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Tag: BUHARI

  • Buhari assents to Federal Competition and Consumer Protection bill

    President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2019.

    This was contained in a statement by the Presidential Liaison to the National Assembly (Senate), Senator Ita Enang.

    He said the Act establishes the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Consumer Protection Tribunal to try violations.

    The law, he said, is to promote economic efficiency, maintain competitive market in the Nigerian economy, protect the Nigerian economy, protect the interest and welfare of consumers by providing consumers with wide variety of quality products at competitive prices as well as prohibit restrictive or unfair business practices in the Nigerian economy.

    Read Also: Buhari promises adequate security for poll

    He said: “This law repeals the Consumer Protection Council Act and sections 118 – 128 of the Investment and Securities Act.

    “Further functions of the Commission include, among others:

    “(a) initiate broad-based policies and review economic activities in Nigeria to identify anti-competitive, anti-consumer protection and restrictive practices which may adversely affect the economic interest of consumers and make rules and regulations under this Act and any other enactment with regards to competitions and protection of consumers;

    “(b) advise the Federal Government generally on national policies and matters pertaining to all goods and services and on the determination of national norms and standards relating to competition and consumer protection;

    “(c) report annually on market practices and the implications for consumer choice and competition in the consumer market;

    “(d) eliminate anti-competitive agreements, misleading, unfair, deceptive or unconscionable marketing, trading and business practices;

    “(e) resolve disputes or complaints, issue directives and apply sanctions where necessary;

    “(f) create public awareness through seminars, workshops, studies and make available information with regard to the exercise of its powers and performance of its functions to the public;

    “(g) regulate and seek ways and means of removing or eliminating from the market, hazardous goods and services, including emission, untested, controversial, emerging or new technologies, products or devices whatsoever, and cause offenders to replace such goods or services with safer and more appropriate alternatives;

    “(h) publish, from time to time, list of goods and services whose consumption and sale have been banned, withdrawn, restricted or are not approved by the Federal Government or foreign governments;

    “(i) encourage trade, industry and professional associations to develop and enforce in their various fields quality standards designed to safeguard the interest of consumers.”

    This Act, he said, has accordingly, upon assent been remitted to the National Assembly/Appropriate Authorities as law of the Federation.

  • I won’t back down on anti-graft war, Buhari vows

    President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to intensify the ongoing anti-corruption, saying he will not back down despite criticisms from looters.

    Speaking before a mammoth crowd at the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential rally in Makurdi, Benue state capital, Buhari said he will expose corrupt elites, recover more money and build roads, railway and power stations to boost the economy.

    He scored himself high on delivering his electioneering promise of fighting corruption, providing security and improving the economy.

    On economy, he said he has made fertilisers available to farmers and stopped importation of food thereby providing food security to farmers and Nigerians.

    He assured Benue residents on provision of security for peaceful elections and solicited their votes for next week’s presidential election.

    APC Leader in the north central and Senator representing Benue North west senatorial zone, George Akume, described Buhari as a selfless leader refused to enrich himself despite Minister of petroleum and Head of State.

    Read Also:  I won’t change if reelected, Buhari assures

    Despite his access to wealth, he told the crowd that Buhari has lived a modest life with a simple house in Kaduna town.

    Akume argued Buhari has managed the economy very well with landmark projects in rail and Power and Social Investment Programme (SIP).

    The former Benue governor said Benue people have no problem with the Fulanis as they have lived with them peacefully.

    He alleged the State government has armed Livestock Guards who go about killing innocent people and blaming it on Fulanis.

    Akume assured Buhari Benue people love him and will reward him with at least 70 percent votes, leaving Atiku Abubakar with “miserable 30 percent votes.”

    Plateau state Governor Simon Lalong urged Benue people to vote APC governorship candidate Emmanuel Jime, who he said is capable of providing leadership and tackling security challenges as he had done in Plateau.

    Lalong stated when governors cannot provide projects and pay salaries, they hide under crises to blame others for their failure.

  • Breaking: I won’t change if reelected, Buhari assures

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday assured Nigerians that he will not change his style when given a second term in office.

    There have been insinuations the President will change and stop working for the masses if reelected.

    But Buhari gave his assurance not to change during the Presidential campaign at the Aper Aku stadium in Makurdi, Benue State

    Read Also: Buhari arrives Makurdi for campaign rally

    The President promised that he would continue to remain steadfast and focused.

    He also listed his administration’s achievements in the past three and half years.

    Details Later…

  • Buhari arrives Makurdi for campaign rally

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday arrived Makurdi airport for his presidential campaign rally in Benue State.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the presidential jet conveying the President and his entourage touched down at the Makurdi airport at about 10.45a.m.

    The president is accompanied on the trip by top party officials and a host of governors.

    Buhari is expected to pay a courtesy call on the Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, and meet with Gov. Samuel Ortom at the Government House before proceeding to the Aper Aku Stadium for the rally.

    Meanwhile, security around the campaign venue is tight as All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters troop to the stadium to await the president.

  • I’ve no personal grudges against Buhari, says Ortom

    *Says Mr. President is beyond party issues

     

    Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom on Wednesday said that he has no personal grudges against President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Ortom, who has defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was at the Nigerian Air Force base, Makurdi to receive President Buhari, whose plane landed at the base around 10.37 am.

    According to him, Mr. President is beyond parties as he has made adequate security arrangement for his visit to Benue state.

    Speaking with journalists shortly before the President’s plane landed, Ortom said “Mr President is beyond party, he is the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and whatever he is doing, it is our responsibility to give him adequate protocol.

    “He is our President, and he is beyond party and so I am doing all the needful.

    Read Also: Ortom has no business seeking second term – APC

    “There is no special thing in what I am doing, it is what I am supposed to do as governor of Benue State irrespective of party because he remains my President and I respect him.

    “I have no personal issues with him; we talk about policies and issues there is no personal grudge.

    “So, I am here to receive him, and I have made adequate arrangement. This State belongs to Mr President. So he has access, he can be here and do whatever he wants.” he stated.

  • You can’t blackmail Nigerians, PDP tells Buhari

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) told President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday that he cannot blackmail Nigerians.

    It insisted that Nigerians will defeat him in the February 16 presidential election.

    The PDP lamented what it described as the administration’s incessant blackmail and threats against the opposition and law-abiding citizens.

    In a statement by its spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said Nigerians will not buckle under the jackboots.

    It also alleged efforts by the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) to heat up the polity, inject a crisis, undermine the general elections, then carry its heinous plots to use mercenaries from Niger Republic to unleash mayhem on the nation and blame it on the opposition.

    The Federal Government has repeatedly accused the opposition of plotting to discredit the polls.

    At a news conference on Monday, Information, Culture & Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed alleged that the opposition party has perfected a plan to attack the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the police.

    He also accused the PDP of dragging the international community into what “is purely internal matter.”

    In yesterday’s statement, Ologbondiyan drew the attention of the international community to what he described as land mines being set on the way of credible elections by the APC.

    The PDP also cited the refusal by President Buhari to sign the amendment to the Electoral Act, the creation of illegal geo-spatial centers and polling units for allocation of “fictitious” votes for the APC, listing of APC supporters as electoral officials and the opening of borders to ‘mercenaries” to participate in the electoral process as some of the danger signals.

    The statement reads: “It is now clear to all that the target of the APC is to demonise and cow the opposition, instill fear in Nigerians, undermine our democratic institutions, attempt to subjugate the citizenry.

    “The PDP, as a political party with the highest demography of members and supporters, in their millions, across our nation, therefore states in unequivocal terms, that Nigerians will never allow themselves to be blackmailed, intimidated or cowed by the APC into relinquishing their constitutionally guaranteed rights, to freely choose their leaders, no matter the threats.

    “The PDP stands with Nigerians, across the board, in demanding for a free, fair, transparent and credible general election.

    “The PDP calls on the international community to note that the consequences of such resistance in a country of over 200 million people, who have made up their minds for a new leadership, is capable of triggering huge humanitarian crisis not only in Nigeria but also in the West African sub-region.”

  • Buhari: I’m only seeking a second term

    President Muhammadu Buhari threw a jibe at former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday. He said he was only seeking a second term and not a third term.

    The former president is believed to have sought the elongation of his tenure in the twilight of his administration in 2017.

    What became the “Third Term Agenda” collapsed when the National Assembly threw out the Constitutional Amendment into which it was inserted.

    Speaking at the MKO Abiola Democracy Park in Akure, the Ondo State capital, venue of the APC campaign rally for his re-election, President Buhari, who did not mention Obasanjo’s or anybody’s name, said:

    “We have just finished one term and are seeking a second one, and after that, the constitution doesn’t permit anymore,” Tolu Ogunlesi, a Special Assistant to the President on Digital Communications, quoted him as saying.

    He went on: “There are some who tried looking for more but they did not succeed. We should learn from their mistakes.”

    ”We have just finished one term and are seeking a second one, and after that the constitution doesn’t permit anymore. There are some who tried looking for more but they did not succeed. We should learn from their mistakes,” the special assistant tweeted on tolu ogunlesi (@toluogunlesi) February 5, 2019.

    Between 2006 and 2007, the former president was reported to have attempted ruling for a third term, after the expiration of his two-term tenure, permitted by the constitution.

    A bill was sponsored at the National Assembly to extend term limits by another four years, but the lawmakers, who were said to have been “bribed”, did not ratify the bill.

    Obasanjo, who supported Buhari in 2015, is backing Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to unseat the incumbent president.

    APC stalwart Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who also addressed a crowd of supporters, berated the opposition party for raising rigging allegations.

    He said the PDP was only afraid of APC shadow because it introduced rigging into the electoral process.

    According to Tinubu, the PDP has admitted failure even before the election by its allegation that APC and Buhari planned to rig the February 16 general elections.

    He said: “The PDP claimed that the APC was planning to rig election. How can you rig an election that has not been conducted? This is a clear fact that the PDP was preparing for failure. The PDP has admitted its loss of the election even before the election is conducted.”

    Also, APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole said the PDP ruined the nation’s economy in 16 years, stressing that the current economic problems being experienced were caused by the PDP.

    He said: “Both Obasanjo and Jonathan did not remember the poor when they were in government, but Buhari places the poor above the rich through his people-oriented programmes.”

    The APC chair alleged that the PDP believed that the government should be used as an avenue to enrich individuals, hence the claim by its presidential candidate, Atiku, that he will privatise the Nigeria National  Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu assured Buhari and the leadership of the APC that the state will vote APC.

    He said: “In 2015 when the state was not under the control of the APC, we won; how much more now that we are in control of the state. President Buhari should go and sleep as he is winning the election by the grace of God.”

    Other leaders at the rally were: Governors Gboyega Oyetola (Osun);  Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Godwin Obaseki (Edo); APC Deputy National Chairman (South) Niyi Adebayo; Chief Bisi Akande  and  Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, among others.

     

  • I’ve no plan to step down for Buhari, Atiku, says Olawepo-Hashim

    PEOPLE’S Trust (PT) presidential candidate Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has debunked that he has plan to step down for either the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari or People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) flagbearer Atiku Abubakar.

    He was confident that the two candidates are beatable with their parties’ alleged woeful performances since 1999.

    According to a statement through his media team signed by Hassan Ibrahim, the Presidential hopeful spoke during campaign in Akure, the Ondo State capital, to solicit votes of the people.

    He urged Nigerians to support his candidacy for rapid economic growth that will lift the masses out of abject poverty.

    He said 70% of Nigerians voters are yet to decide who to vote for among the presidential candidates less than 11 days to the 2019 election.

    Olawepo-Hashim advised the electorates to reject the two political parties that had failed them and the country in the last 20 years.

    The presidential candidate, who was accompanied by his Campaign Director-General and former Transport Minister, Mr. Habu Fari, said the country was too endowed with natural resources for the citizenry to be wallowing in poverty and vowed to introduce policies that would end insecurity and economic hardship, if elected the president.

    He advised eligible voters to secure their future by voting for his People’s Trust party in 2019 election.

    Olawepo-Hashim assured Nigerians, especially youths and graduates that he would create jobs and make the environment conducive for businesses to flourish.

    The presidential candidate said his party was fine-tuning its strategy in all states of the federation on how to wrestle power from the ruling APC, adding that PT had the highest number of representation in constituency nominations.

    Olawepo-Hashim said: “Some few days to election, more than 70 per cent of the electorates are still wondering, who they are going to vote for. They have been examining the candidates they are going to vote for and what these candidates promised to offer and among all the alternative parties, the PT is the biggest. But I can tell you that this election is still very open, even though its 10 days to the election.

    Fari, in his remark, expressed delight that the people of Ondo State trooped out enmass to receive Olawepo-Hashim, indicating that the people were ready to elect the Third Force, which the PT candidate represented.

  • Pastors, missionaries endorse Buhari for second term

    The Missionaries and Pastors Organisation (MPO) on Monday endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari as its presidential candidate in the upcoming election this month. MPO is an umbrella body of pastors and missionaries of all denominations nationwide.

    The National President of the organisation, Prophet Emmanuel Chinonso spoke with reporters in Lagos.

    He said the decision of the organisation to declare its support for Buhari started after watching with keen interest the events in the nation.

    ”As a president who has shown his great will in fighting corruption which is one of the major problems in this country, we hereby agree and speak with one voice. We the Missionaries and Pastors Organisation today endorse President Muhammadu Buhari and Prof Yemi Oshinbajo for second term, we believe that in the next four years he will do more better,” he said.

    Speaking further, Chinonso stated that the church in honesty can’t afford to be non-partisan because they are first of all humans and desire to have a leader who would give good governance and make the nation better, “Saying that the church should be non-partisan is saying that the church shouldn’t vote. It is even a sin for a child of God not to vote on voting day. And as long as you are voting that means you have someone you are voting for,” he said.      He enjoined all the coordinators of MPO to work and pray for the re-election of Buhari. He added that Nigerian youth should not vote based on the money they would get but vote with good conscience bearing in mind their future while INEC should make sure that the election is free and fair.

    “The youth should support a candidate who will help move the country forward. Buhari has a good will to make Nigeria better. Things might not be going on well now but I know of the truth that the will of God will play this time and those trying to disorganise his government will not succeed. INEC should also make sure that the election is free and fair” he added.

    Arch Bishop Onyeagoziri Okeugo Sunday said Buhari should have a second tenure being someone with a goodwill to fight corruption which, has bastardised the system. He added that Christians all over Nigeria should vote according to their conscious as the organisation is not imposing anybody on anyone. He added that the choice to endorse Buhari was a decision the body made after following events in the nation, “My advice is that Christians all over Nigeria should vote their choice candidates but they belonged to this organisation they will definitely believe in the candidate we believe,” he said.

     

  • No plans to step down for Buhari, Atiku – Olawepo-Hashim

     

    The Presidential candidate of People’s Trust (PT), Mr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has declared he has no plans to step down for either President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) or Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).

    Olawepo-Hashim expressed confidence the two candidates are beatable with their parties’ woeful performances since 1999.

    He lamented 70 percent of voters are undecided on their choice less than 11 days to the presidential poll.

    He called on Nigerians to support his candidacy for rapid economic development that will lift masses out of abject poverty.

    According to a statement through his media team by Hassan Ibrahim, the Presidential hopeful who spoke during campaign in Akure, the Ondo state capital advised the electorates to reject the two political parties that had failed them in the last twenty years.

    Olawepo-Hashim, who was accompanied by his Campaign Director-General and former transport minister, Mr Habu Fari, said the country was too endowed with natural resources for the citizenry to be wallowing in poverty.

    He vowed to introduce policies that would end insecurity and economic hardship if elected the president of the nation on the sixteenth of this month.

    He advised eligible voters to secure their future by voting for the party in the 2019 elections.

    Olawepo-Hashim assured Nigerians, especially youths and graduates he would create jobs and make the environment conducive for businesses to flourish.

    The presidential candidate of PT said his party was fine-tuning its strategy in all states of the federation on how to wrestle power from the ruling APC, adding that PT had the highest number of representation in constituency nominations.

    READ ALSO: Olawepo-Hashim challenges APC, PDP to debate

    According to him: “Some few days to election more than 70 percent of the electorates are still wondering who they are going to vote for.

    “They have examined the candidates they are going to vote for and what these candidates promised to offer and among all the alternative parties, the PT is the biggest.

    “But I can tell you that this election is still very open even though its ten days to the election.

    “This is one of the reasons I said if elected we will form a government of National unity which will include the good people in the APC and PDP.”

    Denying he was planning to step down, Olawepo-Hashim said: “Nigeria is a very interesting country, and I don’t know any country where other candidates are pressured to step down.

    “I think it is a coinage here because in a multi- party democracy, nobody steps down, you win some seats and on the basis of this you can form coalition based on programme after the election.

    “The presidential election is not about party but about candidates and the future of the country and the two parties have failed in that regard. But we give hope that if we come in, Nigeria will be better”.

    Fari expressed delight the people of Ondo state trooped out to receive Olawepo-Hashim, indicating that the people are ready to elect the third force which the PT candidate represented.