The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Muhammadu Buhari

  • Convictions count

    How should the public assess the success of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s war on corruption in the last four years?  Information, Culture and Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed thinks the success of the anti-corruption war should not be judged by the number of convictions the Federal Government secured within the period.

    He argued that the administration had “laid the foundation that would make it difficult for people to engage in the evil act.” If people are not punished for corruption, what “foundation” is the minister talking about?

    Mohammed said on a live TVC News programme –”This Morning”: “For us, the success of the fight against corruption is the fact that we have driven corruption under the table and made it unattractive… Those who are corrupt are doing so with the fear of the law. It will progressively become more and more difficult in Nigeria for corruption to be attractive.”

    He drew attention to   the administration’s anti-corruption successes: “We insisted and have succeeded in ensuring that all payments and revenues are paid into the TSA. Before we came in, the Federal Government had over 2000 different accounts in various banks which resulted in paying several billions on Naira in charges. The government then also never had an idea of how much it had as revenue. Today, over N9.3 trillion has gone into the TSA and that is why it is possible for us to invest especially in the area of infrastructure and social investment programmes.”

    Mohammed also said the Whistle Blower policy had checked corruption, and helped the government to recover looted funds. He added that the government had recovered several billions of naira and about $53 million through the policy. He boasted that the African Union (AU) recognition of President Buhari as Champion of Anti-Corruption showed that his administration’s fight against corruption was internationally acknowledged. The minister bragged that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also recognised the administration’s anti-corruption efforts.

    The question is whether the Presidency is fighting a war without casualties. Where are the casualties of the war on corruption? The number of casualties, or the number of convictions, is important in assessing the fight against corruption because a war without casualties can’t be a war properly so called.  Punishing corruption has a deterrent effect. Not punishing corruption encourages corruption. Failure to punish corruption can’t be success. Mohammed needs to reassess his assessment of the war on corruption.

     

     

  • Sunmonu to Buhari: don’t succumb to IMF pressure on fuel subsidy

    The founding President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Alhaji Hassan Sunmonu, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to adhere to the recent call by the International Monetary (IMF) to remove subsidy on petrol if he does not want to lose the support of the people.

    Sunmonu spoke yesterday in Lagos during the public presentation of the Minority Report & Draft Constitution of the 1976 Constitution Drafting Committee, a document authored by Dr. Olusegun Osoba (not the politician) and the late Yusufu Bala Usman.

    The trade unionist, who chaired the event,  said Nigeria should not go back to the 1980s when the country became a debtor nation and the IMF influenced the cut in subsidy on education, health, transportation, as well as the stopping of the rail system that was being built then.

    He said: “Now, the Buhari administration is bringing back the railways – not even the narrow gauge, but the standard that you can have trains that can run at 200 kilometres per hour or more. This is what the IMF influenced our government under Babangida to stop. After it destroyed our education, it now came up with what it called IMF support for education.

    “So, we want President Buhari to be very, very careful of the neo-liberalists that surround him and who are intent on taking Nigeria back to those dark days; Nigerians would no longer accept such. I also like to advise that this book which has been launched today should be the basis for a new constitution that we hope will be done within the next to one year, to supplant the one that is currently taking Nigeria backwards.”

    Speaker after speaker at the event emphasized the fact that the problems bedevilling the country today would have been nipped in the bud if the authorities then had accepted the report and made it part of the constitution.

    The co-author of the book, Dr Osoba, 83, said restructuring is a recurring lie in the lexicon of the ruling class because it is presented as a one-stop solution that can solve all the economic and social ills in the country. He said restructuring as being presented by its proponents is all about creating more states and introduction of resource control, to give more opportunities and access to the ruling class to continue to loot the treasury.

    Osoba said: “They’re only talking about sharing power and wealth horizontally, among states, ethnicity and religion; not vertically from top to bottom and that’s the most important form of restructuring. The continuous struggle is the only solution to our problem; not restructuring.

    Read also: Is fuel subsidy ideologically inevitable?

    “We stand to present this book, which we hope will correct the problems facing the nation – through a democratic constitution.”

    He said change cannot come easily to Nigerians and that they have to struggle for it because the people at the helm of affairs would not allow it because the status quo favours them. He said change can only be brought about by overthrowing the existing order. He said all the developed nations of the world had, at one point or the other, overthrew the old order to make progress.

    Attahiru Bala Usman, son of the co-author, the late Yusufu Bala Usman, also said the “Minority Report” would add value because there were many things that were thrown out by the soldiers that foisted the current flawed constitution on Nigerians. He said the report is now published with a new introduction to bring it to the knowledge of the public and to make it available to members of the National Assembly; so that Nigerians can talk about it.

    Usman said: “We are going to give this to all members of the National Assembly, civil society groups. The same way people struggled for Nigeria’s independence, the same way people struggled to abolish slavery, the same way other people are going to struggle to improve this democracy.”

    Centre for Democratic Development Research and Training Director Dr Abubakar Siddique Mohammed said the book could not be launched 42 years ago, because they were attacked by the police when they attempted to do so.

    He said: “At that time, the government did not want the public to know what was in the document, they didn’t want it. So, a majority of the members of the Constituent Assembly also didn’t want it released. But we decided that given the magnitude, the weight of the document and what the document was trying to deal with, the Nigerian public should know so that there will be public debate as to what should be the content of our constitution. So, we shouldn’t allow the government to bury it. So we organised the rally.

    “Since then so many things have happened in Nigeria. We decided to revisit this report because of major developments in this country in which the report actually raised 42 years ago. For example, 42 years ago, they said anybody who has attained the age of 30 can contest elections in Nigeria. The issue of social justice – the right to education, the right to health, security and so on and so forth – they (the report) mentioned that it should be made justiciable, but they were ignored. If you look at certain sections of the 1999 Constitution, they are there, but all these things are not justiciable. You can’t take your governor to court because he has denied you education, he stole the money and did not build schools; you can’t take anybody to court because he failed to build hospitals or hospitals have been built but he has failed to equip them; you can’t take anybody to court because he has failed to protect your life. Yet, we vote money every year for security.

    “Look at what is happening all over the country; the things these people (the two authors) talked about, wrote about and warned us about 42 years ago, we are now facing. Take the issue of citizenship. The simple definition of citizenship; we have a simple definition of citizenship (in the report). Now we have two: citizenship of Nigeria and citizenship of a particular state and this clash has led to a series of conflicts in this country.”

    The director said thousands of people have died because of this indigene/settler issue. He added: “They (the authors) predicted that there would be problems if it wasn’t solved 42 years ago. We are now facing the problem. Even those who rejected the report at that time are now talking about them.”

    Book reviewer Femi Falana explained what led to the writing of the “Minority Report”. He said the report came up because the two members of the Constitution Drafting Committee disagreed with the report authored by the remaining 47 members, led by the late Rotimi Williams (SAN).

    Falana said if Osoba’s and Usman’s input had been accommodated, it would have helped to solve some of the problems currently facing the country.

     

  • Buhari, Guterres to co-chair special session on Lake Chad fund

    President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted to co-chair a special session with the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, to raise $50 billion to fund the inter-basin water transfer from Central Africa to revive the Lake Chad, it was learnt yesterday.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said the President affirmed to co-chair the special session while responding to UN Secretary-General’s letter through the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina at the State House in Abuja.

    The President said such a special forum was necessary due to the size of the capital required for the project, which was unavailable to the Lake Chad Basin countries.

    On issues directly related to the AfDB, President Buhari expressed delight with successes recorded in the last four years of Dr Adesina’s tenure at the bank.

    The statement reads: “President Buhari specifically cited the bank’s contribution to the growth of Nigeria’s agriculture and infrastructure, and commended what he called ‘its critical gesture in 2016 during the difficult period of economic recession through the issuance of $600 million budget support facility’.

    “The President used the occasion to highlight the successes achieved by the administration through the implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). He stressed that his focus will continue to be on diversifying the economy and making it more inclusive as well as the creation of jobs in critical sectors, like the Information Communication Technology (ICT) and manufacturing so that ‘young people will earn a decent living’.

    “While noting that a lot is being achieved in providing guaranteed off-takers for farmers and in the provision of infrastructure that include airports, rail, roads and waterways, President Buhari admitted that ‘we still have significant work ahead in the provision of power, small scale cottage industries and promotion of the agro-industrial zones coming up in the country’.”

    Adesina thanked President Buhari for supporting him to become AfDB president.

    “He listed his record of achievements in the last four years among which lending to critical sectors of the Nigerian economy grew to an unprecedented $4.3 billion,” the statement said.

     

  • Establishing new varsity in Buhari’s name a disaster – ASUU

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has described the proposed plan to establish a private university to be named after President Muhammadu Buhari by his wife Aisha Buhari as a disaster.

    The union stated that the reported plan confirmed why her husband has continued to reduce budgetary allocation to education since he assumed office in 2015.

    ASUU Chairman, University of Ibadan branch, Prof. Deji Omole and a former National Treasurer of the union, Prof. Ademola Aremu said this while speaking with newsmen in Ibadan.

    Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari had over the weekend at a town hall meeting in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, announced her plan to establish a private university to be named after President Buhari in partnership with some foreigners.

    The ASUU leaders said Buhari should immortalise himself by revitalising public funded education.

    Omole said: “When I also heard about the proposed private university to be named after Mr President, I just looked at it as a joke taken too far. If we have a president in a country that has simply refused to fund public education and all we get from the first family is to establish a private university in collaboration with some foreigners.  To me, I think it is a disaster for this country and for a sitting president”.

    “The implication is that Nigerians should know that this leadership does not believe in public funded education. Nigerians should support the struggle for the government to take education as a core investment upon which this country will be liberated. It is not the children of the rich that will solve the problems of Nigeria but the children of the poor and the tool they need is quality education.”

    Aremu advised Mrs. Buhari to influence her husband’s policies to immortalize himself by revitalizing public-funded education.

    His words: “I don’t think that she is serious. We already have proliferation of universities and they are not taken care of. Since they are policymakers, they will now formulate policies that will ground public universities for their interest to thrive. I thought we have actually left that era. I could remember that Obasanjo established Bells and we condemned it”.

    “Atiku established his own as former Vice President. If you have private interest, you should not hold public office. If you have interest in anything private thing, I think it is proper to actually leave the public space for those who are eager to serve the masses. How many people can afford the existing private universities in the country?”

    “If you want to help education, then increase the capacity of the existing ones. When you are holding a public office, don’t establish a private concern. She should wait until Buhari is completely out of office before thinking of bringing a private university in whatever name.”

  • Buhari, Guterres to co-chair special session on raising funds for Lake Chad

    President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted to co-chair a Special Session with the U.N  Secretary General, Antonio Guterres to raise $50 billion to fund the inter-basin water transfer from Central Africa to revive the Lake Chad, it was learnt.

    This was disclosed on Tuesday, in a statement signed Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity).

    Receiving the response of the Secretary-General to his earlier letter through the President of the African Development Bank, ADB, Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina at the State House, Abuja on Tuesday, President Buhari said such a Special Forum was necessary in view of the size of capital required for the project which was unavailable to the Lake Chad Basin countries.

    On issues directly related to the ADB, the President expressed delight with successes recorded in the four years of Dr. Adesina’s tenure at the Bank.

    The statement reads in part: “President Buhari specifically cited the Bank’s contribution to the growth of Nigeria’s agriculture and infrastructure, and commended what he called “its critical gesture in 2016 during the difficult period of economic recession through the issuance of USD600 million budget support facility.”

    Read also: Buhari demands respect for farmers

    “The President used the occasion to highlight the successes achieved by the administration through the implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, ERGP. He stressed that his focus will continue to be on diversifying the economy and making it more inclusive as well as the creation of jobs in critical sectors like the Information Communication Technology, ICT and manufacturing so that “young people will earn a decent living.”

    “While noting that a lot is being achieved in providing guaranteed off-takers for farmers, and in the provision of infrastructure that include airports, rail, roads and waterways, President Buhari admitted that “we still have significant work ahead in the provision of power, small scale cottage industries and promotion of the agro-industrial zones coming up in the country.”

    He then asked for ADB’s continued support in this regard.

    In his presentation, Dr Adesina thanked President Buhari for his support, without which, he said, he would not have been ADB president.

    “He listed his record of achievements in the last four years among which lending to critical sectors of the Nigerian economy grew to an unprecedented 4.3 billion US Dollars.

    “Dr Adesina told President Buhari that the fortunes of the Bank had significantly improved, earning global ratings in accountability and transparency, improved incomes and for making impact on the lives of millions of its target population.

    “The ADB president sought for the support of the Nigerian leader for a “general capital increase” to fast track the development of the Bank, to which President Buhari gave all assurances and directed the Ministry of Finance to engage and expedite action on the issues brought to the government by the ADB.

  • Buhari demands respect for farmers

    President Muhammadu Buhari has identified smuggling as a threat to domestic agricultural production and processing and promised to continue to fight the menace with all means available to government.

    Buhari, therefore, assured hardworking farmers in the country of his attention to ensure that they are respected in the country.

    He spoke on Tuesday in Abuja during an audience with members of the United Kingdom-based Foundation for Good Governance for Development in Nigeria at the State House.

    In a statement signed by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity)  the President said it is in this regard that he directed the Ministry of Agriculture and the Central Bank of Nigeria to bypass the knotty issue of collateral which he described as “a terrible colonial legacy,” so that farmers will get easy access to capital.

    The statement reads in part: President Buhari also identified smuggling as a threat to domestic agricultural production and processing, and promised to continue to fight the menace with all means available to government.

    Read also: Sunmonu to Buhari: ignore IMF pressure on subsidy

    “The President assured that in addition to the focus of his administration on security, economy and the war against corruption, the new administration in his second term will pay greater attention to education and health.

    “I understand our problems. I am acutely aware of my duty to my God and country. I will continue to do my best,” he told the support group.

    Earlier, the leader of the group, which is mostly made up of scholars and professionals, Dr Arabo Ibrahim Bayo, said they came together on the basis of a shared passion for the country’s development, and in the firm belief that President Buhari represents the best in terms of leadership that Nigeria can offer.

    He commended the achievements of the administration in the last four years in implementing its three cardinal objectives of providing security, improving the economy and the war against corruption, and suggested the declaration of an emergency to tackle challenges in education and health sectors.

    The group further pledged support to the President for a formidable and enduring legacy.

  • Court urged to restrain Buhari from making Muhammad substantive CJN

    The Federal High Court has been asked to restrain President Muhammadu Buhari from appointing the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad as the substantive CJN.

    The request is contained in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/420/2019, filed by Malcom Omirhobo, a lawyer.

    He is praying the court to declare that Justice Muhammad, who is currently the most senior jurist at the Supreme Court, is unfit to replace the sacked CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen.

    The plaintiff wants the court to declare that Justice Muhammad, having made himself available as a tool that was used in the violation of the Constitution, especially with regards to the “illegal” removal of the former CJN, is therefore not a proper and fit person to be recommended for appointment to head the judiciary.

    The plaintiff argued that the Acting CJN conducted himself in a manner that reduced the confidence of the public in the integrity and impartiality of the Judiciary.

    Read also: Buhari rallies Qatar on investments, recharge of Lake Chad

    Listed as defendants are: the National Judicial Council, NJC, the Federal Judicial Service Commission, FJSC, the Acting CJN, the Federal Government of Nigeria, President Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the National Assembly.

    The plaintiff urged the court to declare that the suspension and/or removal of a CJN from office, is a shared responsibility of the 1st Defendant (NJC), 5th defendant (Buhari) and 7th Defendant (National Assembly).

    He argued that President Buhari lacked the constitutional powers to unilaterally suspend and/or removal a sitting CJN from office, as was done in the case of Onnoghen.

    He is praying the court to declare that by combined interpretation sections 1(1 )(2), 231(4), 292(1)(a)(i)(b), 153(1)(i), 158(1) and paragraph 21 (a)(b) of Part 1 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, “it is unlawful and undemocratic for the 4th and 5th Defendants (Federal Government and President Buhari), to declare the office of the CJN vacant on January 25, 2019 and consequently appoint and swear in the 3rd Defendant as the acting CJN”.

    He wants the court to restrain the National Assembly from confirming any appointment of Justice Muhammad as the substantive CJN.

    Likewise, for, “An order, compelling the 2nd Defendant (FJSC), to select and the 1st Defendant (NJC), to recommend the most qualified Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria that is fit and proper,  to the 5th Defendant, for appointment to office of the CJN, and for the confirmation of the 7th Defendant with a two third majority vote”.

    In a supporting affidavit, the plaintiff stated that unless restrained by the court, the Executive arm of government would continue to violate the extant provisions of the Constitution and sanctity of the judiciary.

    The suit has been assigned to Justice Iyang Ekwo for hearing.

  • Security heightens as Buhari visits Lagos Wednesday

    All is now set for President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Lagos state on Wednesday.

    Lagosians would be throwing their door open again to the president who is coming to the state for the second time.

    Security operatives including the Nigeria Police and men of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) were seen taking position in Oshodi and the Oshodi-Airport Road, Tuesday afternoon ahead of Mr. President’s visit.

    Buhari would during the visit be inaugurating among others, the 170-bed Institute of Maternal and Child Health at Ayinke House, the 10-lane Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road, and the Lagos State Theatre, located at Oregun.

    But the highpoint of President Buhari’s state visit according to the Chief press Secretary to the Lagos State Governor Mr. Habib Aruna is the inauguration of the Oshodi Transportation Interchange, and the 820 Mass Transit buses.

    He said the interchange would cater for one million passenger traffic daily, with each of the terminals accommodating no less than 300,000 passengers daily.

    He said the interchange and the new buses are part of the Bus Reform Initiative (BRI) of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

    According to him, the interchange would afford Lagosians a new transportation experience that would take the stress of transportation within the state away from commuters.

    Read Also: Buhari failed on security, says Soyinka

    He said President Buhari would be opening the Lagos Theatre at Oregun, which was another initiative of the Ambode administration’s to reposition arts, culture and theatre as a major economic hub of the government.

    “The President would also be visiting the Ayinke House where he would be declaring open the 170-bed Maternal and Child Health at Ayinke House.

    The Centre has been upgraded by the former Governor of Lagos State Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola.

    Today’s visit is the second by President Muhammadu Buhari, who on March 29, 2018,had commissioned the Ikeja Bus Terminal, as part of activities slated to celebrate the birthday of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

  • Abuja on lock down as Shittes celebrate El-Zakzaky’s birthday, detention

    Members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria  (IMN ) popularly known as the Shiites on Tuesday locked down human and vehicular traffic in the ever busy Central District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to mark the 68th birthday anniversary and 224 days of Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky’ s detention.

    The group in their usual fashion of filling according to age grade and sex trooped out in hundreds chanting war-like songs as they marched through major roads demanding justice for their detained leaders.

    Though the procession was peaceful, they accused President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration of trampling on the rights of the members of IMN,  especially El Zazaky and his wife that have been illegally kept behind bars for 1,224 days despite court orders they should be released.

    Abdullahi Musa, the spokesperson of the group, said that IMN will not relent to demand for justice over the Zaria massacre of its members by soldiers.

    According to him: “Despite the recommendation made by the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry (JCI) of July 2016 for the prosecution of the perpetrators of Zaria massacre, the Nigerian Government under Buhari is yet to prosecute the perpetrators of these great atrocities.”

    Shittes have been having a running battle with security forces in Kaduna and Abuja since 12 December 2015, when Army reportedly killed over 1000 members of the group after at Zaria, Kaduna State.

    Read Also: Court rejects El-Zakzaky’s bail application

    They claimed the invasion of their procession then was “a planned and systematic attack on Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky  launched by the Nigerian Army under a hoax of road blockage.

    “The attack lasted for more than 48 hours and led to the killing of more than 1,000 people, including women and children” .

    They also alleged that sons of Sheikh Zakzaky namely, Ali, Hamid and Humaid died during the attack.

  • Dogara to Tinubu: provide padded budget facts

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has challenged the National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu to provide facts on his accusation of budget padding by the two outgoing presiding officers of the National Assembly.

    In a statement Tuesday by his Media aide, Turaki Hassan, the Speaker said Tinubu accusation was as a result of his political ambitions.

    He also said the 8th Assembly has performed its legislative responsibilities well where the executive fell short of providing good governance.

    It reads: “We have noted the statement issued on April 21, 2019 by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu wherein he stated his reasons for sponsoring or supporting some aspirants to various leadership positions in the forthcoming 9th Assembly. Ordinarily, this would not have elicited any response from His Excellency, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara, as Asiwaju is entitled to sponsor those he believes will have no choice but answer to his dog whistles anytime he blows same in his capacity as the self-acclaimed National Leader of his party.

    “If Asiwaju had confined his intervention to stubborn facts, this response would not have been necessary. He, however, used the opportunity to manufacture falsehoods and paint a non-existing picture of the stewardship of Mr. Speaker and the work of the 8th House of Representatives under his watch. It is therefore, incumbent on us to set the records straight for posterity.

    “Asiwaju Tinubu accused the leadership of the National Assembly of stymieing “the APC legislative initiatives while attempting to hoist noxious reactionary and self-interested legislation on the nation”.

    He said further: “Just look at the way Saraki and Dogara and their ilk hijacked the Budget Process these past four years. National budgets were delayed and distorted as these actors repeatedly sought to pad budgets with pet projects that would profit them”.

    He continued, “Even worse, they cut funds intended to prosper projects that would have benefited the average person. After four years of their antics halting the progress of government, we should do all we can to prevent a repeat of their malign control of the National Assembly.”

    He generously used the usual unexplained words like installing a progressive leadership and so on.

    “We do not expect Asiwaju Tinubu to dwell on brazen mendacity, much less  murder facts and decorum in his rabid bid to justify his patently clear fascist agenda of controlling all levers of power in Nigeria. Asiwaju Tinubu’s nocturnal agenda has no parallel in the history of any democracy and it is more loathsome when he throws caution to the winds and maligns government officials who are doing a yeoman’s job of stabilising the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, even in spite of political differences.

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