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Tag: Marwa

  • Marwa to Atiku, others: no vacancy in Villa till 2023

    IF the words of former Lagos State military administrator Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa are anything to go by, those jostling to unseat President Muhammadu Buhari would have to wait for four more years.

    Reason: there is no vacancy at the Presidential Villa till 2023, the former Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa said yesterday.

    He said the President will be returned for a fresh four-year term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) next February.

    Gen. Marwa made the declaration while fielding questions from reporters yesterday in Yola.

    Marwa, who is the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee on Drugs, said he was confident that President Buhari would defeat other presidential candidates in the 2019 election.

    He said: “Buba Marwa Organisation is the first to organise rally in support of President Buhari in 2016, because Buhari have done very well in three areas of economy, security and fight against corruption.

    “He will return for the second time by the grace of God, and for that, I have no doubt all those vying for Aso Villa should wait till 2023.”

    On the recent security situation in the country, he said the Army and other security agencies had done well and need more support and encouragement from the general public.

    On illicit drugs, Marwa said his committee had made several contacts and efforts to control the importation, consumption and dealing in such drugs and the trafficker.

  • Random drug testing for employees, students, others will curb abuse —Marwa

    Presidential Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Drug Abuse, PACEDA, has said it is working on a proposal that will guide the introduction of random drug testing for employees, students and other persons suspected of using illegal drugs whether in public or private places.

    Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Chairman of the Committee, Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), said the aim of the proposed policy is not to criminalise individual drug abusers but to identify persons who may be in need of attention and help from relevant agencies of government to overcome their mental health challenges.

    Recall that the Federal Ministry of Health recently said an estimated 40 million Nigerians suffer one form of mental disorder. The Marwa-led committee comprising first lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, and wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, among others, was inaugurated by President Buhari last week to advise the federal government and develop policies on how to eliminate the menace of drug abuse across the country.

    Marwa decried the inadequacy of trained personnel and treatment facilities for drug-related mental disorders, saying the country had only 11 rehabilitation centres and less than 200 psychiatrists for the entire population.

    Read also: HIV/AIDS: Obaseki establishes seven testing centers in Benin

    He said the federal government was doing its best through the inter-ministerial committee against drug abuse and the PACEDA to develop urgent strategies that will address the worrisome trend in a sustainable manner.

    His words: “Drug abuse is central to practically all the problems associated with this country. Hence, we have a war before us that must be fought and won. So, we must have the capacity of testing people at random for drugs. It will send a strong message to the public that if anyone wants to enjoy certain rights and privileges, he must get out of drug abuse.

    “We must have institutions that will be prepared and equipped to enter public and private institutions and test people at random for drugs. The issue is not to criminalise individuals but to determine who needs help to overcome the challenge of substance abuse.”

    Marwa stressed that the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative will cascade down to the grassroots so that the people at the community levels will be sensitised and made to assume ownership of the efforts the country is making towards combating the menace.

    He  called for inputs from the public in the form of memoranda to his committee suggesting better strategies and improvements that could be made in the efforts to tackle drug abuse in Nigeria.

  • Uduaghan, Marwa, others join Buhari at APC meeting

    •Tinubu, Onoja, Akpabio, Elechi, others plan battle for 2019

    The new shape of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national caucus emerged yesterday.

    There are new faces, such as former Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and former Senate Minority Leader Godswill Akpabio.

    Uduaghan’s membership of the APC was largely unknown until last night when President Muhammadu Buhari met with the party’s national caucus at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

    Also at the meeting, which is expected to kickstart the APC’s preparations for next year’s general elections, were former Lagos State Military Administrator Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.) and former Military Governor of Katsina  State Gen. Lawrence Onoja (retd.).

    Gen. Marwa is from Adamawa, home state of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar who quit the APC to pursue his presidential ambition in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was active in the CPC.

    Information Minister Lai Mohammed was at the meeting. He is now the leader of the party in Kwara State, following Senate President Bukola Saraki’s defection to the PDP.

    Former Ebonyi State Governor Martins Elechi, formerly of the PDP, was also at the meeting.

    The Caucus meeting will prepare the ground for tomorrow’s National ExecutievCouncil (NEC) meeting which will ratify the plans for the party’s congresses and convention to pick its candidates for all the various offices, including the standard bearer in the presidential election.

    A decision on whether to adopt direct primaries being advocated by National Chairman Adams Oshiohmole or indirect primaries, through the delegates system was expected to be taken.

    President Muhammadu Buhari presided over the meeting held at the New Banquet Hall of the State House. Proceedings started around 8.30pm.

    Also attending were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo,  Oshiomhole, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former Interim National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande and former National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun. Deputy National Chaorman (South) Adeniyi Adebayo and Chief Don Etiebet were there.

    There were 17 governors at the time the meeting started. They are the governors of Lagos, Borno, Jigawa, Niger, Plateau, Kogi, Adamawa, Ondo, Kano, Ogun, Oyo, Katsina, Osun, Yobe, Nasarawa, Kebbi, and Imo.

    Also at the meeting were House of Representatives Leader Femi Gbajabiamila, former Senate President Ken Nnamani, Senators  Kabiru Gaya and Jim Nwobodo.

    There were also former governors Segun Oni (Ekiti) Ali Modu Sheriff (Borno), Sullivan Chime (Enugu) Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa) and Oserheime Osunbor (Edo).

     

  • Sani, Marwa hail Buhari on federal appointments

    Sani, Marwa hail Buhari on federal appointments

    SENATOR Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna Central and former military administrator, Gen Buba Mohammed Marwa were on the same page yesterday on the appointments made by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The duo said those reading ethnic meanings to federal appointments got it wrong, as the ability to deliver, rather than filling quota in public office was the guiding principle.

     Sani, a civil rights activist, urged Nigerians to judge President Buhari on the moral standing and capacity of those he appointed into public office rather than looking at religious and ethnic identity.

    In a statement in Abuja yesterday, the senator appealed to critics to help the President build “a tower of change” by clearing the rot bequeathed by the previous government.

    Tracing the upsurge in attacks on the President to sentiments rather than substance, he described as unfortunate that every issue in the country had to be subjected to ethnic interpretation.

    According to him, the concern raised by the people of the Southeast on the appointment, though genuine, credible and needed to be looked into, the agitation should not allowed to be exploited by “spent forces, vultures and political dinosaurs.”

    The lawmaker said as a man who fought the civil war and staked his life for the unity and peace of the country, President Buhari “needs no lecture or homilies on nationalism.”

     He said: “It is sad and most unfortunate that every issue in Nigeria has to go through the process of ethnic interpretation or religious translation or sectional categorisation and at the end sapped of its moral taste.

    “It is sad and unfortunate that with over a century after amalgamation and over five decades of political independence, some Nigerians still view our union as an incest; capitalising on every mundane issue to question its morality.

    “President Buhari is neither ‘a northern President’ nor ‘King of the North’. Among those on a smear campaign against the President are notorious ethnic irredentists, chauvinists and jingoistic politicians.

    “We must collectively safeguard our unity and defend our democracy from the verbal raid and oral onslaught of retrogressive forces against the currents of change.”

    Marwa, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State, praised the appointment of Babachir David Lawal, an engineer, as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

    A statement by his aide,  Bello Zubairu, quoted the former Borno and Lagos State military administrators as saying that Lawal’s appointment “is not only a plus to his tribe or state or the North but to the country.”

    He described the new SGF as a thorough-bred party loyalist and philanthropist with great contacts across Nigeria.

    The statement reads: “His life as an accomplished businessman, a pastor, his military background will in no little way ensure high level of discipline and impact positively on his duties as SGF.

    “Lawal is a fair, straight-forward and honest man who is not a yes man. He will, no doubt, bring new sense of direction into office and as engine room of government, we are sure the president will get honest advice and as such policies will be well implemented and properly monitored.”

  • Marwa urges youths to support Buhari

    Former Lagos State Governor Gen. Buba Marwa has urged youths to be patient with President Muhammadu Buhari, as he unfolds his agenda.

    Addressing the leadership of an All Progressives Congress (APC) youth group, the APC Volunteers, who visited him in Abuja yesterday, Marwa said the President was working hard to address the country’s needs, adding that their (youths’) needs would be prioritised.

    He enjoined youths to show ingenuity by contributing their quota to the country’s development, noting that they have great roles to play in moving the country forward.

    Gen. Marwa said: “President Buhari is working round the clock to meet the challenges. As things take shape, his agenda for the country will be implemented and I believe your concerns in terms of jobs and other needs will be addressed.

    “Let us be patient and support him to succeed. I urge you to contribute your quota in whatever capacity. Youths are resourceful and the President needs your contributions.”

    He assured the APC Volunteers of his commitment to advance the needs of youths and agreed to be their patron.

    The group’s leader, Mr. Olusegun Bamgbose, who led other executive members to the meeting, praised Gen. Marwa for heeding the calls of his supporters by returning to the APC, “which he helped to build.”

    He said he hoped that youths, who looked up to the ex-military governor for inspiration and guidance, would benefit from his return to the APC.

    Bamgbose, a lawyer, assured that his group would come up with initiatives to support the Buhari administration, urging the country to give him a chance to succeed.

  • Marwa, supporters return to APC

    Marwa, supporters return to APC

    Former Lagos State military governor, Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, yesterday returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC) with thousands of his supporters across Adamawa State.

    Marwa, an ex-envoy to South Africa, resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) barely a week ago.

    This was contained in a statement yesterday in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, by his media aide, Bello Zubairu, who said “the decision to return to the APC was reached at a well-attended meeting yesterday between Gen. Marwa and his supporters under the aegis of The Marwa Organisation (TMO).”

    Speaking at the parley, the ex-military governor of Borno and Lagos states told the gathering that they had no reason to leave APC before, but for the fact that thousands of TMO members were denied registration into the APC in Adamawa State when the party was newly formed.

    Before the emergence of the APC, Gen. Marwa was the governorship candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Adamawa and after the merger of CPC and other opposition parties to form the APC, thousands of his supporters from several local governments in the state were technically denied the opportunity to register in the new party.

    He said: “Efforts to seek redress through the appropriate channels were to no avail, thus leaving thousands of you, TMO members, without a party.” Marwa urged them to forgo their grievances and let bygones be bygones, stressing that “with President Muhammadu Buhari in the saddle, such impunity won’t happen again.”

    The statement said after listening to the views of others, the body resolved to return to the party it joined others to form, work for its growth and contribute to national development.

    TMO members noted that at their first meeting after the formation of the new government, they congratulated President Buhari, Adamawa State Governor Ahmad Bindo and the National Assembly.

    Marwa enjoined elected and appointed officials to support President Buhari and work for a positive change in the country.

  • Marwa quits PDP

    Marwa quits PDP

    Former Lagos State Military Governor Mohammed Buba Marwa has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    A statement yesterday in Abuja by his media aide, Bello Zubairu, said “the former military governor decided to quit the PDP on personal grounds.”

    Before the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Marwa was the governorship candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Adamawa State. After the merger of the party with others to form the APC, thousands of his supporters were technically denied the opportunity to register in the new party.

    Although the statement is silent on whether Gen. Marwa will return to the APC, it, however, said “the retired General will make public his next line of action in the coming days.”

    “He appeal to his supporters and well-wishers, who have been calling him for direction from across the country, to await his next move,” the statement added.

     

     

  • Buhari ’ll stamp out corruption, indiscipline, say Sagay, Marwa

    Buhari ’ll stamp out corruption, indiscipline, say Sagay, Marwa

    A constitutional lawyer, Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) and former Lagos State Military Governor Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa yesterday expressed confidence that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration will stamp out systemic corruption and indiscipline in the country.

    Sagay and Gen. Marwa, who spoke separately, noted that the socio-economic woes facing the country were direct consequences of indiscipline and corruption by past governments.

    They noted that the new administration will ensure discipline and guarantee security of lives and property.

    The lawyer, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said it was unfortunate that as an oil producing nation, the country was still experiencing scarcity of petrol.

    Sagay cited the current energy crisis confronting the nation due to scarcity of petroleum products, which almost crippled the economy.

    He said such woes facing the nation were results of corruption and indiscipline, insisting “they must be stamped out’’.

    Sagay said it had become imperative that the government must situate this in the right perspective.

    He said the new administration must ensure urgent resuscitation of the moribund refineries in the country for crude oil to be refined locally.

    “We must refine all our petroleum products within the country. We must stop the importation of petroleum products. It is criminal for the country to purchase petroleum products from non oil producing countries,” Sagay said.

    The senior advocate said Nigeria had all the devices to end the ongoing epileptic power supply, which had further impoverished its citizens.

    He advised the government to allow communities to organise their own power supply systems and become independent.

    Sagay called for the abolition of national grid system to allow for independent power supply.

    He said government must not compel everybody to hook-on to the national grid that had not been performing optimally.

    Sagay noted that the independent power stations were already in use in some parts of Lagos State, and were effective.

    Gen. Marwa, who spoke at an event organised by Muslim League for Accountability Initiative, a body of 54 Islamic organisations in the country at the Arewa House in Kaduna, said Buhari should consider new ways of tackling the nation’s problems to achieve the desired results.

    Speaking on the topic: “My Advice for Muhammadu Buhari”, Marwa and Prof. Idris Bugaje of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria listed some priority areas which the president must work on to succeed.

    The former military governor said though he was not qualified to advise Buhari “because he has seen it all having been General Officer Commanding (GOC), minister, governor and Head of State, I will nonetheless fulfill my obligation to the organisers of this lecture and do the needful since I have been asked to”.

    “Fear of God, sense of justice and equity must be ensured. All Nigerians know these are his qualities, but all those who will work in his government need to share these qualities,” he stated.

    He assured the gathering that the President would “tame the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast the moment the military is provided with the right tools and wherewithal. They will do a good job”.

    He identified discipline as a major issue that must top Buhari’s agenda.

    “We all know that is his second name. He has done it before. He will do it better this time. Although this is a civilian regime, he will find another way around it to ensure that both government and the citizenry imbibe the culture of discipline.”

    “The new administration has to device new ways of doing things. One of the areas that require new approach is the power sector. All the while, our nation has not really considered the coal option in the generation of power, whereas indutrialised nations like the United States, Russia and many others rely on coal. So, we have to look that way this time around to get out of this perennial problem,” he said.

    Gen. Marwa noted that though there is need to cut cost in view of the nation’s economic reality, the Buhari administration must consider the creation of ministries of Wealth Creation and Poverty Alleviation as well as that of Railway.

    According to him, “this is essential because no past Nigerian leader has received the kind of support from the poor masses like President Buhari. So, the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Poverty Alleviation must be created to take care of this critical segment of our society. “Apart from this, for a population like Nigeria, our mass transit should be railway. Hence, we need a Ministry of Railway Transportation like in India. Railway transit will move millions at a time, it will move goods and even petroleum products. It will move more people than the airlines. If the airlines can have the Ministry of Aviation, then we need Ministry of Railway.”

    Gen. Marwa added: “New refineries have to be built here and there. The old ones need to be repaired to function effectively and then build a fuel reserve that can last for 90 days to take care of emergency situations like industrial strikes and the rest.”

  • Fintiri, nine others gang up against Ribadu, Marwa

    Fintiri, nine others gang up against Ribadu, Marwa

    •PDP appeal panel clears  acting Adamawa governor

    Ten of the 14 aspirants contesting for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship ticket in the Adamawa State governorship by-election have come together against Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and three others.

    The others are former Lagos State Military Administrator Gen. Buba Marwa, ex-Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Executive Secretary Dr. Ahmed Modibo and former governorship candidate Marcus Gundiri.

    In the gang-up are Acting Governor Umar Fintiri, Mr. Ahmed Gulak, Awwal Tukur, James Barka, Sen Abubakar Girei, Dr. Idi Hong, Aliyu Kama, Umar Ardo, Jerry Kumdisi and Dr. Andrawus Sawa.

    Eight of the aspirants stormed the party secretariat in Yola yesterday. Finitiri and Dr. Sawa were absent.

    Spokesman of the group and former presidential adviser Ahmed Gulak said the 10 of them had resolved to come together in the interest of the party and the people.

    “We are the only PDP family members; any other person outside is not PDP. Any other person outside the listed persons is not PDP,” Gulak said.

    Gulak said they would remain vigilant for today’s ward congress to check any attempt to use non party members as delegates by any person or group.

    “Tomorrow (today) is ward congress. Anybody who brings three delegates from the 226 wards outside the party structure will be resisted,” Gulak warned.

    He said they would resist any imposition of candidate from the national leadership of the PDP and the Presidency for the October 11 by- election.

    Gulak said they resolved not to allow a stranger to become the standard bearer of the party they laboured for.

    Gulak said they would not recognise Ribadu, Dr. Moddibo, Gen. Marwa and Mr. Gundiri as bonafide members of the party.

    He insisted that the group would not allow an outsider to rob them of their right in the house they built.

    Gulak boasted that one of the 10 aspirants will emerge as the party’s standard bearer.

    The party’s state deputy chairman, Alhaji Jingi Rufai, praised the aspirants for their decision to unite for a common cause saying their action would ensure transparency in the primary.

    Rufai said party officials had met over the ward congress and resolved that strict compliance with the party constitution would be observed.

    Rufai said the party was aware of some “fake registers” and membership forms in circulation, warning that those planning to rig the congress would be disappointed.

    But the immediate past state Secretary of PDP and a leading campaigner for the Ribadu candidacy, Mr Phineas Elisha, said the action of the aspirants amounted to indiscipline as the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP had cleared them to contest.

    Elisha said the party’s constitution should determine who is a member and not individuals.

    “You cannot just come out because you hate the face of a person to say he is not a member.

    “How can you say that a person that registered, request for and was granted waiver is not a member of a party? People need to show respect to the party’s constitution,” Elisha said.

  • Adamawa: Ribadu, Fintiri, Tukur, others beat PDP deadline

    Adamawa: Ribadu, Fintiri, Tukur, others beat PDP deadline

    It was a flurry of activities at the Abuja national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party on Monday, as 12 of the party’s 14 governorship aspirants scrambled to return their nomination forms to beat the deadline.

    The aspirants, who took turns to speak with reporters after submitting their forms, described the contest as “serious business,” saying they were not leaving anything to chance.

    Adamawa Acting Governor, Umaru Fintiri, insisted that the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, is not a threat to his aspiration.

    Fintiri said rather, Ribadu should be the one to be afraid of him. “I am the one that is a threat to Ribadu. Why should I be afraid of Ribadu when he does not have a structure and support base.

    “I am the leader of the rescue team in Adamawa because I have been laying the foundation for good governance, equity and fairness since I assumed office as Acting Governor,” Fintiri stated.

    Ribadu on his part, said he has been working hard for the party’s ticket, saying his last minute defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP would not affect his chances.

    He said: “I am prepared to serve the people at any level I find myself, even if I am called upon to serve as a street sweeper. I am working hard to win the party’s ticket. You should get it right that I am not new in partisan politics.”

    Also at the secretariat was the son of the immediate past national chairman of the PDP, Auwal Tukur, who came with a large number of supporters on his entourage.

    In an apparent reference to Ribadu, Tukur decried what he called a situation where a stranger would join the PDP at the eleventh hour and expect to get leverage over older members of the party.

    “A situation like this kills the initiative of existing members who have worked hard for the progress and development of the party over the years. It is not fair and such things should not be encouraged in the party,” Tukur said.

    Shortly after returning his form, former Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Mohammed Modibbo, challenged other aspirants to test their popularity at the grassroots instead of seeking undue leverage from the powers that be.

    Former Lagos State military administrator, Buba Marwa and former Political Adviser to the President, Ahmed Gulak, had submitted their forms on Friday.