The Nation Newspaper

Tag: BUHARI

  • Group promises 45 million votes for Buhari

    ….as Southern Kaduna youths endorse El-Rufai

     

    The national body of Buhari Mass Movement has promised to deliver 45 million votes for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari on February 16 out of the total votes declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The final registered voters as declared by INEC for the 2019 general election stands at 84, 004,084 registered voters.

    This was even as southern Kaduna youths forum have endorsed governor Nasir El-rufai for the March 2nd governorship election.

    Speaking on Monday at one day sensitization workshop in Kaduna for grassroots mobilizers/canvassers for the projected 45 million votes, the national Coordinator of the Movement, Basheer Garba Umar urged all registered members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to ensure that they exercise their civic responsibility on the D-day.

    Umar noted that it is risky to lazy about canvassing for votes for Buhari because the total figures of voters in 2015 is far less than in 2019, and urged every member of the party to work hard for victory.

    “We must canvass for votes from local government to local government, house to house, door to door, market to market, and all places that we may find people.

    “If we must gather 45 million votes for President Buhari, there is no going back from campaigning door to door because in 2015 the total registered voters was around 60 million, but this year we are having over 84 million registered voters.

    “But our worry is that people have registered, and they don’t want to go out on election day to vote.

    “However, we have sensitised all the canvassers to go to all local government areas in the country, house to house to tell those who may not be willing to vote on that day to go out enmass to vote for Buhari”.

    Meanwhile, youths under the umbrella of Southern Kaduna Youth Forum have endorsed the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the State, Governor Nasir El-rufai for the forthcoming election.

    The youths took the decision to support El-rufai after due deliberations in a meeting they held in Kagarko local government Area of the State at the weekend.

    Addressing journalists shortly after the meeting, the APC Director, Youth Mobilization for Buhari/El-rufai 2019, Malam Aminu Anty noted that governor El-rufai is a man of integrity who is sincerely determined to take Kaduna State to the next level of developments.

    He also pointed out that the governor’s achievements in healthcare centres; education sector, water supply, agricultural activities as well as youth empowerment are some of the factors that prompted them to drum support for the APC candidate.

    Mallam Anty said, “These and many other factors too numerous to mention propelled us to take this resolution to appreciate and push for the governor’s second term bid.

    “The good aspect of this resolution does not lie only on the support, but it also helps in reshaping the political norm of supporting leaders based on their ability and good track records of performance.

    “We have come to the realisation that the era of playing politics with the future of the youths is over, and we also believe that no politician can deceive electorate any longer based sentiments.

    “To this end, we have adequately sensitised and made contacts with political stakeholders, youth and women groups from that zone to support Governor Nasir El-rufai for the second term”.

  • We‘ll continue to take abusers of trust before the law – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday restated his administration will continue to bring those who abuse trust before the law.

    He added that proceeds recovered from looters would be reinvested into the infrastructural development of the country.

    “We are going to continue to take those who abuse trust before the law; collect what they have stolen and reinvest them in

    infrastructure,” he added President Buhari said this in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital during his campaign rally.

    Said he: “I assure you that the undertaking we made in 2015 in the three major issues All Progressives Congress (APC) believes in (security, economy and fight against corruption), we have not failed.

    Read Also: Buhari mourns ex-COAS Gen. Ejoor’s death

    “Wherever I go I repeat myself on these issues so as to remind you where this country was before we came in, where we are in now and what we are able to do with the resources that are at our disposal.

    “The people of the North east as far as security is concerned, are our major witnesses of our performance.

    “On the economy, we thank God the three previous rainy seasons were good. We made fertilizers available and reduce the prices it used to be. People are back to the farms and nobody regretted it. We are able to ensure food security and people are living respectable lives; in fighting corruption, we are not going to give us.”

  • Buhari mourns ex-COAS Gen. Ejoor’s death

    President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sadness over the death of a former Chief of Army Staff, Major General David Ejoor (Rtd).

    President Buhari on behalf of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), extended heartfelt commiserations to the Ejoor family, the Urhobo nation, and the government and people of Delta State on the demise of the elder statesman and courageous officer.

    In a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President said the late Ejoor had a distinguished career in the military and remarkable service to the nation.

    He was the first Governor of Mid-Western Region, during one of the darkest years in the nation’s history, and first indigenous Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy, who also held many other national leadership positions.

    Read Also: Polls under corruption threats, Buhari warns

    According to the statement, President Buhari regarded Gen. Ejoor, as a hardworking military officer whose loyalty, commitment and dedication to the unity of the country were never in doubt.

    He affirmed that the former army chief, who was once the President-General of the Urhobo Progress Union, will be long remembered and honoured as a man of positive character and vision, who provided profound inspiration to countless military officers and Nigerians that came in close contact with him.

    The President prayed Almighty God to repose the soul of the departed senior citizen and comfort all who mourn the much respected octogenarian.

  • APC takes campaign to Wuse market

    Supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari has taken the Next Level campaign to the market place in Abuja, beginning with Wuse market.

    Chairman of the Central Working Committee of the APC Women and Youth Campaign Council, Brig. General Mohammed Buba Marwa said they were delighted with the trust and love shown by them for the President and appeal to them to go back to their communities to encourage them to vote for Buhari.

    He said Buhari was a candidate that is easy to sell because of his qualities and achievement in office, pointing out that those who collected the trader moni has demonstrated that it was for political reasons.

    Former Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba said President Buhari was interested in rebuilding the country and therefore need the support of all Nigerians to complete the work he has started, appealing to the traders to give Buhari their votes.

    Another speaker, Prince Odinaka said this was the first time in the history of Nigeria that women and youths are given the opportunity to decide on who will lead Nigeria, adding that Nigerians should not allow those who loot the treasury to return to power.

    Leader of the Wuse Market Association, Mrs Oluwatoyin Badmus, said President Buhari is for the masses and not the elite, stressing that they were endorsing him for caring about them.

    She said most of the people gathered are beneficiaries of the trader moni and not propaganda, adding that while being given the money, they were never asked for their PVC as against the propaganda being peddled by the opposition.

  • Polls under corruption threats, Buhari warns

    THOSE who plundered the commonwealth of the nation are unrelenting on their plan to destablise the system, President Muhammadu Buhari has alerted Nigerians.

    According to him, the looters of the nation’s resources have resolved to deploy their ill-gotten wealth to undermining the forthcoming general elections “and by extension our democracy’’.

    The President disclosed this in a special feature entitled: “Corruption threats Nigeria – and its election” which he released yesterday in Abuja.

    He described as unfortunate that lawyers who have the expertise to fast-track the legal process to ensure that those alleged to have been involved in financial crimes got punished to serve as deterrent, had been frustrating the process.

    According to him, lawyers table endless objections to obstruct court proceedings, whilst their clients hope it lasts until a “friendly” President is voted into office.

    “We must continue to tighten the legal framework and ensure the authorities have the investigative powers at their disposal to secure sentences. Only then will we begin to neutralise the advantages the corrupt have,” the President said.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the President noted, has raised concerns over laundered money being funneled into vote buying.

    He said: “On February 16th, Nigeria will hold a general election. Four years ago, the country experienced its first democratic transfer of power to the opposition since 1999. The vote in a few days will be no less significant.

    “As President, I have tried to judiciously exercise the trust vested in me to combat the problems of corruption, insecurity and an inequitable economy.

    “All are important. But amongst them, one stands above the others as both a cause and aggravator of the rest. It is, of course, corruption.

    “A policy programme that does not have fighting corruption at its core is destined to fail. The battle against graft must be the base on which we secure the country, build our economy, provide decent infrastructure and educate the next generation.

    “This is the challenge of our generation: the variable on which our success as a nation shall be determined. But the vested interests at play can make this fight difficult.

    “By way of their looting, the corrupt have powerful resources at their disposal. And they will use them. For when you fight corruption, you can be sure it will fight back.

    “It even threatens to undermine February’s poll and – by extension – our democracy. The EFCC has raised concerns over laundered money being funneled into vote buying.

    “This is the problem of corruption writ large. It illustrates how it lurks in all and every crevice of public life, manipulating due process in pursuit of self-preservation and perpetuation; protecting personal political and economic interests at the expense of the common good.”

    Buhari labelled those who have criticised his administration’s anti-corruption drive as those who oppose its mission.

    The President said: “And though their lawyers may craft expensive alibis, they cannot escape that which binds them together: a raft of documents and barely legal (some clearly illegal) mechanisms – whether that be the Panama Papers, U.S. Congress reports, shell companies or offshore bank accounts.

    “Corruption corrodes the trust on which the idea of community is founded, because one rule for the few and another for everyone else is unacceptable to anyone working honestly.

    “But as we have intensified our war on corruption, so we have found that corruption innovates to resist the law. This is not the sole domain of those Nigerians, but the international corruption industry: the unsavoury fellow-traveller of globalisation.

    “Once the enablers are let in – as they have been in the past – the greed of those they collude with grows. We have closed the door on them, but unfortunately there still remain individuals who are willing to open windows.”

    The President revealed that the government had successfully repatriated hundreds of millions of dollars stacked away in foreign banks by looters.

    According to him, more stolen funds will come from international partners in France, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (U.S.).

    The President said that the recovered funds had been transparently deployed on infrastructural projects and used to directly empower the poorest in the society.

    He said: “But as we have intensified our war on corruption, so we have found that corruption innovates to resist the law.

    “This is not the sole domain of those Nigerians, but the international corruption industry: the unsavoury fellow-traveller of globalisation.

    “Once the enablers are let in – as they have been in the past – the greed of those they collude with grows. We have closed the door on them, but unfortunately there still remain individuals who are willing to open windows.

    “Concrete progress has been made, but there is still much to do. We have repatriated hundreds of millions of dollars stowed away in foreign banks,’’ he said.

    The President said more ghost workers must be removed from government payroll, pointing out that about $550 million has been saved from identifying phantom employees.

    “More can be recovered through our whistle-blower policy ($370 million has been returned since its launch in 2016). More is still to come. But, together, we shall prevail over corruption.

    “A Yoruba proverb states that only the patient one can milk a lion. Likewise, victory over corruption is difficult, but not impossible. We must not flounder in our resolve. I know many Nigerians would like to see faster action. So, do I.

    “But so too must we follow due process and exercise restraint, ensuring allegation never takes the place of evidence; for that is not the Nigeria we should wish to build.

    “There is no doubt that this administration has changed the way we tackle corruption. The choice before voters is this: Do we continue forward on this testing path against corruption? Or do revert to the past, resigned to the falsehood that it is just the-way-things-are-done? Or that it is just too difficult – too pervasive – to fix?

    “I know which one I would choose. It is why I am asking Nigerians for another four years to serve them,” Buhari stated.

  • The journey hasn’t been easy, says Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has said that it has not been an easy journey to pilot the affairs of the country in the past three and half years.

    According to him, he has not taken the support of Nigerians  for granted, promising to continue to protect the interest of the people and deliver on his mandate.

    In a video message to Nigerians titled, “We will continue to work to protect your interest and deliver our mandate”, he requested for more support in the February 16 presidential election.

    He said, “It’s been over three years since you gave me the mandate to oversee the affairs of our dear country.

    “It’s not been an easy journey but with sincerity of purpose, perseverance, dedication and most importantly support from individuals like you, we have made great progress.

    “Some of these achievements are visible for everyone to see, some are still in the works.

    “I hereby humbly ask for your support again in the coming election to enable us to move to the Next Level and consolidate on the successes recorded in making our country a better place.

    “I don’t take your support for granted. We will continue to work to protect your interest and deliver our mandate.” he said

  • Lagos artistes declare support for Buhari, Sanwo-Olu

    They arrived the Executive Suite of LTV Multipurpose Hall, Ikeja, Lagos in droves, defying the rains, early Friday, to announce where they stand in the forthcoming presidential and gubernatorial elections.

    It was only nine days to the elections, but the League of Lagos Artistes (LLA), as they are called were not deterred, saying the press conference was mainly to present a united front, as they had already engaged their fans, individually, via their social media handles.

    With caps bearing pictures of President Muhammad Buhari and his vice, professor Yemi Osinbajo and Lagos State All Progressives Congress candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Femi Hamzat, it was clear where they were pitching their tent, they only needed to tell the world why.

    Led by veteran actors, directors and producers, including Mr. Adebayo Salami, aka Oga Bello; Prince Jide Kosoko; Madam Lanre Hassan, aka Iya Awero; Mr. Yemi Solade, Mr. Babatunde Hassan, aka Ogogo; and actress Foluke Daramola, the group said they will be voting these candidates because they had engaged them on issues bothering on the progress of the creative industry, and believed they were the best for the positions.

    In a statement read by Kosoko at the event, the group noted that it was pertinent to sustain the progress of the on-going developments by re-electing Buhari and electing Sanwo-Olu.

    They said, after meeting with Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat, they had no doubt that problems of piracy, street urchins and insufficient cinema centers, among other will be given due attention in view of a proposed Entertainment Desk in the Lagos state Art and Culture ministry.

    “As citizens, we have our civic responsibilities, not only to vote but also to collectively engaged in educating and informing our people through our trade – entertainment. We have come to the conclusion that only one man, at the moment fits into the bill to help steer the ship of state and continue in the gradual redemption of our national pride and that man is President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “We cannot but take a more than passing interest in the politics of Lagos State, where most of us are domiciled. It is therefore of great importance to us who becomes the next governor of the Centre of Excellence. The League of Lagos Artistes, after due consideration of the available options for governor of the state, hereby individually and collectively endorse Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu for Governor and Dr. Femi Hamzat for Deputy Governor, Lagos.”

    The group decry a situation whereby people criticise their involvement in partisan politics, saying: “From all indications, those who have been most vehement in the condemnation of our involvement are those who are not fortunate to have our support. We however have a duty to educate them that we are equally citizens of this great country called Nigeria. And as citizens, we have our civic responsibilities, not only to vote, but also to collectively engage in educating and informing our people through our trade – entertainment.”

    Other notable artistes at the event are Funsho Adeolu, Madam Shaje, Ayo Badmus, Iyabo Ojo, Shade Omoniyi, Ayo Adesanya, Ronke Ojo, aka Oshodi-Oke, Shola Kosoko and Kemi Afolabi.

  • Egba chief predicts victory for Buhari, Dapo Abiodun

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State and Baagbile of Egba land, Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, has predicted landslide victory for President Muhammadu Buhari in next Saturday’s election.

    Majekodunmi said the victory of Mr. President would be across all the six zones as most Nigerians want him and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to them.

    The Baagbile of Egba, who addressed reporters yesterday in Abeokuta, the state capital, added that Nigerians love the President and want him re-elected.

    The general medicine practitioner-turned politician noted that President Buhari would not only win convincingly in his stronghold in the Northwest, Northeast and Southwest but would also perform better than he did in 2015 in the Southsouth and the Southeast where he is expected to garner over 25 per cent of the votes and win convincingly in at least four of the states in the two zones.

  • Buhari uges traditional rulers to end banditry

    PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has urged traditional rulers to do more in curbing banditry and kidnapping in their communities.

    According to him, he felt disappointed that people who were allegedly close to some of them were found to have a hand in such criminality.

    The President spoke yesterday at a meeting with the royal fathers in the Government House in Gusau, Zamfara State,  as part of the ongoing campaigns.

    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President expressed the determination of his administration to defend the country from criminals and insurgents.

    “We are determined to defend the nation and its people. We are disappointed with some of the things going on. You are responsible for the security of your neighbourhood. Being close to your people, you know them. You are still relevant. I am sorry this has extended to some of your families,” he said.

    Referring to the deployment of a large number of security personnel to the state, Buhari said security is also the business of the traditional rulers, not that of the police and other security agencies alone.

    “More security is not good news, but we must do something to secure our environment,” he noted.

    The President hailed the gallantry of the security agencies in battling kidnapping and banditry.

    Buhari said: “You know what we have achieved. You had one who styled himself as Buharin Daji, the Buhari of the forests, claiming to be in charge and not I at the centre. He is no more, and by my surviving him, you now know who is stronger.”

    He said he was contesting this election as his fifth and the last, because as he noted, “a second term is what the constitution allows, and I will not abuse the constitution.”

    Council of Traditional Rulers Chairman and Emir of Anka Alhaji Attahiru Ahmed and Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar hailed the President’s efforts in changing the state’s security situation.

    According to the governor, “From the presence of an ammunition depot manned by just 30-men when you took office in 2015, Zamfara State today boasts of the presence of 4,700 combined security personnel, who are assisted by 8,500 State Joint Task Force, SJTF members. We also have the 223 Battalion, the 607 Quick Response Battalion and the 1 Brigade in Gusau.”

    The council of traditional rulers also endorsed President Buhari’s bid for a second term.

  • ‘Masses root for Buhari in Kwara

    The people of Kwara State have called for support for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying his administration has brought succour to millions in the countryside.

    Speaking at an event organised  by ‘Speak Up Nigeria,’ a  pro-Buhari civic group that is harvesting people’s opinions of the administration, beneficiaries of the government’s various peogrammes took turns to commend the president and seek support for his second term bid.

    Alhaji Risikat Agbeyangi, a pepper seller and beneficiary of Trader Moni at the popular Ipata market, hailed Buhari for bringing governance directly to the poor.

    “We thank the president for his support to us; it was timely and met our personal and business needs, some of us expanded our business with it,” she said.

    “We have resolved to maintain our support for Buhari and his supporters in Kwara state against all odds.”

    Balogun Kabir, a benefiary of N-Power Health, said the programme was a great boost for public health at the grassroots as masses now have direct access to tips on basic health issues.

    Jimba Abioye Yahya, a beneficiary of the N-Teach and resident of Magaji Ngeri of Ilorin west, thanked Buhari for the employment opportunity.

    “I want to advice Nigerian youths to vote Buhari and Pastor Yemi Osinbajo, who saw us as productive elements in the nation and not just instruments of political violence. I am grateful for the employment opportunity they gave me and my fellow Nigerian Youths,” he said.

    Kwara State public relations spokesman of N-Power beneficiaries, Salman Habeeb Olesin, said the Buhari administration has brought succor to millions of unemployed youth.

    “President Buhari has employed over 500,000 youths through the N-Power programme. I am a trained teacher lying idle before Buhari came, but he gave me the opportunity of practicing and making a living out of what I know and have passion for, teaching. I want PMB to continue beyond 2019,” he said.

    Omowunmi Akinsefunmi, a resident of Basin road in Ilorin, said the N-Power scheme offered her internship opportunity to train as a technician.

    “I beg the Nigerian youths to see voting Buhari again as opportunity to a better Nigeria as we can’t afford going back to the bad old days,” she added.

    Mallam Aliyu Dansokoto, a pepper seller in Ipata Market and beneficiary of MarketMoni, said: “The N10,000 given to us by the President Buhari-led Federal Government aided our business and we found things easy during his tenure. I am enjoying Nigerians to vote Buhari again for a better Nigeria.”