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Tag: Mohammed

  • Why we want to serve, by Fayemi, Mohammed, Onu

    Why we want to serve, by Fayemi, Mohammed, Onu

    Udoma, Danbazzau, Amina Mohammed, Ehanire, Jibrin, Ogbeh,  Adamu also screened

    Saraki unveils 16 would-be ministers

    For over five hours yesterday, 10 would-be ministers took turns before the Senate, answering questions on their plans for the country, if confirmed.

    They were the first set of ministerial nominees to be screened.

    They are on the first list of 21 nominees sent to Senate President Bukola Saraki on September 30 by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The remaining 11 on the list are expected to appear before the Senate today.

    Those screened yesterday are Senator Udoma Udo-Udoma (Akwa Ibom State), former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, Chief Audu Ogbeh (Benue), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu (Ebonyi), Dr. Osagie Ehanire (Edo), Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazzau (Kano), Alhaji Lai Mohammed (Kwara), Mrs. Amina Ibrahim Mohammed (Gombe), Suleiman Adamu and Ibrahim Jibrin.

    Before the exercise began, Dr. Saraki read out the names on the second list of nominees sent to him by the President on Monday.

    On the list are Khadija Buka Abba Ibrahim, (Yobe), Claudius Omoleye Daramola (Ondo), Prof. Anthony Anwuka (Imo); Geoffrey Onyeama ; Brig. Gen. M.M. Dan-Ali (rtd) (Zamfara); Barrister James E. Ocholi (Kogi) and Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia); Muhammad Bello (Adamawa); Mustapha Baba Shehuri; Ms. Aisha Abubakar, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa); Adamu Adamu (Bauchi); Prof. Isaac Adewole (Osun); Pastor Usani Usani Uguru and Abubakar Bwari Bawa (Niger).

    After adopting last Thursday’s votes and proceedings, the Senate went into a closed door session to spell out the rules for the screening.

    Led into the chamber by Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang. Senator Udoma took his turn first.

    Saraki asked him to introduce himself and prepare to answer (Senate) questions.

    Udoma said he had not been involved in partisan politics since he left the Senate in 2007.

    He pledged to contribute his quota to the growth of the country if confirmed.

    The nominee was asked to “take a bow and go” after he spoke about the need for the country to pay more attention to the economy.

    Fayemi said he was delighted to appear before the Senate for screening.

    The former governor said he considers himself a teacher and a researcher.

    Senator Olusola Adeyeye asked him about the debt he was alleged to have left in Ekiti and the huge sum he was also alleged to have spent on furnishing the Government House.

    Fayemi said he believed that government is a continuum, adding that no government could run without obligations.

    He said he inherited a debt in excess of N30 billion, including money owed contractors, when he became governor.

    According to him, he worked to liquidate the debt to give the state the leverage for development.

    Fayemi said while he was in office as governor, Ekiti received about N3 billion as federation allocation, but had a N2.4 billion monthly wage bill.

    The former governor said he approached the capital market to raise a N25 billion bond for the state’s development.

    The debt he left behind, he said, was not in the range of what is being bandied about by some people.

    He challenged those alleging that he bought a N50 million bed to furnish the Government House to produce the proof.

    The nominee said: “I challenge anyone to bring an invoice of a bed in the State House that is worth N50million. I did not spend irresponsibly on it. The State House we met was probably one of the cheapest state houses in Nigeria.

    “I used my relationship to raise a lot of funds with institutions like the World Bank, Department for International Development (DFID). There is no country that does not borrow. I did not borrow to pay salaries.”

    Ekiti, he said has one of the best health care services in the country, adding that he initiated the payment of N5,000 to the elderly monthly as social welfare. This initiative, he said, has been embraced by the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the national level.

    The former governor said he did not borrow to pay salaries insisting that he built a new Government House because the state never had a befitting Government House.

    He described the Government House as a multi-purpose edifice.

    Fayemi said there was nothing he put in the Government House that he walked away with.

    He went on: “There is no N50 million bed in Ekiti Government House. It was not even up to N25 million”.

    The former governor put the cost of the Government House at N2.5 billion, saying the edifice “remains a Legacy House.”

    Fayemi, who said he was never an apostle of third term, noted that alteration of power is the best way to deepen democracy and not to perpetuate oneself in office.

    Ogbe said he was not appearing before the Senate for confirmation because he is looking for something new, because President Buhari deemed it fit to nominate him to serve as a minister.

    His explanation, he said, was informed by what he had read about his nomination.

    On why movement from one party to another is rampant in the country, Ogbe said defection happens everywhere, especially in emerging democracies.

    He said internal democracy should be taken seriously in the country, adding that the tendency to hand over the party machinery to the President and governors is harmful.

    Ogbe was asked to take a bow and go.

    Onu talked about the need to diversify power generation for steady supply.

    He stressed the need to use coal for power generation, saying is better than gas for power generation.

    Dr. Ehanire spoke about poor medical services in the country.

    The nominee said he is involved in the T.Y. Danjuma Foundation which aims to train and retrain traditional birth attendants.

    Lt. Gen. Dambazau spoke about the need to review the country’s defence policy from time to time to provide the guideline for defence issues.

    Dambazau said the armed forces depend on the defence policy to form battle guidelines.

    On defence budget, he said when he was the Chief of Army Staff, the maximum he could spend was N15 million, adding that this was later increased to N20 million.

    Dambazau said anything above N20 million was referred to the Minister of Defence for approval.

    He said that was the practice until he left Service.

    Alhaji Lai Mohammed caused a stir when he entered the Chambers. He was hailed and cheered by APC senators, while their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterparts hooted.

    The APC spokesperson bowed six times before Dr. Saraki amid a thunderous applause as as senators.

    When the chambers became silent Dr. Saraki intoned: “The nominee before you Distinguished Senators is from Kwara State.”

    Saraki asked whether the Senators have Mohammed’s Curriculum Vitae (CV). There was deafening a “yes, yes, yes” in the chamber.

    Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume rose from his seat, saying: “Alhaji Lai Mohammed is very well known to this chamber. I move that he should take a bow and go.”

    PDP senators half heardly opposed the motion.

    Saraki urged Mohammed to tell the chamber “a little about himself” in line with the Senate’s convention.

    Mohammed complied and introduced himself, saying he was in the chamber to seek the senators’ to be confirmed as minister. “I demands higher service to be in government”.

    In a lighter mood, Minority Leader Senator Godswill Akpabio said: “This is the Senate and not a House of Assembly. If I know the nominee very well, he may have one or two propaganda to drop before he takes a bow.”

    There was general laughter in the chamber.

    Before he took a bow and left, Mohammed promised that if confirmed, he would be passionate, committed and patriotic.”

    Amina Mohammed spoke on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) where she once served as Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Suleiman Adamu spoke about road construction and the Ministry of Works. Mr. Ibrahim Usman Jibrin talked about the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where he once worked in the Department of Development Control.

    When the Senate rose around 5.15 pm, Dr. Saraki  said the Senate in the committee of the Whole considered the President’s request for the screening and confirmation of ministerial nominees.

    He adjourned the exercise till today.

    It is expected that all the nominees would be confirmed tomorrow when the 37 nominees would have been screened.

    Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Dino Melaye said the Senate would conclude the screening tomorrow.

    He said the chamber gave Lai Mohammed a red carpet reception because he is a prominent APC member.

    Melaye also asked the nominees unveiled yesterday to make their CVs available to facilitate their screening.

    He said another 10 nominees would be screened today.

  • Senate suspends probe of Amaechi, Mohammed

    Senate suspends probe of Amaechi, Mohammed

    SENATORS yesterday called off the consideration of the petitions against the nomination of former Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Mrs Amina Ibrahim Mohammed as ministers.

    The Port Harcourt-based The Integrity Group petitioned the Senate alleging financial impropriety against Amaechi and requesting that he should not be confirmed as minister.

    The petition, sent to the Senate through Senator George Thompson Sekibo and two other senators, claimed that Amaechi mismanaged N70 billion Rivers’ State funds. The former governor debunked the claim as a lie.

    The Senate Committee, after a brief meeting with Amaechi at the National Assembly, said the subject matter of the petition, which is related to the white paper on a report of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry is already a subject of court case.

    Amaechi who appeared before the committee with former Commissioner for Information Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, and two members of the House of Representatives, told the panelists that the matter upon which the committee invited him was pending before a court.

    The committee’s chairman, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, had wanted to know from Amaechi if the matter was awaiting a court pronouncement.

    Anyanwu, after hearing from Amaechi. noted that in line with Section 7 of the Senate Standing Rules, it would amount to sub-judice to continue to consider the petition.

    Mrs Mohammed, who until her nomination, was a Special Adviser to United Nation’s Secretary General Ban Ki Moon,  asked the committee to disregard the petition against her nomination because she is not from Kaduna State as claimed by the petitioners.

    The nominee said she is from Gombe State.

    She said: “I was brought up in Kaduna. My father lived there, but I have no connection with Kaduna State. I am an indigene of Gombe State and the assumption is that I would be representing Gombe in the cabinet.”

    The attention of Mr. James Kanyip, a lawyer, who sent the petition to the Senate, was drawn to Mrs. Mohammed’s submission.

    Kanyip said that he would withdraw his petition if it is confirmed that Mrs. Mohammed was not nominated to represent Kaduna State.

    Anyanwu later told reporters that his committee would continue its investigation on other aspects of the petition against Amaechi.

    Anyanwu said: “What we are saying is that we have a petition against Amaechi and there is a letter from his lawyer that they have a pending case in the court.

    “We also received a White Paper indicting him and we also received a Federal High Court judgment that says that Amaechi cannot stop the judicial commission from investigating him.

    “He went to Appeal Court and the matter is pending in Appeal Court. And in our Senate Rule, once a matter is in court, we will not dwell into it.

    “But what we are going to do is to package the documents, look at their nature and be able to do our report and send to the Senate by tomorrow or next. ý”

    He went on: “Nobody has been cleared. It is our report because whatever report that we turn in, it is the entire Senate that will dwell on that report and clear whoever that the report recommends for clearance or otherwise.

    “We have not turned in our report. We only said that the matter we have before us is in court and there are other conflicting issues which we are yet to resolve and that is why we are trying to put down our report together.

    “The fact that the screening commences tomorrow (today) is not withstanding. It doesn’t matter. We have two, three days to do our screening. Anybody that is not screened tomorrow (today) could be screened the other day.

    “If the reports are ready for any of them, the person will be taken tomorrow. And of course, the Senate is going to take them batch by batch. So, it doesn’t mean that everybody will be screened tomorrow  (today).

    On the number of petitions received so far, Anyanwu said: “No, we have not received 10 petitions. We have only received two petitions. The petition doesn’t come to us directly. It must be made at the floor of the chamber and they have not received anything of such.

    “Nothing is cast on iron. We don’t need to be in a hurry to put up a report that may not find its place in the Senate.

    “If we are ready tomorrow, of course, we will submit our report tomorrow. The only thing is that between Tuesday and Thursday, we are supposed to finish with the screening of the ministers, the reports will be ready. “

  • Mohammed: Pillars still dream league title

    Mohammed: Pillars still dream league title

    • Says Sai Masu will shock Enyimba in Aba

    Kano Pillars striker, Adamu Mohammed has told SportingLife that Sai Masu Gida’s 4-1 thrashing of 3SC in Kano was the club’s best way of telling Enyimba that it won’t be business as usual when they clash on Wednesday in a Glo Premier League Week 24 tie in Aba.

    Pillars are yet to pick a point in their trip to Aba for many seasons and the club lost 3-0 and 3-1 in the last two seasons at the Enyimba International Stadium but still emerged as league champions on both occasions.

    Mohammed, who opened the floodgates of goals against 3SC on Sunday in their 4-1 rout, told SportingLife that the coming of new head coach, Mohammed Babaganaru has brought new order in the team and that their confidence is high ahead of the Wednesday clash.

    The former Enugu Rangers and Gombe United forward has scored six goals in the league for Pillars and he has promised to net again on Wednesday if he is fielded by the team and the opportunity presents itself for him to hit the bulls eye.

    “I have heard a lot about the inability of Pillars to win or pick a point in Aba for quite some time now but I believe that things can change very fast and records are meant to be broken. Heartland have always been a tough customer to Pillars, especially in Kano but they fell this season already.

    “I’m convinced that we won’t return back to Kano empty handed this term. The arrival of Babaganaru has inspired us all and we are doing our best to ensure that we still win the league title again this season because it is not beyond us. If we are unable to retain the league title we won’t let the continental ticket to elude us at the end of the season,” Mohammed, who is the second highest scorer in Pillars with six goals behind Rabiu Ali’s seven strikes, told SportingLife.

    Pillars are fifth on the log with 37 points from 23 matches and they have gone unbeaten in their last six games since they were pinned 1-0 by Akwa United in a Glo Premier League Week 17 tie in Uyo.

  • Mohammed rejoins Pillars

    Mohammed rejoins Pillars

    Experienced campaigner Bala Mohammed has rejoined hometown club Kano Pillars.

    Bala was skipper of the league champions when they reached the semifinals of the 2009 CAF Champions League.

    “Bala’s transfer back to Pillars has been completed,” Pillars spokesman Idris Malikawa told AfricanFootball.com.

    He was released by Pillars three seasons ago during which time he featured for Jigawa Golden Stars and Enyimba.

    He is a versatile player who is comfortable anywhere in the defence as well as in defensive midfield.

    Pillars will on Sunday host Lobi Stars in the first game of the second round of the league.

    Both teams played out a dramatic 3-3 draw in the reverse fixture in Makurdi two weeks ago with the home team coming back from three goals down to salvage a draw.

  • Mohammed: APC ‘ll deliver on its promises

    Mohammed: APC ‘ll deliver on its promises

    The National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that Nigerians can only hold the party accountable on its manifesto, rather than on the issues articulated at a roadmap organised by the party as a prelude to the recent general elections.

    The APC spokesman who spoke recently in Lagos against the backdrop of insinuation in some quarters that the APC may have started double-speaking on its campaign promises and terms of deliverables, said the party’s manifesto is the only binding document for electoral promises and that it will be wrong for Nigerians to judge the APC with the roadmap.

    Mohammed noted that political parties are only rated with two main documents and these are the party’s constitution and its manifesto.

    He said roadmaps are like talk-shops, where all manners of people from different professional and political leanings are brought together to look at current socio-economic and political situation in the country with a view to providing workable practical solutions.

    Reacting to some reports of alleged double-speak or what some Nigerians have termed back-tracking on campaign promises by the ruling party, Mohammed said: “There’s nothing like back-tracking, as the APC is doing everything possible within available resources to meet up with its election promises.’’

    On the issue of energy, the APC spokesman noted that what the party came up with at the roadmap was embedded in its manifesto. He urged Nigerians to endeavour to look through the party’s position on the provision of energy in its document.

    Section 2.1 of the APC manifesto stipulates that the party would: “Undertake an urgent power audit of Nigeria’s energy needs; ensure Nigeria meets all its power needs within the next 10 years; encourage power generation companies to build a new generation of power plants; extend our national and regional power grid and gas pipelines to improve energy generation, transmission and distribution across the country; increase Nigeria’s refining capacity so that we can shift more of our gas supply to domestic power stations to end erratic power supplies; expand the rural electrification programme and promote the use of independent ‘off-grid’ renewable energy schemes for isolated communities; and encourage development of sustainable renewable energy taking account of regional factor endowments.”

    Mohammed said that the President Buhari has approached the issue of security tactically, noting that results of the recent moves by the president will soon yield positive results.

    He said Nigerians should begin to look at the impact of the president’s effort to end the insurgency in the northern part of the country from the critical perspectives. He noted that the issue of insurgency had gotten so bad that the approach adopted by President Buhari is what can bring a lasting end to it.

    The APC spokesman reassured that the Buhari-led administration will not go back on its words and  that the party will make Nigerians feel proud at the end of the day.

  • Yuguda, Mohammed still at daggers drawn

    Yuguda, Mohammed still at daggers drawn

    The lingering personality war between Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State and Bala Mohammed, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is giving many stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state some serious concern, sources have revealed.

    And if things remain the same before the next governorship election, there are fears that the ruling PDP’s hold on the state may be halted by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Once close political associates, the minister served as a Special Assistant to Yuguda during the latter’s stint as a minister under the Olusegun Obasanjo-led government. Mohammed’s appointment as minister by President Goodluck Jonathan and his alleged subterranean moves to create a political niche for himself is believed to be the crux of their disagreement.

  • Elevation of Justices Mohammed and Nweze

    The recent stirring in the Supreme Court takes precedence for this column above the disgraceful conduct of the executive and the legislative arms of government, in the past week. With utmost respect, I refer to the recent appointment of my Lord, Justice Mahmud Mohammed as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and the elevation of my Lord, Justice Chima Centus Nweze, of the Court of Appeal, to the Supreme Court. While I had looked forward to celebrate the cerebral acuity and professorial fecundity of Nweze, JSC, the epochal appointment of our home groomed Chief Justice of Nigeria, shows that the legal profession in Nigeria, has come of age.

     

    Justice Mahmud Mohammed CJN

    So, I join other Nigerians to celebrate the first Chief Justice that is reportedly trained in Nigeria up to the Nigeria Law School, as different from his predecessors who were first trained in the Inns of the English Bar. It is my earnest hope that this development will manifest in a reformist judiciary, which will pursue a more philosophical blend of the best of the inherited English legal system with the best of our traditional and cultural precepts, to drive and promote a more compassionate social justice system, and less of anarchical technicalities, for the progress of our dear country. In my humble view, this will require a radical reformation of our adversarial system of justice, the imputation of mediatory role by Judges during trials, and less dependence on rigorous technicalities, particularly with respect to the enforcement of fundamental human rights.

    I will therefore most humbly re-submit my humble exaltations, under this column in 2012, when my Lord, retired Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, was appointed the Chief Justice of Nigeria, to wit: “In my humble view, I will advise her (his) Lordship to examine the judicial impact made by the world renowned Jurist, and former Chief Justice of India, Justice P. N. Bhagwati and his ageless pronouncements and revolution in India with regards to public interest litigation. If she (he) wants to be positively remembered, then she (he) has to seek out the guiding principles of the radical sides of such eminent Supreme Court Justices like Chukwudifu Oputa, Kayode Esho, Muhammed Uwais, Nnaemeka-Agu, and a few older colleagues and make a feast of them”.

    Justice Chima Centus Nweze JSC

    The recent elevation of Justice Chima Centus Nweze to the Supreme Court is salutary, for anyone who has followed his trajectory. His Lordship’s profile is an intimidating combination of sagacious intellectualism and judicial activism. Over the years, my Law Lord has adroitly combined his judicial work, as a brilliant Judge, with outstanding academic excellence, which ranks him among very distinguished legal scholars and university Professors.

    From 1995 to 2007, Justice Nweze served as a Judge of the High Court of Justice, Enugu state, and during that period, he was from January to April, 1999, a member of the Ondo state local government election petition tribunal; and from April to June 1999, he served as the Chairman Ogun state governorship and legislative houses election petition tribunal. He also served as the Administrative Judge, Nsukka Judicial Division, from 2001 to 2003. Twelve years after he became a Judge, Justice Nweze was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2007, and was sworn in 2008. From the Court of Appeal, My Lord has now been elevated to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

    In academics, Justice Nweze has manifested great intellectual prowess. With a Masters Degree, and a Doctor of Philosophy, in Law, from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Justice Nweze’s academic exploits ranks among putative University Professors. While serving as a Judge, Justice Nweze was at a time a distinguished scholar (pro bono) at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology. He was also a visiting Associate Professor of Law, Ebonyi State University, a visiting Human Rights Scholar, Faculty of Law and Convener/Coordinator, International Human Rights Law Program, University of Nigeria. No doubt, Dr. Nweze, the learned Justice of the Supreme Court, has a ringing reputation as a legal scholar, and distinguished book reviewer.

    Before now, Justice Nweze showed his uncanny legal profundity in his years at the Court of Appeal. A few of his prodigious judicial pronouncements will show this other side of this legal luminary. For instance, in Udotim and Ors vs Idiong and Ors (2013) LPELR 22132 (CA) 13-14, F-D, Justice Nweze JCA (as he then was) on the meaning and nature of discretion, profoundly held: “Discretion, according to settled authorities, is not an indulgence of a judicial whim, it is the exercise of judicial judgment based on facts and guided by the law of equitable decisions, UBA Ltd v Staliau GMBH and Co. K. G. (1989) LPELR-3400(SC). It is the court’s epistemological tool for winnowing solid truth from windy falsehood; for dichotomizing between shadow and substance and distilling equity from colourable glosses and pretences. By its very character, judicial discretion does not brook any capricious exercise of power according to private fancies and affections. We find support for this opinion in Rook’s case (1598) 5 Co. Rep. 996, cited in Ayantuyi v Governor of Ondo (2005) 14 WRN 67, 91.”

    From the foregoing it is safe to conclude that the recent elevation of Justice Nweze to the supreme sanctuary of our national judiciary, otherwise known as the Supreme Court, is a plus to the apex court and the entire legal community. Also, the new CJN no doubt assumes the leadership of the apex court, at a very difficult time in the life of our country, considering the unscrupulous context for power, between contestants for the executive and legislature positions, in the run down, to the 2015 general elections. My prayer is that the heavenly Lord, will guide my Law Lords, in their onerous task, as impartial arbiters.

     

  • Mba consoles injured Gambo Mohammed

    Mba consoles injured Gambo Mohammed

    Warri Wolves and Super Eagles midfielder, Sunday Mba, has sent a ‘get well soon’ message to his national team mate, Gambo Mohammed.

    The Kano Pillars attacker was absent from the national team as the Eagles qualified for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Abidjan. And Mba is hopeful that Gambo will be back for the Finals

    “We all felt sorry for him when the injury occurred. Fortunately, we have other strikers, but you cannot deny the quality of Gambo. Hopefully, he will be back for the main event.

    “We hope to have the full complement of players ready for the Finals, but we expect that some other players will be invited. All we want to do is win again, but football is like that,” Mba told futaa.com.

    Mba gained world wide fame with his displays in the heart of the Nigerian midfield as they triumphed in South Africa in January.

  • Mohammed gets rousing welcome in Kwara

    •Ramadan lecture tomorrow

    Members and supporters of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kwara State yesterday thronged the Ilorin International Airport to give the party’s national spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, a rousing home coming.

    Mohammed, who is the Publicity Secretary of the newly formed All Progressives Party (APC), arrived at the airport at 8am. Party supporters were at the airport as early as 6am.

    An ACN member in the House of Assembly, Temitope Olayonu, led party supporters who welcomed the ACN chief. Others included a former member of the Assembly, Ayo Idowu; former Acting Chairman of the party, Mr. Kayode Olawepo and Prince Shuaibu Olarewaju, a member of the newly constituted executive of the party, among other progressives.

    Mohammed was in company of his wife, Alhaja Kudirat. He was surprised at the show of love and camaraderie by the party faithful.

    The crowd sang various songs of solidarity on seeing Mohammed.

    The convoy moved from the airport to his home country in Oro, where he addressed the crowd. Traffic was crawling in Ilorin during the journey through the capital town.

    The ACN spokesman explained developments within the APC and its centrality to the development of Kwara State, the party’s preparation for the forthcoming local government election and the visit of Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola to Kwara tomorrow as the special guest of honour at this year’s Lai Mohammed Annual Ramadan Lecture.

    An ACN chieftain, Alhaji Hassan Daudu, hailed the party’s leader in the state for his steadfastness and political sagacity that have pushed the opposition thus far.

    He prayed God to guide Mohammed.

    Mohammed will tomorrow host Aregbesola and other dignitaries from the Southwest at his annual Ramadan programme in Oro.

  • Mohammed ElBaradei becomes Egypt’s prime minister

    Mohammed ElBaradei becomes Egypt’s prime minister

    Former United Nations nuclear agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei has been appointed Egypt’s interim prime minister, giving a liberal and secular direction to a country that until three days ago was led by Islamists.

    The appointment by interim President Adly Mansour gave Egypt a public face who will probably be viewed with unhappiness by members of the Muslim Brotherhood and others who believe religion should have a prominent role in Egypt’s political life. It appeared, however, to be a consensus pick among the coalition of Egyptian political parties and opposition movements that banded together to push for the ouster of Egypt’s first democratically elected leader, Mohamed Morsi, on Wednesday.

    With Mansour a virtual unknown in Egypt, ElBaradei is likely to take a leading role in the coming months as the nation comes up with a new constitution and system of governance.

    “Dr. Baradei has been named the new prime minister,” said Rania Azab, a senior ElBaradei aide, speaking by telephone.

    Just as the democratically elected Morsi experienced a remarkable fall from grace this week, ElBaradei’s unelected rise to the position of prime minister marked a remarkable turnaround for a politician who has struggled to find popular support outside Egypt’s urban, educated classes, in a country where roughly half the population lives on less than $2 a day.

    ElBaradei had spent Saturday in meetings with other chiefs of Egypt’s new political order, including with Defence Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Ministry of Defence, said Ahmed Said, an ally and leader of the Free Egyptians Party. Egyptian media reported yesterday evening that ElBaradei had been summoned to the presidential palace ahead of an announcement there.

    During Egypt’s 2011 revolution, ElBaradei – the 2005 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize – emerged as an early and harsh critic of former President Hosni Mubarak, who had led the country for three decades. But he always struggled to expand his support among the vast majority of Egyptians who had not prospered under Mubarak’s rule. ElBaradei spent much of his career outside Egypt, first as a diplomat within Egypt’s Foreign Ministry and then at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. He was director general of the agency from 1997 until 2009.

    ElBaradei’s Constitution Party, founded after the country’s parliamentary elections, sought to unite Egyptians around the secular principles of the revolution, and many see it intended as a counterweight to the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, which led the country until a coup toppled it on Wednesday night after days of massive popular protests.

    Ahead of his appointment as interim prime minister, ElBaradei resigned from his position as party chief.