The Nation Newspaper

Tag: BUHARI

  • ‘Buhari is fulfilling his campaign promises’

    ‘Buhari is fulfilling his campaign promises’

    What impact have you made on your constituency?

    I was first elected into the House of Representatives in 2011 to represent Iwo, Ayedire/Olaoluwa Federal Constituency of Osun State. As a result of my meritorious service to my people within those four years they decided to re-elect me in 2015.

    Along the line, l was able to donate farm implements such as two brand new tractors to my constituents. I also gave scholarships to indigent students from the constituency; empower unemployed youths with millions of naira; sink boreholes throughout the constituency, electrification step down plan aiming at boosting electricity supply and distribution of General certificate of Examination forms (GCE) to the first six students in  three selected schools,

    I also recommendations to the Federal Government on how to complete abandoned federal projects within my constituency. I have also assisted in subsidising the price of fertilizers for the farmers, provided financial assistance for market men and women, artisans.

    In the area of education, I organised campus scope programme at the Reality TV, Iwo. I’ve equally built offices for market men and market women at Odo Ori Iwo and the offices are being furnished with modern facilities, I have built an ICT centre at AUD Araro Iwo.

    What is your assessment of the APC-led Federal Government?

    President Muhammadu Buhari can be described as a messiah sent to save us from the 16 years of PDP mal-administration in the country. As you can see, within Buhari’s few months in office so far, he has done a lot and the good people of Nigeria are heaving a sigh of relief.

    For example, fuel price has stabilised at N87.00 per litre and it is readily available at filling stations across the country. The price of cement has equally gone down, from N2.000 per bag at the tail end of Jonathan administration, to around N1, 200.

    President Buhari also deserves kudos for his fight against corruption. Buhari should be commended as well in the area of job creation, security, especially in the area of taking the battle to the door step of Boko Haram.

    What can be done to put a stop to the insurgency in the Northeast?

    The cooperation of all Nigerians are needed to make the December deadline a reality. Nigerians should try to compliment the effort of the Federal Government and security agencies, by being security conscious, especially in the areas like Abuja, Bornu, Yobe, Adamawa, Lagos and Plateau States. The reality is that government alone cannot do it alone, except through our assistance.

    I also want to use this medium to call on private establishments to assist the government, by creating employment opportunity for the teeming unemployed graduates.

    For instance, we have a lot of potentials in agriculture, which use to be the pivot around which the economy revolved in the early 60s. If our youths can be encouraged to embrace agriculture, the issue of unemployment will become a thing of the past.

    How will you assess the performance of Governor Rauf Aregbesola?

    No matter what anybody says, the reality is that Governor Rauf Aregbesola is a performer. It is only those who are familiar with the state before he became governor that can appreciate what he has done so far. The network of roads that he constructed to open up the rural areas is second to none.

    Besides, the governor sponsored some young farmers to Israel and China, to go and learn the rudiments of modern-day farming. By the time he would be winding up, the state is going to be the food basket of the nation and this will translate to opening the economy of the state; from being a civil service state to one driven by the private sector.

    Most banks have agricultural-related products that the youths can assess, to turn farming into a business. This is a better option than waiting for office work which may never come and in the end, they may be frustrated. This is the time to put on their thinking caps and be more creative to utilise the abundant opportunities in the sector.

    In terms of security, Governor Aregbesola has invested heavily in this regard and that is why the state is relatively peaceful. In this area, he also engages these youths as volunteers and they are also engaged in various sectors, including sweeping the street, traffic monitoring, environmental sanitation officers, and other sundry matters. At the end of it all, the multiplier effect on the economy of the state is very significant.

     

  • Ex- government officials now returning stolen funds – Buhari

    Ex- government officials now returning stolen funds – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has said some treasury looters in the immediate past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan have started returning stolen funds to his government.

    He made the remark at a forum with the Nigerian community in Tehran, Republic of Iran.

    The President also explained while answering a question that those accused of corruption would have been prosecuted by now but for the need to thoroughly investigate them with a view to gathering evidences for their eventual trial.

    He said that it was easy for him during his tenure as a military Head of State in1985 to arrest and put those allegedly corrupt individuals in protective custody for them to prove their innocence, but the dictates of rule of law and due process had slowed him down in prosecuting corruption in this dispensation.

    He said: “On corruption; yes, they are still innocent. But, we are collecting documents and some of them have started voluntarily returning something. But we want all.

    “When we get those documents we will formally charge them to court and then we will tell Nigerians to know those who abused trust when they are entrusted with public funds. So, the day of reckoning is gradually approaching.”

    The President also promised to deal with saboteurs in the nation’s power sector in order to bring back sanity and service delivery to the populace.

    Stressing that he was yet to give any policy directive on the power sector before the improvement in service experienced in the past few months, Buhari said his government would ensure that the needful, especially improvement in security, was done to ensure regular power supply.

    He added: “I believe if you are in touch back at home you would have been told that already there is some improvement in power.

    “We haven’t said anything to them yet. I think they only find it sensible or appropriate for them to try and improve the power situation in the country.

    “I’m sure you know about the privatization of the power sector, your old friends NEPA or Power Holding Company of Nigeria have been sold to a number of interest groups. But, the fundamental thing about us is that we have the potential in everything except performance.

    “We have a lot of gas, we have a lot of qualified people but again we have a lot of saboteurs who go and blow installations. Those who normally steal Nigerian crude and those who blow up installations, whether they called themselves militants or whatever, they are still there.”

  • Buhari seeks urgent reforms in judiciary

    Buhari seeks urgent reforms in judiciary

    •CJN insists on enhanced judicial independence

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday told the judiciary to get ready for the challenges of combating impunity and corruption as well as revamping the economy.

    Buhari, who called for urgent reforms in the judicial sector, noted that the challenges of corruption and delay in trial process form major hindrance to government’s efforts at retrieving stolen wealth and punishing those who abuse public trust.

    The President said it would be difficult for the government to effectively tackle corruption and encourage investments, unless the judiciary addresses its identified challenges and shortcomings.

    He identified some of such challenges as including judicial corruption, integrity questions surrounding the conduct of some judges, delays in the administration of justice process, the burden of relying on outdated rules and legislation in a fast modernising society, infrastructure inadequacy, weakness in the appointment process of judicial officers and the performance of judges.

    Buhari spoke in Abuja yesterday during the opening session of this year’s All Nigeria Judges’ Conference.

    He was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN).

    The conference being held at the National Judicial Institute (NJI) will end on Friday.

    The President, who assured of a “constructive relationship” between the three arms of government, said his administration would ensure the independence of the judiciary both in finance and the performance of its duties.

    “It is abundantly clear that democracy and the democratic tradition cannot thrive, and indeed will not, if the Judiciary fails to perform its roles with truth, justice and courage.

    “While it is undeniable that the judiciary continues to make incremental progress in playing its constitutional role, it is still the consensus of observers that overall levels of judicial service delivery still leave much to be desired. Urgent reforms therefore, remain imperative in several areas.

    “Unfortunately, in recent years, perhaps more than ever before, allegations of judicial corruption have become more strident and frequent. Some of the available surveys on public perception of the judiciary clearly show that the Judiciary is losing the trust and esteem of the Nigerian population.

    “This is dangerous indeed for our fledgling democracy. Democracy and the fundamental, freedoms and rights and assurances for the protection of private and public rights rely entirely on a Judiciary, whose integrity is unimpeachable.”

    He noted that the delay experienced in the nation’s justice delivery system was a disincentive to investment because the ability to enforce contractual obligations and resolve disputes form essential considerations for intending investors.

    The President, who called for the eradication of the practice of appealing interlocutory decisions, also suggested a reduction in the workload of the Supreme Court as a way of curbing delay.

    He said the reform needed by the Judiciary must extend to the reviews of laws, institutions, processes and procedures that inhibit speedy justice delivery.

    Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Mahmud Mohammed cautioned judges against abusing their discretional powers.

    He warned that cases of abuse of such powers would be penalised.

    He urged the Executive to respect the independence of the judiciary, particularly in the area of finance by releasing as at when due, their budgetary allocations.

    The CJN noted that the Judiciary has effective assisted in stabilising the polity despite public concern about its performance.

    The Administrator of the NJI, Justice Rosaline Bozimo, said the conference was intended for the judges to review their performances in the past year and strategise for better performance in the new legal year.

  • Buhari’s hard road

    Buhari’s hard road

    Muhammadu Buhari has a lousy luck.

    At this first coming in 1984, Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, as military head of state, had to endure the head-splitting headache from the hangover of President Shehu Shagari’s National Party of Nigeria (NPN) freeloaders, in Nigeria’s Second Republic (1 October 1979 – 31 December 1983).

    At his second coming in 2015, Muhammadu Buhari, as elected president of the Federal Republic, faces no less splitting headache.  The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dynasty had from 1999 under President Olusegun Obasanjo progressively decayed, such that the rot, under President Goodluck Jonathan, climaxed in a well-deserved fall; and loss of power.

    Just as in 1984, in 2015, the party is over.  It is left to President Buhari to clear the mess, with those who caused the problem most trenchant about the imperative to do so.

    But before he could even clear that mess in 1984 — no thanks to his junta’s fatal failure to communicate its own actions — reactionary forces overthrew him in a palace coup.  With them, Nigeria went to seeds.  But preserving the Buhari mystique came out of that personal tragedy.

    In 2015, what would it be?  Would reactionary forces short-change the administration again?  No one knows for sure.  One thing is certain though: from the impulsive bent of yore, epitomised by the with-immediate-effect temper of the ruinous military years, Nigerians would tend to have become more tempered.

    Besides, it is democracy.  Except there is perfidy from the parliamentary front — and nothing is impossible — it is a democracy.  Other things being equal, a fixed term of four years is guaranteed, within which the president is expected to unfurl his policies and implement his programmes.

    And because it is democracy too, the administration must have a vigorous and vibrant communication segment, as an integral part of every policy and programme.  Fifth columnists are no monopoly of military rule!

    That, of course, leads to the newly appointed federal cabinet; and the comments, more or less based on trivia, that have accompanied its birthing.

    Take Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, former governor of Lagos.  Not a few have proclaimed him a “prime minister”, a rather literal (if not outright mischievous) definition of his three-in-one heavyweight portfolio of Power, Works and Housing.

    Others have gone to proclaim Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, former Rivers governor, as another “super minister”, in view of his no less challenging Transport portfolio, under which is Aviation and Maritime, not to mention rail.

    Aviation is the hub of a modern economy, maritime is the cash cow, given the normally huge revenue from ports in a globalised economy that thrives on international trade; and rail holds the key to truly modernising the Nigerian local economy, both in the mass transit of people; and mass movement of heavy bulk, at tolerable costs, and with least cost to road infrastructure.

    Trivia aside, a federal cabinet today, without Fashola and Amaechi would have  been inconceivable, except they were not members of the ruling party.  This is simply because the duo would appear the very best, given their achievements during their tours of duty in Lagos and Rivers states, among the Gubernatorial Class of 2007-2014.

    But that is the trivial part of it.  The serious side is that the two are charged with tough infrastructure duties that would make or mar the administration.  With a projected 2016 budget in the N7 trillion to N8 trillion mark, it would appear a budget of reflation.  Public works, either indirectly by contract or directly by direct labour, would dominate economic activities.

    And power!  Imagine what a lit up Nigeria would do, to social and business health!

    So, should either Fashola or Amaechi (or both) fail, Buhari would be perceived to have failed.  So long for the vanity of prime or super ministers!

    The focus on infrastructure, agriculture and solid minerals, by the Buhari administration, would appear obvious by the manning of the two other ministries.

    Audu Ogbeh, the French major turned practical agriculturist, would appear both symbolic and practical.  Symbolic, because he appears to reinforce the zero-tolerance for sleaze that the Buhari Presidency appears to push.  Since Mr. Ogbeh’s entry into Nigeria’s public life, he has earned a rare reputation for consistency and integrity.  And practical, because since he had made farming his vocation, he had developed some private expertise, from which public policy can benefit.

    His major challenge, however, would be how Mr. Ogbeh is able to leverage his experience and personal temper to build on the modest achievement of the Goodluck Jonathan Presidency, in which agricultural showman and designer minister, Akinwunmi Adesina, now president of African Development Bank (AfDB), held sway.

    In Solid Minerals, however, Kayode Fayemi would appear a curious pick.  In Foreign Affairs, he would have been a shoo-in, by virtue of his training and intellectual activism.  Still, he comes to the job with a federalist’s temper; and keen intellect.  A federalist’s temper is key; for over-centralising mining would appear a perpetual drag on exploiting solid minerals.

    Dr. Fayemi’s huge challenge, however, would be convincing a traditionally centrist-minded president to see reason in urgent laws liberalising mining, such that states can enter into that sector, with proven foreign partners, as economic growth areas, to deliver cash and value.

    It would appear therefore that infrastructure, agriculture and solid minerals would be the hub of this government’s economic policy, in its bid to diversify the economy and deepen the local economy.  This is not a bad idea, especially if the pivotal ministers stay on top of their game and deliver.

    Talking of delivering ministers, the advent of Mr. Fashola as power minister has marked the nose-diving of power supply.  The authorities say the fault is from the transmission network, alleging some sabotage.

    But if one were to use a Biblical allusion, the dip would appear not unlike Satan tempting the Christ to show his power, when during the week of temptation, he took Jesus to a great height and taunted him to perform a miracle, since he was  the son of God expected by all!

    The parallel?  Well, Fashola the golden boy of Lagos, entered with some anonymity — Fashola who?  But as minister, his fame was already founded on the solidity of his achievements in Lagos; and the razor-sharpness of his thinking.

    So, he faces huge expectations bordering on the magical, which could easily snowball into a crisis, especially as he operates in tasking times.  Yet, crisis time is when proven performers prove their mettle, particularly with a united administration behind him.

    That is why those who trumpet him as “prime minister” would do well to see the quantum of his job; and spend less time on the triumphalism founded trivia.  Besides, such would only make him needless enemies, within and without the administration.

    Let everyone therefore focus on value.  That way, there would be less time for needless yarns that can only confuse, confound and distract.

    The Buhari road is too rough, and the pains of longsuffering Nigerians too high, such costly distractions.

  • Buhari, Saraki, Dogara, Lasun shocked

    Buhari, Saraki, Dogara, Lasun shocked

    President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly leadership yesterday expressed shock at the death of Prince Abubakar Audu.

    Buhari said he heard the news with an enormous sense of shock.

    The President, who is attending the Third Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Tehran, Iran, spoke through a statement yesterday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

    The President was quoted as saying: “We are obviously devastated at the loss.”

    He described the late Audu as a talented politician, a loving family head and a respected community leader.

    “He was immensely courageous,” the President added.

    The statement added: “President Buhari condoles with the family of the late governor, the government and people of Kogi State as well as our party members, men and women, who stood with Audu in his bid to return as governor. He ran as the favourite in the election as the early results have clearly shown.”

    Buhari prayed to Allah to repose his soul and give his family, the people of Kogi State and APC members the fortitude to bear this loss.

    Also yesterday, Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki, House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Deputy Speaker Yussuff Lasun described Audu’s demise as painful and shocking.

    They said the late politician died as a dogged and visionary leader.

    Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, “condoled with the family of the deceased, the government and people of Kogi State and the national and state executives as well as members of the APC on the irreparable loss”.

    He noted the tenacity of purpose and unwavering loyalty of the deceased, who, he said, remained committed to the course of his people and his party to the last moment of his life.

    Dogara, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, said APC lost one of its strong pillars, who helped built the party in Kogi State.

    The statement reads: “His death is a major setback for the APC family. But as people of faith, we cannot question the work of the Almighty God, who gives life and only Him can take it away.

    “Dogara regretted that Audu could not live to celebrate the imminent victory of the APC in the governorship election for which he was the leading candidate.

    The Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Sulaimon Lasun, said the sudden death of Abubakar was a rude shock to him.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secteatary, Wole Oladimeji, the Deputy Speaker said Audu was a true party man, who fought till the last breath to see that APC was rooted in Kogi State.

     

  • Dogara seeks better funding for IDPs in 2016 budget

    Dogara seeks better funding for IDPs in 2016 budget

    The Speaker of the House Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has urged the Presidency to make adequate budgetary provision in 2016 for the resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country.

    He also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to forward a bill to the National Assembly for the ratification of the Kampala Treaty on Internally Displaced Persons for ratification.

    The Speaker, made the call in his remarks at the sensitization workshop on the role of the parliament in addressing the challenges of IDPs in Nigeria, organized by the House Committee on Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs) Refugees, and Initiatives on the Northern East Geopolitical Zone.

    It was also done in collaboration with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

    About N80 billion has been garnered by the Presidential Committee on Boko Haram Victims Support Fund headed by T. Y. Danjuma, according to the Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Lasun, who spoke at the recent 2015 Inter parliamentary Union held in Geneva, Switzerland.

    He said: “Permit me to place on record, the appreciation of the House of Representatives of the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, to end terrorism and return our IDPs back to their respective communities. In particular, the inclusion of N5 billion in the 2015 Supplementary Appropriation Bill just submitted to the National Assembly, for victims of terrorism for which IDPs, form a major part, shows responsiveness on the part of Mr. President.

    “Of course, we will expect even more support in the 2016 Budget Proposal. In this regard, we solicit the continued cooperation and support of our development partners, UN Agencies, Multilateral and Bilateral Partners, international and National NGOs, International Foundations, International Funds, Development Banking Institutions and Agencies, such as World Bank, IMF, African Development Bank, etc. The private sector organizations and Companies in Nigeria cannot be left out in this effort. We know they are doing a lot already. We thank them for their commitment and efforts so far while hoping that they will do more.

    “Today’s event offers the opportunity to restate the fact that there is no adequate legal framework for handling issues of internal displacement. Even though Nigeria at the Executive level has ratified the African Union Convention for the Protection and assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention), it has not yet been domesticated by the Legislature.

    “Therefore, permit me to call on Mr President to transmit to the National Assembly, an executive bill on this and indeed other relevant treaties for domestication.

    “However, as legislators, we have primary constitutional responsibility to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of Nigeria, and we shall in the exercise of this constitutional mandate soon be left with no option but to introduce a Bill to domesticate the all important Kampala Convention, if for whatever reason the executive is unable to send the required Bill.”

    Dogara said the House is currently processing a Bill to consolidate the anti-terrorism legislations into one document for ease of use and reference, and that the National Assembly has always supported all budgetary requests from the Executive to fight terrorism.

    Chairman of the House Committee on IDPs, Refugees and North East Initiative, Sani Zorro, in his speech noted that the over two million IDPs scattered across the country in different camps are faced with “substandard facilities, most of whom are women and orphaned children, with hunger and malnutrition as the common denominators that define their lives.”

    Statistics from the UNHCR showed that 68 percent of IDPs in Nigeria are children and there are so far about 60,000 births in the IDP campaigns across the country.

  • Buhari seeks urgent reforms in judiciary

    Buhari seeks urgent reforms in judiciary

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday told the judiciary to brace up for the challenges of combating impunity and corruption in the country.

    The President, who called for urgent reforms in the judiciary, noted that corruption and delay in the administration of criminal justice constitute major hindrance to government’s efforts at retrieving stolen funds and punish those that abused public trust.

    He spoke at the opening session of the year’s All Nigeria Judges’ Conference in Abuja.

    Represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the President said it would be difficult for the government to effectively tackle corruption and encourage investments unless the judiciary addresses its identified challenges and shortcomings.

    He identified some of such challenges to include judicial corruption, integrity questions surrounding the conduct of some judges, delays in the administration of justice process, the burden of relying on outdated rules and legislation in a fast modernizing society, infrastructure inadequacy, weakness in the appointment process for judicial officers and the overall performance of judges.

     

     

  • Audu a talented, courageous politician – Buhari

    Audu a talented, courageous politician – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday described the late All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu, as a talented and courageous politician.

    Buhari, who is attending the Third Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Tehran, Iran, expressed shock at Audu’s death in a statement issued on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

    The President was quoted as saying: “We are obviously devastated at the loss.”

    He described the deceased as a talented politician, a loving family head and a respected community leader.

    “He was immensely courageous,” the President added.

     

  • ‘Buhari is fulfilling his campaign promises’

    ‘Buhari is fulfilling his campaign promises’

    Hon. Akintayo Amere is a House of Representative member from Iwo-Ayedire/Olaoluwa Constituency, Osun State. In this interview with SINA FADARE, he says security is a collective enterprise that requires the input of all stakeholders. 

    What impact have you made on your constituency?

    I was first elected into the House of Representatives in 2011 to represent Iwo, Ayedire/Olaoluwa Federal Constituency of Osun State. As a result of my meritorious service to my people within those four years they decided to re-elect me in 2015.

    Along the line, l was able to donate farm implements such as two brand new tractors to my constituents. I also gave scholarships to indigent students from the constituency; empower unemployed youths with millions of naira; sink boreholes throughout the constituency, electrification step down plan aiming at boosting electricity supply and distribution of General certificate of Examination forms (GCE) to the first six students in  three selected schools,

    I also recommendations to the Federal Government on how to complete abandoned federal projects within my constituency. I have also assisted in subsidising the price of fertilizers for the farmers, provided financial assistance for market men and women, artisans.

    In the area of education, I organised campus scope programme at the Reality TV, Iwo. I’ve equally built offices for market men and market women at Odo Ori Iwo and the offices are being furnished with modern facilities, I have built an ICT centre at AUD Araro Iwo.

    What is your assessment of the APC-led Federal Government?

    President Muhammadu Buhari can be described as a messiah sent to save us from the 16 years of PDP mal-administration in the country. As you can see, within Buhari’s few months in office so far, he has done a lot and the good people of Nigeria are heaving a sigh of relief.

    For example, fuel price has stabilised at N87.00 per litre and it is readily available at filling stations across the country. The price of cement has equally gone down, from N2.000 per bag at the tail end of Jonathan administration, to around N1, 200.

    President Buhari also deserves kudos for his fight against corruption. Buhari should be commended as well in the area of job creation, security, especially in the area of taking the battle to the door step of Boko Haram.

    What can be done to put a stop to the insurgency in the Northeast?

    The cooperation of all Nigerians are needed to make the December deadline a reality. Nigerians should try to compliment the effort of the Federal Government and security agencies, by being security conscious, especially in the areas like Abuja, Bornu, Yobe, Adamawa, Lagos and Plateau States. The reality is that government alone cannot do it alone, except through our assistance.

    I also want to use this medium to call on private establishments to assist the government, by creating employment opportunity for the teeming unemployed graduates.

    For instance, we have a lot of potentials in agriculture, which use to be the pivot around which the economy revolved in the early 60s. If our youths can be encouraged to embrace agriculture, the issue of unemployment will become a thing of the past.

    How will you assess the performance of Governor Rauf Aregbesola?

    No matter what anybody says, the reality is that Governor Rauf Aregbesola is a performer. It is only those who are familiar with the state before he became governor that can appreciate what he has done so far. The network of roads that he constructed to open up the rural areas is second to none.

    Besides, the governor sponsored some young farmers to Israel and China, to go and learn the rudiments of modern-day farming. By the time he would be winding up, the state is going to be the food basket of the nation and this will translate to opening the economy of the state; from being a civil service state to one driven by the private sector.

    Most banks have agricultural-related products that the youths can assess, to turn farming into a business. This is a better option than waiting for office work which may never come and in the end, they may be frustrated. This is the time to put on their thinking caps and be more creative to utilise the abundant opportunities in the sector.

    In terms of security, Governor Aregbesola has invested heavily in this regard and that is why the state is relatively peaceful. In this area, he also engages these youths as volunteers and they are also engaged in various sectors, including sweeping the street, traffic monitoring, environmental sanitation officers, and other sundry matters. At the end of it all, the multiplier effect on the economy of the state is very significant.

  • Buhari to Biafra agitators: I won’t compromise Nigeria’s unity

    Buhari to Biafra agitators: I won’t compromise Nigeria’s unity

    •Our unity not subject of debate
    •Obi of Onitsha says secession futile

    Pro-Biafra protesters got a reply on their efforts yesterday from  President Muhammadu Buhari: no compromise on Nigeria’s unity.

    Buhari who broke his silence on the agitation triggered by the recent arrest and detention of the Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kalu, declared that he was not in office to preside over the balkanisation of the country.

    He had the backing of a leading traditional ruler in the Southeast and Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe who asked the protesters to shelve the idea of secession from the rest of Nigeria.

    “The corporate existence of Nigeria as a single entity is not a subject of debate and will not be compromised,” Buhari affirmed in a message to the investiture of Achebe as the 7th Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.

    The message was delivered by the Minister of State for Education, Professor Anthony Onwuka, who himself is from the Southeast.

     

    He said:”the country is currently facing challenges of insurgency and other forms of insecurity that has become a threat to Nigerians to live their country and be educated in their country.

    “The security situation in the country entails that every Nigerian must discharge his responsibility in bringing about peaceful coexistence.

    “The menace of insurgency and actions of some people agitating for dismemberment of this country will be surmounted.

    “I therefore sound a note of serious warning that the corporate existence of Nigeria as a single entity is not a subject of debate and will not be compromised.”

    On the state of education in the country, Buhari pledged to “put our education system back on sound track.”

    Universities, according to him, “should on their  own part key into the wave of change across the country. As pacesetters, the universities must avoid any corrupt practices.”

    Although Obi was cautious in his prepared speech on the unrest in the Southeast and other parts of the country, he later said in an interview with reporters that pro-Biafra agitators should have a rethink.

    He said the agitation violates Nigeria’s constitution of the country and the principles of democracy.

    The traditional ruler drew their attention to the inherent dangers involved in their action, emphasising that Nigeria remains a united and indivisible country irrespective of the numerous challenges.

    He urged them to channel all their grievances through their elected representatives in the National Assembly for consideration, rather than embarking on violent protests that could result in breakdown of law and order in the region.

    He said the renewed agitation for a Biafran state would not solve the various economic and social problems confronting the Southeast zone or add any value to the development and progress of the entire country.

    The geo-political zone, he said, remains an integral part of Nigeria and the leaders from the area so much believe in the unity of the country and would always work towards sustaining such bond.

    In his prepared speech, he said:”we may have lost our bearing as a nation with the discovery of petroleum in the 50s. A false sense of national wealth has turned us into a nation of frolickers and hustlers, who are fighting one another for a greater share of the proverbial national cake, and spending it extravagantly, rather than leveraging the God given windfall to build a stable, diversified, and more prosperous nation.

    “As the volume of production and market value of petroleum have fallen, that is, as the national cake has shrunk in size, the competition and struggle for a stake in that cake has become more intense.

    “Thus, today, there is tension everywhere – Niger Delta, Boko Haram, MASSOB, industrial strikes, armed robbery, kidnapping, ethnic rivalries, tension between and within the political parties, etc. The sum total is that, our national mindset, particularly amongst the upper and middle classes, which includes most of us in this audience, has been focused on the consumption, rather than the creation, of our national wealth.”

    He added:  “we spend unbelievable amounts importing petrol and subsidizing its retail price whilst our three refineries with adequate capacity to meet our national requirement are literarily moribund, despite huge sums spent on endless turn around maintenances; smaller and less endowed countries successfully operate their own refineries optimally and do not suffer scarcity.

    “Nigeria is probably the largest importer of electric generators in the world despite our endowment with natural sources of energy, such as petroleum, coal, hydro and solar energies, and the huge sums spent by successive governments on the power sector. On the other hand, a smaller country, Ghana, takes gas from Nigeria and generates most of its electricity requirements.

    “Our food import bill, spent mostly on rice and wheat, is about $22 billion annually, yet our country is blessed with vast arable land and a large population of young jobless people that can be usefully deployed to agriculture.

    “Road construction in Nigeria is more expensive than most parts of the world, yet our roads are breaking down faster than we build them because the traditional mode for heavy haulage, namely, railways, pipelines and waterways, are comatose; a trailer load of petrol from Mosimi to Maiduguri causes more damage to our roads than the value of the product being transported.

    “A majority of our state governments have recently taken the so-called “bailout loans” for recurrent expenditure, meaning that future generations are being inflicted with the burden of the profligacy of the current generation.”