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Tag: BUHARI

  • Video: Buhari hailed at National Assembly

    President Mohammadu Buhari was on Wednesday hailed by members of the National Assembly on arrival for the presentation of the 2019 budget.

    Shouts of Sai Baba rented the air.

     

  • Budget: Buhari lists achievements on infrastructure

    President Muhammadu Buhari has identified infrastructure development as one of the areas in which his administration had made a lot of progress.

    The president stated this while presenting the 2019 budget proposal before the joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday in Abuja.

    President Buhari, who announced budget proposal of N8.83 trillion for the 2019 fiscal year, said that the 2018 budget recorded a performance of 67 per cent.

    He said that the Federal Government carried over capital projects that were not likely to be fully funded by 2018 to 2019.

    According to him, the 2019 budget is intended to further place the economy on the path of inclusive, diversified and sustainable growth in order to continue to lift a significant number of citizens out of poverty.

    He stated that government’s approach on infrastructure was a logical one as it simply prioritised the completion of critical on-going projects over the introduction of new ones.

    The president said that, for example, in the Ministry of Water Resources, the Federal Government identified 116 abandoned or uncompleted projects relating to irrigation, dams, drainage and water supply.

    He listed the completed and/or commissioned projects to include- Central Ogbia Regional Water Project in Bayelsa State; Northern Ishan Regional Water Supply Project, Edo; Sabke Water Supply Project, Katsina State and Takum Water Supply Project in Taraba.

    Others, according to the president, are Ogwashi – Uku Dam in Delta; Shagari Irrigation Project in Sokoto State, Galma Dam, Kaduna State; Mangu Water Supply Project, Plateau State as well as the Federal University of Agriculture and Makurdi Water Supply Project in Benue.

    He said that his administration also made giant strides in the railway sector.

    “We completed and commissioned the Abuja – Kaduna Rail Line and the Abuja Metro-Rail Project. Similarly, the previously abandoned Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri Rail Line is undergoing test runs and will soon be commissioned.

    “We are also on track for the Lagos – Kano rail line as significant progress has been made on the Lagos to Ibadan segment of the project.

    “ We remain committed to rebuilding and expanding our road network. In 2018, an additional 1,531 kilometers of roads have been constructed and 1,008 kilometers rehabilitated across the country.

    “Priority projects such as the Abuja – Kaduna – Kano highway as well as the Second Niger Bridge are well underway through the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund,’’ he said.

    The president also disclosed that in every state of the federation there was a major Federal road project going on.

    He said that in the North Central, long neglected roads like the Ilorin – Jebba Road, a stretch of 93 km that took a number of days to travel had been completed to provide a critical link between the Northern and Southern parts of the country over a few hours.

    Buhari said that his administration had awarded the dualisation of the road to expand it all the way to Mokwa, as was done to the Abuja – Keffi-Lafia -Makurdi roads where work recently commenced.

    According to him, work has resumed on the Suleja – Minna road after years of inactivity.

    “In the South-South, we have recently completed the 60 km section of Alesi to Ugep in Cross River State, and awarded the 72km section from Odukpani Junction to Ugep which will reduce a journey that used to take 3 days a few years back, to 3 hours.

    “Work has also commenced on the Calabar – Itu – Odukpani Road that links Akwa-Ibom to Cross River State, as we have started work on the long-neglected Bodo – Bonny Bridge to connect these long separated communities.

    “In the South East, a critical section of Umunya linking Awka to Onitsha, a stretch of 18 kilometers, is being constructed now and one side of it should be ready for use before June 2019. Roads like Arochukwu – Ohafia – Bende are also receiving our attention.

    “In the South–West, long neglected and abandoned roads like the Badagry Expressway have been awarded for construction along with the Apapa – Tin Can Island, Mile 2 – Oworonshoki, road to ease the congestion currently being experienced in Lagos, while interstate roads linking Ogun through Ikorodu to Sagamu, and Ipaja to Otta and Abeokuta are being repaired with payment to contractors.

    Read Also:  APC denounces ‘disgraceful’ PDP lawmakers for heckling Buhari

    “In the North-West, we have completed the Sokoto to Tambuwal – Jega Road comprising 135 Km out of the entire Sokoto to Yauri stretch and sections of Kaduna Eastern bypass and Kano Western bypass are also progressing.

    “In the North-East, we have started work on the long-neglected Mayo – Belwa – Jada Road, and the Gombe – Numan – Jalingo Road and recently awarded the reconstruction of bridges damaged by insurgency,” he said.

    According to him, the N100 billion Sukuk Bond raised by the government is being used to fund 25 another 25 road projects across the country.

    He listed the projects to include the construction of the Oju/Loko-Oweto bridge over River Benue, dualisation of section of Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road, dualisation of section of Suleja – Minna road, dualisation of section of Lokoja-Benin road (Obajana – Okene), Dualisation of section of Kano – Maiduguri road linking Kano – Jigawa – Bauchi – Yobe.

    Others are the dualisation of section of Kano – Katsina road, Dualisation of section of Kano Western By-Pass, Construction of Kaduna Eastern By-Pass, Rehabilitation of outstanding section of Onitsha-Enugu Expressway, Rehabilitation of Enugu-Port Harcourt road and dualisation of section of Yenegoa road junction.

    The president said that his government had also creditably acquitted itself in power supply, as it was working on over 90 transmission projects across the country.

  • How we utilised N9.12trn 2018 budget — Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday gave an overview of the implementation of the N9.12 trillion 2018 budget, saying 67 per cent performance had so far been recorded by Ministries, Departments of Agencies (MDAs) of government.

    The President revealed this when he presented the 2019 budget estimates at a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja.

    According to him, out of the total appropriation of N9.12trillion, N4.59 trillion had been spent by Sept. 30, 2018, against the prorated expenditure target of N6.84 trillion.

    He said: “This represents 67 per cent performance. Debt service and the implementation of non-debt recurrent expenditure, notably payment of workers’ salaries and pensions are on track.

    “Despite the delay in the passage of the 2018 Budget on 20th June 2018, the sum of N820.57 billion had been released for capital projects as at 14th December, 2018. We have carried over capital projects that were not likely to be fully funded by year-end 2018 to the 2019 budget.’’

    The President said the 2018 budget was based on a benchmark oil price of 51dollars, oil production of 2.3 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of N305 to the dollar.

    He added that based on these assumptions, the federal government’s aggregate revenue of N7.17 trillion was projected to contribute to the 2019 budget of N9.12 trillion while the projected deficit of N1.95 trillion (or 1.73 percent of GDP) was to be financed mainly by borrowing.

    Read Also: 2019 Budget: Buhari scolds unruly lawmakers

    “In 2018, average oil production up to end of the third quarter was 1.95 mbpd, as against the estimated 2.3 mbpd for the entire year. However, average market price of Bonny Light crude oil was higher (an average of $74 per barrel as at October) than the benchmark price of $51.

    “As at the end of the third quarter, federal government’s actual aggregate revenue was N2.84 trillion, which is 40 percent higher than 2017 revenue.

    “The overall revenue performance is only 53 percent of the target in the 2018 budget largely because some one-off items are yet to be actualized. We have now rolled this revenue item over to 2019,” he said.

    While urging the lawmakers to expedite action for the passage of the 2019 budget, the President stressed the need for the legislature to partner with the executive arm of government for the benefit of Nigerians.

  • Buhari to present minimum wage bill to NASS

    President Muhammadu Buhari says a bill on implementation of the New Minimum Wage would soon be sent to the National Assembly for passage.

    Buhari made this known while presenting the 2019 Budget before the joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

    He assured the house that he was committed to addressing the minimum wage issue, saying he had directed the setting up of a technical committee to look at mode of implementation.

    “To avoid a system crisis on the Federal Government and states, it is important to device ways to ensure that its implementation does not lead to an increase in the level of borrowing.

    “I am accordingly setting up a high powered technical committee to advice on ways of funding an increase in the minimum wage and attendant wage adjustments without having to resort to additional borrowing.

    “The work of the committee will be the basis of finance bill which will be submitted to the national assembly alongside the minimum wage bill.

    Read More: Presidency: Controversy over minimum wage unnecessary

    Buhari, said the committee would recommend modalities for the implementation of the new minimum wage.
    According to him, the move is to minimize inflationary impact as well as ensure that its introduction does not lead to job losses.

    The Nation recalls that the Amal Pepple Tripartite Committee on the Review of National Minimum Wage, had on Nov. 6, submitted its report to Buhari.

    The committee recommended N30, 000 as the new national minimum wage.

  • Buhari declines assent to two transport bills

    President Muhammadu Buhari has declined assent to two bills in the transport sector.

    They are the National Transport Commission Bill 2018 and the Federal Roads Authority (Establishment) Bill 2018.

    The president’s decision came in a letter to the National Assembly leadership read by the President of the Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki, at plenary on Wednesday.

    Buhari said some sections of the National Transport Commission Bill contained safety regulations that would duplicate the functions of existing transport agencies.

    He said, “Safety regulatory provisions enshrined in some sections of the bill which are technical in nature fall within the purview of central legislation implemented by agencies like NIMASA (Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), NPA (Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and therefore should be expunged from the bill.

    “Two, the percentage of the amount to be retained by the agency from royalties collected under section 19 (2)(d) should be reduced from 10 to five per cent.

    “Section 12 (9)(2)(d) stipulates that a portion of the proceeds from royalties collected by the authority empowered to collect royalties from transport service providers should not exceed 10 per cent which is collected by service providers and concessionaires.

    “Three, section 19 (2)(f) which stipulates charge of three per cent freight tariff stabilisation fee on all imports and exports out of Nigeria including wet and dry cargoes should be amended and reduced from three per cent to one per cent.

    “This is what is currently contained in the Nigerian Shippers Council legislation,” he said.

    On the Federal Roads Authority (Establishment) Bill 2018, the president said the proposed road sector regulator would usurp the supervisory power of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.

    The president pointed out that the proposed agency would also render the “entire technical workforce of the supervisory ministry redundant”.

    Read Also: 2019: INEC chair Yakubu raises concern over security

    “The establishment of the road sector regulator as a separate and distinctive body in Part 6 of the bill is capable of rendering the entire technical workforce of the supervisory ministry redundant.

    “The supervisory power of the ministry over the road sector would be taken over by the road sector regulator and will leave the ministry without the power to exercise its supervisory role.

    “I feel the ministry would have little or no desirable role to play in the road sector.

    “This is because ownership and management of roads would be vested in the road sector regulator such that the supervisory powers would be exercised by it, leaving the ministry without any clear statutory function,” Buhari argued.

  • Security beefed up at NASS as Buhari presents 2019 budget proposal

    Security has been beefed up in and around the National Assembly ( NASS ) complex ahead of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to present the 2019 Appropriation Bill.

    Buhari is billed to present the federal budget proposal before a joint session of the Assembly on Wednesday at 11 a.m.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that combined teams of security agencies have been deployed at the three entrances into the complex.

    The entry points are the main gate overlooking the Federal Secretariat, the entrance through the SGF office on Aso Drive and the back gate connecting the Presidential Villa.

    Read Also: How states can be viable, by Emefiele

    A NAN correspondent at the scene reports that entry into the complex has been limited to accreditation lists submitted by different units in the Assembly.

    Only those whose names are on the lists are allowed in after being thoroughly screened by the security operatives.

    Vehicular movement into the complex has also been restricted to lawmakers and principal management staff of the Assembly.

    The budget presentation is coming on the third day of a four-day warning strike by the National Assembly workers under the aegis of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigerian.

  • APC youths back Buhari

    THE National President of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Youth Vanguard, Comrade Kabir Haruna Alfa, has said the organisation will ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari is re-elected in 2019.

    In statement by the group’s National Secretary, Chinedu Mbakwe Obi, Alfa explained that President Buhari deserved another four years to consolidate and finish the work he had started. He appealed to Nigerians, particularly the youths, to vote en masse for the president.

    Alfa said the development by Buhari so far was good enough to get him another term.

    He said in area of security, a priority in Buhari’s campaign in 2015, the APC government has recorded giant strides. He explained that the parts of Nigeria that were taken over by Boko Haram were retrieved by the government.

    The National president explained that when APC came in to power, electricity was pegged at 4000mgwts in 16 years of its rule. But in a little more than three years, the APC government had generated up to 8000mgwts and distribution had improved. He said the introduction of TSA by the government had helped to stop corruption and saved cash that was shared by political elites.

    Alfa said under the Buhari administration the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has worked hard to mop most of the looted funds, adding that the economy has to, a large extent, stabilised. He explained that the country’s foreign reserve was $25billion when the government took over, but now it has risen to $48billion, a good sign of economic stability. According to him, food import has reduced and farmers get a good market for their produce.

  • Kaduna women to give Buhari, El-Rufai 2m votes

    Women in the 23 local government areas of Kaduna State, under the auspices of El-Rufai Support Group, yesterday promised to deliver two million votes for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Nasir El-Rufai in the 2019 elections.

    Addressing the women, who gathered at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House for an interaction, the governor’s wife, Mrs. Hadiza El-Rufai, hailed the women for their support urged them to embark on door to door peaceful campaigns especially in the grassroots.

    The governor’s wife hailed her husband for nominating a woman as his running mate, saying her transformation at the primary health agency would be remembered by Kaduna residents.

    Hajia El-Rufai, who cautioned youths not to be involved in any form of violence during campaigns, advised voters to cast their ballots in 2019 for All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates.

    She added: “Our door-to-door campaign down to the grassroots should be based on our achievements in office.”

    El-Rufai’s running mate, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, urged women to fully participate in the 2019 general elections by voting for APC candidates for continuity that will take the nation to the next level.

    She urged women to embrace peace for socio-economic development, adding that the El-Rufai administration had done excellently well in all sectors and should be re-elected to continue the good job.

    Also, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hafsat Baba, noted that El-Rufai’s reforms in health, education, among other sectors, needed to be sustained.

    She said: “We know APC candidates and we must votes for all of them in 2019. It’s only then will there be massive development.”

     

     

     

  • ‘No alternative to Buhari’

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode spoke with reporters on the second term ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari, shortly after the peace meeting held with aggrieved aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Lagos State House, Marina.

    The 2019 Presidential election is fast approaching and with due respect to other candidates, it looks like a two-horse race between the APC candidate and incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari and the PDP Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Can you tell us why you think President Muhammadu Buhari should be given another term as President?

    Just to be very clear, as an average Nigerian, not necessarily as a Governor now, I will pitch my tent with, endorse and vote President Muhammadu Buhari in this forthcoming Presidential elections on the basis that having crosschecked all the presidential candidates, I believe at this auspicious time in this country, the right person that can actually take us to the next level and the next trajectory of the prosperity and progress of Nigeria is President Muhammadu Buhari and I am very clear about what I am saying.

    Apart from the fact that he has been President in the last three and half years, he has also been Head of State in the military era. But again, if you cross check all the other candidates, most especially the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), when you put both of them on a weigh balance, there is one that has integrity more than the other, there is one that is more passionate about Nigeria and Nigerians, most especially the poor than the other. So, if the question comes on why we are voting for Buhari, it is on the basis of integrity, on the basis of somebody who is passionate of which those two values are values that I also cherish and practice as the Governor of Lagos State. It is very clear that we are just like like-minds and I will obviously engage Nigerians that those two values are the values that can bring prosperity to Nigeria. You need a lot of character; somebody that has character is likely to create an enabling environment that can make this country to progress. But beyond character and integrity, you can see that in the last three and half years, we have made fundamental preparation to push this economy to its positive trajectory and that’s what President Muhammadu Buhari has been trying to do and Nigerians don’t understand.

    Why do you think the PDP should not bounce back to power?

    If you have cumulative 16 years of disruptive infrastructural tendencies, there is no way one single tenure can allow a corrective measure of the infrastructural deficit, you have to create that environment to allow you to do that. Let me give one simple example. Today, we are having the reconstruction of the Apapa/Oshodi Expressway being taken on by President Muhammadu Buhari. This particular expressway which is more or less the nerve centre to the economy of this country has never been touched in the last 40 years. Of this 40 years, 16 years of PDP was inclusive. Within three and half years, we have been very bold and very adamant that you need to rehabilitate the Apapa axis for you to be able to push the economy of Nigeria forward because anything that happens around the Lagos economy has a positive trajectory to the nation’s economy as a whole. So, it’s very clear, if you see a government that decides that and says that, look, even in these years of abandonment, decades of abandonment, they want to take on this whole issue, knowing well that in another two to three years, it would be delivered, so they need to monitor it, giving it back to those who abandoned it is not a good course to run. When you look at the reconstruction of the Niger Bridge, it’s been on for the last four decades also, these are fundamental infrastructure. So it gives you more or less a very clear mind what this government of Buhari will do if he is taking on fundamental things that would push the economy forward. All we need is to support him and also make a whole lot of economic technocrats available to rally round him and take this country to the next level.

    So, if you move away from infrastructure and you are looking at investment in agriculture, a very clear example is LAKE Rice, it was just to prove a point that we can do local production of our own rice and project our own revenue of which the FG and of which President Buhari has been critically supportive of. So, we just need additional one or two years to allow us to do that and then importation of rice would become a thing of the past.

    When you look at things that has to do with inclusive governance, you know all these TraderMoni and allowing SMEs to have access to interest free loans is what you mean by inclusive governance. PDP never did that for 16 years, so why will you now say the PDP candidate is coming to do inclusive governance? There are therefore clear examples why we must all rally round President Muhammadu Buhari and give him that second term for him to be able to consolidate on all the things that are very dear to us; the things that would grow the GDP of Nigeria, the things that would enable the poor to have access and create more jobs and also allow the economy to move forward and in terms of what we have in fiscal and monetary rates and policy, it is important that those are the things that the President just needs from Nigerians to be able to push this country forward and that’s why anytime any day, the candidature of President Muhammadu Buhari is the best option for Nigeria right now.

    President Buhari in 2015 campaigned on the basis of improving the security situation in Nigeria, especially in the Northeast. How well do you feel he has fared on this front, especially with the recent unpalatable reports of attacks and skirmishes in some parts of the country?

    Security is the number one achievement of this present government of President Buhari. When he came into power in 2015, the security situation in the North East was not what it is now. Look, people might want to be politically funny and trying to create stories from nothing, but the truth is that what we had in 2015 and the relative peace we are experiencing in 2018 in the North East are totally two different things. This 2015 security crisis was handed over by the PDP to the Buhari administration. Against all odd the country had regained lost territories and the enemies have been pushed out. There is relative peace in the North East and the truth is that Lagos, of which I govern, is the most secured city in Africa right now. Is it possible for me to do it alone? Of course it’s through the support and assistance of President Muhammadu Buhari. So, if there is anybody that is ever going to talk about security, the peace that we are enjoying and the protection of lives and property in Lagos is a reflection of the Federal Government’s desire to keep Lagos safe. So I am going to urge all Nigerians to continue to stick with the All Progressives Congress and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, because in terms of security, within the context of what we met and what we have now, Nigeria has been peaceful and in order to sustain that, you need to keep that government in power and that’s the more reason why we should vote for Buhari in this coming election.

    One or two people may disagree when it comes to the issue of fighting corruption and how the Federal Government has gone about it. What’s your take on it?

    You see, everybody is very clear about what is going on. In any environment, when you put up a crusade that you want to fight corruption, it’s very clear that corruption will always fight back. The fundamental reform about the way we do things is the underbelly for this anti-corruption drive. The way we do things in this country, they are not the right ways that can give us prosperity and President Buhari decided on his own that he would champion this crusade irrespective of how corruption will fight back. But again, when you have had 16 years of corruption and we’ve just only had three and half years of reversing it, the way they are fighting back is trying to take government from him so that we can go back to our old ways of putting this country in penury, that is the crux of this election; the real fight in this election is that, do we want to reverse the anti-corruption drive so that we do things the same useless way that we used to do it and then the economy is not growing. The other option is do you want us to continue our crusade to make sure that the way and manner we do things are the appropriate way that we can be accountable to our people and that’s what this APC government is about and that’s what the government is trying to do to say that, you know what, you want to reverse 16 years of rot, you cannot do it and stop in three and half years, you must continue and take it to the next level so that in years to come, there would have been a lot of sanity in the system and it would be more about getting our people to have the right attitude against corruption in the way we do things, the way we relate to ourselves and the way we deliver services and dividends of democracy to our people. That is what the APC government and President Muhammadu Buhari is all about as against a former Vice President that is not in a good position to come and champion the anti-corruption drive. Those are the issues, they are very clear and Nigerians should understand what it is all about and we speak in terms of integrity, in terms of character for our President and then we can stand and vouch for that integrity. It’s all about character, that’s what you see even in the way I govern Lagos and that’s why I align myself with President Muhammadu Buhari. It’s straightforward and simple.

     

  • SGF to Wabba: Buhari committed to workers’ welfare

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has told the new President of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, that President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to workers’ welfare.

    He urged Wabba to be a good ambassador of the country as he presides over the affairs of workers across the world as ITUC chief.

    Mustapha said the election of Wabba was a true reflection of the leadership he has offered Nigerian workers since assuming office and a clear indication that the country can always be called upon to offer leadership.

    He said President Buhari would not do anything to undermine workers’ welfare, adding that the administration would offer assistance for him to succeed in his new office.

    Speaking at a dinner in Wabba’s honour, Mustapha said  Buhari was of the firm believe that Nigerian workers deserve the best treatment.

    He said Wabba’s election to lead over 200 million workers across the world was a confirmation that Nigerians can provide quality leadership anywhere they are upon to do so.

    He said: “I want to assure you that as a government, we will give you all the support that you desire to succeed because we believe that from this elevation,  you have become ambassadors of Nigeria to the international arena.

    “They will watch you as they will watch the President of Nigeria because by extension,  every decision you take there within the context of the fact that you are first a Nigerian before leading the world class of the entire world.

    “I plead with you that in your representation, let  the spirit of excellence with which you have led in this country be reflected in your leadership so that for once it will be adjudged by the entire world that Nigerians are competent, efficient and effective when it comes to the provision of leadership.

    “I have no doubt that you are going to succeed because you have demonstrated it in this country and I think that the entire world must-have used it’s own binoculars invite search for leaders to lead the world at this point in time. I believe you will not fail us and you will not disappoint us.”

    He said that the President received the election of Wabba as the first African and first Blackman to occupy the the position of President of ITUC with great delight, adding that the government was not unaware of the fact that in attaining such position, Nigerians have always had stiff opposition.

    He said: “It is not easy to attain this position because when  it comes to region elections, we have always had resistance.  But for the whole world to come to the logical conclusion that we desire a Nigerian to lead at this time, or to occupy this strategic administrative post at the regional level,  I believe we have come of age and we will continue to give effective leadership to the different organisations to which you have been appointed. Be confident that your own government is solidly behind you.

    “When the President heard of the election of Comrade Wabba  to the office of the President of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) global and that Comrade  Safiyanu Mohammed as Africa regional Secretary of the International Transport Federation, it came to him as a pleasant delight that despite what we think our country is,  the entire world have come to acknowledge and recognise the excellence with which we lead as a nation.

    “I want to congratulate Comrade Ayuba Wabba and Comrade Safiyanu Mohammed for attaining these very important offices in their individual way. When I told the President,  he immediately ordered that a congratulatory message be issued in recognition of the leadership that Comrade Wabba has offered to workers in Nigeria which has taken him higher to the international level.”

    Wabba urged workers to pray for him to succeed in the new assignment as it was a huge responsibility. He added that he was conscious of huge responsibility the new position put on his shoulders.