A former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has revealed that his office was funded monthly by the office of the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
Okupe served under Jonathan from 2012 to 2015. He said this on his official Twitter handle.
“I was not paid arms deal money.NSA paid for the running of my office monthly from Aug 2012.Dasuki gate was in 2014.I Did not take part in campaign,” he said.
The Federal Government has ordered the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), Prof Anthony Emeribe to vacate office “with immediate effect’’.
The directive was contained in a letter to Emeribe by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, dated Feb. 19, 2016.
The letter signed on behalf of the Minister by Dr Patience Oshinubi, the Head, Department of Hospital Services in the Ministry stated that Emeribe should hand over to the most senior Director in the council.
It also stated that the position of the Registrar and CEO of the Council should be advertised.
“The Honourable Minister of Health has approved the advertisement of the post of the Registrar/CEO of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria.
“In view of the above, I am directed to inform you to hand over the administration of the council and of government property under your purview to the most senior Director in the council, with immediate effect.
“Please, accept the assurances of the Honourable Minister of Health’s best regards,’’ the letter read.
Meanwhile, Emeribe has acknowledged the receipt of the letter in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The professor, whose second term of four years as Registrar/CEO of the council ought to end in 2018, however, said that the letter was “sub judice’’.
He said there were subsisting cases in court in respect of the advertisement of the position of the Registrar/CEO of the Council, awaiting judicial determination.
“The cases are in court. The issues that gave rise to that letter are all in court and the ministry knows that it is sub judice.
“The Ministry was misadvised into taken that decision because the ministry should know that you cannot take an action on a case that is in court,’’ he said.
•Receives budget from Dickson
The Court of Appeal, sitting in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has sacked Bayelsa State House of Assembly Speaker Kombowei Benson.
A copy of the court’s judgment, which our correspondent obtained at the weekend, indicated that the April 2015 election, which returned Benson to the Assembly, was nullified on December 9, last year.
But our correspondent observed that despite the court’s order, Kombowei has remained in office and, last Friday, about 40 days after the judgment, he chaired the Assembly when it received this year’s state Appropriation Bill from Governor Seriake Dickson.
The Speaker was sacked in a case filed by Mr. Ebifaghe Orunimighe, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Southern Ijaw Constituency 4.
Orunimighe challenged Kombowei’s victory on the grounds that an election did not take place in four wards.
According to him, even where elections were held, there was over-voting.
Oruminighe averred that there was no election in Olodiama Ward 3, Apoi Ward 15, Forupa Ward 14 and Ukubie Ward 16.
On October 16, last year, the House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, presided over by Justice Ononnaeze Madu, dismissed Orunimighe’s petition for lack of proof.
But justices Mohammed Garba, Ejembi Eko and Stephen Adah, who sat on the appeal panel which delivered the judgment, set aside the decision of the tribunal and upheld Oruminighe’s prayers.
In the judgment delivered by Justice Eko, the panel decided that the appellants had proved with their evidence that there was no election at Appoi Ward; yet, results were posted on the result sheets that were earlier snatched and collated into the overall results in the constituency.
The panel, which also held that there was an inexplicable over-voting added: “The line of attack by the appellants under issue 2 is that upon proper evaluation of Exhibit P viz-a-viz the total number of vote cast at the election put at 34,985 as announced by INEC. There was an inexplicable over voting.
“Out of these 34,985 votes, 6038 from Olodiama Ward 4 and polling units 20-30 of Forupa Ward are not in contention as submitted by the appellants. Thus, 28,849 votes are suspect or disputed votes.
“Had the trial tribunal properly evaluated exhibit P it would have come to a conclusion that there was over voting in the constituency. Clearly there is an electoral malpractice where the number of votes cast is in excess of the total number of voters accredited to vote.
“The trial tribunal failed, neglected and refused to evaluate the critical evidential materials contained in the documents tendered and admitted in evidence by the appellants.”
Resolving issues One, Two and Three raised in the appeal in favour of the APC candidate, the tribunal declared the election that returned the Bayelsa Speaker null and void.
Justice Eko said: “I allow the appeal in substantial part. My findings on issues One, Two and Three justify the declaration that the election/return of the first respondent, Benson Friday Kombowei, as the purported winner of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly seat for Southern Ijaw Constituency 4 elections on April 11, 2015, was null and void.
“It is hereby ordered that a fresh election shall be conducted in all the wards in the constituency within 90 days from today, except in Olodiama Ward 4 and the polling units 20-30 in Foropa Ward 4.
“The results from the Olodiama Ward 4 and polling units 29-30 in Foropa Ward 4 shall, upon the fresh elections in other wards, as ordered, thereafter, be duly collated and final declaration and return made.”
Why Senate President Bukola Saraki needs new cars to go with his new position needs to be explained to a sceptical public. In a statement on December 13, Senate spokesperson Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said: ”With respect to the official vehicles of the Senate president, it should be noted that the majority of the vehicles in his convoy are his personal vehicles, while some of the vehicles that he inherited, including his official vehicles and the backup car, are so old that they are developing fault and not fit for long journeys. We can recall that on several occasions, his official car broke down. Three instances will suffice here. I remember on a visit to Nasarawa State for a wedding of the daughter of a colleague. Other occasions were at the National Mosque three weeks ago and at the Abuja airport.”
If Saraki’s official cars keep breaking down, as Abdullahi claimed, it raises the question whether the cars also performed poorly when they were being used by the former Senate president, Senator David Mark. If so, why did Mark not make changes? Or is it that the cars were good enough for Mark?
Abdullahi continued: “The implication is that the vehicles in his official convoy are so old that they are causing embarrassment for the Senate. The media should know that a man of his antecedent will not at this point be excited with new cars. His official cars are overdue for replacement.”
He also said of the move to buy new cars for the Senate’s committees: “For those who may want to find out what happened to the ones bought in the past, we cannot expect that after four years, the vehicles will still be in the condition to effectively serve the present committees. The best practice in government institutions and even private organisations is for official vehicles allocated to top officials after four years of use to be sold at the depreciated value.”
What must be done must be done, Abdullahi argued. It didn’t matter what getting new cars for Saraki and others would cost the country. That is the cost of high office. According to him, “we have been very frugal, responsive and responsible in our spending. We have also cut down on several expenses. However, there are certain expenses and purchases that are normal in government and any organisation. The legislature is not an exception.”
When “expenses and purchases” considered “normal” in government appear abnormal to the public, then it is time to reconsider the social contract. Insensitivity to the public’s idea of normalcy is not a legislative virtue.
When former Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, was sworn-in as Governor of Sokoto State on May 29, attention of the nation was shifted to the historical state, with genuine prospect of ‘continued change’ rising among citizens. This was expected largely because of the pedigree Tambuwal built while representing the people of Kebbe-Tambuwal Federal Constituency in the National Assembly and his subsequent success as the Number Four citizen in the hierarchy of protocol in the federation.
Tambuwal had campaigned for the new position on the premise of continuing with most of the programmes of the previous administration of Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko in Sokoto State. This was much evident in his numerous speeches before, during and after the elections. The need for the ‘continued change’ mantra was necessary since both politicians not only belong to the same political party, but were from the same political family whose cord was coupled together years back. But like all individuals, it was an established fact that even though continuity of policies is guaranteed, governance style is a product of individual peculiarity since all persons are born different and unique.
Rather than feel any difference in individual composition between the last and present administration, the foundation laid by Tambuwal in the last 100+ days have heightened the already spiraling expectation from the public. The new approach to governance has galvanized the populace and attracted attention not just nationally but among development partners and other interest groups. The people have been co-opted and their inputs sought in efforts to improve their well-being and build on the foundation laid in preceding years. A priority to him at the moment is institutional reform. He has repeatedly said that when the institutions are on sound footing, the journey will be smoother.
What we have been served by Tambuwal is a development module that integrates Sokoto’s historical peculiarities and huge potentials while seeking to modernize all aspect of its life. Knowing fully-well that no human endeavour will move successfully without quality education, Tambuwal made the revamping of the sector his number one priority. Within days of taking over the reigns of affairs, he received an unusual request from Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar to introduce school transportation system for kids in the state. His thinking was that with this kind of arrangement on ground, learning will be enhanced. Tambuwal promptly took up the challenge. Modalities for implementation are currently being developed pending budgetary approvals from the state legislature.
In a bid to boost enrolment figures and halt historical anomaly, government announced a policy that will criminalise refusal to send children to schools. The policy, seen as both radical and revolutionary, has drawn wide applause from social commentators and other stakeholders. This was followed immediately by recruitment of 500 teachers to address shortfall in teaching personnel in public secondary schools.
At a meeting with UNICEF, Tambuwal ordered immediate payment of counterpart funding for training of primary school teachers whose services will be employed upon completion of the trainings. The government has also abolished the discrepancy in the payment of school fees between indigenes and non indigenes in all public schools in Sokoto State. The entire operational manual for the tsangaya system of education, which integrates western and Islamic school system, has been redrawn. From the next academic session, designated teachers will lecture the students in their areas of learning pending when better facilities are provided to create a condusive learning environment.
Then also, in Sokoto, emphasis is now on technical education to ensure all students who graduated from O’levels are equipped with necessary skills for self reliance. Feasibility studies have been completed for the opening of entrepreneurship development centres in the three senatorial zones of the state.
In the areas of employment and youth empowerment, few weeks back, government started registration of 25,000 youths expected to benefit from a skills acquisition scheme over a two-year period. In the coming weeks, government will unveil a special training scheme for artisans and semi-skilled professionals to enhance output and marketing potential for their products. Sokoto government has also signed an MoU with the Usmanu Danfodio University for the training of nurses and birth attendants whose services will be deployed in all parts of the state. To appreciate Sokoto indigenes studying health related courses, government has offered automatic employment for them upon successful completion of their studies.
Much has happened in the health sector in Sokoto in the last 100 days. After paying unscheduled late-night visits to public hospitals to assess things for himself, Tambuwal announced an increment in allowances paid to itinerant health care workers who frequent rural areas daily to render services to those in need. To enhance use of life-saving drugs, government began distribution of free drugs to pregnant women and those who gave birth in public hospitals or private health care centre under government supervision in the rural areas.
Consultations have also started on efforts to introduce health insurance scheme in Sokoto State. The scheme is part of measures to decentralise the National Health Insurance Scheme for optimum performance. Governor Tambuwal said seeking the views of religious scholars and traditional rulers is essential for its future success. Due to space constraint, let me say that social welfare schemes met by Tambuwal have been enhanced, with the ultimate objectives to ensure all citizens feel the impact of government at all levels.
In agriculture, Tambuwal started off by reclaiming a huge irrigation land abandoned since colonial times. With it on board, the new drive to enhance rice farming received a boost. Government has also opened discussion with the Central Bank of Nigeria to open a new credit line in addition to existing facilities so as to modernise the farming, packaging, storage and export of rice from Sokoto. Tambuwal has already appealed to the federal government to stop granting waiver to rice exporters in order to assist local producers.
In housing, Tambuwal last week laid the foundation stone for a 250-housing unit Caliphate Workers estate to be sited at Kasarawa, along airport road in Sokoto. Three other estates, initiated by the last administration, will be commissioned early next year with a combined capacity of 1300 housing units. At the last Sokoto Business Forum, Aso Loans and Savings Ltd announced that it will construct 4000 units of houses over four-year period in Sokoto.
On security, apart from sustaining cooperation with various security agencies serving in the state, Tambuwal ordered all hotels in Sokoto to, from next year, ensure that all guests present valid ID cards as a condition for lodging.
An innovative approach to environmental sanitation was unveiled where government gave a monetary incentive to the cleanest neighbourhood in Sokoto. The policy has attracted interest from all parts of the state. On days designated for sanitation, huge crowd flock to streets with brooms and shovels in bid to win Tambuwal’s N2.3m Naira on offer.
On the important matter of bills and legislations, to demonstrate government’s commitment to have legal framework and institutionalise reforms, work on nine bills have been completed. They are the Sokoto Commodity Board bill, Sokoto Criminal Justice Law Reform bill, Anti-Child Pornography and Cyber Crimes bill, State Mortgage bill, Sokoto Education Reform bill, Sokoto Geographic Information Systems bill, Sokoto Transport Management Agency bill, Sokoto Primary Healthcare Development bill and Sokoto Environmental Protection Agency bill.
‘In a bid to boost enrolment figures and halt historical anomaly, government announced a policy that will criminalise refusal to send children to schools. The policy, seen as both radical and revolutionary, has drawn wide applause from social commentators and other stakeholders’
This is a column that seeks to mould, shape societal values and protect the interests of consumers, citizens and touch other broader relevant topics. ‘TRUE VALUE 360’ is an interactive column as suggestions, complaints and day to day experiences are welcome.
This week’s edition is ABUSE OF OFFICE
I tried to run away from this topic, but I just found my thoughts coming back here. A man asked his neighbour, who is a member of staff of the University of Lagos to assist his 18-year-old daughter in securing admission into the same University of Lagos. But lo and behold, the 42-year-old man, a part time lecturer, Baruwa Afeez, raped the girl and later claimed after his arrest that the girl was willing; that the act was consensual. Lord have mercy, willing for what reason? I could have removed this man’s eyeballs if I would get away with it, but I know I would not. How low can our men get? Can this man for a moment imagine if this was done to his own daughter? He has brought shame to his family forever just because of his momentary madness. To me, only castration will be the right penalty if he is found guilty in the court of law. I have always detested men, who cannot grant a favour to the opposite sex unless they sleep with them. Why should women, especially young girls, be subjected to such treatment?
Many people will wag their tongues at this man, who of course, is guilty in my court; people’s court and by God’s grace with the right evidence, will be found guilty in the court of law. But so many men are guilty of ABUSE OF OFFICE.
Abuse of Office is if and when a man sleeps with you before you get a contract, an admission, employment letter, higher grades for a course etc. This lack of value has been the norm for so long that it is almost accepted as the status quo. Almost all the men are guilty in various industries; women are seen as fringe benefits that come with an office. Imagine that!
Many CEOs sleep with their secretaries or member of staff, though both know it will lead to nowhere. At least two male CEOs have confided in me that they had to sleep with all their secretaries to ensure their loyalty to their business so that a competitor or another friend would not get them and split their loyalty. This is gross abuse just like our UNILAG part time lecturer. Of course, they lost my respect after that. Many men abuse their wards and house girls, and see it as fringe benefits. A special law should be put in place for these men, especially when it concerns underage and helpless girls. Some lecturers threaten to fail their students if they don’t get their ways. Some female employees are threatened if they do not succumb. Men should remember that they were born by women and each family has a daughter or a niece. Will you wish this upon them?
Where the women cannot get justice immediately, these men should be reported to their families as most of them are saints at home. Let us unmask the devil.
Parents should beware, who they allow into their homes or who they allow their daughters to have access to. So many uncles are doing this without the parent’s knowledge. I have several examples
A fresh female school certificate job seeker was handed over to a man, who happened to be her mother’s boss at a government agency to help get a job so the mother, who is a widow can have some reprieve in financial inflow for the family.
The man was bold enough to tell the poor girl to go and wait for him in a short time hotel before she could be employed. The girl was afraid to tell her mum, but she called me. I simply told her I will go with her to the hotel; you need to see the stupid man’s face. Of course, she got the job without compromise.
So many uncles, who come on vacation abuse their nieces and warn them not to say a word to anyone. Our girls are vulnerable. Let us be vigilant as so many unreported cases of rape abound. Parents, learn to be your children’s friend, let them feel free to tell you anything, absolutely anything so we can know when they are being abused or blackmailed.
In this age of total access to the internet, there are many paedophiles lurking to abuse and even use children for rituals. Get your kid’s passwords and check what they are up to once in a while. If you cannot have access to their passwords, restrict their exposure or internet access. They do not know how cruel the world is until it happens to them.
Reactions and contributions are welcome.
The new General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army Brigadier General Ibrahim Attahiru has taken office in acting capacity, urging his commanders to prioritise capacity development of troops.
He observed that the 82 Division is a peculiar one that has the capacity to fight both on water and land.
Attahiru spoke at the handover ceremony held at the GOC’s Conference Room, Headquarters, 82 Division Complex in Enugu.
The new Chief Dragon further reiterated that his administration would focus on training and retraining of troops with contemporary equipment and would create situation awareness within 82 Div Area of Operational Responsibility.
He described the mantle of leadership that came to him as an act of divine providence.
He also enjoined officers and soldiers of the Division to tender their maximum and unflinching support in the renewed effort intensified against crimes and its related offences within 82 Division’s AOR.
Attahiru further noted that the outgoing GOC was a mentor and worthy of emulation by all following his achievements and developmental strategies witnessed by the Division since he assumed duty emphasising that the standards set will never be forgotten in a hurry.
The outgoing GOC 82 Div Maj Gen Shehu Yusuf thanked officers and soldiers of the Division for their relentless effort which made his tour of duty a complete success. He called on them to remain steadfast and also extend similar loyalty, to his successor.
He described the new GOC as a seasoned infantry officer who has sufficient understanding and knowledge of the Division’s Area of Operational Responsibility.
Yusuf while congratulating the new GOC for his appointment also said that he was particularly happy that the new GOC is coming from 13 Brigade Calabar where he had also earlier commanded before becoming the GOC 82 Division stressing that he is fortunate and knows him to be very hard working senior officer.
SIR: As a lecturer, part of my regular research strategy is to go beyond the university library and scrutinize newspapers and other internet resources for any modern trend that seems germane to the many topics I teach my students.
Just days ago, I stumbled on something relevant, a very good one concerning a certain Foundation (The Bridge Leadership Foundation) promoted by former Cross River governor, Liyel Imoke.
According to a Vanguard report published on August 16, the Foundation had held a youth-targeted event in Calabar the previous day. This story immediately tickled my interest and I thus decided to find out more about the Foundation. My purpose is to reference my findings, first as an exemplar for my students; and second as a gratis recommendation to former governors (and others) on how best they can contribute to society after public office.
Below therefore is the rest of this very unique story, as I gleaned from many resources, including Imoke’s public remarks.
First was Imoke’s thesis on the dearth of ‘sense of self-worth’ on the part of Nigerian youths. That is spot-on. So is the solution he offers. He was reported to have told the teeming youths in attendance that he was just ‘the average guy, the average bloke’. And that in school, was just an average student. But what made the difference for him and his string of achievements in life was that he was driven and knew exactly where he wanted to go.
He hit the point home that it was fear of failure that propelled him most to succeed. I tell my students the same thing, even though not in exactly the same words.
Second, in encouraging his target audience to look beyond government for their success in life’s struggles, Imoke had revealed that in the past six months, only 5,000 jobs were created in all the public sectors in Nigeria – by federal, states, and LGAs. And that even the famed oil sector has not created any jobs in the same period. For effect, Imoke disclosed that the whole banking sector in Nigeria collectively has only 40,000 employees in a nation of 167 million citizens.
It is a very useful revelation that should serve as a wake-up call to Nigerian youths to look more to honing their entrepren youth-beneficiaries. Now, that’s a tidy number, and it’s still counting.
Third, Imoke was not all talk and no action. He was reported to have promised publicly that he will devote all his valuable time to the arduous business of the Foundation. Of particular interest to him is the Foundation’s core mission of assisting youths on self-development of their innate entrepreneurial skills through the Foundation’s mentoring programmes. Stressing that young people are the future, Imoke challenged them to look beyond mere political appointments and public office, and begin to take matters in their own hands.
So, as post-gubernatorial life goes, what Senator Imoke is doing with this Foundation is the sort of avocation I will recommend to our politicians as the best life or pastime after being in office. It’s better than again running for public office or attending to the private business of wealth accumulation – two very attractive but selfish options Imoke has disclaimed to instead pursue the passion of mentoring to Nigerian youths.
sodumegwu@gmail.com
Lagos State yesterday demolished the structures that once served as administrative and recruitment office for the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) Taskforce at the old tollgate axis along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. It was learnt Governor Akinwunmi Ambode ordered the immediate demolition of the building which housed the Federal Emergency Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in the state. It was further gathered the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit was directed to demolish the structure last Monday but could not carry out the execute it before yesterday due to some exigencies Before the state turned bulldozer on the building, former governor Babatunde Fashola wrote to former President Goodluck Jonathan over use of the building for illegal recruitment of youths at loggerheads with state government officials. Though the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government could not explain the specific status of the officials who claimed to be working for the presidency, the SURE-P youths abandoned the premises after the general elections. Some persons suspected to be miscreants later converted the place for other activities. At the time of filling this report, the miscreants said to be part of the over 5,000 youths recruited by the agency displaced by the demolition were seen hovering around the area. Rubbles and heap of documents used by the agency were sited carted away from the scene by trucks. Confirming the demolition, the Chairman of Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, Hakeem Adedeji, a Superintendent of Police, said it was ordered by the state governor. He said: “The reason for the demolition of this place is to the best knowledge of the governor because he was the one who directed that the buildings should be pulled down for the interest of the public.” Adedeji said he believed that the governor must have issued the directive based on the abandonment and conversion of the facilities into hideout by miscreants. He said: “In fact when we arrived, we couldn’t find any federal government officials inside the building but street urchins. And there is need to avoid that. “That was why we believe that if the building is demolished, no one will convert it for as hideout.”
True to his declaration against the terrorists, Boko Haram, on his administration’s inauguration day, President Muhammadu Buhari as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has been at the drawing board designing new strategic plans to defeat the group.
Apart from devoting at least four out of the five weekdays last week towards securing every part of Nigeria, almost all his hours in the week, which was his first first week in office as a civilian President, were focused on Boko Haram.
He has vowed to defeat Boko Haram, whose attacks appear to be on the rise since May 29, when his administration was inaugurated.
While former President Goodluck Jonathan had tried his best possible against the terrorists as a civilian, Buhari is handling the issue with the advantage of his military background experiences.
Before becoming Head of State in 1983, President Buhari had been member of Supreme Military Council in July 1978; General Officer Commanding, 4th Infantry Division, August 1980; General Officer Commanding, 3rd Armoured Division, November 1981; Platoon Commander, 2nd Infantry Battalion 1963;
Battalion Adjutant/Commander, 2nd Infantry Brigade 1966; Brigade Major, 2nd Sector, 1st Infantry Division, April 1967; Brigade Major, 3rd Infantry Division, August 1967; Acting Commander, 4th Sector, 1st Division, November 1968; Commander, 31st Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, February 1970; Assistant Adjutant-General, 1st Infantry Division Headquarters, July 1971; Colonel, General Staff, 3rd Infantry Division Headquarters, January 1974.
Determined not to handle Boko Haram with kid gloves, Buhari has also promised to unmask the sponsors of Boko Haram.
On Monday last week, which is the first working day after the Friday, May 29 inauguration, Buhari started work against Boko Haram at the Defence House, Abuja by holding meeting with the man who has been coordinating the activities of the security agencies in the past years, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
The following day, Tuesday, the NSA also led the service chiefs to the Defence House for about four hours to brief President Buhari on what they have been doing and plans ahead against the sect.
Still on Boko Haram, President Buhari left Nigeria on Wednesday on visit to President of Niger Republic, Mahamdou Issoufuo to have talks on ways to defeat the sect.
President Buhari, who had described Boko Haram as a mindless, godless group who are far away from Islam during the inauguration ceremony on May 29 in Abuja, had said to Issoufuo: “As I highlighted during my inaugural speech, my administration will bring new impetus and a renewed commitment to the efforts to wipe out the menace of the Boko Haram insurgents.
“I wish to re-assure that with the new impetus and resolve to seek for closer collaboration with our neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad and Cameroun, Boko Haram insurgency will soon be defeated, insha Allah.”
He left Niger Republic to hold similar talks with the Chadian President, Idriss Deby Itno on Thursday in Chad.
Speaking in Chad, he said: “It is for this reason, that I have committed myself to work for the security, peace, prosperity and stability of our region. In this regard, I cannot over-emphasise the importance of co-operation and collaboration in tackling our common challenges, particularly in the areas of security and economic development. This is because security and development are mutually re-inforcing.
“Your Excellency, permit me to note that our security is intricately linked. This compels us to co-operate fully on security issues in a robust and sustained manner.
“To this end, we must redouble our efforts to operationalise the multi-national Joint Task Force with its Headquarters in Ndjamena. I believe the Task Force will stabilise the areas that have been ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency when it becomes fully operational. I am very confident that, Insha Allah, this insurgency will be brought to an end soon.”
With these new moves and other plans in the pipeline, it is hoped that the bloodshed and attacks carried out by the terrorists over the years will come to an end soon.
This prayer also goes for all the crimes in the country including kidnapping and armed robbery.
Surrendering to God
Before embarking on any official function in his new position, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, on Saturday last week took everything back to the feet of Jesus Christ.
He not only thanked God for making him emerge as Vice-President under President Muhammadu Buhari, but also surrendered his new office to Almighty God and sought for His grace to carry out the assignment efficiently.
As the celebrator at the service, he led his wife Dolapo, other members of his family, friends and well-wishers to dance to the altar in thanksgiving.
Speaking during the service at the National Christian Centre, Abuja entitled “Thanksgiving Service for the Swearing-in of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as Vice-resident of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, Osinbajo said: “I thank the Lord Jesus Christ, the creator of heaven and earth, the one who controls time and season, the one who created time and season himself, the one who controls and rules time and chance, the one who controls luck, who controls fortunes, the one who rules absolutely in the affairs of men, the one who is governor among the nations, King of kings.
“I bless the name of the Great Redeemer, the one who is all powerful and the one whose purposes must come to pass. I thank Him especially for His great purpose for this nation demonstrated by his choosing, at this time, President. Muhammadu Buhari as President of Nigeria.
“The Lord, who determines time and season, knew that the time has come for the healing of this nation, the time for setting things right will be in 2015. And so after three previous attempts, the Lord caused it to be that in his fourth attempt, he will be President of this country.
“I also thank the great and mighty God, who has chosen me at this time by Himself to assist the President of this nation to fulfill His plans and purposes for this country.”
Shocker for Villa staff
Many members of staff at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, who turned up early in their offices most days last week were surprised that President Muhammadu Buhari did not resume at the Aso Rock Villa.
Most of them, who did not want to draw the wrath of the new President, reported to work as early as 8:30 a.m. on Monday last week, which was the first working day after Friday, May 29 inauguration day, with the belief that the official residence and office of the President was ready for President Buhari’s use.
But that was not the case as President Buhari resumed duty at the Defence House Abuja last Monday and worked there till Friday.
Some key civil servants, who had worked with former President Goodluck Jonathan had to storm the Defence House in order not to have their jobs taken away from them by the time President Buhari resumes at Aso Rock.
It is still unclear if they succeeded in their rush to the Defence House as only time will tell if they will keep their positions when the President resumes at Aso Rock Villa.
But for now, President Buhari will not resume at the Aso Rock Villa, according to his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, until renovation works are completed.
With the way things are going, let’s pray members of staff of the Villa who want to be in the good book of the new President, will not be caught unprepared since the President can move into the Villa at anytime.