The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Muhammadu Buhari

  • Omo-Agege: Security beef-up at NASS

     Security was on Monday beefed up at the National Assembly, Abuja, ahead of expected resumption of Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege following Thursday’s Abuja High Court nullification of his suspension by the Senate.

     Strengthening of security arrangement at the complex, especially around the Senate Chambers is to forestall likely security breach as recorded on April 18, when some hoodlums stormed the chambers and made away with the Mace.

    The incident which occurred while plenary was ongoing in the chambers was linked to Omo-Agege, who defied the suspension order on him and attended the proceedings, accompanied by some strange fellows into the chamber.

    Apart from full security detail in the chamber of the red chamber on Monday, police officers were seen at the lobby leading into the chamber, a development that is unusual on a non-sitting day.

    Sergeants-at-Arms were also seen in clusters discussing in hush tones, and apparently perfecting the security beef-up. 

    Some staff of the assembly, who pleaded anonymity, told our reporter that the development was not unconnected with the expected return of Omo-Agege to the chamber on Tuesday after the court judgment in his favour.

    They confirmed that the move to check likely break down of law and order as experienced when the mace was forcefully taken away.

    Omo-Agege had gone to court to challenge his 90 legislative days suspension by the Senate and the court in its ruling declared the action unconstitutional, saying that the Senate could not suspend a member beyond 12 days .

    His suspension was based on is comment that amendment to section 25 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), bordering on reordering of elections sequence was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari.

  • Nigeria’s agricultural revolution on course – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in Auyo, Jigawa State, said that Nigeria’s agricultural revolution is real and on course.

    He spoke at an event marking the commencement of the rehabilitation and expansion of the 6,000-hectare Hadejia Valley irrigation project in the state.

    President Buhari, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, also assured Nigerians that his administration would sustain the positive momentum in the sector by implementing the right policies and providing the needed financial resources for people-oriented projects.

    The President, who is in Jigawa State for a two-day working visit, expressed delight that the Federal Government’s economic diversification and inclusive growth programmes were yielding positive results, particularly in key food-producing states.

    He applauded the World Bank’s assistance to the project, which when completed would increase water availability for all-season farming in the State and beyond.

    Also speaking, the Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu explained that works on the Phase One of the project which started in the early eighties during the administration of President Shehu Shagari and received some funding under the Petroleum Special Trust Fund had suffered frequent abandonment due to lack of funds.

    Adamu said with N9.6 billion allocated under the $495 million World Bank-assisted Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) project in five different irrigation locations in Nigeria, the project would be completed by 2021.

    ‘‘By the time the project is finished in three years, there would be about 6,000 hectares of farmland and the Jigawa State Government also plans to key into the project that will benefit over 25,000 farmers,’’ the Minister said.

    In Jigawa, the President commissioned the 42-kilometre Tasheguwa-Guri Road and the 32-kilometre Abunabo-Kadira-Guri road constructed by the State government to facilitate easier movement and evacuation of farm produce.

    President Buhari also commissioned the 250,000 solar- powered water supply schemes.

    The project is one out of nine of such projects which will add nine million litres to daily water supply in Dutse and environs.

  • Buhari condoles Pastor Bakare over mother’s death

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with Pastor Tunde Bakare, General Overseer of Latter Rain Assembly  on the death of his mother, Mrs Abigail Eebudola Bakare.

    In a telephone call to his friend and one time running mate, President Buhari urged the cleric and the Bakare family to take solace in the fact that the late Mrs Bakare lived long enough to witness the enormous successes achieved by her children.

    The President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, called on the bereaved family to uphold the cherished ideals of community service, kindness and generosity associated with the matriarch of the Bakare family, who died on May 5, 2018, aged 108.

    Read Also: Buhari congratulates Fayemi for winning APC Guber ticket

  • Buhari congratulates Fayemi for winning APC Guber ticket

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated former Governor of Ekiti State and Minister of Mines and Solid Minerals, Kayode Fayemi, for winning the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) ticket to contest the July 14, 2018 governorship elections.

    In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu in Abuja on Sunday, President Buhari commendd all the participants in the keenly contested position, who passionately worked hard to serve the state as governors.

    He urged them to keep upholding the values and philosophy of the party by supporting the APC candidate in the forthcoming elections.

    Read Also: Buhari congratulates APC candidate

    According to the President, Fayemi’s track record in the state as a reformist, with a penchant for building educational infrastructure and promoting the welfare of the ordinary people, will bolster his chances at the forthcoming polls.

    He noted that ”the successful primaries in the state, with more than 30 aspirants, further validate the credentials of the APC on internal democracy, and its preparedness to take the country to another level of development”

    Fayemi defeated other 32 contestants in the poll when he got 941 out of the 2337 votes cast by the delegates during the exercise.

    Another former governor of the state, Segun Oni, who secured 481 votes, came second.

    NAN

     

  • NBA threatens to sue Buhari over ‘Constitutional Dereliction’

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) may go to court to challenge what its president, Mr. Abubakar Mahmoud, on Friday branded President Muhammadu Buhari constitutional dereliction in governance.

    Mahmoud accused Buhari of neglecting to act on the recommendations of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to appoint 13 justices of the Court of Appeal since November 2017.

    The NBA President issued the threat to sue during the opening of the association’s two-day National Executive Committee meeting in Kano.

    He claimed that other recommendations for appointments to the Bench of the Federal High Court and other Federal courts were also pending many months after recommendations to the President.

    ”Acting on the recommendations of the NJC is not a matter of presidential discretion, to be exercised whenever the President deems fit. It is a constitutional duty,” he said.

    He added: “whilst the President is not bound to accept the recommendations, failure to act is a breach of the Constitution.

    “I therefore call on the President to act without further delay! This failure to act is causing unnecessary delays and avoidable negative consequences on the administration of justice across the country.”

  • Buhari condoles Christians on CAN official’s death

    President Muhammadu Buhari has joined the national leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Christian community in Nigeria in mourning the passing of the General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev (Dr) Musa Asake.

    This was contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina.

    The President, while commiserating with the family of the late Reverend, prayed that God Almighty will comfort all those who mourn the departed, and grant his soul eternal rest.

  • EFCC secures 278 convictions in 16 months

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said over 278 convictions of corrupt officials have been secured by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) between 2017 and first quarter of 2018.

    The President made the disclosure in a message to the passing out parade of 314 cadets of the EFCC Detective Superintendent Course 7 for 2017/2018, held at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.

    Buhari, who was represented by the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, said 189 convictions were secured in 2017 and 89, including that of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in the first quarter of 2018.

    He congratulated the cadets for successfully completing their 13 months training and admonished them to be courageous in dealing with corrupt officials.

    Buhari cautioned them to be upright, adding that “being officers of the EFCC does not confer immunity on you against arrest or prosecution as the only currency that can buy the career you seek in the EFCC is integrity, professionalism and resistance to corruption.”

    He said that they must, therefore, live above board, resist all temptations, be contented with their salaries and allowance, or be haunted down and prosecuted.

    The president also advised them to conduct investigations that are evidence laden and capable of gaining conviction in courts.

    Buhari commended the Acting chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu for the achievements recorded in the fight against corruption, adding that for the first time, the nation is witnessing the trial of judges, senior lawyers, serving and retired officers and former ministers.

    NAN reports that four cadets: T. E. Anene, T. M. Barigari, C. E. Opkara and H. A. Akigwa were recognized for exceptional performance during the course.

  • Oyinlola resigns as NIMC chairman, writes Buhari

    Former Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has tendered resignation of his appointment as the Chairman of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC.)

    In his letter to President Muhammadu Buhari dated May 9, 2018, read: “Sir,  I write to resign my appointment as the chairman of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) with effect from today, 9th May, 2018.

    “Your Excellency, I must put on record my very deep sense of appreciation for the special privilege and consideration you gave me to serve our fatherland in that capacity. As I stated in my appreciation letter to you shortly after the appointment, the offer was a clear call to service. I gave the job the dedication it deserved and would have loved to continue but I regret to inform Your Excellency that I have a new, greater political engagement that will make that difficult and even impolitic.

    Read Also: My wishes for Nigeria: An open letter to President Buhari

    “Sir, as one of my bosses in the army, I believe you would understand my stand given recent political developments. The training I got as a decorated officer and gentleman precluded me from engaging in any act that could amount to disloyalty and conflict of interest. I am moving on to chart a new course in my politics outside the ruling party and this thus, demands my dropping the NIMC chairmanship.

    “I thank you, sir, once again for the great honour and confidence reposed in me. However, there is time to take a job and another time to leave it and move on. For me, the time to work on something else in the interest and service of our people is now. I wish Your Excellency good-luck while praying that you will finish well and strong in the service of our country.”

  • Oyinlola resigns as NIMC Chairman

    A former governor of Osun, Mr Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has resigned his appointment as the Chairman of National Identity Management Commission ( NIMC ).

    Oyinlola, in a resignation letter dated May 9, and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, said he resigned his appointment to attend to a greater political engagement.

    The letter, which was signed by Oyinlola in Osogbo on Thursday reads:

    “Sir, I write to resign my appointment as the chairman of National Identity Management Commission ( NIMC ) with effect from today, 9th May, 2018.

    “Your Excellency, I must put on record my very deep sense of appreciation for the special privilege and consideration you gave me to serve our fatherland in that capacity.

    “As I stated in my appreciation letter to you shortly after the appointment, the offer was a clear call to service.

    Read Also:  Oyinlola holds on to Fed Govt’s job despite leading anti- Buhari campaign

    “I gave the job the dedication it deserved and would have loved to continue but I regret to inform Your Excellency that I have a new, greater political engagement that will make that difficult and even impolitic.

    “Sir, as one of my bosses in the army, I believe you would understand my stand given recent political developments.

    “The training I got as a decorated officer and gentleman precluded me from engaging in any act that could amount to disloyalty and conflict of interest.

    “I am moving on to chart a new course in my politics outside the ruling party and this thus, demands my dropping the NIMC chairmanship.

    “I thank you, sir, once again for the great honour and confidence reposed in me.

    “However, there is time to take a job and another time to leave it and move on.

    “For me, the time to work on something else in the interest and service of our people is now.

    “I wish Your Excellency goodluck while praying that you will finish well and strong in the service of our country.

    News men reports that Oyinlola was appointed as NIMC Chairman by President Buhari on September 2017.

    NAN

  • 47 days of captivity: NCWS calls for Leah Sharibu’s release

    The National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS) on Thursday appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to do everything possible to ensure the release of Leah Sharibu.

    Mrs Gloria Laraba Shoda, the President, NCWS, said that Leah Sharibu was the only Dapchi schoolgirl yet to be released by the Boko Haram insurgents 47 days after the other schoolgirls were released.

    The News men reports that 110 female students from Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC) in Dapchi, Yobe, were abducted by Boko Haram insurgents on Feb. 19, 2018.

    The insurgents released 104 of them to their families and school authorities on March 21, after they had spent one month and two days with their abductors.

    They, however, kept Leah Sharibu in their custody, alleging that she refused to convert from Christianity to Islam.

    The NCWS president said the Federal Government’s rapid response that ensured the release of 104 other kidnapped female students was very commendable.

    She, however, added that the delay in releasing the only Christian girl among the 104 captives had become very worrisome.

    Read Also: Rescue of Chibok girls, Leah Sharibu a must, says Saraki

    According to Shoda, it has been 47 days since the release of the other 104 girls, but no news of Leah Sharibu.

    “As mothers, the council is worried not knowing what her condition is and Nigerian women are praying to God to keep her safe.

    “I want to believe that we all have freedom of worship. For a girl of 15 years to continuously be held captive for holding on to her faith is worrisome and I fear for this country.

    “We are not forgetting the over 200 Chibok girls that were abducted in 2014 and over 100 that are yet to be released.

    “This is not good for our country. We as citizens should have faith in our government to ensure our security.

    “We are therefore calling on government at all levels to work harder to ensure the release of our daughters’’ she said.

    NAN