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Tag: Muhammadu Buhari

  • Sports Minister meets Buhari on World Cup qualification, others

    Sports Minister meets Buhari on World Cup qualification, others

    The Minister of Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalung, on Thursday updated President Muhammadu Buhari on the efforts of the Super Eagles to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

    Dalung, after a closed door meeting with Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said he also briefed him on other developments in sports.

    The Minister said that the president was informed of the election of a Nigerian into the board of Confederation of African Football (CAF).

    Amaju Pinnick, President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), defeated the President of the Football Association of Benin Republic, Anjorin Moucharafou, to secure a seat on CAF Executive Committee for the 2017 to 2021 cycle.

    Pinnick’s election makes him the third Nigerian ever to sit on the CAF Executive Committee.

    According to Dalung, “I updated him on the need for us to intensify our mobilisation efforts for the World Cup qualifier. Although we are topping the group, it is not Uhuru for us. We need to do more.

    “I drew his attention to the fact that we have received the Queen’s Relay baton which kick-starts the mobilisation for Commonwealth Games in Queensland, Australia in 2018.

    “The baton is a Commonwealth tradition which is always flagged off by the Queen and she did that in March and it has been to six African countries with Nigeria being the seventh and it will proceed from here.

    “The significance of the baton is its wake up call to countries to begin to prepare for the games.

    “And we as a country had always performed very well in the games. There is a need for us to try and surpass our records in the next Commonwealth games.”

    The minister disclosed that the president appreciated the briefing and congratulated Pinnick for clinching the seat of the executive member of CAF and the progress so far made in sports.

    According to him, the president promised to do everything possible to support sports generally.

     

  • We won’t accept excuses for non-payment of pensions – Dogara

    We won’t accept excuses for non-payment of pensions – Dogara

    Speaker of House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, on Thursday urged the executive to ensure that backlog of pensions were paid promptly, warning that excuses would not be accepted.

    Dogara made this known while reacting to briefing by Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun and her Budget and National Planning counterpart, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, on efforts to offset arrears owed Nigerian pensioners.

    He expressed confidence that the promise of President Muhammadu Buhari on the pensions would be kept.

    “When the president promised that he was going to release money for bailout to States so that they can pay backlog of salaries and pensions, he did.

    “We will not accept any excuse that leaves part of this pension funds hanging,” he said.

    According to him, I don’t know where you got the money to bail out the states from, but wherever you got the money from that is where we are going to get the money to solve this problem.

    “I want to believe this will be the last intervention we will be having with regards to the issue of pensions in this country. That is my charge.

    “The message the House will be sending to the President through the ministers is `when you meet him to brief him about this engagement, tell him that we have taken his words to the bank and we believe that we would cash it’.”

    Meanwhile, the spokesman of the House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Abdulrazak Namdas, said the 2017 Appropriation Bill would be passed after the Easter break.

    Namdas told reporters after plenary on Thursday that all legislative work on the fiscal document would be concluded as soon as the Assembly resumed from the recess.

    He explained that the House intervened in the issue of arrears of pensioners’ entitlements to enable the ministers in charge of finances to address the matter.

    According to him, the explanation provided by the two ministers will go a long way to assuage the pains of the nation’s senior citizens.

     

  • President Buhari releases N54bn to settle pension backlog

    President Buhari releases N54bn to settle pension backlog

    The Muhammadu Buhari administration  has released N54 billion to clear part of the backlog of accrued pension rights for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016.

    The Director of Information, Ministry of Finance, Mr Salisu Danbatta said  on Wednesday that N41.5 billion has already been released to the National Pension Commission (PENCOM).

    The amount released was for onward payment to those who retired under the Contributory Pension Scheme and who were yet to be paid.

    Danbatta quoted the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun as saying that  N12.5 billion,  being outstanding for January, February and March 2017, was also  released,  bringing the total to about N54 billion.

    “Despite conflicting demands for available cash, President Muhammadu Buhari has always expressed concern over the plight of workers and pensioners.

    “Consistent with this, we have released N41.5 billion which clears the arrears inherited from the previous administration relating to the period 2013-15 and underpayments in 2016.

    “This will bring relief to thousands of our elders who have served and deserve to be paid their entitlements promptly and fully,” she said.

    The minister said that the amount paid also included arrears of those who retired as far back as 2013 and had been unable to access their pension under the contributory scheme due to non-payment.

    To avoid future accumulation of pension arrears, Adeosun said that henceforth “the monthly allocation to the PENCOM based on the appropriation of 2017 will regularly be paid along with monthly salaries of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).”

    All Federal Government workers began  the monthly Contributory Pension Scheme in 2004, in line with the Pension Reform Act.

    The money the Federal Government now owes its workers before the commencement of the act, is recognised in form of the issuance of Federal Government Retirement Benefits Bonds.

    Upon retirement of an employee, the bonds are to be liquidated and added to the balance of the retirement savings account of an employee to get the amount  he or she is entitled.

    To ensure that government settles backlog of accrued rights, Pension Fund Administrators are not allowed to grant retirees access to their retirement savings until the federal government releases the accrued rights component.

    This means that a retiree cannot access his or her Retirement Savings Account (RSA) through the Pension Funds Administrators without the accrued pension rights component.

    So for Public Service workers who migrate to the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in 2004, shortly before they retired, they are entitled to two components of retirement benefit.

    That is the contributions accumulated in their RSA and their accrued right from the time they joined the service to the time they migrated to CPS.

    The federal public servants who retired since January 2016, had staged a protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja over their unpaid pension to the tune of N200 billion.

    The retirees under the auspices of the League of Federal Service Contributory Pension Retirees led by the Coordinator, Mr Chike Ogbechie said that workers who have retired in the last 15 months were yet to receive their pension.

    In reaction to the recent release, Mr Ogbechie when contacted by the News Agency of Nigeria said that the “N54 billion will clear much of the backlog of our pension, but not all. So the struggle still continues”.

     

  • Buhari, NPC call for urgent investment in Africa’s out-of-school girls

    Buhari, NPC call for urgent investment in Africa’s out-of-school girls

    The Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari and the National Population Commission (NPC), have called for urgent investment Africa’s out-of-school teenage girls.

    Buhari and the commission, made the call at a side event organised by the Federal Government in collaboration with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) at the UN headquarters on Wednesday in New York.

    The Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was part of the ongoing 50th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development.

    Buhari, whose speech was read by Rep. Asabe Bashir, Deputy Chairperson, House of Representatives Committee on Women in Parliament, said the population of Africa’s out-of-school teenage girls was alarming.

    “Out-of-school teenage girls – ages 10 to 19 years – represent almost a quarter of the female population in Sub-Saharan Africa.

    “These girls are without opportunities to attend schools or complete their education because of severe economic, social and cultural issues.

    “These issues include poverty; early, forced or child marriage; childbearing and motherhood; and lack of access to quality and timely reproductive health care services among others.

    “The conditions are particularly worse for those girls caught in the web of insurgency.

    “Thus, they are on the verge of losing the opportunities of achieving their aspirations,” Buhari said.

    According to her, the event was Nigeria’s means of calling global attention on the three enumerated areas of investment that are prerequisite to realising the girls’ full potential.

    “First is addressing their sexual and reproductive health needs, family planning counselling and services.

    “Second, re-enrolment into formal schools to at least secondary school completion level; and third, skills acquisition and entrepreneurship”.

    The wife of the president explained that the event was aimed at presenting different dimensions of the challenges that these out-of-school teenage girls encountered.

    “It is also to showcase how a modest investment in their lives can make difference and accrue benefits that are important for realising the future we want in Africa.

    “The future that we want is reaping demographic dividends, achieving sustainable development and relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to our development aspirations.

    “By this, Nigeria welcomes partnerships and collaborations that will support efforts in Africa.

    “Such efforts must be tailored towards ensuring that these girls are not left behind as we strive to achieve the SDGs.”

    Also speaking, the Chairman, NPC, Mr Eze Duruiheoma, said “if we must reap demographic dividend in Africa, all population segments, particularly those further left behind, must be included.

    “The demography in focus – out-of-school teenage girls – constitutes a huge resource for reaping the dividend we seek, which is full implementation of the 2030 agenda.

    “The agenda seeks to realise the SDGs, if the right and timely investments are made to address their needs.

    “The event is to showcase the far-reaching benefits derivable from investing in the girls’ education – re-enrolment to completion of at least secondary school level”.

    The Director-General of the commission, Mr Ghaji Bello, called for the enforcement of the relevant laws that made provision for ensuring that children are educated to a basic level.

    “We have the resources to do that in Nigeria and we have to hold our leaders accountable to the promises they made to the people.

    “If our leaders can spend only 10 per cent of the resources on those things which make life meaningful for the masses, there will be great improvements in the lives of the citizens,” Bello said.

    In his remarks, the Charge D’affaires, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, Anthony Bosah, regretted the impacts of culture and corruption on the continent and its citizens.

    Represented by the Spokesperson for the Mission, Bolaji Akinremi, Bosah said the mission recently sponsored a resolution on “Illicit Financial Flows and Asset Recovery” at the UN.

    According to him, this is in tandem with the President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption agenda.

    The theme of the event, attended by African representatives and partners, was: “Investing In Out-of-school Teenage Girls: A Priority for Achieving Demographic Dividend, Sustainable Development and SDGs in Africa”.

     

  • Buhari’s war against corruption unstoppable – Presidency

    Buhari’s war against corruption unstoppable – Presidency

    A presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration has vowed to fight corruption to standstill in spite strong resistance by some individuals and groups to thwart these efforts.

    Shehu, who is the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, made this known in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday.

    He stressed that the war against perfidy and corruption by the Buhari administration would not stop despite the opposition against it in some quarters.

    The Presidential aide, who featured on a radio programme tagged, ‘Hannu Da Yawa’ at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Kaduna zonal station, on Saturday, maintained that the President declared rooting out corruption as one of the cardinal policies of his election campaign.

    “Let me say one thing. Those whose illicit ways of accumulating money have been stopped will criticize this government but all that will not derail the unfaltering commitment of the President, Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to the war against corruption.

    “He is aware that this was one of the main reasons why Nigerians in their millions put their trust in him; the main reason they voted him into power in 2015.

    “To keep that trust of ordinary Nigerians who voted him into the office, he has vowed to give corruption a good fight. He will not let them down,’’ he said.

    Shehu admitted that so far, the battle to uproot corruption from Nigeria has not been easy.

    According to him, corruption has been fighting back vehemently, finding accomplices in various forms and guises but reassured that the Buhari administration will not relent.

    “Nothing will return our country to those sad, old days of wanton thievery that have plunged us into the economic mess from which Nigeria is currently recovering.

    “The war against corruption in Nigeria is one of those clashes between good and evil, where good is determined to triumph.’’

    He dismissed the insinuation that some members of the governing party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) were being spared in the ongoing campaign against corruption, saying “all are equal before the law’’.

    Shehu disclosed that upon directives by the President, the National Hajj Commission had carried out an audit of accommodation agents in both Makkah and Madina in Saudi Arabia, as parts of measures to promote transparency.

    He revealed that a saving of more than 16.7 million dollars was realized from the exercise.

    “Each Hajj pilgrim is being saved between 600 to 1,000 Saudi Riyals, which is about N60,000 – N100,000 from accommodation, money that had lined the pockets of agents in the past.

    “This year, houses are being rented directly from owners.’’

    Shehu also lauded those fearless ordinary citizens for embracing the whistleblower policy by “taking extraordinary risks’’ to expose corruption in the society.

    On the ongoing relocation of international flight services to Kaduna Airport, the Presidential aide challenged the government and people of Kaduna state to devise ways by which the social and economic benefits brought to the state did not depart the city after the rehabilitation of the Abuja airport.

    “The government of Nigeria has done a big thing for Kaduna. You must show appreciation to this by supporting the administration,’’ he said.

    While referring to the “massive cash releases for capital projects in excess of a record of one trillion Naira under the 2016 budget’’, Shehu reiterated the determination of the Buhari administration to complete some developmental projects.

    He said this is meant to uplift the quality of life of all Nigerians irrespective of their geo-political backgrounds.

    He acknowledged the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola with the record of being the first ever Minister to ride on all the federal roads across the nation.

    “In addition to the roads, three of the major projects very dear to the President which he is determined to execute are the Mambila power project, the Lagos-Kano, Lagos-Calabar and Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway modernization projects and the new Presidential Initiative on Fertilizer.’’

    The presidential aide noted that already the fertiliser initiative had started making an impact by cutting the price of fertiliser to about 50 per cent.

  • Buhari okays deployment of four Ambassadors-Designates

    Buhari okays deployment of four Ambassadors-Designates

    President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the immediate deployment of four of the newly appointed Ambassadors-Designates.

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

    The ambassadors-designate included Professor Tijjani Bande, (Kebbi State), who is to proceed as Nigeria’s Ambassador/Representative to the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the  United Nations Headquarters in New York;

    Itegboje Sunday Samson  (Edo State) is to proceed as Nigeria’s Ambassador/Deputy  Representative, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the  United Nations Headquarters in New York;

    Kadiri Ayinla Audu, (Kwara State) will proceed as Nigeria’s Ambassador/Representative  to the Permanent  Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations Offices in Geneva;

    Bankole A. Adeoye, (Ogun State) to proceed as Nigeria’s Ambassador/Representative to the Embassy of Nigeria/Permanent Mission to the African Union  in Addis Ababa.

  • Buhari going back to London for check-up, says Presidency

    Buhari going back to London for check-up, says Presidency

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, on Thursday said that the plans for President Muhammadu Buhari to return to his doctors in the United Kingdom for follow-ups is still intact.

    On arrival in the country on March 10 after about 50 days medical vacation in the UK, President Buhari had disclosed that he will return to London after few weeks for followup on his treatment.

    But some media reports claimed that instead of going to back to London for the followup, the President had decided to bring his doctors to Abuja.

    Mallam Shehu debunked the report while speaking with journalists in Abuja.

    According to him, it was not true that Buhari had decided to bring his doctors to Nigeria instead of returning to London..

    He said, “It is false news (that Buhari is no longer going to London). We are not aware of the reported advance movements.

    “The last time the President spoke about this, he said he would return to his doctors after some time.

    “We are not aware that this has changed,” Garba stated.

  • Tinubu raised the bar for political leaders in Nigeria – Buhari

    Tinubu raised the bar for political leaders in Nigeria – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated  former Lagos State Governor and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on his 65thbirthday.

    Buhari,in a statement by the Special Adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, joined all members of the APC, political and business associates of the Asiwaju of Lagos, his friends and family, in celebrating another milestone in the life of” the great leader.”

    He noted that Tinubu’s foray into politics ushered in a better understanding of building consensus to achieve historical feats, like unseating an incumbent government.

    As he turned 65 years, the President believed that Asiwaju raised the bar for many political leaders across the country as a two-term governor of Lagos State, and also bequeathed a style of leadership that completely altered the landscape of the commercial capital.

    Recalling his pleasant and intellectually enriching encounters with the Jagaban of Borgu Kingdom over the years, the President re-affirmed that the nation has benefitted a lot from the personal sacrifices, political experience and intellectual foresight of the APC chieftain, and still stands to gain more.

    President Buhari prayed that the almighty God will grant the Asiwaju good health, longer life and more wisdom to serve his country and humanity.

    END

  • We did nothing wrong on Paris Club refund- Governors Forum

    We did nothing wrong on Paris Club refund- Governors Forum

    The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has dismissed reports of illegal dealings regarding the release of the first batch of the Paris Club refund to state governments.

    It however confirmed that it hired consultants to facilitate the disbursement of her funds to the various state governments.

    In a statement signed by the Head of Media, Abulrazque B. Barkindo, the forum said it was not within its purview to determine how the consultants spend the money.

    The Forum said that the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria to release the second batch of the money was a confirmation of the confidence the President has on the governors.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to publications in the media which are believed to have emanated from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) about a purported report the anti-graft agency submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari, on March 10, 2016.

    “The report is said to have indicted the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and imputed illegal dealings in the disbursement of the Paris Club refund payment to states of the federation as handled by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).

    “While the NGF will not want to repeatedly join issues with the EFCC on the disbursement of the first tranche of the Paris Club refund, particularly after its officials have been interrogated by the anti-corruption agency and we provided all necessary and required details and documents regarding disbursement to states, including harmonizing the number of consultants and payment made to them, we are constrained to once again state the following for the benefit of members of the public:

    “It is true that Melrose General Services Limited was one of the consultants that was duly engaged and documented to facilitate the disbursement of the Paris Club Refund. The consultant was also paid an amount commensurate to the services it provided, among other numerous consultants that were involved in the process.

    “It is not in the NGF’s purview to determine how Melrose or other consultants disburse or utilize the consultancy fee paid to them. The NGF should therefore not be dragged into how its suppliers, lawyers, contractors and consultants spend their legitimate incomes and revenues.

    “It may interest the public to know that the NGF is still being inundated with claims from many other consultants from all over the country who had earlier been engaged and promised commission by the respective states.

    “The NGF maintains its earlier position that it has done nothing illegal as far as the disbursement of the Paris Club Refund to states and the consultants are concerned. The Forum has all necessary approvals to act in the manner it did. Therefore, the misinformation in the media about the disbursement and insinuations being made concerning some Governors that are being mentioned is outright mischief.

    “We will like to state that the approval for the release of the second tranche of the Paris Club refund by President Muhammadu Buhari is indicative of his Confidence in the NGF for the manner it handled the disbursement of the first tranche of the fund.

    “The NGF would like to once again place it on record that it played an altruistic and patriotic role in ensuring that it aided, as directed, approved and authorized by the Presidency, Federal Ministry of Finance, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Debt Management Office (DMO) and all other necessary agencies of government, the disbursement of the funds to entities and individuals lawfully entitled to it. All approvals, authorization, terms of engagements and disbursement were properly documented and are verifiable by anyone, including the general public.”

     

  • Never again will terrorists seize any part of Nigeria – Buhari

    Never again will terrorists seize any part of Nigeria – Buhari

    Never again will terrorists take over and occupy any part of Nigeria’s territory, President Muhammadu Buhari vowed in Sambisa Forest on Monday.

    The President made the vow when he declared the 2017 Nigerian Army Small Arms Championship (NASAC), opened.

    Represented by the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, Buhari noted that holding the championship in the forest was an affirmation that government was “resolved to stamp out all activities and operations of the Boko Haram insurgents from our territory.”

    Buhari said: “This championship is a showcase of the clear effect and degradation of the Boko Haram terrorist group with the destruction of Camp Zairo in the heart of the famous Sambisa forest.

    “I can say categorically that never again will Boko Haram occupy any of our land.

    “I want use this opportunity to congratulate the Nigerian Army for this achievement and reiterate at this point by noting that it is a case of professional training that brought the Nigerian Army to this length.”

    Buhari restated that through the Presidential Committee on North-East Initiative (PCNI), government would reconstruct facilities and structures destroyed by the terrorists so that the people of the region could enjoy the dividends of democracy.

    Earlier, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, said the championship was held at the forest to consolidate on the gains achieved by troops in the North East so far.

    “This championship is therefore held here at the heart of the Sambisa forest as part of Nigerian Army’s plans to effectively dominate all hostile territories in the North East”, Buratai said.

    NASAC was held seven years ago at Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, in Kaduna state.

    According to Buratai, the championship could not be held since then due to numerous operational engagements by the army.

    Meanwhile, the Federal Government has named the newly established Nigerian Army shooting range at the Sambisa forest after the late Lt.-Col. Abu Ali.

    Ali, who was the commander of an army formation at Mallam Fatori in Borno east, died in a battle on Nov. 4, 2016 when Boko Haram terrorists attempted to invade and take the town.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), recalls that the army routed the terrorists and took over Sambisa on Dec. 23, 2016 at about 1.35pm after it overran Camp Zairo, their last strong hold in the forest. (NAN)