The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Femi Adesina

  • Buhari warns against extortion in police recruitment

    Buhari warns against extortion in police recruitment

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said he will not tolerate any irregularity or extortion of money from unemployed Nigerians in the coming recruitment into the police.

    He gave the warning during a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Police Affairs and the Police Service Commission at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, President Buhari expressed sadness over the extortion of applicants who are made to pay bribes before being accepted into the police force

    He said the practice was totally unacceptable.

    The President told the officials that those in charge of recruitment and training in the police must be above board and eschew every form of extortion and underhand dealing.

    He said: “You must ensure that the recruitment process is transparent. Those who will conduct the recruitment must be above board. It should not be heard that they receive gratification or extort money from those who want to enlist in the police.”

    He also directed the Inspector-General of Police to prune down the number of policemen attached to dignitaries, and redeploy all policemen withdrawn from that role to regular police duties.

    On the stagnation of policemen on a particular rank for many years, the President counselled the PSC to review the current structure of the police, and make recommendations on how the problem can be solved to boost the morale of serving policemen.

    The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Police Affairs, Dr. James Obiegbu, had in his briefing, listed inadequate police personnel, dwindling finances and non-rehabilitation of police training schools as some of the challenges facing the force.

  • Buhari appoints new coordinator for Amnesty Programme

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday appointed Brigadier-General P.T. Boroh (rtd.) as the Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme for former Niger Delta militants.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said that Brig. Boroh’s appointment takes immediate effect.

    Boroh is taking over the responsibilities of the former Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Niger Delta who also doubled as Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme.

    The appointment of a new Coordinator for the Amnesty Programme, the statement said, is to lead to the speedy resolution of recent hitches in its implementation such as the non-payment of outstanding allowances to ex-militants.

  • Boko Haram: Buhari visits Cameroon, Benin Republic

    Boko Haram: Buhari visits Cameroon, Benin Republic

    To build a more effective regional coalition against the Boko Haram sect, President Muhammadu Buhari will visit Cameroon on Wednesday for talks with President Paul Biya and senior Cameroonian Government officials.

    The talks between Buhari and his Cameroonian counterpart, according to a statement issued by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, are expected to focus on the full activation and deployment of the Multinational Joint Task Force against Boko Haram, which has been established under the auspices of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.

    President Buhari, who will be accompanied on the two-day trip by six state governors and the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Defence  and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, the statement said, will also discuss further joint measures to curb terrorism, violent extremism and other cross-border crimes.

    The state governors on the President’s entourage are – Alhaji Mohammed Bindow (Adamawa), Mr. Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), Mr. Samuel Ortom (Benue), Alhaji Kashim Shettima (Borno), Mr. Ben Ayade (Cross River) and Mr. Darius Ishaku (Taraba).

    President Buhari will also use the opportunity of his visit to Cameroon to meet with Nigerians living in the East African nation.

    The President, who is due back in Abuja on Thursday, will also undertake a one-day trip to Benin Republic on Saturday for talks with President Boni Yayi to round-off the diplomatic shuttles to neighbouring countries.

  • Buhari will probe amnesty programme – Presidency

    Buhari will probe amnesty programme – Presidency

    President Muhammadu Buhari will look into the amnesty programme for Niger Delta ex –militants, the Presidency has said.

    The Presidency explained that it will be wrong for Buhari to continue the programme without taking a look at the whole amnesty package.

    The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, who said this on Kaakaki, a breakfast programme on Africa Independent Television (AIT) in Abuja, Friday, added that there are issues concerning the amnesty programme which the President is taking time to study.

    Adesina said: “Don’t also forget that if a situation or process was riddled with corruption and you come saying you are going to clean up the system, and then you continue to just run on the same steam of what you met on ground then you have not changed anything.

    “There are a lot of issues about it and the President is studying those issues. After he has finished studying them, the package will be unfolded on amnesty.

    The presidential spokesman said the nonpayment of tuition fees for 13 pilots undergoing training at the Lufthansa airline school in Frankfurt, Germany, was unfortunate, adding that the situation will be sorted out soon.

    He dismissed insinuations that the Niger Delta region has been neglected by the present administration, adding that Buhari will ensure that all sections of the country is represented as stipulated by the principle of federal character.

    “If you follow that conversation trend through, you will also recall that the President also said that the constitution has protected all parts of the country, every part, and no part can be marginalized. So it is only somebody who takes part in what he said that will want to make mischief out of that. But if you take it as a whole, it is clear.

    He said the constitution has already protected every part of the country and no part can be marginalized.

    “And he believes in fairness and justice and so will ensure that no part is marginalized.

    “Talking of amnesty and all that, the President has said he still believes in the programme and will keep it going. But that he is studying the report. He is studying the one he met on ground. When he studies it fully something will be done.”

    Adesina, during the programme, also said there was no truth in reports by local media that Buhari accused the United States government of helping the Boko Haram sect.

    He described the reports as unfortunate and misinterpretation of what the President meant, adding that they were widely off the mark.

     

  • Why only Jonathan’s tenure will be probed- Adesina

    Why only Jonathan’s tenure will be probed- Adesina

    The Presidency has explained why it is interested in probing only the immediate past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
    In a tweet by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, early Friday morning, he said the probe will allow for a proper take off of the new government.
    “… But for a proper take -off of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, there is need to look into the immediate past government,” Adesina stated.
    Reactions to the tweet was mix with some endorsing the plan, while others faulted the rational for limiting the probe to only that of Former President Jonathan and leaving out former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
    There were however those who said the probe was unnecessary.
    @FemAdesina Probe without reserve GEJ’s govt. only. Was his job to probe OBJ. He failed to. Unless a strong nexus leads back, GEJ. Period.
    @FemAdesina @Mayjorh. Very necessary & make sure Abba Moro & Okonjo-Iweal vomit 1k each they fraudulent collected frm jobless Nigerians.#NIS
    @FemAdesina GEJ ws ok wit d handover note he got so he didn’t probe obj.@MBuhari is not ok wit GEJS HANDOVER NOTE thus need 2 clear d air
    @FemAdesina nt sure hw to respond to this. D optics is bad & we want all our money, bt some of it. Go back to IBB. Halliburton, Dele Giwa
    @FemAdesina this is such a lame argument. U guys want to blow up this place. @MBuhari is obviously a belligerent & obstinate old man.
    @FemAdesina we’re well aware of the flaws of the previous administrations so we don’t need a reminder pls. Just do what u promised.ChangeNGR
    @ehyibezim @FemAdesina As if a good probe is a walk in the park. we forget that it costs money etc to conduct probes, to mention past ones

  • Nigeria will support peaceful nuclear use – Buhari

    Nigeria will support peaceful nuclear use – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said Nigeria, under his leadership, will continue to support the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and human development only.

    Buhari, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said he welcomes this week’s agreement between Iran and the six world powers on its nuclear programme.

    He spoke at a meeting with visiting Iranian Vice President for Executive Affairs, Mohammed  Shariatmadari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Applauding the agreement, the President said it was a major step towards ensuring peace and stability in the Middle East.

    As a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, he said that Nigeria looks forward to the faithful implementation of the terms of the agreement by all concerned parties.

    Buhari, who received an invitation from the Iranian Vice President to attend an upcoming Summit of Gas Exporting Countries in Tehran, said it was in the interest of developing countries to maximize the use of their natural resources for the improvement of the living conditions of their people.

    Mr. Shariatmadari congratulated President Buhari on his election and assured him of Iran’s support in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

    “The government of President Hassan Rouhani of Iran advocates moderation and departure from any form of extremism,’’ he said.

  • Presidency denies using Jonathan’s savings for bailout

    Presidency denies using Jonathan’s savings for bailout

    The Presidency on Wednesday denied claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the relief given to state governments and long-suffering public sector workers were from savings by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

    A statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, said that the claim was false and ludicrous.

    The statement reads: “The Presidency deplores the attempt by the PDP and its agents to create an unnecessary controversy over the well-intentioned effort by President Muhammadu Buhari to give some relief to state governments and long-suffering public sector workers.

    “We also reject the banal and ludicrous demand by the PDP Spokesman, Olisa Metuh, that the PDP Government which was ousted by Nigerians  at the last general elections for running the country aground,  be given some credit for “saving” the funds that were disbursed as part of the intervention package approved by President Buhari.

    “Mr. Metuh’s claim that a significant amount of the funds came from savings accumulated in the Excess Crude Account and handed over to the Buhari administration is completely false and deliberately intended to mislead the public.

    “As we clearly stated yesterday, the funds approved by President Buhari for sharing to the three tiers of government on Monday came entirely from dividends and taxes paid to the Federation Account by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG), not from the Excess Crude Account.

    “The disbursed NLNG dividends and taxes were paid into the Federation Account in June this year and confirmed by the Central Bank’s statement to the Federal Government on July 7, 2015. The funds cannot therefore be considered “savings” by the Jonathan administration which left office in May, 2015, as disingenuously claimed by Mr. Metuh.”

    It continued: “Instead of being repeatedly impugned and castigated by the PDP and its agents for honestly telling Nigerians that the nation’s treasury has been immensely depleted and its resources looted or squandered under previous administrations, President Buhari should be commended for the openness, transparency and accountability which he has now brought to the management of national funds.

    “It was in keeping with that disposition, that the President promptly disclosed the accrual of the NLNG dividends and taxes to the Federation Account at his recent meeting with state governors and approved the convening of a special session of the FAAC to share it.

    “As a state governor who was present at the meeting remarked, under past administrations, the states never had the benefit of such disclosures.

    “Mr. Metuh and others who now ungratefully see Monday’s disbursement of the NLNG proceeds as their  “legitimate” earnings  and not a “bailout” from the Federal Government may wish to tell Nigerians if such earnings were ever disclosed by the PDP Federal Government and paid to the states in the past.

    “The public may also wish to note that the Buhari administration itself has never referred to the actions which it has taken to ease the current financial difficulties of states as a “bailout.”

  • Presidency denies using Jonathan’s savings for bailout

    Presidency denies using Jonathan’s savings for bailout

    The Presidency on Wednesday denied claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the relief given to state governments and long-suffering public sector workers were from savings by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

    A statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, said that the claim was false and ludicrous.

    The statement reads: “The Presidency deplores the attempt by the PDP and its agents to create an unnecessary controversy over the well-intentioned effort by President Muhammadu Buhari to give some relief to state governments and long-suffering public sector workers.

    “We also reject the banal and ludicrous demand by the PDP Spokesman, Olisa Metuh, that the PDP Government which was ousted by Nigerians  at the last general elections for running the country aground,  be given some credit for “saving” the funds that were disbursed as part of the intervention package approved by President Buhari.

    “Mr. Metuh’s claim that a significant amount of the funds came from savings accumulated in the Excess Crude Account and handed over to the Buhari administration is completely false and deliberately intended to mislead the public.

    “As we clearly stated yesterday, the funds approved by President Buhari for sharing to the three tiers of government on Monday came entirely from dividends and taxes paid to the Federation Account by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG), not from the Excess Crude Account.

    “The disbursed NLNG dividends and taxes were paid into the Federation Account in June this year and confirmed by the Central Bank’s statement to the Federal Government on July 7, 2015. The funds cannot therefore be considered “savings” by the Jonathan administration which left office in May, 2015, as disingenuously claimed by Mr. Metuh.”

    It continued: “Instead of being repeatedly impugned and castigated by the PDP and its agents for honestly telling Nigerians that the nation’s treasury has been immensely depleted and its resources looted or squandered under previous administrations, President Buhari should be commended for the openness, transparency and accountability which he has now brought to the management of national funds.

    “It was in keeping with that disposition, that the President promptly disclosed the accrual of the NLNG dividends and taxes to the Federation Account at his recent meeting with state governors and approved the convening of a special session of the FAAC to share it.

    “As a state governor who was present at the meeting remarked, under past administrations, the states never had the benefit of such disclosures.

    “Mr. Metuh and others who now ungratefully see Monday’s disbursement of the NLNG proceeds as their  “legitimate” earnings  and not a “bailout” from the Federal Government may wish to tell Nigerians if such earnings were ever disclosed by the PDP Federal Government and paid to the states in the past.

    “The public may also wish to note that the Buhari administration itself has never referred to the actions which it has taken to ease the current financial difficulties of states as a “bailout.”

  • No hand in Ekweremadu’s invitation – Presidency

    No hand in Ekweremadu’s invitation – Presidency

    The Presidency on Tuesday denied having hand in the invitation of the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, by the police over the forgery of the senate rule.

    The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, also denied reports in some sections of the media on the sharing of the balance in the Excess Crude Account.

    Adesina, who spoke on Kakaaki, a breakfast programme on Africa Independent Television (AIT), maintained that Buhari will not subvert the rules of the National Assembly.

    He said: “You do not know this President. This president will not orchestrate anything. Anything that will be unconstitutional, anything that will amount to underhand deal, this President will not orchestrate it.

    “Straightforward, plain and decent. Maybe that was what he expected everybody to do. He didn’t think anybody was going to subvert the process. That is why the National Assembly is where it is. But no orchestration.

    “This is not a President that will subvert the rules in any form and he thought everybody was going to play that way, but unfortunately it did not happen that way and we have what we have now.

    Adesina explained that Buhari will take his time to build strong institutions that will endure.

    He said the President will not perform magic in solving Nigeria’s problems, adding that enduring change will come through deliberate, contemplative movement and decision.

    “There is a difference between magic and deliberate, contemplative movement and decision. It turned out to me that when this administration came people thought it was coming to do magic.

    “This President will not be doing magic. Rather, he will be working for fundamental and enduring change. Fundamental and enduring change will come after contemplation, it will come after sure footed plans that will be executed. It will not come like magic.

    “One thing we can be sure of is that this President will work for Nigeria and for Nigerians. Nigerians should not want immediate results. Results will come, no doubt and it will come in the life of this administration. But people should know that those results will not be immediate. They can’t be immediate,” he added.