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Tag: Muhammadu Buhari

  • Lawyer Seeks Buhari’s Intervention on security situation

    An Abuja based Human Rights lawyer, Leo Ekpenyong has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the security situation in Akwa Ibom state.

    The activist said there was urgent need to address the situation before it escalated.

    Ekpenyong was reacting to an alleged attack on the country home of Senator Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, in a statement in Abuja.

    He said the level of insecurity in the state was becoming worrisome, and showed failure on the part of the state governor.

    According to him, with the humongous security votes accruing to the state government, there is no excuse for the worsening security situation, which he said has degenerated.

    He said the incessant attacks showed the failure of governance by the state government, and called on the governor, Emmanuel Udom to immediately resign or be voted out of office in 2019.

    The statement reads: “The fundamental responsibility of any government is the protection of the lives of its citizens. When this is not guaranteed, when security votes accruable to the state cannot be justified, then there is no need to allow such a government to continue.

    “Where a public servant, a leader who holds an office in trust for the people fails in the discharge of his responsibilities, the right thing to do is to bid him farewell.

    Read Also: Expert advises Buhari to engage Chinese investors in power sector

    “We cannot continue to lose lives and properties in scores, in large numbers without any remedial measures on the part of government to check these anomalies.

    He expressed concerns that the situation might be taking a political twist, following the recent defection of senator Akpabio to the All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing that the state government should be held responsible should anything happen to the former senate minority leader.

    “The recent attack on the country home of Senator Godswill Akpabio leaves so much to be desired. The security situation in the last two years has gone from bad to worse.

    “It’s a clear signal that there is need for urgent federal government intervention. The governor of the state, being the chief security officer of the state has failed in the maintenance of law, order and protection of lives and properties.

    “It is on this note that we call on Mr. President to wade into the security breaches in Akwa Ibom state with a view to ensuring safety of lives and properties, until normalcy returns,” the statement said.

    While urging the youths to eschew violence, Ekpenyong said the people cannot resolve to self-help, but have resolved to follow the constitutional process of calling on the federal government to take drastic action to avoid recurrence of the attacks.

    “We call for peace and calm among the indigenes of the state. Some of the youths are worried with political hostilities that are budding in Akwa Ibom.

    “We call on the youths to eschew all forms of violence and to resist the temptation to be used by desperate politicians to be used as agents of violence,” the statement added.

  • Direct primary, best option for Ondo APC – Boroffice

    A lawmaker representing Ondo North Senatorial District, Prof Ajayi Boroffice has said that adoption of direct primary is the only veritable means to elect party candidates in Ondo State and other All Progressives Congress (APC)- controlled states ahead of 2019 general elections.

    Boroffice in a statement through his Chief Press Secretary, (CPS) Kayode Fakuyi, maintained that the adoption of direct primary is a ‘settled matter’.

    According to him, the national leadership of APC, President Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and other prominent leaders of the party have declared absolute support for it.

    Boroffice said”As the preparations for primary election rev up, it is necessary to reassure members of the APC in Ondo State that the National leadership of our party ably led by Comrade Adams Oshiomole has adopted direct primary as the only means of electing party candidates in the state.

    “The position of APC on direct primary is clear. It states that direct primary will hold in APC – governed states while indirect primary/delegate primary will hold in states where the state governments are not governed by APC.

    “It should also be noted that President Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and other prominent leaders of our party have thrown their weights behind the party on the adoption of direct primary. Therefore, the adoption of direct primary is a settled matter. It is unambiguous. It is uncontroversial. It is clear”.

    The statement pointed out that the report credited to the Vice Chairman of the APC (Southwest) Bankole Oluwajana that, “The method to be adopted will depend on what the leadership of the party in the state wants”, is untrue.

    Read Also: Troops arrest ‘abductors’ in Ondo forest

    “It should be understood that the National leadership of APC with the exclusive responsibility to conduct primary elections across all states in Nigeria has adopted the direct primary.

    “It is neither the business of the zonal structure nor duty of state structures of our party. All party members are aware the constitution of the APC did not empower state chapters to choose or decide method of selecting party flag bearers.

    “Furthermore, the resolution of the National leadership is not subject to discretional amendment or modification by the zonal or state structures of the party”. The statement stressed.

    Boroffice contended that the adoption of direct primary by the APC would deepen democracy and ensure popular participation, saying” the national leadership has empowered all party members in Ondo State with voting powers for the purpose of nominating flag bearers of the APC in the 2019 general elections”.

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology maintained that  “no individual or group can snatch or hijack such voting powers from members of APC in  the state”.

  • Buhari commends honest security men

    President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his desire for Nigerians to emulate two security men who returned a handbag filled with valuables forgotten at the Murtala Muhammed Airport by an American returnee.

    Such conduct, he said, reflected the new Nigeria that all desire.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, reads A Lagos-based medical doctor, Banji Oyegbami, had met a family returning from America at the airport on August 18, 2018. In the process of loading their luggage into the car of their host, the handbag of the returnee’s wife fell, unknown to anyone.

    “It was not till 90 minutes later that an officer of Halogen Securities, on duty at the airport, called the couple, to come for the retrieved bag.

    “When the bag was eventually collected, the contents, including a handsome amount of American dollars, phone, wrist watch, and other valuables were intact.

    “The grateful couple offered a generous gift, but Messrs Francis Emepueaku and Achi Daniel; declined, saying they were merely doing their duties.”

    According to him, President Buhari believed that despite the scoffing of a minority number, Nigeria is resolutely on the road to a new dawn.

    Read Also: Buhari fit to contest in 2019, says Presidency

    The President said “Honesty remains the best policy. We must exhibit such behaviour in whatever position we find ourselves, whether high or low.

    “The security men could have chosen to behave differently, following the self-serving principle of ‘if you can’t beat them, join them.’ But they have chosen to be examples of good, honest Nigerians. I commend their conduct to the rest of the country.”

    The President urged Nigerians to bring out the best in themselves at all times, noting that with such minds, they can never be hoodwinked again by those who seek power for selfish and dubious reasons, and return the country to an inglorious past.

    “Nigeria will no longer be a byword for corruption and plundering of public resources. That is the path we have chosen to take, and our country will eventually get to a new shore,” President Buhari affirms.” he stated

  • 2019: Saraki, Kwankwaso, Tambuwal, others can’t stop Buhari

    ‘Nigeria now working under Buhari’

    Former Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatization, Senator Ayo Arise, has predicted a landslide victory for President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.

    Arise said the President has succeeded in putting Nigeria on the path of recovery, infrastructural revolution and development since assumption of office in 2015.

    He noted that Nigerians will re-elect Buhari on the record of his performance, integrity, transparency in governance and his strong will to stamp out the virus of corruption allegedly inflicted on Nigeria by sixteen years of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) rule.

    Arise, who represented Ekiti North senatorial district between 2007 and 2011, declared that the likes of Senate President Bukola Saraki, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and others jostling for the PDP presidential ticket cannot stop Buhari’s re-election.

    According to him, the era of sharing the common resources belonging to all Nigerians by a few people has stopped with Buhari’s ascension to power which he said has rubbed off positively on the nation’s economy.

    The former federal legislator who is seeking a return to the Upper Chamber said the President needs a National Assembly that will work harmoniously with (Buhari) in the next dispensation to provide good governance and better standard of living for Nigerians and not lawmakers that will sabotage his efforts.

    Read Also: Tinubu: Saraki, Tambuwal left APC for fear of Buhari

    Arise added that his ambition was borne out of the desire to support the President and Ekiti State governor-elect, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to deliver dividends of democracy to the people of Ekiti North and the state as a whole.

    He urged Nigerians to rally round Buhari by voting massively for him in the February 16 presidential poll to “drive the final nail into the political coffin of the vultures gathering together feed fat on the nation’s commonwealth.”

    Arise said: “Although some Nigerians believed that, the President ought to have completely turned around the whole country economy in less than four years, but the fact remains that, nobody can provide all infrastructures needed in a particular nation within a four year tenure.

    “It will be a great injustice or error of political judgement to believe Nigeria woes could be completely nipped in the mud within a four year regime after an ignoble PDP sixteen years in the country.

    “We are all living witnesses of the sixteen years of the PDP government without much achievements when compared to less than, four years of the present administration with many things to show for it.

    “But the present federal government has made an indellible mark in the area of Nigerian economy to include; a railway line from Kano to Port Harcourt, Lagos to Kano, second River Niger Bridge, many roads across the six geo-political Zones of the country, agriculture, health, security and industries among others.

    “Therefore, all Nigerians need to always rally support the president in his efforts at repositioning the country for better and safe for all to live in.

    “President Buhari is no doubt working hard on infrastructures, economy and other social amenities needed by every class and calibre of people irrespective of their status in the world to live comfortably in Nigeria, even without thinking of going for vacation abroad any longer.

    “It is achieveable through the support of all, especially on the fight against the menace of corruption that had destroyed nearnly all the sectors of the country economy and made it unworkable and nearnlly collapsed before the advent of the present administration.

    “The government has therefore, so far taken the bull by the horn at repositioning the deldrum and ailing economy.”

    While congratulating President Buhari and other Muslim faithfuls on the celebration of this year Eid-el- Kabir, the APC chieftain called on Muslims to always promote love and peace in the country to achieve a meaningful development.

  • ‘Whistle-blower policy has yielded N13.8b from tax evaders’

    The Federal Government announced on Tuesday that its whistle-blower policy has raked in N13.8 billion from tax evaders.

    It added other massive dividends of the policy include N7.8 billion, $378 million and 27,800 Pounds recoveries from public officials.

    Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed told reporters in his country home of Oro, Irepodun local government area of Kwara state.

    He added that “the fight against corruption has been unrelenting, without fear or favour. The administration has driven corruption under the table.

    Nigerians no longer celebrate the corrupt. Looters no longer sleep at night, as the long arm of the law closes in on them.

    “This administration has embarked on institutional reforms to curb corruption. The diligent implementation of the Treasury Singles Account (TSA) has plugged the loopholes being exploited to steal public funds.”

    Alhaji Mohammed urged Nigerians I want to be vigilant and not to yield the space to naysayers.

    He added the “gains of the past three years plus must be preserved. Nigeria must continue on its present trajectory to sustainable growth and development. Never again must we go back to Egypt.

    “The year 2019 is the year of decision for Nigeria. It is the year that the critical decision will be made as to whether Nigeria will continue along the path of development, in all ramifications (social, economic, political, etc), that this administration has embarked upon since 2015, or the country will retrogress and backslide to the throes of massive and primitive looting and lack of development.

    “As we approach this critical fork on the road, I have no iota of doubt that the good people of Nigeria will choose the path of development, having seen the commitment, sincerity and patriotism of this administration. It is clear, from all indications that Nigerians are not going back to Egypt. Because of the support of the people, our party will win, even with a wider margin, in 2019, thus sealing the fate of the naysayers.

    Read Also: Whistle-blower policy yields N123bn

    “The fear of this impending victory explains why they have been running from pillar to post, desperate to thwart the victory of the APC in 2019. They labour in vain.”

    Reeling out the achievements of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration, the minister said: “Never in the history of our country has any administration embarked on such a massive infrastructural development as this administration. The whole country is one huge construction site. Roads are being constructed in all the six geo-political zones. As you all know, I have been touring the various infrastructural projects of the Federal Government across the country, with the media. So far, we have inspected about 10 projects, including the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail project, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the Oyo-Ogbomoso road, the Enugu-Onitsha and Enugu-Port Harcourt roads, the 2nd Niger Bridge, the Abuja light rail project and the Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Bida road.The Administration had built over 700km of roads and rehabilitated about 650km.

    “In the area of agriculture, it has been a huge revolution. Let’s take one of our national staples, such as rice, as an example. When we came in, there were 5 million rice farmers. Today, we have in excess of 11 million rice farmers. Our rice import has been cut by over 80 per cent. These didn’t happen by accident. It was a result of our Anchor Borrowers Programme. There are more millionaire farmers today than at any other time in the history of our nation. Today, Nigeria is closer to achieving self-sufficiency in rice than at any other time in the history of our country.

    “This administration has employed 500,000 unemployed graduate under its Social Intervention Programme (SIP). No government in our country’s history has ever done that. This Administration has been daily feeding 8.5 million school children in 23 states. That has never been done before in Nigeria. This administration has been proving 10,000 Naira every two months to over 300,000 families as social security for the most vulnerable. This has never been done before in Nigeria. This administration, realizing that SMEs are the biggest employers of labour, has been growing such enterprises at an astronomical rate through its Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme. This is unprecedented.

    “In the area of power, this administration has taken power generation to 7,000MW. This is unprecedented in Nigeria. Distribution is at 5,000MW. This has never been achieved before. Model houses are being built across the country as a prelude to a massive housing scheme.”

  • I will die in APC, Gov. Bindow insists

    Gov. Mohammed Bindow of Adamawa on Monday said he would remain in APC for the rest of his political career.

    Bindow made the clarification at an extraordinary State Executive Council (SEC) meeting held in Yola.

    He said that his support for the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari would make him not to leave APC to another party.

    “I believe in the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari administration so much that I will remain in the APC for the rest of my political career,” he said.

    Bindow called on all APC members in the state to remain loyal to him and to support the administration for its transformation.

    The governor said that President Buhari meant well for the country, adding that his administration had given optimism to the North east and the state in particular.

    There were rumours from some sections of the media that Bindow was about to defect to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

    The extraordinary SEC meeting was attended by commissioners, permanent secretaries, deputy permanent secretaries, special advisers,and chairmen of local government areas, among critical stakeholders in the state.

  • Makarfi urges Buhari to call troublemakers to order

    Former Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Senator Ahmed Makarfi, on Monday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call to order politicians who are creating crisis in Rivers state, saying they should not be allowed to truncate the nation’s hard-earned democracy.

    He also said the President should not allow such politicians to use their connection at the federal level to continue to intimidate blackmail and harass the Governor of Rivers State Mr Nyesom Wike.

    In a statement signed by his media aide, Murktar Sirajo, Senator Makarfi deplored the abortion of the by election in Rivers state, saying it was yet another evidence of impunity and disregard for the laws of the country.

    Senator Makarfi who was a former governor of Kaduna state, also said going by the recent political developments in the country, it has become imperative to restructure the nation’s political system.

    The statement reads: “The abortion of the by election for the Port Harcourt 3 seat of the Rivers State House of Assembly is yet another unfortunate evidence of the impunity and brazen disregard and violation of the laws of the country by elements of the current ruling party, unfortunately, with no consequence.

    “It disturbs Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi to no end that an election into a single constituency for which INEC had made adequate preparations and for which voters were ready, could fail to hold simply because some men of the moment, using their influence, deployed thugs to violently disrupt the exercise, knowing that their party was going to lose. Sadder still is the fact that these thugs operated openly, given cover by armed security agents who were supposed to protect the people.

    “Senator Ahmed Makarfi believes that this type of state sanctioned criminality can lead this country in only one direction: an irredeemable damage to or even truncation of the democracy that Nigeria paid enormous price to bring about.

    “The unfortunate event of last Saturday was a part vindication of the complaint of Senator Makarfi recently in Port Harcourt to the effect that the Rivers State government, and particularly Governor Nyesom Wike were continuously and consistently being targeted for intimidation and blackmail by the central government, using agencies of state that are paid and supposed to protect the people.

    Read Also: I’ll restructure Nigeria – Makarfi

    “More intriguing is the fact that the chief orchestrator and perpetrator of this dance of shame is very well known, and in fact makes no attempt to hide; yet nothing is done by those in authority to call them to order. Senator Makarfi believes that Nigeria is no banana republic and should therefore not allow a situation in which some people are beyond reproach.

    “He thus believes that President Muhammadu Buhari owes this country a duty to, not only call masterminds of this shameful act to order but also ensure that they are subjected to the full rigors of the law to answer for their crimes.

    “Senator Makarfi identifies and commiserates with the government and people of Rivers State over this wanton assault and primitive abuse of privilege and urges Governor Wike to remain resolute and focused on delivering democracy dividends to the people, in the face of this unnecessary distraction.

    “The Senator equally reiterates, once again, his call for the restructuring of our public institutions, especially security agencies to make them answerable to the state rather than the whims and caprices of the controllers of the political levers”

  • Presidential Race : Ganduje dares Kwankwaso to launch campaign in Kano

    The Kano state Governor Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has challenged the former governor Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso to launch his presidential campaign for the forthcoming general election in the state, if he is sure of his popularity.

    “Kano is not and will never be ready to welcome Kwankwaso. Kano people have every constitutional right to make their democratic choices,” Ganduje said in Kano on Sunday.

     “And as such, we have all the rights to reject him and we have already rejected him. We never considered him from day one as a presidential material. We shall continue to maintain our position about him. We know nobody but President Muhammadu Buhari,

    “We, the great people of Kano, as he is aware will use every democratic way possible to reject him (Kwankwaso) and show him an exit from political participation, even before the general election comes our way.”

    Ganduje spoke at an event of Money Transfer to empower women held at government house, kano, where 6,600 women drawn from the 44 local governments of the state were given the sum of N15,000 each to boost their business.

    “We in Kano, witnessed the demise of distinguished personalities, of which he chose not to come and we had fire outbreaks in some of our markets and this man (KwanKwanso), did not care to come and sympathize with the victims.”

    When some of the popular markets in Kano experienced fire disaster Ganduje said, “We raised a special committee that was given the responsibility of finding the remote causes of such disaster and were given the mandate to collect contributions so as to alleviate some of the sufferings of the victims.”

    “We included somebody as a member of the committee, the person was, a staunch follower of Kwankwaso. But this man didn’t allow that him to participate in all the meetings of the committee. Neither did he send a dime as his contribution.”

    He asked rhetorically, “Kano people, I am asking you, does this man really have any concern for you and your families? All we are saying is, in whose interest is he doing all these things? This man doesn’t have, even an iota of feeling about Kano people, at all.”

    “Because he knows that he is not welcomed in Kano and he will never be welcomed, that was why he chooses to stay away from our dear state and go somewhere, other places, not Kano, and be launching his unorganised and unpopular campaign,” Ganduje stated.

    Read also: Air Force kills bandits, leader in Zamfara forests

    “Kano is solely for Buhari come 2019, not any other person. That is why we said we are waiting for him to come to Kano and launch his campaign. We shall use all democratically accepted ways and say No!”

    On the empowerment programme Ganduje said, “We are doing this to help in uplifting your living standard. To also make you self-reliant. It is known to all of you that we have greater concern for you and your families.”

    “This we are doing in compliance with President Muhammadu Buhari’s spirit of human development. We believe that, any step taken by our dear President, deserves to be followed at any given time,” he said.

  • Why Buhari must sign Electoral Bill now, says Falana

    Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to “urgently” sign the 2018 Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.

    Falana said if the president signs the bill now, whatever modifications the bill seeks to make to Nigeria’s election sequence, would not affect the 2019 elections.

    This, according to him, is because an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Protocol, to which the country is a signatory, bars Nigeria from modifying electoral laws six months to elections unless certain conditions are met.

    Early this year, President vetoed the bill passed by both chambers of the National Assembly on the grounds that it contained certain provisions which were inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution.

    The lawmakers then expunged the said provisions and passed a new bill, which has been transmitted to the President for assent.

    Falana said he was compelled to call on the President to sign the bill into law in view of the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the 2019 elections will commence in February 2019.

    He said: “In making this call, the attention of the President ought to be drawn to Article 2(1) of the Economic Community of West African States Protocol A/SP1/12/01 on Democracy and Good Governance which provides that:

    ‘No substantial modification shall be made to the Electoral Laws in the last six (6) months before the elections, except with the consent of majority of political actors.’

    Falana noted that the ECOWAS Court had ruled that all the member states of the ECOWAS are bound by the provisions of the Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

    Read also: 3rd Mainland bridge to be shut down for four days

    He added: “Since the modification made to the 2010 Electoral Act is substantial, the Bill cannot be passed in less than six months to the 2019 General Election.

    “Since Nigeria is legally obliged to comply with the said Protocol, President Buhari, who is the current Chairman of the ECOWAS, should ensure that the Electoral Bill 2018 is assented to without any further delay.”

  • Labour party aspirant canvass support for Buhari

    A Labour Party governorship aspirant in Borno State, Captain Ibrahim Mshelia has canvassed support for the re- election of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Mshelia said his support for Buhari was predicated on the persona of the President, which has earned him respect in his drive to transform the country.

    Speaking in an interview at the weekend in Lagos, the pilot turned politician said Buhari’s developmental ideology has put the country on the right track.

    He said: “A nation or person with no ideology is not going deliver social justice to its people. look at the work done quietly by Buhari, it’s because he does not collect kickbacks or bribe that’s why contractors dare not to deliver. Look at the railway from Warri to Abuja, go and see roads abandoned in Abuja now all completed if not near completion.

    “We cannot afford to continue to allow men with no ideology to run the affairs of a country with beautiful ideology like Nigeria. See how evidently the politicians have shown themselves by the series of defection and counter defections; it’s all about them and not the country. We are wiser now and God has used Buhari to show us that indeed development is easily achieved if you elect a leader and that will not take bribe.

    Read Also: Mimiko’s return excites Labour Party

    “Let us therefore not continue to allow the mismanagement of our dear country by people who have had inferior patriotism, knowledge and ideas to take it forward.

    “Everyone needs to pool together and save our country and if every good person sits on the sidelines, the country will not get saved.”

    On his aspirations as governor of Borno State, Captain Mshelia said his ambition was borne out of the selfless reason to change the narrative in his home state of Borno, especially with the current humanitarian situation there.

    He said, “Borno has a lot to give and it would take ideas, dexterity and a hands-on approach to ensure that the state becomes viable again through its agrarian resources and trade. If harnessed right we have a comparative advantage in farm produce and we can tap into that and utilise it to develop the state.

    “This   is one of the reasons I have thrown my hat in the race under Labour Party.