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Tag: Muhammadu Buhari

  • PDP to Baraje group: Come back to PDP

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) called on the disgruntled group in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to return to the PDP from where members of the group defected to the APC in 2014.

    Reacting to the seven-day ultimatum the group gave President Muhammadu Buhari to address their grievances, the spokesman of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday that the APC has nothing to offer members of the disgruntled group.

    The group, which is being led by a former national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje. Baraje is a long standing political associate of the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

    Ologbondiyan said, “They should return home; APC has nothing to offer them and the democratic setting that they left in PDP they can never find in APC.

    “APC is an amalgam, ‎it is moving without its soul. It is demonstrated in three years that it can only kill our democracy, it cannot give it life. The democrats who left the Peoples Democratic Party and went to sojourn in APC should return back to their home.

    “PDP is going to lead a coalition of every Nigerian who is sick and tired of hunger and the drift towards totalitariasm and autocracy

  • Beware of fake statements ascribed to Buhari, Presidency warns

    The Presidency on Wednesday alerted the public to be aware of a new dimension in the orchestrated plot to diminish the stature of President Muhammadu Buhari before millions of Nigerians who love and adore their President.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, accused of a pernicious twisting and misinterpretation of the words of the President by mischievous elements, adding that “perhaps they can earn him opprobrium and infamy.”

    “When they see that the gambit is not achieving the desired results, they have now gone into utter fabrication of apocryphal statements, which they purvey through the social media.

    “An example is a fictive portion of the February 2015 lecture by the then Candidate Buhari at Chatham House, London. This is what is circulating now on social media:” he said

    Quoting what was credited to the President in the social media; he said “What is the difference between me and those who elected us to represent them, absolutely nothing. Why should Nigerian President not fly with other Nigerian public? Why do I need to embark on a foreign trip as a President with a huge crowd with public funds? Why do I need to go for a medical trip abroad if we cannot make our hospital (sic) functional? Why do we need to send our children to school abroad if we cannot developed (sic) our university (sic) to compete with the foreign ones?”

    He pointed out that the Chatham House lecture of 2015 is in the public domain.

    He said “The full text was published by many Nigerian newspapers, and is still available in their libraries and various websites. The concoction by haters and agents of disunity is not part of the text of the lecture at all.

    “The morbid minds that created the falsehood simply want to de-market and demean the President, having seen that defeating him in a free and fair electoral contest is a tall order. Therefore, they desire to instigate the electorate against him by creating statements that never existed, and attributing such to him.

    “We are, however, glad that millions of Nigerians, young and old, are smart enough to see through the machinations. The dubious people will not succeed, as President Buhari’s reputation has been built over time, and sustained for decades. That is why he is widely acclaimed for integrity, transparency, honour, and accountability, both home and abroad. Negative minds can never erode or corrode this.

    “Bitter emotions stunt the soul and defile the mind. Those behind it will find out, eventually, that they are the ones swallowing poison, and expecting another person to die. They will realize the folly of their actions, to their own grief.”

    He urged decent Nigerians to be wary of the fare they consume hook, line and sinker, particularly on social media.

    “President Buhari is actuated by nothing else than love for motherland. He is poised to build a country which all Nigerians can proudly call their own. Noxious minds can still have a change of heart.” he said

  • FEC to receive amendments to tax policy soon, says Osinbajo

    Five amendment bills and two Executive Orders will soon be submitted to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval in order to change Nigeria’s National Tax Policy.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo made this disclosure on Wednesday in Abuja at the 20th annual tax conference of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN).

    According to Vice President Osinbajo, the “implementation Committee for the new tax Policy’s work has since produced five amendment bills and two Executive Orders; all of which will shortly be presented to the Federal Executive Council for approval.

    The specific mandate of the Committee he said included the removal of obsolete, ambiguous and contradictory provisions in our tax laws, simplification of the tax payment process, and the reduction of the tax burden on micro, small and medium enterprises.

    The need to change Nigeria’s tax policy the Vice President said has become necessary because “for too long Nigeria has tried to carry on as an oil-rich country, one without the need for its citizens’ taxes. The unwritten compact has been something along the lines of pay whatever taxes you can pay, but it’s really no big deal. In exchange, we, as government, get the right to do whatever we like with Nigeria’s oil wealth.”

    This arrangement he lamented, has fueled the massive corruption and inefficiencies that have come to be associated with public revenue management.

    The government of President Muhammadu Buhari, Osinbajo revealed “is working to change this state of affairs. We are determined to restore the full weight of the social contract. We are rewriting the old rules and compacts; making it clear to Nigerians that we will ensure that every naira of public money is put to use for the maximum good of the Nigerian people, while simultaneously ensuring that every naira due to the public coffers in taxes is promptly and efficiently collected.”

    He reiterated that the Treasury Single Account (TSA’s) unified system of bank accounts domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has proven to be far more transparent and cost-effective than the old scenario in which government agencies maintained thousands of accounts across various commercial banks.

    As a result of the TSA, “the Federal Government realizes monthly savings of at least N4 billion which would have gone on commercial bank charges” he said.

    The Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), the Vice President elaborated “has also tightened controls on the federal payroll and pensions systems, eliminating tens of thousands of ghost workers and saving us more than N200 billion that would have gone to these ghost workers.”

    With the introduction of the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), Osinbajo urged tax administrators particularly members of the CITN “to keep in mind that, that extra income is taxable, and, to whom much is given, much is expected.”

    Going forward, the federal government the Vice President said is “working to adapt our tax laws for the digital age, one in which commerce has become borderless and intangible, and to which the old laws no longer apply. E-Filing is a rapidly growing concept which we are very keen to extend to taxpayers at all levels across the country.”

    The Vice President also disclosed that the number of economically-active Nigerian tax payers is now in excess of 19 million, and still growing from only 14 million in May 2017.

    This he said “means that the efforts of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), in collaboration with the State Inland Revenue Services, have already added more than five million new taxpayers to the tax base.

    Earlier, president and chairman of council of the CITN, Chief Cyril Ikemefuna Ede, said the “heartbeat of any economy is its deft use of taxation for promoting economic growth and development. Through taxation, government ensures that resources are channeled towards important and critical activities in the society. Thus the imposition of taxes is essential to economic and social development in any given economy.”

  • Abubakar calls for cultural, religious considerations

    Gov. Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State has called for considerations of cultural and religious beliefs in designing mass housing for intended beneficiaries across the country.

    Abubakar made the call on Wednesday in Bauchi when the Minister of State, Power, Works and Housing, Alhaji Mustapha Shehuri visited him.

    He said the call was to ensure acceptability of the project by all Nigerians, adding that housing design should be done to suit the lifestyle of the beneficiaries on the basis of their religious and cultural beliefs.

    Gov. Abubakar said that the state government had undertaken several federal projects including reinforcement of a bridge in Zaki Local Government and road interventions in the state.

    He commended the minister for the visit, while pledging the support of the Bauchi State Government to the various programmes of the Federal Government in the state.

    Abubakar said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration had impacted positively on the lives of Nigerians through various programmes since its inception in 2015.

    He noted that the exit of Nigeria from economic recession after two years, in spite of the fallen crude oil prices, was a manifestation of excellent performance of the present administration.

    Read Also: Bauchi cannot pay N66,500 minimum wage – Abubakar

    According to him, experience has shown that most countries in recession spent decades struggling to get out of it.

    He said the various interventions of the Federal Government, Sukuk initiative, school feeding programme, conditional cash transfer and N-power were already yielding positive results.

    Abubakar, therefore, urged Nigerians to support the government in its efforts at consolidating on its achievements for the well-being of the citizenry.

    Earlier, Shehuri said that he was in the state to inspect ongoing Federal Government projects.

    He commended the governor and the people of Bauchi for supporting the Federal Government by ensuring success of its projects in the state.

    The minister said that the Federal Government had introduced various initiatives to fund its projects outside the budget, adding that efforts were being made to boost power supply in the state.

    NAN

  • Buhari seeks support from international community to tackle climate change

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday reiterated the need for sustained financial, technical and capacity building support from the international community to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change in the country.

    The President made the call when he received Letter of Credence from Mr Robert Jan Petri, the Ambassador of Netherlands to Nigeria.

    President Buhari said Nigeria would continue to vigorously pursue the replenishment of the Lake Chad Basin, which had dried up to 10 percent of its original size.

    ”With the population growth in Nigeria and the drying up of the Lake Chad, we have to move faster and adapt to the impacts of climate change through technological solutions, ” he said.

    The President told the Dutch Ambassador that following Nigeria’s active participation in UN-organized Climate Change conferences in 2015, 2016 and 2017, the Nigerian government successfully hosted a high-level international conference on Lake Chad in February 2018.

    He noted that the high-level conference provided an opportunity to push further options to restore the Lake Chad, including the inter-basin water transfer project from Ubangi River in Central Africa to the Lake.

    On agriculture, the President welcomed the interest by some Nigerian doctoral students studying in the Netherlands on developing the sector through research and innovation, particularly the livestock sector.

    Read Also: Killings meant to instigate war, says Buhari

    In separate remarks, while receiving the Letter of Credence from the High Commissioner of the Republic of Botswana, Mr Pule Mphothwe, Buhari commended the Southern African country for its consistent support to Nigeria in the international fora.

    While recounting Nigeria’s leadership role in the liberation of African countries from colonial domination, the President expressed the readiness of Nigeria to continue to support fellow African nations in their time of needs.

    ”It is a national duty to support our African brothers in their time of need.”

    The President who also received Letter of Credence from Mr Houssam Diab, Ambassador of Lebanon to Nigeria, commended Lebanon for successful parliamentary elections, commitment to stability and security in the Middle East, as well as assistance to Syrian refugees.

    In their separate remarks, the Ambassadors while highlighting the existing and cordial relations between Nigeria and their countries, called for increased trade and economic cooperation.

    The Dutch Ambassador said: ”We are in the process of intensifying our cooperation, particularly on agriculture where we can offer our expertise, being the second largest exporter of food after the United States.”

    Also in his remarks, the Botswana High Commissioner told President Buhari that several companies from his country had indicated interest to invest in Nigeria’s mining, agriculture, sports and creative arts sectors.

    ”Sequel to the visit to my country (Botswana) by your predecessor in 2011, there is a great desire for my President to visit Nigeria,” Amb. Mphothwe said.

    NAN

     

  • Buhari approves new security measures to tackle Kaduna killings

    President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of a new Battalion of the Nigerian Army, as well as a new Police Area Command in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the president, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement in Abuja on Monday said these were part of measures to scale up the security response to the banditry affecting the area.

    The presidential aide quoted the president as strongly condemning the latest massacre of innocent Nigerians in the area.

    The president said: “I am deeply outraged by this unwarranted, unprovoked and reckless destruction of lives by bandits who belong to the lowest level of civilisation.

    “I feel the pains and devastation of the families of the victims, and this administration will do everything possible to ensure we defeat these enemies of humanity.”

    According to the president, security remains a priority for his government, and his administration will not tolerate the persistent killing of innocent people in order to set Nigerians against one another.

    He observed that “these persistent killings are not spontaneous; there are subterranean forces with a sinister agenda to instigate war in the country for selfish purposes.

    “Although unconventional war is particularly complicated, our security forces are making rigorous efforts to better understand these enemies with a view to decisively checkmating their evil attacks’’.

    Buhari extended his condolences to the families of the victims, the government and the people of Kaduna State over this unfortunate tragedy.

    He assured that his administration would never abandon them to their fate.

    The statement observed that the new Army Battalion and the Police Area Command are the latest in a series of law enforcement measures to ensure more effective protection of lives and property, in and around Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, Zamfara and Nasarawa states.

    It recalled that the Nigerian Air Force last week took delivery of two new helicopter gunships for deployment to parts of the country affected by banditry.

    “A Quick Response Wing has also been established by the Nigerian Air Force in Taraba State, while a Joint Military Intervention Force is fully on ground in Benue,’’ the statement added.

  • Saraki reports IGP to Buhari

    Says IGP must obey constitution 

    Dogara: Police behaving like upgraded barbarians 

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki on Monday reported the refusal by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to appear before the Senate.

    The Senate had recently invited him twice over the arrest of Senator Dino Melaye. But Idris failed to show up before the Senate in plenary.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of meeting with President Buhari, Saraki said that there was need to ensure Idris respect constituted authority in line with the provisions of the 1999.

    He said “Just talking about the issue of the police, we also raised the issue of the non-appearance of the IG at the Senate and felt that they must continue to ensure that he continues to apply obedience to the issue of constituted authority.

    “We are of great concern that this is the first time this is happening and that that matter needs to be addressed considering the importance of the powers of the  constitution that gives investigative powers, also gives to us and that there is need for police to accept that they too are under constitution and they must obey that. We raised that concern.” he said

    He disclosed that himself and the Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara came to the Villa at the invitation of President Buhari who briefed them on his trip to the United States and on the issue of the 2018 Budget.

    “We also talked on the issue of concerns to us, the invasion of the National Assembly, which he showed great concern and said action will be taken to investigate that.” he added

    On how soon the budget will be passed,  he said “Well, hopefully it should be laid this week. If it can be laid this week and passed early next week but we are hoping it will be laid this week.”

    Asked what the President’s response was on the invasion of the Senate,  he said “Of course he sees it as an embarrassment to the country and that there will be a proper investigation because it is something that is not just about the National Assembly, it is about the country.

    On what he is doing to improve the strain relationship between the executive and the legislature, Saraki said “You see we are here today, it was the initiative of Mr. President to brief us on his visit to America and to engage on discussions and I think that is a good sign. We at the National Assembly have always been ready to give all our support to the executive and we will continue to work along those lines.

    “As I said, the presidential system that we operate, we sometimes have the responsibility to check the excesses of the executive, so there will always be times we will disagree but by and large, we will always work for the interest of Nigerians and always keep on moving on.” he said

    Asked if he will describe the meeting as peaceful, he said “Yes, of course. I think it is good that we touch on some of the important issues, as I said it is a continuous process.”

    On the treatment meted out to Melaye, Dogara said that the Police has behaved like upgraded barbarians.

    He said “The issue of Senator Dino, of course anything that happens to one of our members or any member of the National Assembly is of concern to us. And there is no way we can have this kind of meeting without raising that.

    “This is a civilian administration, it is democracy and it is imperative and very very important that all institutions of democracy operate within the ambit of the rule of law.

    “There is no where,  I have said it before that police will behave in a democracy like a clan of tribesmen, like an upgraded barbarians sort of. So there is need for us  to act with civility.

    “We are not saying  that anybody should be protected and defended. Once you have committed an offense, our law said you should answer it but you just have to utilize the provision of the constitution, the rule of law and this administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has over emphasized in order to bring people to book.

    “But a situation where people are wheeled to court, that doesn’t give good image of our democracy. I have not seen a democracy where people are wheeled to court, they are not in the proper frame of mind and they are forced to undergo trail.

    “Whatever it is, even if Dino is pretending as some have said it some section of the media, he cannot pretend forever. He is there, he will not run away, he is a senator and he can be tried any time he is in proper frame of mind.

    “As a lawyer, I can tell you, any judge that assesses an accused person not to be in a proper frame of mind, even if the accused person pleas guilty, he is duty bound by law to record a plea of guilty if he is not satisfied as to the soundness of the mind of the accused person.

    “So the emphasis is there and I believe the President being a listening President will definitely take steps and do something about it.” he said

    Asked if the issue on the planned impeachment process was raised, he said “Well, I don’t think we have the authority  to discuss issues of impeachment, impeachment is a political offense and I don’t think we are there yet.

    When asked if the President raised the issue, he said “No, never. It wasn’t part of the agenda.”

  • Buhari meets Saraki, Dogara and others, over budget

    President Muhammadu Buhari is meeting with Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, behind closed doors.

    The News men report that the president is meeting the two National Assembly leaders barely two hours after his return from Daura, Katsina State.

    The President was in Daura for Saturday’s ward congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Read Also: Breaking: Buhari, Saraki, Dogara meet in Aso Rock

    Issues expected to be discussed at the meeting include the delay on the passage of the 2018 Budget, sour relationship between the executive and lawmakers, the ward congresses and botched APC primaries in Ekiti state.

    Also on the card for likely discussion was the current security situation in the country including the failure of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to appear before the senate over the issue of Sen. Dino Melaye.

    Dogara was last week quoted as saying that the IGP and the police would be held responsible for anything that happened to Melaye, currently facing two separate court trials.

    NAN

  • Buhari will deliver on mandate – Lawmaker

    Umar Bago, a lawmaker from Niger said on Monday that President Muhammadu Buhari would overcome all oppositions and deliver on his mandate.

    Bago said in an interview with our reporter in Minna that people opposing the President were those used to the corruption and looting of the past.

    The lawmaker said that Buhari has remained committed to the fight against corruption, militancy, cattle rustling and insurgency, and would set the country on the path of progress.

    “President Buhari has proved beyond reasonable doubt to be honest, sincere and committed towards meeting the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians irrespective of political, tribal and ethnic differences.’’

    “The profile of Nigeria had rose high since Buhari assumed duty, because of the high regard the international community has for him”, he said.

    According to Bago, Buhari’s visit to United States was a testimony to the high regard with which the international community now views Nigeria.

    “The President’s track record of integrity is largely responsible for the foreign nations’ positive disposition to assist in checking the activities of insurgency and anti-corruption initiatives in our country,” he said.

    Read Also:  Buhari Leaves Daura for Abuja after APC congress

    He stressed that those wishing the president to fail in his second term bid were not in touch with the grassroots.

    “The love for the president is still overwhelming and unprecedented;  even during the recent APC ward congresses the people told us in clear terms that only the President would enjoy their unconditional support in 2019.’’

    The lawmaker urged politicians to be responsible in their actions and shun negative tendencies that would inhibit the peace, progress and political growth of the country.

    “What the country needs at this material time is peaceful atmosphere, to which the Federal Government is committed, to ensure free, fair and credible elections in 2019.”

    NAN

  • Kaduna: APC Committee, Senators disagree over ward Congresses

    Adamu Modibbo, Chairman All Progressives Congress ( APC ) Wards and Local Governments Congresses Committee for Kaduna State, said on Monday that the committee was satisfied with the conduct of the ward congresses in spite of protests against the exercise.

    Modibbo told Journalists in Kaduna that the exercise was conducted “peacefully in well-organized manner without any incident recorded throughout the state.“

    According to him, there was large turnout of party members for the congress and was was impressed with the orderliness they displayed during the event.

    The news men however reports that Sen. Shehu Sani (APC Kaduna Central) and Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC Kaduna North) had separately told newsmen that the congresses did not hold in any part of the state.

    Modibbo insisted that the congresses held in accordance with the party’s guidelines.

    “We met with the APC stakeholders at the party secretariat after which we constituted three member congress committees for all the wards and gave them all the needed materials for the exercise, promptly.

    “Some aspirants, including their leaders requested for forms from us and once they met the stipulated conditions, showing evidence of payment, we gave them the forms.

    Read Also: Congresses: APC asks aggrieved members to appeal

    “Those were few of the measures we took and to the glory of Allah; the preparedness of the party leaderships at all levels in the state, the exercise is a huge success. We are highly satisfied, “Modibbo said.

    Meanwhile, Hunkuyi said at a news briefing that the elective congress did not hold in any of the 255 wards in the state as stipulated by the APC constitution.

    “Our members had by the provision of the guidelines and the APC Constitution paid the required fees for the nomination forms into the APC accounts and collected tellers for the 9,453 positions to be contested in 255 Wards across the 23 LGs involving 37 different positions in each of the Wards across the State.

    “The APC State Congress Committee in a very frustrating outing gave our members the Nomination Forms for only Two Local Governments out of 23 LGs around 3:55a.m and that was at the wee hours of the Congress date of 5th May, 2018.

    “It must be noted that even those who collected the forms were already programmed for disqualification as the guidelines for the conduct of the congresses, stipulates that all aspirants must return the forms 24 hours before the date of the congresses.

    “Thus given the scenario above, our members were left with no other option than to troop to the venue of the Ward Congress by 8: 00 a.m. of the same morning carrying the bank tellers and APC membership Cards in order to participate at the Congress.

    “However, to our utmost surprise, no official of the APC-Ward Congress Committee showed up in any of the 255 Wards Areas from 8:00 a.m., neither in the morning nor throughout the day.

    “This is in contravention of the guidelines and directives of President Muhammadu Buhari that urges for conduct of elective Congresses in conformity with provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act and the APC Constitution.”

    He, however, said that they would lodge a formal complain to the APC Congress Committee, the party’s National Working Committee and other relevant organs of the party.

    NAN