have never equivocated in terms of my standing since 2004 when I joined the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD). As a matter of fact, in spite of so much pressure, from the PDP by virtue of my relationship with Obasanjo or the Labour Party (LP) because of my friendship with Governor Olusegun Mimiko, I never changed my position. If we also look at the temperature of this time, the atmosphere of Buharism, I think I fit into it much more than the other aspirants.

    What is your assessment of the performance of Governor Mimiko?

    The performance of the current governor is very poor in my view. For instance, it is actually embarrassing that it cannot pay salaries as we speak — two months salaries. Secondly, when you look at the income of the state — by the last count I understand it is over N900 billion and place it against what has been achieved, you will realise that it has not achieved much. What has it achieved? It unnecessarily renovated what needed not to be renovated; an eight-kilometre road in Akure, the Oba Adesida Road, as well as the road from Akure Airport to the town. That is the extent of the road construction that it has done so far. The government also attempted some work in the health sector: it built what it called Mother and Child Centre, which is nothing more than a maternity clinic. But, it made so much noise about it. In any case, it even makes more sense in my view to expand the maternities attached to the various general hospitals that were built from deep thinking by the late Obafemi Awolowo. Those general hospitals are located in different communities in the state. In education, the government built mega schools; everything is mega. But, to my mind, it does not show deep thinking to spend such huge amount to build mega schools. The idea of community schools during the Awolowo era was to reduce the anxiety of parents by having schools within walking distances, so that the pupils can walk to school within their neigbourhood easily. And it is more manageable because it serves the community. The irony is that there are no pupils for the mega schools today. In my view, the money should have been spent to develop and modernize those community schools. In fact, Mimiko’s government is characterised by waste, lack of vision, mismanagement of resources and lack of deep thinking in terms of choices. Ondo State represents the pain and disappointment of Nigerian citizens.

    Given your experience in 2012, have your party leaders given assurances that there would be a level-playing ground this time around?

    Yes, I had confrontations with the leaders of my party the last time (Rotimi) Akeredolu was picked. Then, Akeredolu never said anything about me because he knew that my disagreement was based on principle. It is like this; if you are studying for an exam and before the exam the authorities declared that somebody has come first; it is wrong and unfair. Immediately I left Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, I called Akeredolu to brief him on my discussion with Tinubu. I concluded my discussion this way: I’m of the view that it wrong politically; if I were you, I will reject it and insist that a free and fair primary is conducted. That was why Akeredolu never said anything negative about me. In fact, I notice that he has been standing on the same principle in recent times. Besides, if you look at the recent primaries in the APC, most of the candidates that emerged were not the ones favoured by the party. But, the people chose the candidates they preferred. It is like (Kwame) Nkrumah said, the people have the right to govern themselves by their choice. The people are sovereign; they are the ones that will choose the person that will govern them. As human beings, it is normal for leaders to have preferences and perhaps do something to push it. What is wrong and unacceptable is to simply take over the process and have your own way, to the detriment of the populace. But, things are different now and we hope that it will continue that way. I think the press should help us in this regard, to discourage the tendency for money politics; because you cannot be asking for men of integrity and at the same time be asking for abnormal money during primary: do you want them to steal the money? If they spend a huge amount of money during the primaries, when they get into government what will happen? So, we have our people to appreciate that the end we are advocating for is good governance in the overall interest of the generality of the people. What Buhari is doing now is to turn the tide, to see whether something good can still come out of Nigeria. I belong to that camp, the community of Buhari advocates.

    What would be your priorities, if you are given the chance?

    The first thing is to tap the mind of the people, to develop their possibilities. I will tell the people to develop their mind; every revolution is a product of the mind, not a product of the hand. The first thing is, how do I now tap the mind? I will start with the youths; I will challenge them. I will create centres for invention, design, development and innovation and I will challenge them to come up with ideas; what they can do to transform the society in every area and I will back it with resources. If that happens, I can tell you that our society will be transformed. I saw a typical example in a friend’s house, when I went to Abuja. There were 35 products made of wood; that means that if I encourage the carpenters, they can create products even for exports. I tried something a while ago; I took local artisans to NICON Hotel, in Abuja, many years ago. I said, this is where the wealthiest Nigerians live; look around and picture what you can do, if given the resources. After that, I took them back to Okeagbe. If you get to my house today, you will never believe those things were not made in Italy. This means that the mind is a powerful object and that is why it is often said that it is a terrible thing to waste.

    Given the state of the economy, how would you source funds for your developmental projects?

    First and foremost when government is disciplined in terms of choices and avoidance of waste, it can manage within its means. Look at what the head of the international Monetary fund (IMF) said the other day; she said in spite of the dwindling revenue from crude oil that Nigeria does not need an IMF loan, if she manages her resources very well. So, if the leadership is disciplined, the state can survive. One of the biggest tragedies is the consumption of government; the amount if the wealth of the people that is consumed in government house is abnormal. They order for a set of cars this year and the following year they will order for more. What is wrong with the ones in their garage? Buhari is teaching us; he is still using the same car. Why must the leadership spend so much when the people are starving?

    It is the turn of Ondo North Senatorial District to produce the governor, but people say there is an Akure agenda to install another governor from the Central District …

    I think it is due to lack of understanding. If we even take a governor from Akure, what would be the advantage to the people of Akure? As a capital city, most development is centred in Akure since the time of Adekunle Ajasin. So, Akure dies not gain any advantage; that’s number one. Secondly, I was speaking with one of the prominent political leaders in Akure recently; he said our people are not realistic. Is it possible for a governor from Ondo town to spend eight years and in the next dispensation another governor is picked from within 30 kilometres from the town? I agree with him; it cannot work.

    Things are organised in Ondo State. The next zone that would produce the governor is always allocated the deputy governorship position. When Ajasin was governor, he took his deputy from Ekiti, but eventually Ekiti was excised from Ondo State. When Adebayo Adefarati (Ondo North) became governor, the deputy came from Ondo South, which eventually produced the next governor in the person of Olusegun Agagu. When Agagu became governor, he picked his deputy from the Ondo Central and afterwards the zone produced the next governor in the person of Mimiko. When Mimiko became governor, he took his deputy from Ondo North. So, it is the turn of the North to produce the next governor.

     

  • Buhari to attend Olubadan’s funeral

    Buhari to attend Olubadan’s funeral

    President Muhammadu Buhari has indicated interest to attend the funeral of the late Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana, Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimola, has said.

    The governor addressed State House correspondents yesterday after a meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

    He said the alleged claim by the Otun Seriki of Ibadan, Chief Adebayo Oyediji, to be the next Olubadan of Ibadanland was an exercise in futility.

    Ajimobi said: “My mission here basically is to see Mr. President and intimate him of the recent transition of the Olubadan, who passed away a couple of days ago.

    “We had to wait for the traditional message from the palace before we could convey this to the President. I am glad that I have been able to convey it. You may even ask why convey such to the President, at least he was just an Olubadan?

    “If you must know, the Olubadan was not an ordinary king. Apart from the fact that he worked for the Federal Government, he was once a Minister of Labour under the late Prime Minister, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa’s government. He worked as a parliamentarian and a minister.

    “He was part of the delegation to Britain for the Nigerian Conference. Therefore, he was a national figure, hence he was honoured with a Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR). He contributed immensely to the development of Nigeria. So, he stood out as a king.

    “I am glad to say that having seen the President, he assured me that he would attend the burial ceremony.”

    On the uniqueness of the Olubadan, the governor said: “It is the only institution where we know the next 20 or 50 obas (monarchs). We don’t fight for it. Every house can produce an Olubadan, including my house.

    “So, it is not limited, like in some areas where you say this is the only family or these are the families. Every son of Ibadanland can become the Olubadan of Ibadanland.

    “Therefore, we feel it is a rancour-free succession programme where everybody is qualified to be there. We know the next to the next; in fact, we know the next 100th Olubadan.”

    According to him, the Seriki House started during the period of Chief Adisa Akinloye and it was decided long ago that it should to be after the Seriki line, one has to join it.

     

  • Buhari to make ‘final decision’ on MTN fine

    Buhari to make ‘final decision’ on MTN fine

    President Muhammadu Buhari will make the final decision on a $3.9 billion fine on the mobile service provider, MTN, the telecommunications minister said on Tuesday.

    Adebayo Shittu also told journalists that MTN might be advised to withdraw a court case filed against the fine.

    “If they withdraw it creates a better environment, an environment where there is no stress or pressure on either side,” Reuters quoted the minister as saying on the fine imposed on the firm last year.

     

  • Buhari leaves for Kenya, Ethiopia Wednesday

    Buhari leaves for Kenya, Ethiopia Wednesday

    President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja on Wednesday on a three-day state visit to Kenya.

    A statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Frmi Adesina, said  Buhari on arrival in Kenya will join his host, President Uhuru Kenyatta and other dignitaries at a memorial service for Kenyan soldiers killed by Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia on January 15.

    After the memorial service in Eldoret, President Buhari will proceed to Nairobi for bilateral talks on Thursday with Kenyan Government officials led by President Kenyatta.

    Before the conclusion of his visit, President Buhari and President Kenyatta will jointly preside over a Kenya-Nigeria Business Forum in Nairobi.

    The President’s entourage to Kenya will include the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Industry, Trade and Investment.

    At the conclusion of his visit to Kenya on Friday, President Buhari will move straight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the 26th Summit of African Union Heads of State and Government.

    He will also participate in a meeting of AU’s Peace and Security Council before returning to Abuja on January 31.