President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met behind closed doors with service chiefs.
The meeting started at the President’s office in the State House around 11am.
Discussions at the meeting would likely dwell on the security situation in the country and how to ensure maximum security in states where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is conducting rerun election on Saturday March 23.
The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report.
The Federal Government is committed to ensuring a stable financial system in the country, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, (NDIC), Umaru Ibrahim, has said.
The NDIC boss stated this during a seminar organised by the corporation for management staff of the Federal Ministry of Finance, in Abuja on Monday.
Ibrahim stated that the NDIC would collaborate with the finance ministry in order to achieve optimal performance, and ensure the stability of Nigeria’s financial system.
The MD said that the seminar was apt considering the changes in the nation’s financial system, and the decisive policy actions and reforms often implemented to achieve the desired outcomes.
Ibrahim said: “The FMF is a core pillar of Nigeria’s Financial Safety-Net as the Guarantor of the Lender-of-Last-Resort. Hence, it is necessary for the FMF to constantly engage in capacity building drive in a bid to upscale and harness the human resource potentials within the Ministry to be able to play the role of formulating and implementing fiscal policy in the economy.
“This seminar helps in fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing between the staff of the Federal Ministry of Finance (FMF) and its agencies, in a bid to achieve optimal performance.
“The mandate of the NDIC is very unique to it. Hence, it is very important that the NDIC educates and enlightens all its stakeholders on its activities.
“It is therefore a step in the right direction to organize this seminar as an avenue to create proper understanding of its activities by the staff of the FMF that are saddled with the task of supervising it.”
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, who was represented by the Deputy Director of Home Finance of the Ministry of Finance, Mr. A.F. Ebeda, explained that aside the fact that the workshop is a really good opportunity for members of the FMF to update themselves on what is going on in the financial system, it is also a good platform to collaborate with NDIC to enhance capacity and share ideas.
He added that that Fintech has humongous potentials to move financial services forward, especially now that the world is galvanizing towards a digitized system of rendering financial services.
A group of elder statesmen in Adamawa State has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, as Chairman of the Presidential Inauguration Committee for the May 29, 2019 presidential inauguration.
The spokesman of the group and a former acting General Manager of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Mr Titus Kabu Lassa, who spoke to newsmen in Yola, said the gesture extended to Boss Mustapha by Mr President is a clear indication of his confidence in the capability of the SGF.
Kabu said, “For a man who was once called upon to round up the PTF project started by Buhari and given his political pedigree, it shows that he is up to the task.”
The group of Adamawa elders enjoined Buhari to sustain the culture of working with credible people in government, as it is the surest way of maintaining efficient policy implementation and good service delivery to the people.
The SGF, Boss Mustapha, was last Wednesday appointed to head the 2019 inauguration committee to plan the swearing-in of President Muhammadu Buhari for his second term.
Other members of the interministerial Presidential Inauguration Committee include the ministers of Information and Culture, Interior, Foreign Affairs, FCT, and the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, among others.
The Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, on Monday, briefed President Muhammadu Buhari over the inconclusive elections declared in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to him, the electoral umpire introduced procedure not known to the laws of the land during the March 9th elections in the state.
He spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said “I briefed him on the issues surrounding the inconclusive elections, the Returning Officer for Bauchi State at the end of collation, rejected the result of Tafawa Balewa local government and then 36 other units spread around 15 local governments of Bauchi state and ordered a rerun.
“Surprisingly, we woke up one morning and the independent electoral commission came up with a procedure that is not known to law.
“Because, where a Returning Officer has declared the result, only an election petition tribunal can reverse the result. But INEC is attempting to reverse itself in the case of Bauchi. And when one juxtapose that of Bauchi and other states with inconclusive elections, one wonders why that is happening only in Bauchi State.
“So, for that reason there is a need for me to come and brief Mr. President because that has the potential of touching on the security of the state and it is paramount we …”
He added “Of course it is definitely extra illegal. It is a straight forward matter. The returning officer is the final arbiter even with respect to scores and declaration of result.
“And once he makes a declaration, no power can reverse that declaration except duly constituted court of the land.
On what he expects the President to do over the matter knowing that INEC is independent, he said “No no no. I said I came to brief Mr. President, I am not seeking any action of Mr. President. We all know Mr. President, he is a stickler for procedure.
“What I pointedly told him was that I am not here to seek for you to interfere on our behalf sir but to brief you on what is happening and what actions I have taken.”
Asked what actions he has taken, he said “One of which is that I am a lawyer and I am pursuing the legal angle. I briefed him and he emphasized on that legal angle that it is the best way to go.
On the security of the state, the governor said “We are on top of the situation, thank God. We have since ordered the van on procession in the metropolis and things are very very calm.”
He however said that his visit to the President was not indication that his visit to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo over the issue last week was not fruitful.
According to him, he was only following laid down procedures.
He said “No no no. There are procedures in this matters and levels of authority. I am a stickler for procedure, I started at the right place and I have also ended up at the right place.”
On how prepared he was for the rerun elections, he said “If they are going to do it now, we are ready. I don’t know who is afraid of anyone in Tafawa Balewa.
Asked if he was confident to win the rerun election, he said “Insha Allah.”