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Tag: Obasanjo

  • Erediauwa’s death a big loss – Obasanjo

    Erediauwa’s death a big loss – Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday commiserated with the people of Edo state, Governor Adams Oshiohmole and the Benin Royal family over the death of their reverred monarch, Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Erediauwa I.

    Obasanjo, who said he was saddened by the monarch’s death, said Erediauwa’s exit is a great loss to the royal family, Edo State and Nigeria.

    The ex-president said this in separate condolence letters to Oshiohmole, the Crown Prince, Royal Majesty Eheneden Erediauwa and Edaiken n’Uselu respectively.

    Obasanjo recalled that when he was President between 1999 and 2007, he benefitted tremendously from the Oba’s wise counsel and goodwill.

    The letter reads in part:  “I have received with a deep sense of sorrow the sad news of His Royal Majesty, Omo n’Oba Erediauwa II, the Oba of Benin, joining his ancestors.

    “I recall, with profound delight, the late Oba’s illustrious career as a seasoned technocrat and erudite administrator before his elevation to the exalted stool of Oba of Benin in 1979.

    “Benin, which is his traditional domain, occupies a pedestal of looming importance in our ancient and contemporary history. It has, since pre-colonial times, remained a robust repertoire of the finest aspects of our cultural and artistic heritage.

    “​It is instructive that his reign over Benin Kingdom witnessed very significant and notable social and political developments, growth, progress, peace and stability in the state.

    “My administration, as a democratically-elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007, benefitted tremendously from his wise counsel and goodwill.

    “​Indeed, this great loss has been suffered not only by the Royal family, but also by the great people of Benin Kingdom and Edo State and the nation at large.

    “I hasten, therefore, on behalf of my family and on my own behalf, to add our heartfelt sympathy to similar messages pouring into your office and the Palace from across the length and breadth of the country at this time.”

  • Obasanjo, IITA seek end to food scarcity

    Obasanjo, IITA seek end to food scarcity

    •Promote Zero Hunger

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, are promoting a new initiative to provide adequate food for Nigerians.

    The project, christened Zero Hunger, is aimed at ending hunger in Nigeria by 2030.

    Leading a team of experts across the agriculture process chain and relevant government ministries and agencies, Obasanjo launched the project with a multi-sectoral stakeholders’ meeting at the IITA at the weekend.

    The meeting drew a roadmap to end hunger in Nigeria by 2030.

    The Nigeria Zero Hunger Strategy meeting, which received support from the World Food Programme (WFP), was organised in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) that seeks to end hunger by 2030.

    Addressing the meeting, the former President said the task of attaining the SDGs could not be left for the government, the civil society or the private sector.

    “It is going to take the collective effort of every Nigerian and our partners. It will require our collective change of mindset to identify the opportunities that abound,” he said.

    Although the MDGs may not have achieved all its targets, Obasanjo said the SDGs presented Nigeria another opportunity to drive its development agenda and end hunger.

    The former President said Nigeria’s continued import of food was unacceptable and requested that efforts be made to address the import bill.

    An angry Obasanjo gave a marching order to the stakeholders to come up with the roadmap on how the country would attain sufficiency in production of carrot and cucumber within 18 months.

    He said: “It is painful, disgraceful and unacceptable that the majority of carrots and cucumbers eaten in Lagos are imported from South Africa.

    “This should stop now. Nigeria has enough fertile land to grow these.”

    The WFP Representative, Stanlake Samkanga, said unlike the MDGs, which were driven by the United Nations, the SDGs would be driven by member-states.

    On the sidelines, IITA Director-General Dr Nteranya Sanginga praised Nigerians for their willingness to drive the initiative.

    He said IITA would provide the necessary support.

    A director with the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Chiji Ojukwu, expressed the commitment of the bank to initiatives that would help Africa feed itself.

    He said the bank was ready to work with Nigerian authorities through the commodity value-chain to end hunger and poverty.

    About 50 key participants from government, ministries, development organizations, international entities, and public and private sectors attended the strategic meeting.

    At the end of the meeting, nine sub-committees were set up to handle the various sub-sectors.

    Obasanjo said the initial target of achieving the goal is 2025, pointing out that the remaining five years could be used to address whatever gap is identified in 2025.

  • Obasanjo denies signing Budget without details

    Obasanjo denies signing Budget without details

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday dismissed claim that he signed appropriation bills into law without sighting the details under his tenure.

    When President Muhammadu Buhari insisted on receiving the details of the 2016 Budget before signing the bill into law, some members of the House of Representatives had claimed that Obasanjo and the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua signed appropriation bills into law without receiving the budget details.

    Fielding questions from State House correspondents after meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Obasanjo dismissed the claim.

    He replied the question with: “Eh en? I signed budget without details? Anybody who told you that, go and ask him again.”

    Asked to speak on the 2016 Budget, he said: “Before I will be able to tell you something about the budget, I have to read it and know what it contains and know what to talk about.

    On the delay in signing the budget, he said the constitution allows the executive to continue with the budget provided it does not go beyond the previous year’s budget up to the middle of the year.

    Obasanjo, however declined to speak on corruption war, saying: “Eh en?”

    When he was asked to speak specifically on the travail of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Obasanjo said: “Eh en? What is wrong with him?”

    On the purpose of visit to the Villa, he said: “You know that not too long ago, I was out there. I have come to share some of my experiences with him.

    When asked to speak on the experiences, he said: “Ha! Ha! If I say I shared experiences with my wife, you will ask me wetin I talk with my wife?”

    Obasanjo, who arrived the Villa at 12:13pm in a tinted black Tayota Jeep marked ABJ 425 PY, exchanged pleasantries with journalists who cracked joke with him on his “dancing steps” during the burial of Ebonyi State Governor’s mother last week.

    When reminded that his dancing steps were great, he replied: “So you don’t want me to dance.”

  • Obasanjo hails Enugu Gov’s good works

    Obasanjo hails Enugu Gov’s good works

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, hailed Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State over what he described as the good work the governor was doing to better the lot of the people of the state.

    Obasanjo, who made the remark during a courtesy call on Governor Ugwuanyi, also raised the serious issue of governance as it affects the growth of the nation.

    He called on the governors of the 36 states in the country to raise the bar of their respective performance in order to give the nation a new lease of life.

    Praising the Enugu State governor for exemplary performance, the former president said, “thank you for the good work you are doing in the state for the benefit of your people. Keep it up.

    “From the reports I get, you are doing well. If out of 36 states of the country, you can get one that is doing well, it would be encouraging to continue to work on others to do well. And by the time you can get up to 50% of the states doing well, it would mean the country would be better. So, keep it up,” said the former president.

    Obasanjo spoke after attending the burial ceremony of the mother of Ebonyi State governor.

    Ugwuanyi, who thanked the former president for the visit, said, “We are, indeed, very grateful. We will continue to benefit from your wealth of experience so that we can continue to serve our people better”, said the governor.

  • Buhari, Obasanjo, Jonathan honour Ebonyi governor at mother’s funeral

    Buhari, Obasanjo, Jonathan honour Ebonyi governor at mother’s funeral

    President Muhammadu Buhari says the Federal government has a lot to learn from the life of hard work lived by Governor David Umahi’s late mother, Deaconess Margaret Umahi, to be able to tackle the current economic and security challenges facing the nation.

    He stated this in Uburu,Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State during the burial of Governor Umahi’s late mother on Friday.

    The President, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr Babachir Lawal, said late Deaconess Umahi as a peasant farmer tackled and conquered the menace of poverty in her family through hard work and perseverance.

    He added that the late Deaconess Umahi trained her children and was able to produce personalities, such as a state governor, Army Major General, a traditional ruler, an accountant, lawyer and many others.

    He said we were witnesses to these feats achieved by the late Deaconess at a time when the country is faced with economic and security challenges.

    Buhari noted that, with handwork and perseverance like late Deaconess Umahi, Nigeria can tackle its economic and security challenges.

    He said Governor Umahi’s late mother bequited a lot of legacies before her departure.

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in his remarks, described late Deaconess Umahi as a great uniter of the family, the people, community and indeed the entire state.

    He congratulated the children for the legacies she passed on to them before she died.

    The wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, represented by the wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs Gimbia Dogara, who thanked the people of Ebonyi State for being behind their governor, noted that the governor’s mother left legacies that would make her remain fresh in the minds of the people.

  • Obasanjo on measures to avert fire

    Obasanjo on measures to avert fire

    Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday in Kano recommended the installation of modern fire equipment in markets and their environs, to combat inferno.

    He spoke at the Government House, while condoling with Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and traders, who suffered losses, following the fire which gutted a substantial part of Sabon Gari market.

    Obasanjo advocated effective management of markets, saying makeshift structures made of timber, capable of catching fire, should be avoided.

    “We should have a regulation, which stipulates that once you are no longer in the market at night, only street lights should be on. Electrical appliances in the shops and stalls should be switched off.”

    The former president recommended firefighting services in markets and their environs. He said where possible, irrespective of whatever measures adopted, store and shop owners must insure their goods against fire.

    Obasanjo said if the measures were adopted, they would reduce the rate of inferno.

    Governor Ganduje, describing the incident as unfortunate, promised to ensure modern market management, to reduce the rate of inferno.

    He expressed the intention of the state to appeal to the Federal Government and organisations to assist the victims.

     

  • Saraki, Mark greet Obasanjo, Olubadan

    Saraki, Mark greet Obasanjo, Olubadan

    Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday congratulated former President Olusegun Obasanjo on his 79th birthday.

    Saraki also greeted the  Olubadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, on his coronation as the 41st Olubadan.

    The Senate President commiserated with Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje on the demise of his mother, Hajia Fadimatu Ganduje.

    Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, described Obasanjo as a worthy statesman and prayed God to grant him good health, wisdom and more years of fruitful service.

    The Senate President wished the monarch long reign on the throne characterised by peace, unity and prosperity for his domain and Yorubaland.

    Former Senate President David Mark in statement entitled: “Obasanjo an outstanding nationalist” described Obasanjo as an outstanding nationalist and statesman who laboured to keep Nigeria one.

    Mark, who spoke through his Media Assistant, Paul Mumeh, said Obasanjo remains one of the pillars of contemporary Nigeria saying that “his belief in one united Nigeria where everyone is free to do his or her legitimate business is unquestionable”.

  • EFCC has become toothless bulldog, says Obasanjo

    EFCC has become toothless bulldog, says Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for measures to make the anti – corruption war of the federal government more effective and ensure the safety of Nigerians in midst of security threat.
    Obasanjo spoke on Saturday in Abeokuta, Ogun state, at a gathering to mark his 79th birthday during which many eminent Nigerians eulogised him.
    The ex – President who took a brief look at what used to be the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under the Pioneer, Mr Nuhu Ribadu, and what it is today, concluded regrettably that the Anti – graft agency has become a “toothless bull – dog.”
    He explained that there was the need to do an appraisal to know why the EFCC which was dreaded because of its effectiveness during his administration, began to lose courage.
    According to him, the appraisal is crucial so that the nation does not take one step forwards and take three steps backward.
    Obasanjo also recommended the deployment of technology to fight insurgents both at local and global levels.
    He said: “the good thing is that we all enjoyed the work and we all felt that we were contributing our own meaningful quota to the development of the country.
    “As all know, when Nuhu Ribadu was handling the EFCC, he handled it in such a way that people coined the saying that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of Ribadu.
    ” And the thing you will ask is how did we go down, how did we lose that, how did we? Nuhu Ribadu is still here, he is still alive, the institution that we started together is still there, what made the institution to become a toothless bull dog.
    “We need to work things out so that we don’t take two steps forward, one step and three steps backward.”
    On issues of terrorism, violent ectremism among others, Obasanjo the solutions lie at home, the church, mosque, society, state and the International community who

  • Buhari greets Obasanjo at 79

    Buhari greets Obasanjo at 79

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday congratulated former President Olusegun Obasanjo who turns 79 on Saturday.

    Buhari, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, affirmed that the former president, who is approaching the octogenarian cycle, has contributed immensely to the institutionalization of democracy in Nigeria and Africa through his personal sacrifice, extensive local and international networks and God-given wisdom.

    The President believed that Obasanjo’s place in global history is assured for successfully handing over power to a civilian government in 1979 after serving as a military Head of State, and returning to power in 1999 through elections to stabilize the polity, during which he most remarkably negotiated a debt relief for Nigeria.

    He also commended the ex-president’s vision and commitment to the growth of Nigeria and Africa, which translated into a historical growth rate of six percent for the Nigerian economy after a long period of slow growth, and also created a rippling effect that buoyed other African economies.

    Obasanjo’s regular shuttles across Nigeria and Africa to counsel on economic, social and political issues, and his willingness to head election monitoring teams that have heralded smooth transitions in many countries, Buhari noted are legacies for which generations will remain grateful.

     

  • Obasanjo: I’ll only promote national interest

    Obasanjo: I’ll only promote national interest

    Former President Olusegun Olusegun has said would not promote any narrow or sectional interest as he remains committed to the nation’s development.

    Obasanjo said having “weaned” himself from partisan politics – barely a year ago, he has made the general development of the country or its overall interest, his focus.

    The former Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said this yesterday when a delegation of the Okun Development Association (ODA) visited his Presidential Hilltop Estate home in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

    Members of the group appealed to him to assist them regarding the socio-economic and political challenges facing the Okun nation of Kogi State.

    But Obasanjo said he will support any group or association whose goals and aspirations tally with his focus on Nigeria’s development and wellbeing.

    “I am open to you if it has to do with the issues relating to national interest and development. But, I will not, when it has to do with any interest that is not open or has national interest as its focus.

    “Since I have eased myself out of what I will call centre of political activities, I have not eased myself out of the totality of development in Nigeria. This I will welcome and support from any group or association,” Obasanjo said.

    The ex – President, however, urged the group to add more value to their community development association.

    According to him, people prosper and develop when they engage in agriculture and related businesses in the face of contending demands at the federal, states and local government levels.

    “My association, Olaogun Development Association, did not wait for the government to provide water, clinic or build schools.

    “You as the leaders should meet regularly to discuss more on the good of the association. I must warn that your work, interest and programme should not conflict with the overall development of the state and country,” he said.

    ODA’s Chairman Akere Owoniyi, who led the delegation, urged Obasanjo not to relent in giving advice on matters that affect the country.

    “If the change effected during the last presidential election did not take place, one can only imagine what would have become of us as a nation today.

    “The present government is confronting the numerous self-inflicted challenges that had slowed down the development of our nation. We must play our part and come to terms with the realities of our time. We, therefore, must join hands with the Federal Government to develop the nation.”