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Buhari returns to Abuja after AU Summit

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday returned to Abuja after a successful outing at the 30th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he was conferred as the anti-corruption Champion.

The theme of the 30th AU Summit was; “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.’’

The President’s aircraft landed at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi International Airport Abuja at about 2.20p.m.

The Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari, Inspector-General of Police Idris Ibrahim, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Musa Bello, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr Ahmed Abubakar and other presidential aides were at the airport to welcome the President.

President Buhari had on Jan. 27 started his four-day engagement in Addis Ababa when he joined 14 other members of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union to discuss conflict and crisis situations across the continent.

PSC is a standing organ of the AU for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts.

The meeting discussed the persistence of violent conflicts and crisis situations in some parts of the continent, the upsurge of Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs ) and refugees, climate change and its consequences as well as the issue of the derailment of national development programmes.

The meeting also reviewed the situations in Somalia, South Sudan, Libya, Guinea Bissau, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

At the meeting, President Buhari had stressed the need to curb the flow of terrorism financing.

The President, who spoke under the theme, “Towards a Comprehensive Approach to Combat the Transnational Threat to Terrorism”, maintained that “concerted efforts must be made to dismantle the network between transnational organised crimes and terrorist organisations, and also to block the payment of ransom to terrorist groups.

Buhari expressed Nigeria’s grave concern over the increasing threats posed by transnational terrorism and the attendant humanitarian crisis.

The president also condemned in the strongest terms the continued activities of the terrorist groups in Africa, and around the world and called for more concerted action by the African body and the international community to address the global scourge.

According to him, in doing that, the conditions that are conducive to the spread of extremism, radicalisation and terrorism must first be addressed.

He added that collaborative measures must be taken to disrupt the recruitment of terrorists, their financing networks and the movement of foreign fighters.

Read Also: Don’t ignore Obasanjo’s letter, ex-NANS president tells Buhari

Buhari disclosed that Nigeria had enacted domestic anti-terrorism laws that also deal with related issues such as kidnapping, drug peddling and gun-running.

He, however, noted “terrorism cannot be defeated only through military force and law enforcement measures.

While formally launching the African Anti-Corruption Year 2018 during the Opening Ceremony of the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union on Sunday, Buhari described corruption as “one of the greatest evils of our time.’’

The President thanked his African colleagues for entrusting him with such a noble responsibility.

He pledged to do his best “to ensure that the anti-corruption agenda receive the attention it deserves and make the impact we all hope for, during 2018 and beyond.”

He said: “Corruption is indeed one of the greatest evils of our time. Corruption rewards those who do not play by the rules and also creates a system of distortion and diversion thereby destroying all efforts at constructive, just and fair governance.’’

The President, who noted that Africa had made some significant strides in enacting legal and policy frameworks such as the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) to address the vice, said the desired impact had been lacking.

“Fifteen (15) years after the adoption of the African Union Convention, 2018 provides a good starting point to take stock of progress made so far, assess what still needs to be done and devise new strategies to address new corruption challenges,” he said.

President Buhari and ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo had exchange pleasantries briefly before the opening ceremony of the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly.

Their contact marked the first time both men met since the controversial special letter released by Obasanjo criticizing Buhari’s administration and advising him not to seek re-election in 2019.

The latest reaction to Obasanjo’s letter came from a serving Minister of Communications, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, who on Monday, advised the former president to allow Nigerians to determine Buhari’s eligibility or otherwise to re-contest the presidential election in 2019.

Shittu told State House correspondents in an interview that, “Obasanjo as a Nigerian has the right to hold an opinion.

According to him, if Obasanjo holds an opinion that Mr President has performed less than it should be, those of us who are in the position to know better has a right to also state the other side, which perhaps Obasanjo is ignorant of.

“You see, there are some people who enjoy engaging in sensationalism.

“With due respect to General Obasanjo, if you take his history over the last 30 years, there is hardly any regime other than his own that he did not criticize except Sani Abacha, who didn’t wait for Obasanjo to criticize him before he was sent to the gulag.

“So many Nigerians know that Obasanjo enjoys this type of sensationalisation’’.

President Buhari also attended the closing ceremony of the summit on Monday where the African Union inaugurated the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).

NAN

January 30, 2018
Buhari, Obj and 2019

Last week Tuesday was a day President Muhammadu Buhari and those around him will not forget in a hurry.

It was a day the former President Olusegun Obasanjo decided to come down hard on Buhari’s democratic governance.

Obasanjo, who had spent two terms of four years as a democratic President, criticised the Buhari’s administration, which just crossed two and half years mark.

The former President said that the Buhari’s administration and his party, the All Prgressives Congress (APC) have failed Nigerians.

Stressing that Buhari’s administration was not different from those of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before his assumption of office, Obasanjo believed that the present administration is also enmeshed in corruption.

The long and short of his letter was that President Buhari should take a well-deserved rest and not contest the 2019 Presidential election, when his first term of four years expires.

Following the release of the letter, the mood in the Presidential Villa that Tuesday remained very dull till sunset when workers closed for the day.

None of the President’s media handler was also willing to take on the elder statesman over the letter that day.

Last Tuesday was not the first time the former President was releasing such letter to the public. Obasanjo had written such open letters to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Those letters, many Nigerians believed, played a great role in the defeat Jonathan suffered at the polls in 2015.

Even though, the President Buhari’s administration had disclosed that it received Obasanjo’s latest letter in good faith, the letter no doubt have caused a great division among Nigerians.

While some Nigerians hailed Obasanjo for being courageous, patriotic and hitting the nails on the head, others felt that his criticism was misplaced.

Apart from others believing that the economy under Obasanjo’s eight years rule was nothing to write home about in spite of the higher prices of oil in the international market, some Nigerians were also of the view that Obasanjo, in government, will never allow himself to be tele guided by anybody.

For the National Secretary of Action Democratic Party (ADP), James Okoroma, Obasanjo’s letter has set the stage for a new Nigeria.

He said: “The damage caused by the Buhari Government is enormous and we must endeavour to rebuild our country. The former President made it clear in his statement that the Buhari government is a monumental failure.

National Chairman of United Progressives Congress, (UPP) Chief Chekwas Okorie described the letter as timely, adding that the Buhari administration has done enormous danger to the unity of the country than any administration before it.

He said: “The fact remains that Buhari is non performing, nepotism, sectional and very clueless. He has put Nigeria in more danger than any President before him. He doesn’t behave like one who fought during the civil war. Nigeria is more divisive under Buhari.”

Also, National Chairman of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) National Chairman Alhaji Ganiyu Galadima said “The advice of President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Mohammad Buhari not to contest in 2019 is apt and sincere. President Obasanjo is a former Nigerian President known for his truth and bluntness.”

The PDP, through a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan said that Obasanjo’s letter has vindicated PDP’s position on Buhari and the APC.

A former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and leader of the National Intervention Movement (NIM) Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) said President Buhari has nothing more to offer, describing Obasanjo’s suggestion for Buhari not to run for second term as “great”.

Activist-lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), supporting Obasanjo’s statement, said it was a wake-up call for President Buhari.

Falana said: “President Olusegun Obasanjo’s intervention is a vivid expression of the frustration of the Nigerian people with the Buhari administration.

“The statement is a clarion call on President Buhari to remove the incompetent and corrupt cabal of power mongers that has hijacked political power from him. Through sheer nepotism and cronyism, the regime has lost the massive goodwill that heralded it to power.

“The success recorded in the fight against insurgency in the northeast zone has been eroded in the wave of kidnapping and reckless killing of unarmed Nigerians by AK47-bearing herdsmen.

“The success of the fight against corruption and impunity has been rubbished by the inability of the regime to remove corrupt public officers.”

Although Vice President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Monday Ubani felt Obasanjo’s letter was long overdue, he warned that Obasanjo should not see himself as the determiner of Nigerians’ fate.

Ubani said “Recall that former President Obasanjo has written such letters to virtually everyone that took over from him and if you will remember such letters were even written to former military leaders like IBB and Abacha. Such scathing and virulent attacks on leaders before and after him are therefore not novel.”

Rooting for the incumbent, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Dr. Victor Oye, said that Buhari does not need Obasanjo’s advice.

He said: “Obasanjo’s opinion and Nigerian’s opinions differ. People might have different opinion. What we need now in Nigeria is for us to remove unnecessary tension.

“Even if Buhari is not going to run in 2019, we shouldn’t create unnecessary tension because the man himself knows what to do and he doesn’t need Obasanjo’s letter to take such decision. It is Buhari’s entitlement to run for second term, but if he is saying he cannot run, he knows what to do.

“When Obasanjo was president what did he do? Was he a wonderful leader? Did he tar road in South-east? Enugu to Port-Hacourt road he didn’t do it. Okigwe to Oga he didn’t do it, and so on, and he is busy talking about nepotism. Obasanjo does not have moral justification to say such a thing,” he said.

Also the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), declared that Obasanjo cannot stop Buhari from running for Presidency in 2019.

A member of the House of Representatives Alhassan Ado Doguwa (APC, Kano), in a press briefing had said Obasanjo lacks moral and political credibility to advise Buhari not to contest in 2019 considering Obasanjo’s own attempt at returning to the Presidency contrary to the provision of the nation’s constitution.

He said, “The former President, who was used to engaging in very unreasonable political comments should know that he cannot in any way be a stumbling block against the popular desire of Nigerian to give President Buhari a second term to rule this great nation, which unfortunately was put to a state of economic and political quagmire by the likes of Obasanjo and his cohorts.

“After all a man who is involved in all sorts of corruption issues in his administration and indeed his unpopular bid to violate our respected constitution by wanting to take a third term is not any way a credible democratic voice to count on.

“Nigerian should consider him as mere confusionist, mischievous and an enemy of true democracy in Nigeria as he has always been,” he said.

The APC also said that weit remained the best option for Nigerians in spite of Obasanjo’s criticism.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abudullahi, said “We acknowledge our challenges as a new political party, even as we believe that APC remains the best option at this time for all Nigerians who are genuinely committed to the country’s progress and development.

“While we do not agree with everything the former president said, especially on his assessment of the government and our party we note the sundry issues raised by the former President, and we assume these were made in good faith,” he said.

Although the Buhari’s government had disagreed with most of Obasanjo’s positions and criticism of the administration, but many Nigerians will really want to know if Buhari, at the end of the day, will not re-contest in 2019 as a result of the letter.

Only time will tell as events towards 2019 general elections unfold.

January 30, 2018
‘Restructuring will distract Buhari’

For those agitating for restructuring, a group under the auspices of Buhari Votes Guard and Awareness (BVGA), has said the development will distract President Muhammadu Buhari.

Restructuring, BVGA said, will also consume huge amount of money needed to tackle the unfortunate killings in some states.

Briefing reporters on the state of the nation in Abuja, National Coordinator of BVGA, Kailani Muhammad, said Buhari was committed to the unity of the country.

Muhammad, who was part of the All Progressives Congress (APC) dignitaries President Buhari hosted at the Presidential Villa last week, said: “Notwithstanding the decisive demarcation of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, for example, security challenges such as kidnapping, armed robbery, communal clashes, recent killings in some states and others are issues that Mr. President is talking head-long. For the country to be restructured as is being agitated would seem a distraction and will consume huge amount of money that is needed to tackle these challenges. Fortunately, our security agencies are doing their best to sort out these issues of security breaches by criminals.

“Many agitators and critics of President Muhammadu Buhari’s position on restructuring of the country seem to miss the point he was making. It would seem more Nigerians are truly more concerned about the structure rather than the process. The president has said severally that he has kept a close watch on the on-going debate about “restructuring”, and opined that no human law or edifice is perfect.

“President Buhari has repeatedly assured Nigerians that his administration would continue to be ever receptive to ideas which would improve governance and contribute to the country’s peace, stability and change for the better. Because of his commitment to nation building, our nation is witnessing a new and impressive turnaround in our security and socio-economic situation. Government said there is going to be a summit on security. Government you can see is not resting on its oars. The security agencies are now working round the clock to see that they ensure peace in the country. There is no society that has no security challenges even in the United States of America. The government here is trying to do its best. The security challenges were carried over from last administration.

“On the re-election of the president in 2019, the BVGA boss said: “Buhari is our best candidate and he should run for continuity. We do not have any strong candidate. Last Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari called upon us for a special dinner. He called his strong supporters and I was one of them. The president is fit, he has integrity. Corruption is fighting back. And since the masses are the ones that are saying that Buhari should seek re-election in 2019 I do not think that it is fair for anyone to say otherwise. Those telling Buhari to quit are enemies of Nigeria who do not mean well for the country. We should support the president to complete his first four years and still give him another four years for continuity. The issue of fuel scarcity is sabotage. We must live as one Nigeria. Some people are trying to destabilise the government before 2019. This country belongs to all of us.”

January 30, 2018
Buhari urges establishment of single market in Africa to create jobs.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday canvassed for the speedy establishment of a single, unified market in Africa to increase trade, create more jobs and reduce poverty.

The President made the call while presenting Nigeria’s position in favour of the Report on the establishment of a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) and related issues presented by President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic.

Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, said the president made the presentation during the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

President Buhari said: “It is Nigeria’s position that as African leaders and principal architects of our Union, we must now speed up action to conclude the negotiations and establish the CFTA.”

He noted that the continent had missed the timeline set by the African Union (AU) in Jan. 2012 to establish the CFTA in 2017.

The President, however, stated that African leaders still had the opportunity to set it up by March 2018.

While justifying Nigeria’s vote for the CFTA, the President said: “In a rapidly changing global economy, with much uncertainty, we believe that the establishment of a CFTA would provide Africa with tremendous opportunity to achieve significant growth driven by intra-African trade.”

Read Also: 2019: Senate to confront Buhari on order of polls

According to him, while the stakes in setting up CFTA are no doubt very high, the benefits are wide-ranging and significant.

“The primary objective is economic namely, for trade in goods and services on the continent.

“A single, unified market would lead to a comprehensive and mutually beneficial trade agreement amongst African Union Member States.

“If we integrate Africa’s market for trade in goods and services, we will not only double intra-African trade, but also negotiate with other regions or continents on trade matters,’’ he said.

President Buhari argued further that, “If we increase our trade, we grow faster, create more jobs and reduce poverty. Thus, with CFTA, our continent will be more integrated, united and prosperous.”

According to him, the CFTA will carry significant welfare gains associated with increased production, consumption and revenue.

He said it would also generate more economic growth, enhance efficiency and support enterprise and innovation.

The Nigerian leader urged his African colleagues to also look beyond the economic benefits of the CFTA, stressing that it would be another step in uniting Africa and consolidating the architecture of the African Union.

He said: “The establishment of the CFTA is also the first step for the African Union in the implementation of “Agenda 2063” for the socio-economic transformation of the continent as well as being a building block in the achievement of the goals of the 1991 Abuja Treaty on the African Economic Community.”

Buhari commended President Issoufou on his role as the “AU Champion for the CFTA”, whose work “has significantly advanced our goal to conclude and launch the CFTA.’’

He also lauded the technical support provided by the AU Commission, with Nigeria serving as the Chair of the Negotiating Forum and Chairperson of the AU Ministers of Trade.

While considering the huge benefits of the CFTA, the President said Nigeria welcomed the idea and called on AU Member States to lend their strategic support without delay.

NAN

January 29, 2018
Buhari congratulates Super Eagles over victory against Angola

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday congratulated the Super Eagles on the spectacular 2-1 win over Angola in the CHAN quarter-final match in Morocco.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, said that the President watched the match in his hotel room in Addis Ababa after a long day of meetings.

The President, he said, wished the team the very best in the upcoming matches.

January 29, 2018
A tale of two generals

Given the intense dislike of many Nigerians for whatever former President Matthew Aremu Okikiola Olusegun Obasanjo represents, one would have thought that his press statement, last week, on President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration would only at best have attracted perfunctory attention. But no. It is immaterial whether you like or hate Chief Obasanjo; whenever he talks, people still listen. You may quake on the basis of your hatred for his guts and complain till tomorrow that he is one of those who led us to where we are today. Whatever it is, you will still react anyhow or somehow. And I think the old man is enjoying it all. The press statement, titled “The way out: A clarion call for Coalition for Nigeria Movement” released on January 23 became such a hot cake that vendors made brisk business selling bound copies to interested readers. Not even the ‘Letters to my countrymen’ written by Prince Tony Momoh as information minister in those days were so sought after. So, we can see that there are letters and there are letters!

One person that will not forget Obasanjo in a hurry is former President Goodluck Jonathan and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Matters got to a head when Chief Obasanjo tore his membership card of the PDP in what not a few saw not just from the physical angle but from what they felt was its metaphysical symbolism. Indeed, many people felt that singular act contributed in no small measure to the defeat of PDP at the polls in 2015. Ipso facto, it is difficult not to appreciate the role that Obasanjo played in bringing about the Buhari presidency. At any rate, both Obasanjo and Buhari are retired generals. What we are told is that fowls don’t eat each other’s intestine. That wise saying has to be reworked in view of this development. But from the look of things, Obasanjo does not appear to be speaking alone. Let’s leave that for another day.

In the absence of an effective opposition, which is a sine quanon in a democracy, statements like the one written by Obasanjo could fill the vacuum. Whatever the former president said in his press statement should have been the responsibility of an effective opposition. Unfortunately, the PDP that should be tackling the government appears to be on sabbatical. In fact, it is as if the party is itself under a spell or spiritual enchantment due to what it did to the country before power was taken from it in 2015. Or, could it be guilty conscience that is responsible for the former ruling party’s tepid opposition? I asked this question because I am one of the persons who feel that the former ruling party is most unfit to criticise any government due to its own shameful performance, particularly in the Jonathan years.

To be fair to the Buhari administration, it has recorded some modest achievements as it pointed out in the reply to Obasanjo’s statement. For instance, it cannot be denied that the foreign reserves have risen from $28.6 billion that the government inherited in 2015 to about $40bn today. The government has also succeeded in pushing electricity generation from about 4,700MW that it met on ground to 7,000MW; rice import has reduced drastically in two years, (I do not want to quote government’s figures because some people are challenging that) but it is undeniable that we have more local rice in the country today than we had two years ago. Moreover, the government is feeding about 5.2million primary school pupils free in some 28,249 schools in 19 states. The stock market has just been adjudged as one of the best performing in the world, among others.

It would appear though that these achievements are obscured by a few but salient issues that Nigerians consider very crucial but which the government appears not to consider so. Nigerians have been complaining about the seeming kid gloves with which herdsmen are being treated despite the atrocities they are perpetrating across the country in the name of grazing. Indeed, this is one reason why the government may not find favour with the people on cattle colony. The air has been so fouled that it is almost late in the day to want to convince anybody that the herdsmen would not seek to extend whatever territories might be designated as their colonies.

There is also the issue of the anti-corruption war that many see as selective. For instance, former secretary to the government of the federation, Babachir Lawal, is only now being interrogated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), months after he was supposed to have been grilled and prosecuted for the alleged crime over which he lost his plum job. There is also the allegation of cronyism levelled against the president.

If you ask me though, I disagree with some aspects of the former president’s statement. For instance, I do not agree that President Buhari should retire or dismount “to reflect, refurbish physically and recoup and after appropriate rest, once again, join the stock of Nigerian leaders whose experience, influence, wisdom and outreach can be deployed on the side line for the good of the country…” I want to say without fear of contradiction that one of the major problems that this country faces today is that of still relying on past leaders for direction. As Chief Obasanjo himself noted, one cannot give what he does not have. If these past leaders had what it takes to move this country forward, we would not be where we are today. We had countries like India, Singapore and others that were on the same level with Nigeria in the 1960s and perhaps 1970s. Today, they have become giants in their own rights while Nigeria remains the sleeping “Giant of Africa’ or the ‘potentially great’ country or ‘hope of the black man’ that they have always said it was even before I was born. My prognosis therefore is that if Nigeria is to make progress, we must first sever our umbilical cord from these past leaders and start our lives afresh. We don’t have to punish them for messing up our lives; but we do not need them to move us forward. After all, as the wife of one of them, Patience Jonathan said, ‘there is God o’!

Isn’t it the height of hypocrisy when you tried to get third term and failed; but you are advising someone not to seek second term? Chief Obasanjo himself was about 70 years when seeking third term and would have been at least 74 years in office as president if this quest had materialised. Buhari would just be about two years older when (or if) he decides to seek second term next year. So, what’s the difference?

For me, the age and health factors cited by former President Obasanjo as reasons for Buhari to go home and rest came in because of the way the government is being run. Even in the United States, some of the men who occupied the Oval Office had one ailment or the other. These included Andrew Jackson: 1829–1837, who suffered from rotting teeth, chronic headaches, failing eyesight, bleeding in his lungs, internal infection, and pain from two bullet wounds from two separate duels. Then William Taft: 1909–1913 who weighed over 300 pounds at a time. He was obese but lost about 100 pounds through aggressive dieting. Taft’s weight initiated sleep apnea, which disrupted his sleep and caused him to be tired during the day and sometimes sleep through important political meetings. Due to his excess weight, he also had high blood pressure and heart problems.

There was also Woodrow Wilson: 1913–1921.Along with hypertension, headaches, and double vision, Wilson experienced a series of strokes, which affected his right hand and made him unable to write normally for a year. More strokes rendered him blind in his left eye, paralysing his left side and forcing him into a wheelchair. But he kept his paralysis a secret. However, this, when discovered, prompted the 25th Amendment which allows the vice president to take power upon the president’s death, resignation, or disability. We can go on and on. The takeaway from all these, according to healthline Newsletter, is that “anyone can develop the diseases and illnesses prevalent in our society, from obesity to heart disease, depression to anxiety, and more.”

Anyway, now that Chief Obasanjo has spoken (we must admit though that he has said nothing new). Some of his observations had been pointed out by many other Nigerians, and severally too on this page.

What to do?

Separate the message from the messenger. President Buhari has two options: one, he can compile the criticisms as listed by Obasanjo and others and see which ones require correction and do the rightful. The other option is for the president to ignore these calls for a change of direction and continue listening to the usual praise orchestra that is never in short supply in our government houses. But my candid advice is that the latter option is actually no option.

There is need for President Buhari to reconsider his style of governance. A few months back, he hinted at the possibility of re-jigging his cabinet. We did not prod him to do that. If this is what is needed to get the government properly focused, then it is getting late in coming. The only thing President Buhari owes those of us who staked our all to back him in 2015 without getting a dime is to silent the likes of Obasanjo and other critics who just want to continue to be relevant after wasting our national assets and our lives when they were in power.

January 28, 2018
Buhari signs eight bills into law

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed eight bills into law, including the National Senior Citizens Centre Act, 2018.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, briefed State House correspondents yesterday.

According to him, the National Senior Citizens Centre Act, 2018, establishes the National Senior Citizens Centre in the country to cater for the needs of the senior citizens.

Other bills signed into law are Legislative Houses (Power and Privileges), 2018; National Institute of Legislative Studies (Amendment) Act, 2018; and Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Spain (Domestication and Enforcement ) Act, 2018.

Others are Rail Loan (International Bank) (Repeal) Act, 2018; Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2018; Chartered Institute of Local Government and Public Administration Act, 2018; and Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (Establishment), Act, 2018.

January 27, 2018
Obasanjo has come again o!

In the last few days, former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s long letter, advising President Muhammadu Buhari to forget a second tenure bid for The Presidency has been trending both on the social media and as a national discourse. Personally, I would have been shocked if Obasanjo had not written that letter considering his knack to seize every available opportunity to robe himself with the ornamented garment of an untainted statesman. It did not start today and it is definitely not going to end with the Buhari under-the-belt thunderbolt as long as the former military warlord has the energy to interrogate our national affairs at the highest level. Getting into the fray and making a political capital out of it is something Obasanjo relishes and flourishes in with profound aplomb. For those who have followed his letter writing proclivities, it is not debatable that the wily old fox is merely setting the template for another round of intriguing political chess game that may see him triumphing just like he did in the past. Some would say he is an opportunist, Well, that may not be entirely wrong. Yet, it is troubling that those he had unclothed in the market square in the past, either in the executive or legislature arm, had always placed before him the ammunition he used to shoot them down.

In Buhari’s case, Obasanjo’s scathing criticism couldn’t have come at a better time regardless of what the Minister of Information, Culture and National Orientation, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, would want us to believe. The ominous signs that a bomb could be fired from Ota, Obasanjo’s farmhouse, had always been there. For long, the government sat on its hands and watched as things go from bad to worse while the citizens gnash their teeth in anguish. This was not helped by Aso Rock’s loud silence and manifest incompetence to deal with the killings in the North Central region by rampaging herdsmen. If the government was doing anything to stop the bloodletting, such action was obviously not known to those who continue to lose loved ones in a pogrom that defies logic and commonsense. Was it a fight between brothers over grazing rights on farmlands or was it an invasion by foreign agents with the backing of some religious bigots? Even the government couldn’t give an answer to the vexing question as the body bags mount!

And so, beyond the poor management of the economy and Buhari’s vacillating attitude to governance, Obasanjo’s main disaffection could be gleaned from his allegation that the President is clannish and nepotistic. Surely, these are not light words that can be waved away with a list of achievements reeled out by Mohammed on Wednesday. In any case, it is an elementary fact that the table of achievements is meaningless if it does not have direct positive impact on the people. The question to ask is: Are Nigerians safer now than they were some years back and are they economically-secured under the present regime? I doubt if the government will get the kind of response that would make it thump its chest to justify the achievements listed on that sheet of paper. The government should also be concerned that Obasanjo, while acknowledging that Buhari did record some strides in the fight against corruption and insurgency, pointedly accused him of condoning the basest form of corruption and financial crime with the “allegations of round tripping against some inner caucus of the Presidency.”

If we took former President Goodluck Jonathan to the cleaners for attending a party rally in Kano a day after the Nyanya deadly bombings and the abduction of over 200 Chibok school girls, it would be inhumane for us to look the other way when Buhari, who rode on the crest of that Jonathan’s errors, makes the same mistake with cold-blooded equanimity. Now, listen to Obadanjo: “The herdsmen/crop farmers issue is being wittingly or unwittingly allowed to turn sour and messy. It is no credit to the Federal Government that the herdsmen rampage continues with careless abandon and without finding effective solution to it. And it is a sad symptom of insensitivity and callousness that some governors, a day after 73 victims were buried in a mass grave in Benue State without condolence, were jubilantly endorsing President Buhari for a second term. The timing was most unfortunate!”

To say the truth, Obasanjo was mild in dissecting this particular irreverent attitude of the governors and the man they were nudging on to place his ambition before the lives of the citizens he plans to rule over for a second term. This unpardonable revelry at the seat of power was nothing other than spitting on the graves of the murdered sons and daughters of Benue. Jonathan, I repeat, was practically roasted alive for this same ‘sin’ even by some of the characters who are now trying fruitlessly to justify the senseless action that happened inside Aso Rock that day. Like Olurotimi Anifowose noted, the government’s puffed-up response failed woefully to address the main issues raised by Obasanjo. The theories espoused in that list were not convincing enough to douse the growing belief among a crowd of disenchanted populace that another four years of a Buhari Presidency would be nothing short of a monumental mistake!

On the eleven-point achievements listed by Mohammed, Anifowose asked some germane questions which, I believe, should tug the unfeeling hearts of those in the corridors of power if they are truly committed to beating Obasanjo to his game this time. He wrote: “Theories! That’s what I read to the government’s response to the carefully-woven facts itemised by the former President. How have these achievements translated to improvement of lives? Did these submissions address the nepotistic disposition of the administration? Did it address the penchant for clannishness? Did it address the condonation of Fulani herdsmen by the administration? Did it address the condonation of corrupt individuals in the corridors of power by the administration?” Unfortunately, the answer is an emphatic no. And it is a pity.

Obasanjo simply waited to hit the government he helped in bringing to power where it would hurt it the most. And, like the others before it, history may repeat itself if Aso Rock choses to dismiss him as a rude joke whose flame of would soon burn out with time. He is more than that even if I would be the first person to admit that the Ota farmer is an opportunist that knows when and how to play to the gallery with the sole aim of reaping the full benefits, undeservingly so. He did it after he failed to get a third term sanctioned by the National Assembly by imposing a Yar’Adua/Jonathan ticket on the nation after blackmailing a number of his presumed loyalists like Peter Odili, Donald Duke and Nasir el-Rufai. He did it with the same callous mien he is now tracing to Buhari when he pushed his then deputy, Atiku Abubakar to the precipice of frustration, dejection and political obscurity. That is why Atiku still gloats in the dark today for political relevance despite his goodwill and hood heart. He repeated the same aura of invincibility when he cunningly imposed Jonathan on his party following the untimely death of Yar’Adua. And when he fell out with Jonathan, he didn’t hesitate to stake his cards with Buhari who eventually became President. Now, the plot thickens as Obasanjo is on the move again in search of another crown prince to make and mar. Will it then be politically wise for Aso Rock to wish Obasanjo’s stinging letter away as it is presently doing? Those who did it in the past are still biting their fingers in regrets. Will Buhari’s case be different?

End. End. End.

January 27, 2018
Global investments in Nigeria hit $4.1bn, says Osinbajo

* Osinbajo says no past govt in Nigeria ever employed 200,000 unemployed graduates at once, like Muhammadu Buhari Administration with N-Power.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has disclosed that the global investments in Nigeria has increased from $908 million in the first quarter of 2017 to $4.1 billion now.

He made the remark in a media chat on Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

On the claim that the security situation in Nigeria is a deterrent for global investors, he said “Global investors are coming. As a matter of fact, we are doing much better than ever before. If you look at the difference between Q1 of 2017 and now, there is a lift from $908 million to $4.1 billion.

“There is no deterrent. I think that global investors understand that there are security challenges everywhere and that so long as you are able to provide enough grounds for people to believe that, by and large, there is safety. Look at what is going on elsewhere in the world, security is a challenge everywhere. The duty of government is to ensure that security is maintained as robustly as possible.

“Sometimes by the very nature of security concerns, if something is happening in the Delta or up North somewhere, it really does provide a challenge for security agencies, but it is an opportunity to beef up security.

“We are recruiting policemen, we are even trying to build up the army and recruit more people into the army. For instance, if you look at what happened during the clashes in Southern Kaduna, we had to locate a military formation there. We may have to do that in several other places, locating military formations where we find communal violence. Security is dynamic; you have to keep working at it.” he said

On the threat by the Niger Delta Avengers to resume attacks, he said “Let me say that we are in constant consultations with all of the groups in the Niger Delta, but more importantly, we are working on all of the issues that we agreed with PANDEF. We are engaged with the groups; we have opened the Maritime University, we are working hard on the Modular Refineries which we hope will be a replacement for some of the illegal refineries and also create opportunities in the Niger Delta.

“We are in constant consultations, there are many groups in the Niger Delta, including the Niger Delta Avengers, and we are in constant consultations.”

On the major takeaways from the several bilateral meetings he attended, he said “I think the major thing is collaboration, which is really where everybody is at. The world has become a much more interconnected place. There is really little that is being done in Nigeria that doesn’t have some kind of either regional or global impact in the world.

“A lot of what we are talking about is collaboration; economic collaboration, collaboration against terrorism and all manners of extremist behaviours. That is what I am taking away.”

Osinbajo added “You don’t sign agreements here; all you can do is what I have said. Talk about what can be done, in what areas we can cooperate, what are the best and easiest ways of working together. You can’t wait to sign conventions; the world is moving far too quickly, the issues are so dynamic.”

Speaking on the US’s welcome for a weaker dollar in Nigeria, Osinbajo said “We are naturally concerned about currency issues everywhere, but a weaker dollar does not necessarily hurt us (Nigeria). We are concerned most about ensuring our exports are cheaper. Our concern is how to make ourselves competitive with our foreign exchange. So we have to deal with our own currency issues, ensure our currency is stable and adequate to meet with the challenges posed to us at this time. We are more concerned about sorting ourselves out and remaining competitive.

“The issue for us is in ensuring that the currency is stable. What the NAFEX (Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange) window does is, more or less, to provide an opportunity for the Naira to have its real value against the dollar. In some senses, we are there.

“What works today is some sort of intervention; you can’t just open up and say, let things go the way they want. You just mentioned that the US would like to see a weaker dollar, so obviously there is intervention somewhere. We want the market to dictate as much as possible, but where we find that there may be complications, we are ready to intervene.”

On the claim that Nigeria is politically and economically stable, he said “I think so. The economy is certainly in much more better state than it was 2 years ago and even 4 years ago. Our reserves are at $40 billion, the highest it has been in 4 years. Our capital market is set to be the best performing in the world. We have moved up 24 places in the ease of doing business, agriculture is up by over 3%. We are becoming a net producer of rice, 7 million to 11 million tonnes of paddy which has never happened before. We will be self-sufficient in rice production. Investments are also coming in, so economically; I would say that we are doing very well.

“The critical thing is that the man on the streets must feel the impact, which sometimes takes a while, because when you are talking about growth, there must be jobs, but growth doesn’t immediately translate to jobs.

“What we are trying to do is to establish a system of governance that first of all, emphasises prudence in financial spending, which is what we had in mind to do with the TSA and with the general controls in spending. So we are earning 60% less than what was earned in 2014, but we are spending N1.3 trillion on capital expenditure, the highest in the history of the country, with 60% less revenue.

“What is important to bear in mind, is that we have changed the model of government in Nigeria substantially. We place emphasis on good governance especially financial prudence, which is very crucial. That is something in the past few years we haven’t seen. That is why we able to work with 60% less revenue, that has improved. We are doing better in terms of managing our finances, and in terms of doing much more with far less.” he said

Asked to highlight the timeline when Nigerians will start to feel the impact of the economy, he said “I think we are seeing the progress day by day. For example, look at investments; when an investment comes in, it doesn’t immediately translate to jobs until a few months.

“When you look at youth unemployment, for the first time in the history of this country, we have employed 200,000 graduates, there is no administration that has done that. We are also giving them devices for their training, so that each of them would have a device that they can use in training, in code writing and computing.

“They can be better prepared for private employment, entrepreneurship in whatever they want to do. 200,000 young people by a government through one specific programme, and we are doing 300,000 more this year, so we are hoping to employ 500,000 graduates. There is unemployment all over the world, especially over Sub-Saharan Africa, but we are addressing it aggressively.” Osinbajo added.

Asked to comment on Donald Trump’s alleged comments about some African countries and its likely effect on the relationship between the US and Nigeria, Osinbajo said “At the diplomatic level, there have been interactions, the ambassador was invited by our Foreign Affairs Minister and I’m sure you are familiar with the conversation. The most important thing is that the overall interests of our countries are greater than anything else. We need each other, Africa needs America and America needs Africa in several strategic ways.

“We must continue to maintain our relationship. I’m also told that Mr. Trump said that he did not make those statements and we should accept that.” he said.

Asked if he intends to run with President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019, Osinbajo said “I’m absolutely focused at this time on doing the job that we have been elected to do. That is my concern for now.”

Asked to speak on the concrete steps being taken to boost non-oil revenue, he said “I’m sure you are familiar with some of the figures; non-oil revenues have gone up by 40%; mining and agriculture are critical areas for us. Agriculture, in particular, is a major area of focus and that is one of the greatest contributors to GDP growth at this point.

“We intend to do more especially in the area of agro-allied businesses and manufacturing, and that remains for us, a very critical aspect of the economy which we are working on. If you look at our Economy Recovery Growth Plan, and some of the very specific implementation objectives of that plan – our ease of doing business is focused on creating an environment where the non-oil sector can really expand and prosper in ways which will benefit jobs and growth.

“The major concern is how to improve agriculture and do much more in mining, which is also an area of growth and manufacturing.

“Special Economic Zones (SEZ) are one of the things we have come here to discuss; we had a special session on it. What we are also trying to do is in the garment manufacturing. We want to become the hub in garment manufacturing in Africa.

“One of our SEZs is devoted to garment manufacturing and we are going about this by talking directly to the anchor investors, asking them what it will take, and what they want to ensure that it works. We are providing in those SEZs, adequate power and the infrastructure required.

“We also have the whole incentive regime. So with the SEZs, we have garment manufacturing, which is one example, and we create real opportunities and exponential growth in jobs.” Osinbajo said

On what Nigeria is taking away from the meeting with Bill Gates, Osinbajo said “The meeting focused on two areas; one is with the work being done in collaboration with Dangote Foundation and the Federal Government on Polio immunisation and also on agricultural transformation. Those are two major areas, as well as financial inclusion. We found that financial inclusion is crucial in the work we are doing, especially with our conditional cash transfers, we were hoping to reach a million people.

“We are finding it difficult to reach people in certain areas because there are no money agents or banks functioning in those areas. The work we are doing with Bill Gates and the Central Bank of Nigeria is on issuing guidelines on the mobile telephony aspect of financial inclusion. We now want a situation where you are able to do much more with mobile phones with respect to financial inclusion.

“That will help a great deal because we would be able to reach the farthest reaches of our country and bring more people into the regulated financial space so that more people can benefit from credit, funds and payments made by government and individual payments. This has to be by 2018.” he said

January 26, 2018
Buhari orders security clamp down on illegal arms bearers

*Vows to stop arms proliferation

Security agents now have a presidential order to “arrest and prosecute anyone found with illegal arms.”

This is sequel to Thursday’s National Security Council meeting attended by President Muhammadu Buhari, Defence Minister Monsur Dan-Ali and the Service chiefs.

Buhari giving an update yesterday of the meeting on his Twitter handle yesterday said government was “stepping up our efforts to tackle the proliferation of small arms and light weapons across the country.”

He added: “The security agencies already have standing instructions to arrest and prosecute anyone found with illegal arms.”

Sights of Fulani herdsmen going about with AK 47 and reports of their wanton killings of Nigerians have sparked outrage across the land.

Benue state recently buried 73 victims of such attacks, followed by Taraba where scores of people were also killed.

Government was criticised for looking the other way while the herdsmen went on the rampage.

However, Defence Minister Dan-Ali, emerging from Thursday’s NSC meeting told reporters that the killings in parts of the country could not be blamed soley on herdsmen,because according to him “there are also militias who also carry arms.”

He added: “Some people were caught with arms and they call themselves Forest Guards or whatever with AK47.

“There is nowhere in this country where arms are allowed to be carried apart from legitimate security forces.

So, anybody carrying any arm is doing so illegally.”

January 26, 2018