The Nation Newspaper

Tag: BUHARI

Southeast Forum hails Buhari’s appointments

Members of the South East Progressive Forum yesterday maintained that appointments into political positions are President Muhammadu Buhari’s prerogative and he has the right to appoint people he thinks he can work with.

A former member of the House of Representatives Bethel Amadi, who led the group to meet with President Buhari, told State House correspondents that what is important to them is the provision and redevelopment of dilapidated infrastructure in the Southeast.

According to him, the educational system has gone down, while kidnapping, gully erosion and insecurity have ravaged the zone.

August 28, 2015
Diversification our top priority, says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has said his administration will stop the dependence on crude oil exports for economic survival.

He spoke yesterday while receiving the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Nigeria, Mr. Fahad Abdullah Sefyan, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said Buhari affirmed his administration’s commitment to foster the development of the non-oil sectors.

He said: “For more than 30 years, Nigeria has depended on oil as its major source of revenue at the expense of agriculture and the non-oil sector which could be the mainstay of our economy.

“As oil exporting countries facing similar challenges due to the down turn in the international price of crude oil, we should be working closer together.

“Saudi Arabia has done excellently in manufacturing, building of infrastructure and exploration of solid minerals and I believe that greater bilateral cooperation between us in this regard will be mutually beneficial,” the President told the new ambassador of Saudi Arabia.

He also said in keeping with his commitment to the accelerated development of Nigeria’s non-oil sector, the Federal Government would ensure that all pending agreements on trade and economic relations with other countries were speedily concluded and signed.

Buhari, who also received the Ambassador of Turkey, Mr. Hakan Cakil and the Ambassador of Sudan, Mr. Ibrahim Bushra Mohammed, hailed Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Sudan for their cooperation with Nigeria in the war against terrorism.

The President restated his conviction that the war against terrorism in Nigeria and other countries could only be won with greater and more effective international collaboration.

August 28, 2015
Shun corruption or leave service, Buhari tells Civil Servants

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday warned civil servants to shun corruption or be ready to leave the service.

The Permanent Secretary, General Services in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Mohammed Bukarý spoke to State House correspondents after meeting President Buhari along with other officials of the SGF.

They were at the Presidential Villa, to brief President Buhari on the activities of the office.

Bukar said that President Buhari warned the civil servants that the rules and laws guiding public service must be adhered to strictly.

He said: “We have received a mandate to work harder. He has given us a very strong warning that change has come and every public servant has to sit up. We will give our best to support the government.”

“We told him what we have been doing in support of the government’s policies and the president promised to give us the support and the political will to do our job better.”

Speaking on the building of centenary city project, Bukar said that the former Head of State, Genl Abdulsalami Abubakar, who chairs the Centenary Limited Board, would brief President Buhari on the project today.

According to him, no single kobo has been taken from the account of the Federal Government for the project.

“No kobo of government went into the building of centenary city”, he said.

August 28, 2015
ICSAN chief advises Buhari to be transparent

The President, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), Dr Nat Ofo has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to run an open government, adding that it is the approach that will strengthen economic growth and   save the country from distress.

Speaking to reporters after his investiture in Lagos, he said there was need to create a better way of looking at governance that gives Nigerians, investors, employees and the wider public greater confidence in the transparency and accountability of the economy .

Ofo said any attempt to restore public faith in business must start with good corporate governance.

He said one of the focus areas of his regime as ICSAN president will be to work with the government to ensure better corporate governance, effective checks and controls across the economy.

He noted that corporate governance is an increasingly important issue as the government has   started to refocus efforts from survival to renewed growth.

As an institute, he said ICSAN prides itself as the custodian of corporate governance, adding that it is evident in the level of the involvement of its members in the development of codes of corporate governance in the country.

He said: “As is well known, succession planning is a critical element in management and corporate governance. It is therefore commendable that we are witnessing a smooth and seamless transition of power from one president to another.”

He commended the immediate past president, Dr Suleyman Ndanusa for smooth transition and for laying the foundation on which the institute will move and make progress.

He said his administration intends to collaborate with other professional bodies, regulators organisations and other professionals to spread the corporate governance message as well as pursue linkage with higher institutions in a bid to build and improve on capacities.

Ndanusa commended President Buhari for taking steps that will restore integrity to the economic system with   rigorous emphasis on values and stewardship.

Looking broadly at the system, he said changes are needed to ensure the economy recovers.

Ndanusa said the government is taking steps get economy back on the growth path.

He argued that the growth will lead to trust in business and government.

August 28, 2015
Imo ex-Commissioner makes case for Buhari

A former Commissioner for Health in Imo State, Dr. Joe Obi-Njoku has faulted the insinuation by some politicians that President Muhammadu Buhari is not keeping pace with his promise in handling Nigeria’s problems.

Obi-Njoku who disclosed this in an interview in Owerri, the Imo State capital, said, “Those accusing Buhari of being slow in handling the country’s problems miss the point”.

He explained that President Buhari was taking his time to diagnose Nigeria’s problems properly before administering treatment to achieve effective results.

The medical practitioner further maintained that “Nigeria’s enormous problems could not be tackled without proper diagnosis, otherwise no good socio-economic result would be achieved”.

He commended the president for taking stock before embarking on appointments and other key matters of governance.

The former commissioner appealed to Nigerians to exercise patience with the Buhari administration, adding, “The President has vowed to put Nigeria in the right direction and his determination to fight corruption showed that he understood the major causes of Nigeria’s backwardness”.

Obi-Njoku argued further that “Nigeria was under threat of collapse under President Jonathan as a result of the overwhelming influence of insecurity but Buhari’s victory saved the Country from collapsing because his military background has been brought to bear in tackling the problem”.

He expressed optimism that Nigerians will witness prosperity under the Buhari’s administration, while urging Nigerians to give him the deserved support to succeed.

The medical practitioner finally dismissed the allegation that President Buhari hates the Igbo, saying, “The President is for all Nigerians and there were Igbo working with him even before now”.

August 28, 2015
Shun corruption or leave service, Buhari tells civil service

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday warned civil servants to shun corruption or be ready to leave the service.

The Permanent Secretary, General Services in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Mohammed Bukar‎ disclosed this to State House correspondents after meeting President Buhari along with other officials of the SGF.

They were at the Presidential Villa, to brief President Buhari on the activities of the office.

Bukar said that President Buhari warned the civil servants that the rules and laws guiding Public service must be adhered to strictly.

“We have received a mandate to work harder. He has given us a very strong warning that change has come and every public servant has to sit up. We will give our best to support the government.

‎”We told him what we have been doing in support of the government’s policies and the president promised to give us the support and the political will to do our job better,” Bukar stated.

‎Speaking on the building of centenary city project, Bukar disclosed that the former Head of State, General Andulsalami Abubakar, who chairs the Centenary Limited Board, would brief President Buhari on the project on Friday.

According to him, no single kobo has been taken from the account of the Federal Government of Nigeria for the project.

“No kobo of government went into the building of centenary city,” he said.

August 27, 2015
Buhari names SGF, Chief of Staff, others

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday appointed Engr. Babachir David Lawal as Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, also announced the appointment of Alhaji Abba Kyari as Chief of Staff to the President, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd.) as Comptroller-General, of the Nigerian Customs Service, Mr. Kure Martin Abeshi as the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service.

Other appointments include Senator Ita S.J. Enang as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), and Hon. Suleiman A. Kawu – SSA to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives).

The appointments, the statement said, are with effect from today, August 27, 2015.

It reads: “Engr. Lawal, the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation hails from Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa State.

“He graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1979 with a Bachelor of Engineering Degree and worked with the Delta Steel Company, Aladja, Nigerian External Telecommunications Limited and Data Sciences Limited before establishing his own ICT and Telecommunications consulting firm in 1990.

“He is also a member of the Nigeria Computer Society, the Nigeria Society of Engineers and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria.

“Alhaji Abba Kyari, the new Chief of Staff to the President holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick in Law and Sociology.

“He has worked with the New Nigeria Development Company, New Africa Holdings, African International Bank, United Bank for Africa, Unilever, and Mobil in various capacities over the years.

“The new Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Ali holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Criminology. He was military administrator of Kaduna State from 1996 to 1998.

“The new Comptroller- General of Immigration, Mr. Abeshi hails from Nasarawa State.

“He joined the Nigerian Immigration Service in 1989 as an Assistant Comptroller. His educational qualifications include a Masters Degree in Public Administration.” It stated

August 27, 2015
Diversification of economy, a top priority – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said Nigeria, under his leadership, will work closely with other countries facing the challenge of falling oil prices to rapidly move away from dependence on crude oil exports for economic survival.

He spoke while receiving the new Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Nigeria, Mr. Fahad Abdullah Sefyan, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

A statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said President Buhari affirmed his administration’s commitment to faster development of Nigeria’s non-oil sectors and the speedy diversification of the country’s economy.

He said: “For more than 30 years, Nigeria has depended on oil as its major source of revenue at the expense of agriculture and the non-oil sector which could be the mainstay of our economy.

“As oil exporting countries facing similar challenges due to the down turn in the international price of crude oil, we should be working closer together.

“Saudi Arabia has done excellently in manufacturing, building of infrastructure and exploration of solid minerals and I believe that greater bilateral cooperation between us in this regard will be mutually beneficial.”

He also said that in keeping with his commitment to the accelerated development of Nigeria’s non-oil sector, the Federal Government will ensure that all pending agreements on trade and economic relations with other countries are speedily concluded and signed.

President Buhari, who also received the new Ambassador of Turkey, Mr. Hakan Cakil and the new Ambassador of Sudan, Mr. Ibrahim Bushra Mohammed, commended Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Sudan for their cooperation with Nigeria in the war against terrorism.

The President restated his conviction that the war against terrorism in Nigeria and other countries can only be won with greater and more effective international collaboration.

All the new ambassadors assured President Buhari that they will work very hard to boost trade and economic relations between Nigeria and their respective countries.

August 27, 2015
Buhari will fix Nigeria – Bishop Idahosa

The General Overseer of the God First Mission International, Bishop Isaac Idahosa, on Thursday gave the two-month old administration of President Muhammadu Buhari a pass mark.

He said the President has the capacity to fix Nigeria and make the country great again.

Idahosa, who spoke in Minna, Niger State, during activities to mark the 26th anniversary of his ministry, thanked God for the ministry he started in Minna in 1989 and which has grown into multiple branches across the globe.

“I predict that Nigeria under Buhari will become a great nation like we once were during Udoji. Nigeria will become a country where people from across the globe will be happy and proud to come and do business.

“This President can take us to that level. Within two months, we have started recording improvement in some sectors. Take the supply of electricity as example, light is becoming more and steadier even when we have not generated more than it used to be before he came to power.

“I am not one of those who look at things from the perspective of religious or tribal sentiment. Before the election, God had told me Buhari will become President and when I said that some people asked me to retract it and I said no, it is God that said so, not me.”

Asked if Buhari is the messiah the nation needs at this critical period, the clergy said,” I will not call him a messiah, because it is only Jesus that is Messiah, but I know he will work with people of likeminds to take Nigeria to the promised land.

“Jonathan was a good man with good intention for the country, but he was running a 100 metre race with a rain boot strapped to his feet, unlike Buhari who if need be will put on a slippers so that he can run the race well.”

August 27, 2015
Buhari, Kukah meet at Aso Rock

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday met briefly with the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Mathew Kukah at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Details of the brief meeting were unknown at the time of filing this report.

But Kukah, who was part of the National Peace Committee delegation that visited the President earlier this month, is believed to be against the government’s move to probe corrupt ex-public officials.

He resisted attempts by State House correspondents to question him on mission to the seat of power.

Kukah, who was almost running from the President’s office to the Council Chamber area at 11:37am simply told journalists: “I have a plane to catch by 12:30pm.”

August 27, 2015