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Tag: Kudos

  • New rector gets kudos

    New rector gets kudos

    Sunday  Asuku, national coordinator of BAT Door -to-Door Movement, has lauded the appointment of Ademola Ebeloku as second rector of Federal Polytechnic, Ile-Oluji in Ondo State, saying it has brought a lot of progress.

    ”This is a new era and finally we can address Fedpolel as an higher institution, not a glorified secondary school. The amenities that enhance learning keeps rolling in, laboratories and workshops are loaded and ready, introduction of new accredited courses and so on.

    Read Also: Experts demand urgent action on Nigeria’s health system

    ‘‘He has made history and carved a niche for himself, he has registered his footprint in the sand of time as a torch bearer and now, students can use the hostel, there’s conventional electricity and as well as solar powered security lights on campus which further enhances security and learning on campus”, he said.

    Dr. Ebeloku ‘‘has done well and deserves praise, he is a team player, friendly, a unionist and senior comrade par excellence, no wonder he grew through the ranks to become rector…’’, students and lecturers said.

    The polytechnic community  has also lauded the occasion of the second convocation.

  • CBN gets kudos for suspension of forex on fertiliser import

    A group, the Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN), has lauded the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to cut foreign exchange (forex) access for all fertiliser imports.

    Its National President, Dr. Victor Iyama,   said the decision wiould boost the industry.

    Speaking with The Nation, he said it would help the local blending plants to produce enough fertiliser for farmers.

    Finished imported NPK products are affected by the CBN’s decision to cut foreign currency access for all fertiliser imports. The apex bank issued a circular on December 10 stating that all fertilisers will be added to its existing list of 41 imported items from December 7.

    He believes the move will go a long way in stemming the importation of poor quality NPK fertiliser blends, boost local capacity and protect the soil from toxic fertilisers imported by unscrupulous business people.

    The Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) praised the Federal Government for the total ban placed on the importation of all blends of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK) fertilisers.  FEPSAN President, Thomas Etuh, said with the move alone, the government was already on the verge of saving more than $500 million a year in foreign exchange as well as thousands of jobs. Etuh said NPK fertiliser blends from Nigeria are produced with specific soil composition in mind, a situation that preserves and adds value to soil nutrients.

    “Fertiliser blending plants in Nigeria are growing and have demonstrated capacity to produce exactly what Nigerian farmers need to enrich Nigerian soil for improved food production. We have demonstrated this and have attestations from farmers to support this claim and when I say we have the capacity, I mean we have such capacity in quantitative and qualitative terms,” he said.

    The FEPSAN president said his members already have grown capacities at more than 20 blending plants spread across the country to produce up to 4 million tons of high quality NPK fertiliser blends.

    He said: “We are aware that a lot more Nigerians are adopting agriculture as a business, especially in response to the Federal Government’s drive for food security. FEPSAN, in heeding the patriotic call for food security has placed itself in a position to ensure Nigerian farmers have all the best quality fertiliser they need. This also places us in a strong position to export to other countries in West and Central Africa, especially since we have capacity to produce more than what Nigerian farmers will need in the foreseeable future.”

  • 2019 poll: Knocks, kudos for Obasanjo

    THE stand taken by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on next year’s general elections yesterday attracted mixed reactions from some quarters.

    Renowned medical expert Dr Ore Falomo has advised Nigerians to ignore former President Olusegun Obasanjo in what he described as his campaign of calumny against President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Reacting to Obasanjo’s  statement that he would not be neutral on the 2019 general elections, Falomo said the former President had become the most inconsistent leader in the country. According to him, “Obasanjo lacks credibility to influence political decisions in this country. He has no political clout to win elections even in his local government”.

    Falomo, who was the physician to the winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola, said Obasanjo had lobbied to become Yoruba leader but failed because of what he described as a credibility problem.

    “He has the right to say anything but he can’t force his opinion on Nigerians. The 2019 elections will be decided by the people. Obasanjo has only one vote. Nigerians will decide. I think the media should stop celebrating Obasanjo. Here was a man who vowed in 2014 not to participate in partisan politics again and tore his Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) membership card publicly. Now he has returned to the same party and promised to campaign for its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, despite all what he said about him. Nigerians are not fools. Let’s wait for 2019.

    “Nigerians should say no to corrupt leaders that had ruined this country. That is where Buhari  has an edge over every other  politician. He is not perfect but he’s the best we have for now.”

    But Lagos PDP spokesman Gani Taofik hailed Obasanjo for making what he called a timely decision on Buhari’s administration. He said Obasanjo was known for making decisions on issues once he’s convinced.

    Taofik recalled that Obasanjo that led the opposition against former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. “Now, he’s convinced that he took wrong decision by supporting Buhari in 2015; only a courageous leader can do that”, he said.

    He said Obasanjo said he could not continue to support Buhari because he had no solution to Nigeria’s economic problems, security challenges, and  hunger. According to the PDP image maker, the situation in the country today is worst than what it was in 2015.

    He advised Presiident Buhari to heed Obasanjo’s advice that he should not contest in 2015. If he goes ahead to contest, it is obvious that he can’t win, Taofik added.

    A public affairs analyst, Malam AbdulKair Isa said Obasanjo’s criticism could not stop Buhari’s re-election. He said: “The former president, like every other Nigerian has the right to express his opinion.  Obasanjo has only one vote, just like other Nigerians. He is not in a position to decide who should contest and who should win. We are in a democracy, not military dictatorship. Nigerians will decide.”

  • Knocks, kudos for Buhari, Atiku manifestos

    As Nigerians warm up for next year’s presidential election, the manifestos of President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress(APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flagbearer, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, are in the public domain. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN spoke to some Nigerians who bared their minds on the contents of the two campaign documents.

    The 2019 presidential election will be a straight fight between President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The manifestos of the two gladiators have become subject of public discourse.

    The President unveiled a campaign document titled: ‘Next Level’. Also the PDP presidential candidate released a document dubbed: ‘Let’s get Nigeria working again’. The two documents have elicited different reactions.

    The Next Level document gave insights in Buhari’s new economic drive with employment as a major thrust. The highlights include: the Engagement of one million N-Power graduates; Skill up  10 million Nigerians under a voucher system in partnership with the private sector; Anchor Borrowers Scheme to support input and jobs to one million farmers; Livestock transformation plan to create 1.5 million jobs and Agriculture Mechanisation Policy  to create five million jobs.

    They also include the provision of $500 million innovation fund to tech and creative sector to create 500,000 jobs; to train 200,000 youths for outsourcing market in technology, services and entertainment. The document stated that “soft loans of up to one million naira to small traders, artisans (carpenters, tailors, mechanics, hairdressers, barbers, plumbers, vulcanisers etc) and commercial drivers (taxis, keke and motorcycles.” Next Level will also take current number of 2.3 million traders, farmers, artisans under Trader Moni, Market Moni and Farmer Moni  schemes to 10 million Nigerians under the People Moni Scheme.

    The President also promised to increase power generation to 11,000 megawatts. The document pledged a minimum of 1,000 MW new generation increment per year; power distribution to get to get to 7,000 MW under distribution expansion programme.

    On security, President Buhari indicated plans to decentralise funding of police operations and foster true community policing by implementing direct transfer of funding to police divisions.  He also promised to execute the second phase of the farmer-herder and national livestock to end the decades-long conflict between farmers and herders.

    Atiku, in his campaign document promised to build a broad based, dynamic and competitive economy with a GDP of US900 Billion by 2025. “By 2025, we shall increase the flow of direct foreign investment to a minimum of 2.5 per cent of our GDP working towards achieving the lowest corporate income tax rate in Africa.

    Atiku also plans to accelerate investment to double our infrastructure stock to approximately 50 per cent of GDP by 2025 and 70 per cent by 2030; achieve a sustained increase in manufacturing output from nine per cent to 30 per cent of GDP by 2025; reduce the sector’s dependence on imported raw materials; achieve a diversified production structure with more processing of domestic raw materials.

    On electricity, Atiku said power sector reform will be a critical policy priority. By 2025, Nigeria shall make giant strides in diversifying its sources of power and delivering up to 20,000 MW. He has plan “to privatise all government refineries to competent off-takers with mandates to produce agreed levels of refined output; issue new licenses for Greenfield investment in crude oil refining and allied activities”.

    Atiku promised to develop 5,000 km of roads by 2025 through PPPs and community interventions; construct up to 5,000 km of modern railways through privatisation and public investments.

    The former vice president promised to restructure the country within six months in office if elected.

    Explaining why the APC chose ‘Next Level’ slogan for its 2019 campaign, Buhari said “we have worked hard to fulfil our promises and why the road may have been difficult, over the last three and a half years, we have laid the foundations for a strong, stable and prosperous country for the majority of our people”.

    He said: “Foundational work is not often visible, neither is it glamorous –but it is vital to achieving the kind of country we desire. Judging by the prior depth of decay, deterioration and disrepair that Nigeria had sunk into, we are certain that the past few years have put us in good steadto trudge on the Next Level of building an even stronger nation for our people.”

    But, the presidential candidate of Peoples Trust Party (PTP), Mr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, dismissed the Buhari and Atiku documents. He said the documents are not grassroots-based.

    According to him, the Buhari administration has failed to provide the expected leadership to drive growth, security of lives and property as well as economic prosperity and business growth for the people.

    Hashim claimed that over 80 million Nigerians live under acute poverty. “There are people who have been living on government pay since they are barely 23 years old. They drive cars they did not buy with their money. They take free money. They do not know how to create money. They do not know what the grassroots are feeling, that is why when they were unveiling their policy document, they sat down in the Presidential Villa, they did not go to the grassroots.

    “We know the policy of the APC. The policy of APC is poverty forever. So you cannot believe any policy document from them because after four years, what have they got to show?

    As for for the PDP, he said “we already know what their policy document is. It is corruption, corruption, corruption; selling of government property at cheap prices to themselves. That is their policy document.

    But, the PDP has argued that the policy document articulated by its candidate embodies the collective mindset, yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians in their quest for new leadership and better life.

    The party’s spokesman, Kola Ologbodiyan said “the Atiku Abubakar  policy document is a product of very wide, painstaking and productive consultations with Nigerians from all walks of life, critical stakeholders and development partners in key sectors, in the overall determination to chart a new course for our nation.

    “The policy document foretells a new dawn as it articulates practical solutions and answers to themyriad of economic, social and political challenges facing our nation and sets out all-inclusive templates for national rejuvenation , cohesion, protection of human rights and democratic tenets , wealth creation, transparency and elimination of corruption in governance.”

    Ologbodiyan said: “In line with the PDP’s people-based manifesto, the Atiku Abubakar policy document places utmost priority on the people by focusing chiefly on their yearnings for job creation, infrastructural development, poverty eradication, human capital development, inclusiveness and national unity”.

    Public Affairs analyst, Dr Ken Mbadiwe said from the remarks of the president at the unveiling of his campaign document-Next Level, Nigerians are in the best position to appraise the administration.

    He said: “Though I have not read the documents but from the statements made by the president during its launching, I get the impression that the regime used the first tenure to record some successes in addressing the challenges bedevilling the nation for some level of socio-economic development which the president considered as laying of foundation needed for sustainable socio-economic performances.

    “Since Nigerians have witnessed the performance of the regime in so far as laying of the foundation is concerned amid limited resources, Nigerians are in the best position to make fair and realistic assessment of the progress against plans, and as to whether the regime has laid foundation strong enough for its next level for which it canvasses electoral mandate needed to continue after first tenure.

    “Though the regime has some shortcomings, I believe it has tried in delivering on its campaign promises and should be allowed to address the next level of challenges.”

    According to Mbadiwe, the Buhari administration has restored transparency in governance. It has implemented a responsible and transparent fiscal plan for the challenging economic times that saw the country doing more with lesser oil revenues.

    He said the grand scale corruption perpetrated by the highest office in the land has been nipped in the bud by the Buhari administration through the introduction of Treasury Single Account which has made it more difficult for ministries and departments and agencies to indulge in corrupt practices.

    The National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, faulted Atiku’s promise to create 10 million jobs when he could not do anything as Vice to President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    Oshiomhole said: “If you are going to create 10 million jobs , how come that when you were in government and you produced a SEED document where you promised to create seven million jobs, by the time when that government was out , we had lost Michelin, Dunlop closed down, textile industries closed down, we witnessed unprecedented industrial obituary and factories were closing one after the other.”

    The APC leader urged the electorate to take Atiku to task over his plan to sell off government refiniries. He said a presidential candidate seeking power to serve the interest of the populace would never contemplate selling refineries, which are major source of revenue for the country. This is another plan by the PDP to sell oil refineries to their members at cheap prices as they did with public enterprises in their 16 years misrule. Nigerians should reject PDP at the polls. The party doesn’t mean well for the people.

    A former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), described the campaign manual of President Buhari as a “complete disaster”.

    Agbakoba said the president’s campaign document has no “conceptual overhang”. He noted that the Atiku’s document addresses national needs.

    He said: “Buhari’s document is a handout; it is not a political document. It has no conceptual overhang. The one for Atiku is 80 per cent. It’s got the right stuff in it. It needs more work but it’s a working document. It’s something I can live with. I see nice things there. It’s a conceptual framework that creates microeconomic stability. It’s got all the nice indicesin it. On evaluation, it is clear that the economic blue print unveiled by Atiku addresses national needs than Buhari’s economic plans.”

  • Kudos to the dead, challenge to the living

    Akinwunmi Isola, professor of Linguistics, actor, playwright, immense man of culture and icon in the deeper realm of Yoruba contemporary film industry, perhaps did as much as anyone to mainstream the Yoruba cosmos, in a hostile contemporary world of cultural imperialism and actual capture.

    His collabo with ace film maker, Tunde Kelani of Main Frame (Opomulero) in films like “O Le Ku”, “Thunderbolt”, “Saworo Ide”, “Agogo Ewo”, all classics in themselves, is abundant proof of his passion for the Yoruba universe.  He shared that passion with the late Ayo Faleti, seasoned broadcaster, public administrator and fervent soul mate in that endevour of high culture propagation.

    Prof. Isola died on February 17 in his Akobo, Ibadan, Oyo State, home in the loving hands of his wife, Adebola.

    Akinwunmi Ambode, governor of Lagos State, chartered accountant and public administrator, is a man of numbers, hardly of letters.  Yet, he just pulled off perhaps the most decisive punch for Yoruba, as an active medium of the future, in the life of Lagos, a Yoruba city which is nevertheless Nigeria’s prime cosmos of business, culture and opportunities, into which other Nigerians pour in numbers.

    By that law, a candidate must have a credit in Yoruba language before qualifying for admission into any of the state-owned tertiary institutions.  It’s as audacious a push as any, to mainstream Yoruba in Nigeria’s prime economic hub.

    Could another Akinwunmi be challenging the present and the future, on the Yoruba cause, continuing where the old Akinwunmi stopped, in a stellar campaign for a Yoruba cultural renaissance, in the context of a federal Nigeria?

    That somewhat reinforces the wisdom in Prof. Isola’s life-long activism, that one’s culture is one’s life; and how dead you are without it.  Ironically, Prof. Isola’s first degree was in French, before embarking on his life-long Yoruba campaign, so much so that his widow recalled that a few days after their wedding in 1969, he gave out his wedding suit.

    He said he wore it to please his bride!  Left to him, he would have had both of them wear “aso ofi” — a Yoruba native garb — in all of its traditional flourish and majesty, despite that the couple numbered among the modern elite.

    There are different sides to Ambode’s new language policy.  It would further boost Yoruba consciousness among the native speakers, so much so that it could curb the empty conceit of many looking down on their own mother tongue, as it is common among not a few families.  That would be very good, for it is a strong blow for ethnic federalism.

    But it could also limit the cosmopolitan outlook in Lagos State-owned schools.  If non-speakers cannot gain admission into these schools without a credit pass in Yoruba at the O’Level, it could well mean that less and less non-Yoruba would gain admission into them.

    That might not be too good, although many have raised the point that when Nigerians travel to non-English countries to study, they first study the local language of instruction.  That could well be.

    Still, Prof. Isola’s cultural activism clearly showed you could be proud of your essence without becoming a bigot or irredentist.  That is the prime essence of his legacy — showing off the best of yours without being offensive.

    That is the challenge to the living, as Lagos State starts implementing this new language policy.

    Adieu, foremost ambassador of Yoruba culture.  The living will drink deep from your rich — and ever living — well.

     

     

  • Kudos, knocks for National Assembly over resolutions

    The National Assembly may have drawn the battle line with the Presidency with its 12-point resolution. Many believe the development will worsen the frosty relationship between the executive and legislative arms. JOSEPH JIBUEZE, ADEBISI ONANUGA, ONYEDI OJIABOR, ROBERT EGBE, OSAGIE OTABOR and PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU reports the criticisms trailing the lawmaker’s resolutions

    The 12-point resolution passed by the National Assembly at its Joint Executive Session on Tuesday has been drawing flaks from Nigerians.

    They have been expressing mixed reactions over Resolution No 12, in which the legislators threatened to invoke its constitutional powers against President Muhammadu Buhari if the other resolutions were unattended to.

    Yesterday, some lawyers hailed the National Assembly for its demands. To others, such demands are not only belated, they are selfish.

    The Second Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Monday Ubani, wondered why the National Assembly was suddenly waking up from its slumber and threatening to invoke its powers when the issues did not just arise.

    He said: “The threat is not altruistic because many of their demands are self-centered and cover their interests individually or corporately. One would have been glad if these ‘joint demands’ were presented earlier and consisted of issues that touch the average Nigerian most.

    “For the fact that the time it came is considered belated even though necessary and consisted of issues that touch their personal travails makes it selfish and unappreciated by the average Nigerian.”

    According to Ubani, the threat to impeach the president was not well thought-out.

    He said: “Impeachment is not inserted in the constitution for the fun of it; it is inserted to remove any of the executives that have committed acts that are considered grave and serious.

    “If it is true that the president has committed impeachable offense or offences, the appropriate procedure is to initiate his impeachment process having garnered the requisite number of the legislators.

    “If that procedure and process are not in place, and they go on air to threaten to invoke such constitutional power, then, they may be accused of playing to the gallery and that will not be too good for their already-battered reputation.”

    Ubani said that despite his shortcoming, many Nigerians still believe in President Buhari.

    His words: “One is not excusing some of the glaring lapses of the executive in the ongoing crisis. I cannot understand why the police is eager to invite the Senate President for a robbery incident in which he is not directly linked to (at worst he will be accused of raising and maintaining thugs for political purposes in Kwara) but certainly not answerable for robbery which is presently what the police is investigating… It does not look and sound fair.

    “However, the national sentiment presently is against the National Assembly in trying to do anything like impeaching the president.

    “Many Nigerians still see the President as not corrupt and one that is trying to fix Nigeria, which the legislators do not appreciate and are working against.

    “The average Nigerian views the legislators as villains, a cog in the wheel of progress. They may not succeed in impeaching the president and that is the truth. If they like, let them try to initiate it and watch the ending,” Ubani said.

    But, former NBA President Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) urged the President to address the issues raised by the lawmakers in their resolution.

    Agbakoba said: “The resolution by the National Assembly indicates the terrible decline of the framework of governance in Nigeria and we must all be alert to avert the potential collapse of our democracy.

    “So, the task is so simple but requires the immediate attention of the President, to take urgent steps to bring us out of this dangerous precipice.”

    Another senior advocate Ahmed Raji admitted that the National Assembly’s resolutions have substance but, that impeachment cannot be an option.

    The SAN said: “There is no doubt the country is facing serious security challenges that should be of major concern to everybody.  It is very, very unfortunate that the magnitude of the killing in Zamfara for example is being played down for reasons I cannot understand.

    “The killing in Zamfara shows that this is not an issue of religion. It calls for concerted efforts by everyone to reverse the dangerous trend.

    “I sympathise with the President for being at the helm of affairs at this period because he means well for the country.

    “There is, however, substance in the National Assembly resolutions which call for urgent attention, but impeachment is not an option in this situation, otherwise all of them may go home.

    “The fifth columnists are lurking in the shadows. Elder statesmen should step in and resolve some of the major issues.

    “The head of a major security outfit like the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) should not be so openly disparaged not to talk of tagging the number three man in our country with the emblem of robbery. It is a dent on all of us. Our elders should please step in. We have elders.”

    Another SAN, Mba Ukweni, likened some of the National Assembly’s conditions to a call on President Buhari to step-up the search for a solution to some of the country’s challenges.

    According to him, the legislature was in the best position to draw Buhari’s attention to the realities of Nigerians’ plight.

    Ukweni said: “If the National Assembly says the state of insecurity is alarming, it is the cry of everybody. We have become so insecure as if we are in a state of nature. The situation has become such that everybody is living in fear and then we have a government, the head of which all of us have surrendered our sovereignty to, so that we will be made more secure.

    “If we’ve surrendered our sovereignty to you and we are not secure, there is no reason why the person should be there, because he has not served the purpose for which he was elected.

    “The conditions that have been given to the President seem to be calling on him to live up to his responsibilities as the President of this country.”

    A constitutional lawyer Ike Ofuokwu was of the view that the timing of the resolutions was suspect even if the issues were valid.

    He said: “The resolutions of the joint sitting of the National Assembly are democracy in action. That is the basis of separation of powers and checks and balances in democracy.

    “The demand of the National Assembly in respect of the IGP is long overdue and should be applied to all the service chiefs who are only supervising over the prevailing genocide in the nation.

    “Of what benefit is a Service chief who cannot guarantee the security of citizens and on the other hand encourages ethnic and religious cleansing?

    “However, the call by members of the National Assembly is suspect at this time for reasons inter alia that they should clear themselves of all fraud and criminal allegations and/or charges pending amongst their members.

    “The National Assembly is fast turning into an abode of refuge for thieves; and until they purge themselves of their thieving members, Nigerians would always regard their resolutions, irrespective of how worthy they are, as vendetta,” Ofuokwu said.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Legal Adviser, Muiz Banire (SAN), said the matter was more political than constitutional.

    “I can assure you that it is already being addressed politically to a large extent. I do not want to jeopardise the peace process, because we cannot afford it (political crisis) at all. We can’t. We’re already applying the political process towards solving the logjam.”

     

    It’s all empty threat

     

    The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), the Edo Youth Volunteers for Progress (EYVP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Grassroots Youths for Change have warned the National Assembly against heating up the polity with an “empty” impeachment threat against the President.

    MURIC urged the National Assembly not to scuttle the new Nigeria which is evolving under Buhari. The EYVP said the lawmakers’ threat to invoke their powers was meaningless.

    The APC youth group said a National Assembly that could not override the President on election reordering cannot muster the number to impeach him.

    In a statement by its Director Prof Ishaq Akintola, MURIC, said it was irked by the lawmakers’ constant propensity to arm-twist the executive.

    It condemned what it called acts of legislative brigandage and parliamentary subjugation of the executive, describing them as a rape on the democratic principle of separation of powers.

    MURIC said: “We are inclined to believe that the latest threat of impeachment is not unconnected with the current travails of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

    “This attempt to turn the heat on Buhari, particularly at this material time, is nothing short of arm-twisting, blackmail and parliamentary terrorism. Senate should remain neutral in a criminal case and allow the law to take its due course.

    “The rule of law necessitates equality before the law. This means no Nigerian citizen is above the law. Even those who have immunity today may have to answer for any misdemeanor after leaving office.

    “Nigerian lawmakers have a duty to respect the rule of law if indeed they are conscious of their status and committed to their parliamentary duties.

    “The National Assembly will further ridicule the hallowed chambers if it should go ahead with this ignoble idea of impeaching the president. Already, the whole world knows the true story, particularly as it relates to the war against corruption. National Assembly will have an unshakable credibility problem if it goes ahead with this threat.”

    It urged Nigerians to brace for the last struggle to liberate the masses from the clutches of capitalist “compradorebourgeoisie” in the National Assembly, who it said were bent on frustrating the Buhari administration’s effort to make life more abundant for the common man.

    “The Nigerian people must tighten their seat belts. We cannot afford to watch in silence while identified oppressors seek to eliminate our liberator.

    “While MURIC will not play politics with the Saraki-police saga, we must stand up for the truth. Neither must we be afraid to say it as it is.

    “We contend that participation in crime cannot be limited to activities at the scene of crime. Neither can we extenuate or totally write off the offence of those who facilitate the empowerment of criminals to the extent that the latter is able to use the proceeds of empowerment to commit a crime.

    “Nobody in his right senses will dismiss the confessions of criminals who provide both historical and pictorial evidence of long association with high profile politicians particularly crimes in which several lives have been lost over decades.”

    According to MURIC, the Senate President and the National Assembly should allow the police to diligently investigate the case ‘as neither Saraki nor any other lawmaker is above the law’.

    “The National Assembly should allow the new Nigeria which is evolving under Buhari to become a fait accompli. We want an egalitarian society where justice is not for sale, where the rich commit grave crimes and go free while punishment for crime is for the poor alone.

    “Saraki may be pronounced innocent if indeed he is not guilty of any crime. The Saraki connection in the Offa robbery is a lesson for politicians who still keep political thugs.

    “Ceteris paribus, money given to thugs is meant to facilitate the harassment of opponents, the snatching of ballot boxes and the procurement of arms. Innocent people are killed in the process. That is murder and it is a capital offence.

    “Is the National Assembly itching to dismiss the killing of 33 innocent people, including nine policemen in a single robbery with a wave of the hand because one of them is asked to write a statement? Who did this to Nigeria?

    “Is that why the whole country should be destabilised? Is that why the Nigerian president should be impeached? Is it even ideal for Buhari to intervene by asking police to stop its investigations?

    “MURIC sees merit in the police case against Senator Saraki. The latter has been asked to submit a written statement. The National Assembly should allow the law to take its due course.

    “Saraki should do the honourable thing without being told. Nigeria is too big for any single person no matter how highly placed.”

    The EYVP described the lawmakers’s threat to impeach Buhari as empty.

    The group said it would not hesitate to initiate recall process against any Edo lawmaker who signs any impeachment notice against Buhari.

    Its National Coordinator Fred Okunmahie told reporters  in Benin City that the lawmakers were only protecting their interest and were not concerned about the country.

    Okunmahie said it was high time APC lawmakers used their majority to silence the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The opposition, he said, has been trying to get power back through the back door.

    He said the conditions given by the lawmakers were laughable to ordinary Nigerians.

    Okunmahie: “How do they expect Buhari to stop the harassment and humiliation of lawmakers that broke the law or are accused of breaking the law? There is no proof by them that the anti-corruption war is selective since all those being prosecuted served in past administration.

    “We see it as an empty threat. The National Assembly members want to push their own interests. They want to push their way because of next year’s general election. We know the presidency will not be moved by the threat.”

    Also, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Grassroots Youths for Change described the impeachment threat as mere hot air.

    The group, in a statement issued in Abuja by its National Coordinator, Orlu Henry Manuchimso, said the embattled National Assembly leadership could not muster the number to impeach the president.

    The group faulted the resolution by the National Assembly to invoke its constitutional powers if nothing was done to address the other resolutions and dared the federal legislature to proceed to play the impeachment card if it was sure it had the number.

    It said: “President Buhari enjoys the support of many legislators in the Senate and the House of Representatives who believe that he (president) is doing a great job and needs to be encouraged to double down on his anti-corruption war, provision of security and strengthening of the economy.”

    The group noted that the decision by the National Assembly not to override the president’s veto of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill which sought to reorder the original sequence of elections as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was informed by its inability to muster the two-thirds majority constitutionally required to do so.

    Frowning at the deployment of the institution of the National Assembly in defence of personal political interests in the federal legislature, the group urged Saraki and Dogara to desist from the practice as it was portraying the institution in a bad light.

    The group specifically slammed Saraki for bringing his alleged involvement in felony to the floor of the Senate where he raised the alarm that his State Governor, Fatai Ahmed, called to inform him that the police were plotting to get some arrested cultists to implicate him in their confessional statements.

    The group’s statement reads further: “APC Grassroots Youths for Change notes with dissatisfaction the decision by the Nigeria Police to withdraw its invitation to the senate president to visit its Special Anti-Robbery Unit in Guzape, Abuja, over his alleged role in the Offa banks’ robberies.

    “Our group also frowns at the reported intervention by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, which resulted in the Police decision requesting the senate president to only furnish them within 48 hours with a statement explaining his alleged role in the Offa robbery incidents.

    “This preferential treatment despite his well-publicised alleged role in a felony is setting a bad precedent.  The impression being created is that there are two sets of laws on the issue-one for the privileged and the other for the unprivileged.”

    The group reviewed the entire resolutions by the National Assembly and concluded that the attempt by the National Assembly to portray President Buhari as a dictator was uncharitable and unfair.

    It said: “Contrary to the impression being created by the National Assembly, President Buhari has proved to be a democrat, a patriot and a law-abiding party leader.

    “The president is a responsible and responsive leader who is committed to good governance, peace and stability of the nation.

    “The resolution of the National Assembly that the president should be held accountable for the actions of his appointees creates the impression that the president is complicit in the face-off between it and presidential appointees. This is farther from the truth.

    “As a matter of fact, it is the National Assembly that has been overreaching itself in the exercise of its oversight powers. The legislators have been intimidating, blackmailing and extorting money from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the executive arm and the appointees that head them in the guise of oversight functions.

    “It is to the credit of President Buhari that the anti-corruption war is progressing to the discomfort of some members of the National Assembly who have questions to answer about their actions and inactions in the management of public finance entrusted to them either in the past or at the moment.”

    It said that the international community was interested in the progress being made by Nigeria’s democracy under President Buhari, pointing out that “this has accounted for a number of invitations to bilateral discussions with leaders of the United States (U.S.), United Kingdom (UK) and Germany, among others.

    “This is an endorsement of President Buhari’s democratic credentials, leadership style and governance philosophies.”

     Threat necessary to protect democracy 

    But, a socio-political group, Kwara Solidarity Forum (KSF) hailed the National Assembly’s decision to invoke its power on the executive arm of government if the failed to stop the intimidation and harassment of perceived political enemies.

    The group in a statement by its National Coordinator, Kashamu Lawal, urged the National Assembly to go add action to its words.

    It said: “The Buhari’s presidency has committed too many impeachable offences. His disposition to the actions of his appointees, from Comptroller-General of Customs; former SGF, Babachir Lawal; IGP Ibrahim Idris, and acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, among others, which has brought the institution of the Senate to ridicule are testament to  his high level of incompetence.

    “The news about the lawmakers’ threat to invoke their power on the executive, brought some relief to so many of us who are concerned about protecting the nation’s nascent democracy.

    “Beyond this threat by the National Assembly, we are fully in support of the National Assembly to exhibit its constitutionally empowered right.

    “It is a known fact that President Buhari has committed more impeachable offences in the last three years, which, if Nigeria was a truly democratic state he would have been shown the way out of office.

    “At this level, one would have expected the National Assembly to have gone beyond issuing threats upon threats like it has been doing in the past, three years into flagrant display of incompetence, gross misconduct, total disregard for the rule of law as well as abuse and excessive use of power by the Buhari administration, are enough reasons to have invoked its power long time ago.”

    The 12-point resolution

    • The security agencies must be given marching orders to curtail the sustained killing of Nigerians across the country and protect lives and properties of Nigerians as this is the primary duty of any responsible government.
    • The systematic harassment and humiliation by the executive of perceived political opponents, people with contrary opinions including legislators and judiciary by the police and other security agencies must stop.
    • There must be strict adherence to the Rule of Law and protection for all citizens by the President and his appointees.
    • The President must be held accountable for the actions of his appointees and must be ready to sanction those that carry out any act which will ridicule or endanger our country and democracy.
    • The government should show sincerity in the fight against corruption by not being selective. It should also prosecute current appointees that have cases pending against them.
    • The sanctity of the National Assembly should be protected and preserved by the Federal Government of Nigeria by not interfering in its business and prosecuting those who invaded the Senate to seize the mace.
    • National Assembly should liaise with international communities through the IPU, APU, ECOWAS, CPA, parliament, Pan African Parliament, EU, UN, US congress and UK parliament to secure our democracy. Democratic elections must be competitive and inclusive by removing the present reign of fear and intimidation particularly as we approach the forthcoming 2019 elections.
    • The National Assembly will work closely with Civil Society Organisations, trade unions and NGOs to further deepen and protect our democracy.
    • The President must take immediate steps to contain the growing level of unemployment and poverty in Nigeria especially now that we have advantage of the oil price having risen to $80 per barrel.
    • Both chambers of the National Assembly hereby pass a vote of confidence on the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the entire leadership of the National Assembly.
    • We reaffirm our earlier resolution of vote of no confidence on the Inspector General of Police who does nothing other than preside over the killing of innocent Nigerian and consistent framing up of perceived political opponents of the President and outright disregard for constitutional authority, both executive and legislative.
    • Finally, the National Assembly will not hesitate to evoke its Constitutional powers if nothing is done to address the above resolutions passed today.

     

  • Kudos for Abia APC delegates

    A former commissioner for works in Abia State, Prince Paul Ikonne, has hailed members of the Abia chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for their orderly conduct during the congress which was held over the weekend in Umuahia.

    Ikonne, who spoke with reporter after the exercise, described it as as a sign of good things to come in the affairs of the party as it was conducted in a peaceful atmosphere devoid of rancor.

    He commended the members of the party in the state for coming out in their numbers to vote for the executives that will manage the affairs of the party in the state and urged them to give their support for them to excel.

    The former works commissioner said with the peaceful conduct of the congress that the party is now poised to take over the affairs of the state and called on members to register for their PVCs as it is their arm to ensure victory.

    Ikonne said, “What we have done during the congress shows that we are ready for the forthcoming general elections in the state and we can only achieve that if our members have their PVCs as without it we cannot achieve results”.

    The former Abia state commissioner then charged the new executives of the Abia APC to go all out to fish for more members and also leave room for those who are aggrieved but ready to come back, as the party is for everybody.

    Ikonne expressed confidence in the President Mohammad Buhari’s administration, noting that it as capable of transforming the country socio-economic fortunes of Nigerians.

    He noted that the current government at the center has done a lot for the people of the South East such as the reconstruction of the Port Harcourt-Enugu expressway which has been in a dilapidated form among other projects.

    The former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Abia state, Prince Ikonne noted that APC is one happy family, stressing that the party is known for obeying court order at all times.

    Ikonne, who was elected as zonal chairman Abia South of APC, said with what they had done that the party was now ready to move to the next level and urged members of the party to remain faithful at all times.

     

     

  • Kudos, knocks for President over bid to run again

    With a declaration yesterday to vie again for his party’s ticket, President Muhammadu Buhari has thrown his hat into the ring. OKODILI NDIDI, CHRIS OJI, BISI OLANIYI and MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE report the reactions of those in support and against the President’s decision to renew his tenancy at the State House in Abuja for four more years.

    For President Muhammadu Buhari’s political future, the waiting game ended yesterday. He declared his intention to seek re-election next year.

    Buhari made the declaration at a closed-door meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja.

    According to the President, his choice of the NEC as the platform to launch his re-election bid was to give the body the honour of being the first to be notified.

    The decision, he explained, was a response to the clamour by Nigerians to re-contest.

    The early Monday declaration has been drawing reactions from supporters of the President, who describe the decision as a good omen and his critics, who feel Buhari should adopt the Nelson Mandela option – quit after the expiration of his four-year tenure on May 29, next year.

    They have been talking on the implications of the declaration for the country.

    Some a fresh mandate would help consolidate the gains recorded by his administration, if re-elected. However, the critics said the President won’t find it easy going for second term.

     It’ll silence opposition, says Okorocha

    The Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) and Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha said that Buhari’s declaration for second term will silence the ‘noise’ of the opposition parties.

    He described the declaration as a “patriotic response to the clarion call of Nigerians of goodwill on him to lead the country for another four years.”

    Okorocha said the ruling APC owed nobody any apology for its first four years under the Buhari presidency, unlike the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that looted the country for 16 years only to apologise.

    In a statement signed by his media aide Sam Onwuemeodo, the governor noted: “The declaration of the President to go for a second tenure would also go a long way to reduce the noise of the opposition and take care of the idiosyncrasies of certain elements in the system.”

    Arguing that the President has done well to earn tenure, he said: “Those who had wanted to blackmail him out of going for another term can now find other meaningful things to keep themselves busy.

    “The President would largely garner more votes in 2019 than he had done in 2015 because most Nigerians, including people of the Southeast have seen that he meant well for the nation and the citizenry.

    “The APC has no apology to make because it has done wonderfully well, considering the magnitude of the rot it met on ground in 2015.

    “The antenna of the opposition in the country will finally be lowered when the campaigns begin and the party will be showing Nigerians its achievements in the states under its control and at the Federal level.

    “When a political party had admitted that the government it ran was a huge failure and then apologised, such scenario goes with restitution and not with reward.”

    Okorocha urged APC members across the land to close ranks to ensure a resounding victory for the ruling party at all levels in next year’s general elections.

    The Chairman of the United Progressive party (UPP), Chekwa Okorie said the president has simply exercise his constitutionally guaranteed right, to seek for another term in office.

    He said: “Now, nobody is in doubt whether he will run or not. But then, my sympathy goes to the APC because the burden is on them to be able to market the man that has given Nigerians so many nightmares.

    “The three years he has been in the saddle has been nightmarish. It has been a disaster. All the promises made have not been fulfilled. Nigeria has never been as divided as it is now since the country was put together by the colonial administration. The ethnic sentiment and religious divisions have taken unprecedented dimension.

    “The 2019 presidential election will be characterised by lot of primordial sentiments and prejudices. I will say no thanks to President Buhari’s method. That is why I say that my sympathy goes to the APC. And for those of us in the opposition, we cannot wait to see his back. This is the end of the road for the APC and the battle line has now been drawn.

    •President Buhari speaking at the All Progressives Congress (APC) NEC meeting in Abuja...yesterday. With him are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (third right); Senate President Bukola Saraki (third left); Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha (second left); APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun and National Women Leader Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani.
    •President Buhari speaking at the All Progressives Congress (APC) NEC meeting in Abuja…yesterday. With him are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (third right); Senate President Bukola Saraki (third left); Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha (second left); APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun and National Women Leader Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani.

     It’s a welcome development, says Babatope 

    A one-time Transportation Minister Ebenezer Babatope said the President has the right to contest.

    “He is constitutionally right to contest. All that I can say is that we are waiting for all of them, himself and the APC. And by the grace of God, we of the PDP will definitely contest the election and win.

    “Nigerians will decide and when they compare the administration of the APC and PDP, they know that the PDP did very well when it was in government.

    “We have nothing personal against President Buhari, but with the support of Nigerians and by the grace of God, we will win the election.”

    Afenifere chieftain and former Senator Femi Okurounmu described the declaration as unfortunate

    “It shows that he has no regard for Nigerians irrespective of their opinion. He is more concerned with his lost for power and hegemonic ambition. But, I can assure him that he will meet his waterloo.

    “As I am talking today, the President no longer enjoys the support of the people. They are in a hurry to vote him out. Nigerians are not going to vote for him in any way, he is no longer popular.

     Lagos APC chair: it’s all about consolidation 

    The chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the APC, Henry Ajomale, said the President has exercised his constitutionally guaranteed right, adding that his re-election will consolidate what the party started and that will make the country better.

    He said: “Nigerians should be patient because what the President met on ground is not palatable. The PDP messed up the country and the President has been up and doing trying to ensure that Nigerians get the best.

    Those who have been criticizing the decision do not know the gravity of service the President has rendered because the PDP caused lots of havoc in the country. It not just what you can correct within the space of four years, so the President deserve another term to make the country better.”

     He’ll meet his match in our party, says Balarabe 

    To former Kaduna State Governor Balarabe Musa, there was nothing wrong in President Buhari’s decalration to seek re-election.

    Alhaji Musa, a chieftain of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), said told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview that his party would, however, field a strong candidate to challenge Buhari.

    He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari is welcome on board, but we want to assure Nigerians that the PRP has a presidential candidate to field in the 2019 general elections.”

     Makarfi: it’s an expected declaration 

    Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Caretaker Committee Chairman Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi, said there was nothing new in Buhari decision to run again.

    “It’s no news that he is contesting. It would have been news if he had announced the opposite”, Makarfi told NAN in a text message.

    The APC local chapter spokesman in Sokoto State, Alhaji Sidi Ali, said: “Buhari has all it takes to re-contest and the decision is a welcome development.

    “He is governing well and has the capacity to continue with the good work, and I am sure more good transformations will happen in the country, if he is re-elected.”

    But the PDP Secretary in the Northwest state, Alhaji Kabiru Aliyu, warned of the consequences of renewing the mandate for the APC.

    Aliyu said: “Nigerians should vote out the APC or prepare for another four years of hunger.

    “Buhari’s age and health condition are all in Allah’s hand, but what is more of concern is good governance and ability to transform the country better.

    “Nigerians should vote the PDP to avoid continuous hunger and maladministration that subject people to hardships.”

     It rekindles hope, says Bello 

    Niger State Governor Abubakar Bello said the President’s declaration has rekindled the hope of Nigerians.

    A statement in Minna by his media/publicity coordinator Jide Orintunsin, the governor said that Buhari’s decision has reassured Nigerians that the restoration agenda, the war against corruption and enthronement of good governance for the country would sail safely to coast.

    He was quoted as saying: “It is heart-warming that Mr. President today (yesterday) told members of the NEC of his intention to seek re-election. This is the brightest moment for our country. It’s a moment that has rekindled the hope of our people.

    “A moment that has reaffirmed that all the good works, the good initiatives of the President that saw us out of economic recession the country was plunged into by mismanagement of past administration will now be sustained to take us to the desired enviable position among the comity of nations.

    “The president has exhibited high sense of good leadership. He has shown that he listens to the yearnings of millions of Nigerians who called on him to continue the good work he started since 2015.

    “The onus is now on all good and well-meaning Nigerians to rally round our President and ensure that the reactionary forces of the opposition and agents of doom are not allowed to dash the much cherish hope we all have in the emerging Nigeria by doing the needful during the next general election.

    “We cannot afford to go back to the dark days of extravagance and impunity. President Buhari has changed the game. He has brought sanity to governance. The war against insurgency is nearing logical conclusion and our economy is improving.

    “Posterity will not forgive us as a people if we allow this golden opportunity to slip off our hands. Mr. President has declared. We have to do the needful as a people by supporting him.”

    •Governors All - From right: Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Samuel Ortom (Benue); Simon Lalong (Plateau); Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi); Yahaya Bello (Kogi); Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano); Kashim Shettima (Borno); Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa); Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto); Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi) and others...yesterday.
    •Governors All – From right: Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Samuel Ortom (Benue); Simon Lalong (Plateau); Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi); Yahaya Bello (Kogi); Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano); Kashim Shettima (Borno); Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa); Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto); Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi) and others…yesterday.

     Kogi’ll support re-election bid, says governor 

    Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello pledged the support of his constituents to President Buhari’s re-election bid.

    He gave the assurance in a statement signed by his media aide Kingsley Fanwo.

    Bello was quoted as saying: “I am a staunch supporter of Mr. President and I am proud to be associated with such a great leader and personality.”

    The governor reminded the President that the people of Kogi State were the first to call on him to seek re-election at rallies organised in Anyigba, Kabba, Isanlu, Olamaboro and Okene which attracted hundreds of thousands of attendants.

    “We thank Mr. President for listening to the voices of Nigerians who are satisfied with his performance. Kogi people were the first to organise rallies in different towns and cities to call on Mr. President to seek re-election.

    “As the leader of the state, I wish to assure Mr. President that my people are solidly behind his policies of economic recovery, security and the fight against corruption. Kogi will deliver to Mr President, more votes than the state gave in 2015.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari has not lost his magic touch. He is a trusted leader who the masses want as their President beyond 2019. But it is also instructive for us to know that corruption will begin to fight back with renewed vigor to stop the march of the masses. We shall triumph.

    “Today’s (yesterday’s) declaration of Mr President for second term has further reinvigorated our belief that he will continue to make sacrifices for the greatness of our nation.”

     

    Jubilation in Kano

     

    Many youths in Kano State took to the streets in jubilation as the news of the President’s intention to run again broke in Abuja.

    Kano is pivotal to Buhari’s second term bid as the state gave him the highest number of votes in the 2015 election, just like in the elections of 2003, 2007 and 2011.

    Out of the 2,172,447 votes  cast in Kano in 2015, Buhari won 1,903,999 votes, leaving the rest of the field to scramble for the fewer than 250,000 left.

    They said they were happy to learn that the President declared his interest in the 2019 Presidential race.

    Some of the youths expressed optimism that President Buhari would be able to complete the development projects that he has started by expiration of his eight-year tenure in 2023.

    The youth leaders, Usman Baba, said the Buhari administration has been restoring security and fighting corruption in the past three years.

    He said: “We are happy and hoping that President Buhari should return to embark on infrastructural development since he has already retrieved a lot from looters.

    “We don’t want someone to come and embezzle the retrieved loot or divert it to some looters again. That is why we want him to serve another term.”

    Abduljalal Mu’azu, also expressed optimism that if Buhari wins a second term, the country’s situation might improve.

    A female respondent Malama Maryam Musa, said the world has accepted Buhari as a trustworthy and transparent President.

     

    “It’s a step in right direction

     

    The Rivers State chapter of the (APC) described the declaration as a step in the right direction.

    Speaking in Port Harcourt through its Publicity Secretary Chris Finebone, the party expressed optimism that Nigerians would still massively vote for President Buhari next year, in view of his administration’s impressive performance.

    It said: “To most of us in the APC, today’s (yesterday’s) declaration by President Buhari to seek a second term in office did not come to us as a surprise. Firstly, President Buhari has performed well in all sectors of the polity, such as the economy, agriculture, security, infrastructural development and security turn around.

    “Again, it did not come to us as a surprise, because months back, President Buhari had appointed the Transportation Minister Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, as his re-election campaign manager.

    “It was obvious that he could not have carried out such appointment without running for a second term. We are profoundly delighted that our expectation and anxiety have been finally rested today (yesterday).”

     

    It’s good news for anti-corruption fight, says CACOL

     

    Anti-corruption group Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) hailed the decision to re-contest, describing it as “good news for anti-graft war.’’

    Commending the Buhar’s decision in Lagos yesterday, CACOL’s Chairman Debo Adeniran said the declaration ended months of speculation about whether the President would seek re-election or not.

    Adeniran said the declaration was a good development, as it would afford the President more time to consolidate on his achievements in the anti-corruption fight.

    The CACOL chief said that no Nigerian president had fought corruption as fiercely as Buhari, saying a second term would ensure the sustenance of the anti-graft fight momentum.

    He said: “The President’s declaration is good news, especially for the fight against corruption. The way Buhari has fought corruption in the country is unprecedented, in fact, no president has done better.

    “Therefore another term will enable the President to have more time to consolidate on some of the achievements he has recorded in the fight.

    “You know when you fight corruption, corruption fights back. The current fight would have achieved much more, if not for sabotage by some corrupt elements.

    “We sincerely believe that the president will use another term to perfect the fight and declare total victory against corrupt elements.’’

     

    ‘It’s triumph of good over evil’ 

     

    The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum hailed the decision by the President to seek re-election.

    In a statement by its Secretary-General Akin Malaolu, the group said:  “Our trusted President to exercise his constitutionally right for second term in office should be commended and on this our group stands.

    “We are happy for Nigeria and Nigerians the glorious chapter and the intervention of APC into the affairs of our nation shall further improved the quality of lives and most especially of our youths in the area of employment availability.

    “Nigerians everywhere must see it as their duty to protect good against evil which the oppositions connote. We shall on our part as a group campaign faithfully for all contestants in APC regardless of tribes or religion.”

  • Tinubu gets kudos as head of APC’s peace panel

    The Audu/Faleke Political Organisation in Kogi State has thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, as head of the party’s National Reconciliation Committee.

    The group described the move as a step in the right direction and a life-saving measure.

    A statement by its spokesman, Alex Kadiri, said: “We believe that this development is not only a step in the right direction, but a life saving measure, especially at this time that our party is enmeshed in crisis.

    “As responsible and foundation members of the party, we are not averse to efforts geared towards its well-being. This accounts for why we made ourselves available before two previous similar committees, though the National Working Committee (NWC) failed to implement its findings.

    “Our enthusiasm for this party is dampened by the assumption by most Nigerians that the issue in Kogi APC is merely between Governor Yahaya Bello and Senator Dino Melaye. But we do not believe in Bello’s leadership style, which is divisive and destructive.

    “We do not doubt Tinubu’s efficiency and capability, and as such look forward to seeing him deploy his leadership wisdom into redirecting our party towards peace and progress, even as we prepare for the next elections.

    “We also thank him for accepting this nation-building assignment, and urge him to hasten the committee’s activities, and pay particular attention to Kogi State where the government is planting seeds of disunity, especially through its recent unlawful creation and funding of unknown parallel party executives.”

  • Kudos, Ambode on Yoruba language law

    Kudos, Ambode on Yoruba language law

    SIR: A few weeks ago, the amiable and unassuming governor of Lagos State, Akinwumi Ambode signed into law Yoruba Language Preservation and Promotion Law. With the signing of the bill, Yoruba language is now a compulsory subject for all students in Lagos State, both in private and public schools. Besides, Yoruba language has been inculcated into the General Studies in all tertiary institutions in Lagos State.

    The multiplier effects of the action of Ambode are many. First, it will make Yoruba language to regain its enviable position among world languages. This is a language of over 25 million Yoruba people in Nigeria and another 25 million in the Diaspora. Secondly, the language, at least in Lagos State, will be saved from going into extinction as being predicted by scholars because of its disuse. Thirdly, it will provide jobs for teeming Yoruba language graduates who were roaming the streets because of the travails of the language.

    Furthermore, the action of Ambode proves that the Lagos State sobriquet, Centre of Excellence is not a misnomer. Aside, as the USA is called God’s Own Country, Lagos State is Nigeria’s God’s own state. There is no doubt that providence rather than other factors bestowed the state with forward looking administrators having their eyes on history. From Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson to the action man original, Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande, Gbolahan Mudashiru, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Gen. Buba Marwa, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola and Ambode, all are God’s gift to Lagos State.

    The humility of Ambode in spite of his brilliance academically and accomplishments in life and as a governor showed that you cannot purchase in the market place the fact that you are born great. As a matter of fact, I envy Ambode and Lagos for setting the pace in indigenous language rejuvenation, promotion and preservation not only in Yorubaland but Nigeria as a whole. The late sage, Obafemi Awolowo had in the past set up Yoruba Historical Research Council under the leadership of the nationalist historian, late Professor Sabiru Biobaku. How happy would I be if Oyo State which is the epicenter of Yoruba civilization is credited with this feat? Obviously, Yoruba language, the pure and undiluted, being used in writing, as means of communication by the media houses etc, originated in Ogbomoso zone, precisely, Orile Igbon, before it spread to other part of Yorubaland. Is it therefore not an irony that Oyo’s looking the other way when the language is going into extinction?

    Posterity will be generous with Ambode for his lofty strides by preserving Yoruba language. Nonetheless, he should please do the same for history as a discipline in Lagos schools. May be other governors in the region will emulate it. Yorubaland is too sophisticated and enlightened beyond not to have history as a subject or a course of study in our schools. We know the usefulness of history more than our neighbours that are misguiding us to jettison history under a warped federalism. Unless history is equally repositioned, Ambode’s giant strides may pass into oblivion.

     

    • Adewuyi Adegbite

    ayekooto05@gmail.com