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Tag: Osinbajo

  • Osinbajo, others warn against heating up polity

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and other prominent Nigerians at the weekend warned Nigerians to desist from throwing hate speeches at each other.

    They said such development would heat up the politics and lead to violence.

    Osinbajo said Nigeria as a nation already has its hands full of challenges that needed urgent attention.

    Therefore, he said it would be counter-productive to compound the problem with hate speeches.

    The vice president said religious and traditional leaders have much to do to unite the people and work towards enhancing the country’s socio-economic and political growth.

    Osinbajo, who was represented by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, spoke at the presentation of a book written by former Commandant, National Defence College, Rear Admiral Samuel  Alade (retd) . The book, titled: “The making of a million smiles: Reflections on Rwanda’s rise from the ashes”, was launched at the auditorium of the National Defence College, Abuja.

    Others, who also advised Nigerians, especially political leaders, to desist from hate speeches are Defence Minister Mansur Dan Ali, Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi and former Minister of Interior Major -Gen. Ibrahim BM Haruna and Leadership Newspaper Chairman Nda Isaiah.

    The vice president said Nigerians should learn from  Rwanda’s mistakes and avoid the repetition of any of such in African countries, particularly Nigeria.

    “It will be a wise thing if we copy the Rwanda’s progress after serious torture of unwarranted killings that took place in that country in 1994. We should avoid making hate speeches that would lead us into crisis.

    “I am also calling on religious leaders and traditional rulers to live up to their responsibilities. They have the duty to advice politicians, who are using hate speech as their campaign tool to also desist.

    “We cannot shy away from the fact that we all have responsibilities to make a difference. You know we have security challenges, all across the country. We have the problems of  Boko Haram operating in the Northeast, kidnapping, herders/ farmers clashes, as well as Niger Delta’s agitators. All these issues in one way or another affect our economy and social system, and as a matter of fact, put our economy behind growth,” he stated.

    Maj-Gen. Haruna, who chaired the occasion, expressed admiration for the language of delivery and quality of mind of the author, describing it as excellent and lucid.

    Gen. Haruna said the message of the book should not be lost on Nigeria as a nation, saying it was a clarion call for leaders at all levels to rally the people around goals that would foster unity and rapid growth.

    Nda-Isaah said  it’s not advisable for any nation to experience the Rwandan genocide.

    Ali, who was represented by the Director, Health Services in Defence Ministry, Dr. Oluwatoyin Akinlade, lauded the author’s efforts, saying the book would add more values to the way Nigerians relate with each other.

    Ondo State Governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Mr. Alfred Agboola Ajayi, hailed Alade’s efforts  in putting the book together.

    He said the Balogun of Akure would continue to leave indelible inprints in the sands of time through hardwork, dedication and service to his fatherland.

    Elizade Nigeria (Ltd) Founder Chief Michael Ade Ojo, Dr .Tunji Abayomi, serving and retired senior military officers and the Commandant of the National Defence College, Rear Admiral Adeniyi Osinowo were among other personalities , who attended the book launch.

  • More corrupt people will be jailed, says Osinbajo

    VICE President Yemi Osinbajo has vowed that more corrupt people will go to jail if President Muhammadu Buhari is re-elected.

    Osinbajo said this why corrupt elements regrouped and  desperate to regain  power.

    He said the Buhari administration would not quit power for the thieves

    He made the pledge yesterday during his door-to-door campaign in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area, Lagos State.

    Traffic stood still in the area as thousands of residence, including party faithful, supporters, market person and Arewa community, trooped out to receive the vice president.

    Osinbajo, who is also the vice presidential of All Progressives Congress (APC), visited various markets and homes.

    At Ifako, Osinbajo told party supporters that the major  issues to be addressed in the next level are more jobs for the youths, more power supply, and provision of infrastructure.

    “We are going to complete Lagos-Kano rail, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Second Niger Bridge,” he assured.

    He added: “The  difference between us and PDP is that we don’t steal government’s resources. We use it for the people. We earn less and we spent more on the welfare of the people than the previous government.

    “Everybody knows President Muhammadu Buhari is an honest man. He will not steal public fund. We shall continue to fight corruption so that we can have enough money to provide infrastructure. We have to build on the foundation we have laid.

    “You should vote for APC because it is the only party that can do the job. We should not allow PDP to return to power.”

    At Iju-Ishaga rally, the vice president told the crowd that the next level would be much better than today. More power will be available to the people and there would be more infrastructure. He said “too much corruption have retarded our progress”.

  • 2019: Ibadan stands still for PMB, Osinbajo

    Ibadan, the Oyo state capital on yesterday stood still to receive President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who were in the state on a campaign tour.

    This is coming even as the President solicited for the support and understanding of the traditional rulers and people of the state in his bid to take the country to its next level of development. The two-legged event which started with a consultative meeting with traditional rulers from across the pacesetter state ended up with a presidential campaign rally at the famous Mapo Hall, Ibadan.

    No fewer than 103 traditional rulers from Oyo State led by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji and Soun of Ogbomosho, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi, met the President, the Vice President and other top party leaders at the consultative meeting which held at the House of Chiefs, Agodi Secretariat, Ibadan. Noting how his administration had faired since 2015, the President said the 16 years of the People’s Democratic Party’s rule could be likened to torment to the people with a dearth of infrastructure despite the availability of immense fund.

    He said “I am here to warn you to please reflect on the conditions we met this country in 2015, where we are now and what we are able to do even with the little available resources to us. I keep on repeating this just as a reminder and I challenge any Nigerian to go to Europe, United States and Asia and check for the 16 years of PDP rule, I know you (traditional rulers) are supposed to be apolitical. I challenge anybody to go and check, that for the 16 years of PDP, Nigeria was earning good money and the state of our infrastructure and of our people were worse when we came, the road, the rail were in decay and there was no power.

    “Along the line, some of them admitted that they spent 16million dollars on power and yet to no avail. Once the roads are good, the rail is working and there is power, most Nigerians would mind their own business, they won’t even care about who is in government. But when there is no infrastructure, everybody will sit at home and curse the government. I assure you that our plan is to secure the country and improve on the economy and things that will rub on the lives of the people. You all know these things more than I do because you sit more around your people day-in and day-out.

    “So, please we need you and your constituencies, we appeal for your support and understanding. We assure you that we will not abuse the trust and we will not spare anybody who abuses the trust. ”Responding on behalf of the traditional rulers, the Alaafin appealed to the President to give Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State the needed support for him to emerge the next Senate president, saying the governor has indeed transformed the state from been known as a garrison command to a modern state upon the assumption of office in 2011.

    While addressing the thousands of party supporters who had thronged the Mapo rally venue, APC National leader and co-Chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu warned the people not to be deceived with the lies of those he described as greedy looters. He pointed out that only the main opposition party is planning to rig election but that members of the ruling party must ensure that they troop out on February 16th to celebrate the final burial of the opposition and send some political opponents to their political retirement. Tinubu said, “Don’t let looters and greedy people lie to you and deceive you again. Have you been hearing that they have been threatening that they will rig the election? Will we still rig election with this huge population of supporters? Are they not the ones without members anymore? They are the ones without people. We are not going backwards again. Buhari is the only choice.”

     

     

  • Osinbajo: APC will take Nigeria to Next Level

    Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday visited the first Executive Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, at his Ilupeju home in Mushin Local Government Area.

    The vice-president, who held a closed-door meeting with the former governor and his family, was in Lagos for the continuation of his door-to-door campaign ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

    He was accompanied by the state’s All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, House of Representatives Majority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila, Senator Ganiyu Solomon and the Speacial Adviser (SA) to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, among others.

    The vice-president was ushered into Jakande’s home by a huge crowd of party supporters in APC uniform.

    They chanted the praises of President Muhammadu Buhari and Prof Osinbajo.

    Solomon, who addressed reporters on the visit, said APC was sure of victory, despite the blackmail by its traducers.

    The senator said Nigerians have seen the party’s performance in the last four years, adding that its people-oriented programmes have endeared the party to the people.

    According to him, despite the performance of the APC, its candidates have been campaigning vigorously to showcase the party’s achievements and convince the electorate to vote for continuity.

    Osinbajo also visited some party leaders in Mushin and major markets in Mushin and Surulere local government areas.

    In Surulere, Osinbajo said APC will take Nigeria to greater heights.

    He urged the electorate to vote massively for the party in the February 16 and March 2 elections.

    “APC is taking Nigeria higher and higher. We are not stopping. Our country is going higher. Come February 16, vote for APC,” he said.

    The vie-president also urged Nigerians to vote for all APC candidates in the February 16 and March 2 polls.

    Also, Gbajabiamila urged party members to unite and work for its success in the forthcoming elections.

    Sanwo-Olu said: “On February 16 and March 2, let us make sure we vote for APC because APC is going to take us to the Next Level. We are going higher and higher. We should also vote for President Buhari, Gbajabiamila and Desmond Elliot.”

     

     

     

  • Osinbajo to Ogun kinsmen: Dapo Abiodun will complete cargo airport

    Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) yesterday stormed the palace of the Akarigbo of Remo land in Sagamu, Ogun State, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, and rekindled the hope of the residents that the abandoned cargo airport sited between Iperu and Ilisan in Ogun East Senatorial District will be revisited.

    The cargo airport was among the economic projects initiated during the administration of Governor Gbenga Daniel but abandoned by the Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led administration in 2011.

    Osinbajo said though the Federal Government had played its part by bringing development to Remo land with an enabling environment, but the responsibility to build the cargo airport rests squarely on the state government.

    The vice-president spoke in Sagamu at a town hall meeting organised for him by the sons and daughters of Remo land.

    It was attended by the state’s All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Prince Dapo Abiodun; his running mate, Mrs Noimot Salako-Ayodele; the party’s national leader and former Governor Olusegun Osoba; the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Political Matters to President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Babafemi Ojodu; Senators Adegbenga Kaka and Gbenga Obadara and Prince Segun Adesegun.

    Others are: Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi, Sir Kesington Adebutu, other monarchs from the three local government areas in Remo, representatives of Arewa and Igbo communities, among others.

    The Vice-President, who hails from Ikenne, expressed the confidence that Abiodun would do the airport, if elected governor on March 2.

    He urged the people to vote for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari, vote for Abiodun en masse and key into the Federal Government’s programmes.

    Osinbajo said: “When Dapo Abiodun comes in as the next governor of Ogun State, he will be able to complete the construction of the abandoned cargo airport located between Iperu and Ilishan road in Ikenne Local Government Area.

    “We have Federal Government’s presence here in Remo land and we can still do more. We are already constructing the Ikorodu-Sagamu road. It is an important road, and the contract for it was awarded six months ago. When it is completed, it will ease traffic from Ikorodu to Sagamu and from Sagamu to Ikorodu.

    “Also  here with us in this meeting, I have brought the Managing Director (MD) of Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority (OORBDA), who is also an illustrious son of Remo land. We have begun the rehabilitation of Ilishan-Iperu water scheme through OORBDA. The design of the water scheme has begun and it will be completed soon. We have a number of projects we have embarked upon in Remo land.

    “In our midst today, we have the Managing Director of Niger Delta Power Development Company (NDPDC), Mr Chinedu Ugboh, and we have a substation in Remo land. But it is not enough to take care of Iperu, Ilishan and other communities. So, we are doing the transmission to improve electricity supply in Remo land.

    “Also, I have good news for you that you will have a passport office in Remo land. There will not be any need to go to Lagos or Abeokuta or Abuja to get international passports.

    “We are already paying attention to ecological funds and one of the projects is ongoing in Ikenne.”

    According to him, the Federal Government doesn’t come and do it but it is the communities that bring them to the fore while the Federal Government puts in the money for execution, where there is a need for intervention.

    “We don’t want people to be jealous of us, but we will do it carefully. With all these projects in place, once we have stable power supply and good roads, investment will come in naturally,” Osinbajo said.

    The Vice-President hinted that the Federal Government was planning to strengthen its “N-Power” to ensure that the empowerment scheme increases from its present 500,000 beneficiaries to one million.

    He said the Federal Government had stemmed the tide of unemployment with the provision of “TraderMoni” and “MarketMoni” through the “N-Power” scheme.

    According to him, all traders in Remo land, in Ogun East Senatorial District, have been enumerated and captured electronically through the “MarketMoni” operated through cooperative societies at N100,000 and “TraderMoni” where beneficiaries are entitled to N10,000.

  • Osinbajo, Oshiomhole, Tinubu attack Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo got a bloody nose yesterday for his blistering criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo led the way with a defence of his integrity over the TraderMoni, saying Obasanjo was either ignorant of the workings of the scheme of just been mischievous.

    The former president should be ignored, All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu said.

    The scathing remarks by Obasanjo on the Buhari administration were in bad faith, Tinubu, who is co-Chairman of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, told a crowd of party faithful in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

    APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole described the Obasanjo years as an era of impunity, impeachment of governors and bickering between him (Obasanjo) and his deputy, Atiku Abubakar.

    Tinubu spoke at the inauguration of the President Buhari re-election campaign in the Northeast—on a day more Nigerians knocked Obasanjo for his statement.

    Many of those who reacted said the former leader lacked the moral latitude to criticise the incumbent who, according to them, has been trying to clean up the mess left behind by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between 1999 and 2015.

    Obasanjo, who was president on the PDP’s platform between 1999 and 2017, alleged in a 16-page statement on Sunday that President Buhari was executing a succession plan like the late Head of State Gen. Sani Abacha.

    Among those who commented on the Obasanjo remarks are: Former Alliance for Democracy (AD) National Chairman AbdulKarim Daiyabu; the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO); the Osun State chapter of the APC; Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum and the Katsina State Commissioner for Information, Culture & Home Affairs, Hamza Brodo.

    They said the former president is not being truthful.

    According to Tinubu, Obasanjo was not happy with the feat attained by the APC government in the clean-up of the 16-year mess created by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He said such criticisms from Obasanjo, who he described as an “expired politician”, will not stop the electorate from renewing President Buhari’s mandate for another four years.

    Tinubu said: “When we came on board in 2015, we promised Nigerians that we were going to turn the ship of this country to the right direction and we have done that.

    “We are sweeping webs of collateral corruption to give Nigerians a new life, new home and a solid foundation; that is what President Buhari is doing and we are 100 per cent behind him.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari has been upright, firm and has been steady, focused with great vision for the betterment and progress of this country.

    ”I can hear the other expired leaders like Obasanjo, ranting and lying; don’t believe him, don’t trust him; he is expired.

    ”We can recall the rigging in the 2003 general elections under Obasanjo. We also knew what happened in 2007 under President Obasanjo.

    “Ninety-five per cent of you must come out and vote en masse for Buhari because no other President has upheld democratic principles like President Buhari.

    “In 1999, we gave it to him but he could not one day recognise MKO’s mandate of June 12. Again, when he came back into power, we asked him for the recognition, he failed. Who did it? President Buhari declared June 12 as national Democracy Day to honour the late MKO Abiola.”

    Tinubu added that Buhari was committed to upholding the rule of law and entrenching democratic principles. He urged the electorate to give him their mandate for the second time.

    Oshiomhole scored Buhari’s administration very high in security, saying, “under the past administration, 24 local governments were under the control of Boko Haram”,  noting that  under Buhari, all the local governments had been liberated.

    “No local government area is under the control of the insurgents. You have gain control of the 774 councils. We still have security challenegs but the arrogance, impunity that Nigeria is wallowing in had become a thing of the past.

    “Everything that we are in today started in Obasanjo’s regime. Do-or-die politics was Obasanjo’s legacies. Today, the era of impeaching state governors is over. The era of quarrelling with vice president and fighting in the market place is gone.

    “The era of withholding funds meant for council areas as it was done to monthly allocations of Lagos State local government areas is over. These are the legacies of the Obasanjo-led administration,” Oshiomhole  said.

    The APC chair accused Obasanjo of introducing corruption into the polity.

    According to Oshomole, members of the National Assembly were bribed into supporting the botched third term agenda under Obasanjo.

    He urged President Buhari to probe what transpired in that era when re-elected.

    Residents brushed aside security challenges in Borno and Yobe states to turn out in their large numbers to join the APC presidential campaign train that stopped over in Maiduguri and Damaturu.

    Hordes of APC supporters in the two states converged on the Ramat Square in Maiduguri and the August 27 Stadium in Damaturu where President Muhammadu Buhari presented his scorecard and solicited support for re-election on February 16.

    President Buhari’s campaign train drove into Maiduguri some few minutes after 10am, greeted by a mammoth crowd on the major streets.

    In Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, the President’s convoy was impeded by an army of supporters who took over the roads.

    Supporters at the jammed August 27 stadium broke into cheers, singing as the President alighted from a black Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV).

    In Maiduguri, President Buhari was received by Governor  Kashim Shettima in the company of former governors and National Assembly members.

    Read also: What are Obasanjo’s legacies?

    The presidential train drove to Shehu of Borno’s palace for the traditional homage before proceeding to the Ramat Square, where party leaders addressed supporters.

    A welcome remark by the APC chairman in the state, Ali Bukar Dalori, opened the floodgate of goodwill messages.

    Shettima noted that Borno is the President’s natural habitat, stressing that he had always gathered more votes in the state than any other presidential candidate.

    He said stakeholders remained resolute to give the President the highest votes in the February 16 election.

    Tinubu, Oshiomhole and the Director of the Buhari Presidential Camapaign Council, Rotimi Amaechi, all took turns to address the supporters.

    They expressed confidence that the President will be returned on February 16.

    Buhari promised to sustain the fight against corruption and Boko Haram.

    Buhari, who spoke in Hausa, said: “In 2015, I promised you that I will fight graft, Boko Haram insurgency; and transform the economy for self-reliance, instead of massive importation of food.

    ”As your President, I want to assure you that our government will reciprocate all the support you have been rendering to this administration and APC.

    “On the security situation, it is glaring that the government has done well; we will not relent, but strive to ensure total restoration of peace in the country.

    “All of you have attested to it that this government is committed to ending Boko Haram and other criminal activities.”

    In Damaturu, the President met with traditional rulers privately at the Presidential Lodge. He was asked to consider their teeming farming population for assistance.

    Governor Ibrahim Gaidam promised that Yobe would give the President 100 per cent votes as it had always done.

    The governor said: “In 2011, Mr. President, Ibrahim Shekarau was our presidential candidate in ANPP, but you in the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) got the highest votes in Yobe State. In 2015, you had 96 per cent votes in Yobe; this time around, we are going to close that gap by giving you 100 per cent votes in Yobe State.”

    Gaidam said the PDP had no stake votes in Yobe, stressing: “The last soul of PDP in zone B, Ibrahim Talba, a retired Federal Permanent Secretary, has defected to the APC with Hajiya Mairo Amshi with their supporters.”

    One of the high points of the event was the symbolic presentation of APC flags to the party’s governorship candidates of Borno and Yobe, Prof Babagana Umara Zulum and Mai Mala Buni.

    Some PDP chieftains, led by former Borno State Governor Mohammed Goni, were received into the APC.

    A spokesman for the defectors said their exit marked the burial of PDP in Borno.

  • Vote against return of treasury looters, Osinbajo tells Ekiti electorate

    Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has advised Nigerians to resist the ploy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to return to power through the forthcoming general elections.

    He said their desperation was to empty the nation’s treasury.

    Osinbajo noted that Nigeria’s economy would have collapsed long ago but that President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic policy thrust saved it.

    Despite the barrage of attacks by eminent Nigerians and the opposition branding the TraderMoni policy as an effort in futility, Osinbajo described the scheme as “one of the major policies of President Buhari’s government, because it is focused to enlarge government’s financial inclusion down to the grassroots, the youth and poor Nigerians”.

    He added that the Federal Government’s scheme would alleviate poverty by empowering traders and artisans.

    The Vice President spoke yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, at a roundtable and mentorship programme on Micro, Small and Medium Scale enterprises (MSME).

    The TraderMoni programme was done in Ado-Ekiti, Ikere and Omuo Ekiti.

    Osinbajo also paid a condolence visit to Iworoko Ekiti, where a heavy duty truck rammed into the market and killed 15 persons about two weeks ago to commiserate with the residents.

    The vice-president said Nigerians would be subjected to another era of financial recklessness, if the PDP wrests power from the Buhari’s administration, which he described as prudent in financial management.

    He said the government would establish special micro-finance banks, namely: People’s Money  Bank and Entrepreneurial Bank, to facilitate the TraderMoni and Market Money policies, where beneficiaries will get between N100,000 and N500,000 to establish MSMEs to drive the economy.

    “Many of our leaders are not responsible. So, Nigeria needs an honest man to lead the people and President Buhari is doing just that. Don’t allow anybody to deceive you. President Buhari is an honest man. Our problem in this country is that many of our leaders are stealing our money. So, you must disallow them from coming to power again,” he said.

    He said Ekiti would benefit from the ongoing Lagos-Kano railway line, which is underway when completed, saying this project was targeted at strengthening the economy of each of the benefiting states.

    “Rather than stealing money, President Buhari is doing more in strengthening youths through N-Power, TraderMoni, School Feeding Programme, Lagos-Kano rail line, Calabar—Asaba-Abuja railway line, among others. All these are meant to benefit the Nigerian masses.

    “As we speak, 500,000 Nigerians are benefiting from N-Power. But we are not going to stop at that. Soon, the number will increase.

    “The Next Level of our government is to give loans to women, youths and other sectors through the special banks that are underway to make lives easy for the masses,” Osinbajo said.

    Governor Kayode Fayemi urged Nigerians to support President Buhari’s re-election bid, if they want good values for their lives through good governance and prudent management of the nation’s wealth.

  • Buhari fit for another term, says Osinbajo

    THOSE doubting the capacity of President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the country for another four years got a reply yesterday. The President is fit to steer the ship for another term, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said.

    Osinbajo, who had an interaction with some Christian youths in Lagos, debunked the insinuation over the President’s state of health and capacity to run for another term.

    He said: “Buhari is not an orator, but we need him for his integrity. I am an orator because I am a lawyer. Buhari will not allow anyone to steal public fund. He is a good keeper of public treasury.”

    Osinbajo told the audience that the Buhari administration had succeeded in eliminating grand corruption in the system. He said before now, a President can take money directly from the treasury and spent it the way he likes.

    He said few weeks into the 2015 elections, the leadership of the former regime withdrew $292 million (N36 billion) from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)  and two weeks later, the bank was left without cash.

    “A lot of money were frittered and stolen when the country was earning a lot from oil and gas. Civil servants were buying government’s properties. People living in Abuja that time believe the country was rich. There was no rail, no road, no power and people were saying there was prosperity in the land. We now have to cope with the profligacy of that era,” Osinbajo said.

    He said nobody can go to Buhari and tell him to dip his hands into public treasury. “Even the money appropriated for projects are thoroughly monitored to ensure they are judiciously spent,” the vice president said.

    He explained that the war against Boko Haram has persisted because of the quality of weapons at the disposal of the troops.

    Explaining that weapons cannot be easily procured in the market like any other commodity, he said: “You can’t go to market and buy fighter jets and helicopters. It takes time because of the process the request has to pass through.

    “For instance, if you place order for jets from Brazil and even in Italy, they must get approval from the United States (U.S.) before they can manufacture them. When President Buhari went on state visit to U.S., he secured approval of President Donald Trump for our requisition, but we are still waiting. There is a lot of international politics involved. We have a better force in Nigerian Army”.

    He said what is sustaining Boko Haram is the financial and material support they are getting from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). We are working with our neighbours to prevent incursion of the terrorist group into West Africa.

    He added that four modular refineries have started operation in Delta and Rivers. He said about 30 others are still in the offing.

    The Dangote refinery with  the capacity to process 650,000 barrel per day,  would be completed in 2020, Osinbajo said.

  • Obaseki assures of more FG programmes in Edo

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has urged Edo people to vote for President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 16 Presidential election, assuring that the state stands to benefit more programmes and projects from the APC-led Federal Government.

    President Buhari is seeking reelection for second term in the February 16, 2019 presidential election.

    Obaseki noted that while the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, was in the state to launch the TraderMoni loan, 52,000 traders across the various markets in the state have registered for the scheme, which will qualify them for a soft loan of N10,000 to boost their businesses.

    While addressing journalists at the Benin Airport, after the departure of the Vice President, the governor said the visit of Vice President Osinbajo to Edo State has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to the wellbeing of Edo people and residents.

    According to him, “The Vice President’s visit was to launch the TraderMoni scheme for traders in the state. As at today, we have 52,000 traders who have registered for TraderMoni across our markets.”

    He said Prof. Osinbajo used the opportunity of the visit to meet with Christian leaders in the state as well as attend the Edo Youths Leadership Summit 2019, where he encouraged youths to imbibe good character, integrity and hard work to get to the peak of their chosen careers.

  • APC women, youths mobilise for Buhari, Osinbajo in Southwest

    Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, was practically locked down yesterday as female and youth members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gathered to mobilise for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and his running mate, Prof. YemiOsinbajo.

    Women and youth groups from the six states of Oyo, Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Ekiti and Osun stormed the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium (formerly Liberty Stadium) in different customised APC uniforms to express their support and persuade others to join the second-term bid of the president and his deputy.

    To the women, Buhari’s support for the various market groups with financial aids and social investment facilities, including Tradermoni, Marketmoni and N-Power as well as the administration’s other achievements in infrastructure, security and anti-corruption make their re-election deserving.

    The delegates were led by the wives of the state governors, including EreluBisiFayemi (Ekiti), Mrs.BolanleAmbode (Lagos), Mrs.OlufunsoAmosun (Ogun), Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu (Ondo), Mrs.KafayatOyetola (Osun) and Mrs. Florence Ajimobi (Oyo), who doubles as the chief host and Southwest Zonal Coordinator of the group. Wives of the governors of Kebbi and Nassarawa were also in attendance alongside the national and zonal women leaders of the governing party.

    To support the women, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, represented by a former deputy governor of Lagos State, Mr. Femi Pedro, Governors KayodeFayemi (Ekiti), GboyegaOyetola (Osun), AbiolaAjimobi (Oyo), former and serving deputy governors, Ministers of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed and Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole, among other party stalwarts, were also in attendance.