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Tag: PRESIDENCY

  • Buhari won’t rest until Leah Sharibu, others are released, says Presidency 

    The Presidency yesterday said that President Muhammadu Buhari would not rest until the release of the only Christian among the 111 school girls abducted from Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe State.

    Of the schoolgirls abducted on the February 19, 105 were released barely a month after the abduction.

    Leah Sharibu was held back by the terrorists for refusing to renounce her faith.

    In a audio, Sharibu is heard pleading with President Buhari to have pity on her and save her from the captivity.

    She also urged the President to assist her family.

    But, in a tweet on Monday, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said the Secret Service was analysing the audio.

    He said: “We are aware of the audio in circulation concerning the unfortunate situation of our daughter, Leah Sharibu. In dealing with terrorists, nothing is too trivial.

    “The secret service is analysing the voice. Our reaction will follow the outcome of the investigation.

    “For President Buhari, nothing will be spared in bringing all our girls home. He will not rest until all of them are freed,” he said.

  • Presidency faults bomb blast claim in Borno

    The presidency yesterday faulted the claim of bomb blast in Borno State by a chieftain of the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM).

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the lie was a futile effort to undermine the successes recorded by the President Muhammadu Buhari government in the area of security.

    He said: “On August 21, Akin Osuntokun, a chieftain of the stillborn Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM), appeared on Politics Today programme of Channels Television and made a false claim that a bomb blast occurred earlier in the day, killing about 88 people in Maiduguri, Borno State.

    “Osuntokun, a newspaper columnist and public affairs commentator, has never hidden his antipathy towards the Buhari administration, but to go on national television and tell lies of the most heinous kind betrays a mind taken completely over by ill wishes against his country.

    “Sallah Day had passed quietly and peacefully, without even a firecracker going off, let alone bomb blast.

    “That was contrary to what used to happen before the advent of the Buhari administration, when such festivals were turned to orgy of killings in parts of the country by insurgents.

    “Apparently, enemies of peace and progress had expected a return to the infamous past, thus Osuntokun appeared on television with his bag of lies.

    “When those on the programme remonstrated with him that they were not aware of any bomb blast on that day, he stood his ground, all in a futile bid to puncture the successes recorded by the government in the area of security.”

    Adesina said till the Eid-el-Kabir holidays ended, no bomb blast was recorded in any part of the country, “to the shame and discomfiture of the naysayers.”

    He went on: “One wonders, if there were bomb blasts and more than 80 people truly died, what would be the gain of anybody, except those who have become blinded by malediction and morbid wishes? Is carnage something now to glory about? Is the struggle for power now so ghoulish that some people have lost their humanity over it?

    “Osuntokun and his ilk should realise that this is the only country we have, and we can’t swallow poison and expect it to kill the next person. What we sow is what we reap.”

    Adesina noted that the tripod goals of securing the country, fighting corruption and reviving the economy were central to the Buhari administration.

     

  • Presidency attacks Oshuntokun over claim of Maiduguri bomb blast

    The Presidency on Thursday, deplore at a newspaper columnist, Mr Akin Oshuntokun, over claim that a bomb blast had gone off in Maiduguri, Borno, on Aug. 21, killing about 88 people.

    Oshuntokun, a public affairs commentator, made the claim when he appeared on Politics Today programme of Channels Television, on Aug. 21.

    Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja, condemned the claim, saying no such incident was recorded.

    He noted that Oshuntokun had never hidden his antipathy toward the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

    The presidential aide said“but to go on national television and tell lies of the most heinous kind betrays a mind taken completely over by ill wishes against his own country.’’

    Adesina, however, observed with delight that this year Sallah celebration passed without any reported incident of bomb blast, contrary to what happened during previous administration in the country.

    “Sallah Day had passed quietly and peacefully, without even a firecracker going off, let alone bomb blast.

    “That was contrary to what used to happen before the advent of the Buhari administration, when such festivals were turned to orgy of killings in many parts of the country by insurgents.

    “Apparently, enemies of peace and progress had expected a return to the infamous past, thus, Oshuntokun appeared on television with his bag of lies.

    “When those on the programme remonstrated with him that they were not aware of any bomb blast on that day, he stood his ground all in a futile bid to puncture the successes recorded by government in the area of security.’’

    He said till the Sallah holidays ended, no bomb blast was recorded in any part of the country, “to the shame and discomfiture of the naysayers.

    “One wonders: if there were bomb blasts and more than 80 people truly died, what would be the gain of anybody, except those who have become blinded by malediction and morbid wishes?

    “Is carnage something now to glory about? Is the struggle for power now so ghoulish that some people have lost their humanity over it?

    “Oshuntokun and his ilk should realise that this is the only country we have and we can’t swallow poison and expect it to kill the next person. What we sow is what we reap.

    “Happily, however, those for a peaceful, united and cohesive Nigeria are more than those against it. That is why those with baleful, hateful thoughts would never win.’’

    The presidential aide maintained that tripod goals of securing the country, fighting corruption, and reviving the economy would continue to remain central to the Buhari administration.

    He said the Buhari administration was making strides in the three areas, adding that the conquests continued.

  • Buhari fit to contest in 2019, says Presidency

    President Muhammadu Buhari has shown his fitness to seek reelection in 2019 by walking 800 metres back home from the Eid ground, the Presidency said yesterday.

    After the two-rakat Eid–el-Kabir prayer, President Buhari shunned protocol and walked the 800-metre distance back to his Daura country home in Katsina State, amidst chants of ‘Sai Baba’ by well- wishers. He acknowledged cheers from people who line the road to catch a glimpse of him.

    The President joined thousands of Muslim faithful to observe the prayer.  The President arrived at the at Kofar Arewa Eid Ground in Daura with some of his relatives and aides at about 9.48 a.m.

    He performed the annual sacrifice of slaughtering of the ram immediately after the prayer.

    Chief Imam of Daura Safiyanu Dansanwai, who led the prayer, stressed the need for peace.

    Read also: Buhari to inaugurate $250m brewery in Ogun

    He called on Muslims to pray for the country’s peace, harmony and development.

    Emir of Daura Alhaji Farouk Umar was among those at the praying ground.

    Presidential aspirant and Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, said last week that the President is “too old’’ to continue to rule the country beyond 2019 despite his integrity and impeccable character.

    While hosting some youth groups and student, Tambuwal said: “We love President Buhari and that was why we supported him in 2015 unconditionally, and while doing that, we are too sure that he will seek re-election after his first term, but when things are wrong we have to tell him.

    “We still believe in his integrity, patriotism and courage but these are not enough for a leader.

    “We all know that there is a vacuum in the government occasioned by his disposition probably because of his old age or health condition.

    “That is why Nigerians are yearning for younger ones to lead this country.’’

    But President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Malam Garba Shehu said the trekking by the president was a positive response to Tambuwal’s diatribe.

    The spokesman said:  “I think there are two things here; one is to say that the President is responsive to the enormous support and commitment of his own people that had come out in their numbers to see him and he just decided that he couldn’t go on  riding in a black vehicle and he came out and walked to the  distance.

    “The second thing, he is curious that these days, one or two people who are aspiring to be president are campaigning on their youthfulness and good health.

    “I think the president has done one thing today – that the issue is not how old one is but how fit he is ; how healthy he is. Now that the president has proven his fitness and well-being to continue in office is a settled matter

    “I think that if people want to campaign against him they should do so on issues that are of significance to Nigerians. The President is fit, he is healthy; he is good to go for second term.’’

    Speaking to reporters on the receprion he got, the President said:

    ‘‘I am very happy about it (the warm reception) and I do not expect anything less from my immediate base.’’

    Wishing Nigerians a happy and successful Sallah celebration, the President expressed delight that the country was spending less on food imports, noting that it was a major boost to the agricultural policies of his administration.

    At another event, the President received members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in Daura community- an audience that has become part of his schedules during the Sallah celebrations

    Reaffirming his support for the scheme established in 1973, the President told the corps members that‘‘It is better to know all parts of the country than for people to be state-inclined.

    ‘‘I always look forward to meeting the NYSC team because since I served mostly in the South when I was in the military, some people in Lagos the only thing they know is the sea.

    ‘‘For them (NYSC members) to be brought to the desert or near the Sahel region is a very difficult thing but it will make an impact on Nigeria.

    ‘‘I have personally spoken to Gen. Gowon to thank him for having the initiative to start the NYSC programme. It is very good for Nigeria,’’ he said.

    The Corps Liaison Officer Jibrin Ishak thanked the President for prioritizing the welfare and a secured future of the Nigerian Youths through his style of leadership and developmental initiatives.

    ‘‘The voice of the people is the voice of God and by the grace of God, we pray that in 2019 you will continue to be President of Nigeria to do more for us,’’ Ishak said.

    The representative of the Corps members prayed God to sustain the President with good health, long life and prosperity.

    In his usual tradition, the President donated a bull, 10 bags of rice and half-a-million naira to the corps members.

  • Presidency: National Assembly to blame for late submission of INEC’s budget’

    The blame for the late submission of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) budget should go to the National Assembly, the presidency said yesterday.

    It exonerated President Muhammadu Buhari, who could not send a supplementary budget until after the passage of the 2018 budget, which took the “Saraki-led National Assmbly seven months to release.”

    In a reaction to Senate President Bukola Saraki’s accusation of late submission of the INEC budget to the lawmakers by the presidency, presidential spokesman Garba Shehu, said in a statement yesterday: “The Senate president should look into the mirror and what he will see is his own face. He is solely to be held responsible for deliberately driving the nation to this cliff edge as far as the preparations for next elections are concerned.

    “It is not true that INEC submitted their draft budget to the presidency in February. No, it came much later but even then, this is not the real issue.

    “A supplementary budget cannot be submitted until the main budget is passed, and so the delay in passing the main budget was the reason for the delay. The National Assembly passed the 2018 budget seven months after the document was submitted to the National Assembly by President Buhari.

    “Unless someone has forgotten, the budget was submitted to the National Assembly and it took the Saraki-led National Assembly seven months to release it.

    “There is no way President Buhari could have submitted a supplementary budget, while the main one was still pending. It is never done. Because Saraki did not return the main budget, we could not have submitted the supplementary one.

    “After the long delays, the President was pained to sign the much distorted, butchered and debauched document. In giving his assent, President Buhari said he was compelled to sign the budget so as not to keep the economy continuously on a standstill.”

    The statement added that this is the first time in Nigeria’s history that a government would bring together the cost of an election in one budget, with each agency involved invited to defend its portion of the budget before the National Assembly.

    “It is all part of the transparency that this government is known for. In the past, governments would approve INEC budgets and funding without a breakdown, often using ways and means to fund it.”

  • Presidency, NASS should concentrate on governance – ACF

    The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on Thursday told the executive and legislative arms government to end their crisis and concentrate on delivery of good governance to Nigerians.

    ACF said the lingering crisis between the Executive and the National Assembly is not only avoidable but also very embarrassing.

    The body added that the feud has nothing to do with issues of real concern to ordinary Nigerians.

    Rising from its quarterly National Executive Council (NEC) meeting presided over by the Acting Chairman of the Forum, Alhaji Musa Liman Kwande, ACF said the crisis has affected governance, the polity and growth of Nigeria’s nascent democracy.

    A communique issued at the end of the meeting and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad Ibrahim Biu, said “both the Executive and the NASS members are in place in order to deliver on the promise of democracy and not to engage in unnecessary flexing of muscles that have nothing to do with real issues of real concern to real ordinary Nigerians.”

    “ACF therefore appeals to both the Presidency and the NASS leadership to sheath their swords and put the interests of Nigeria above all other pecuniary considerations.”

    On the recent blockade of the NASS by men of the Department of State Security (DSS), the communique said ACF condemned in strong terms the siege on the citadel of democracy by the agency.

    The Forum said the actions of the DSS run contrary to democratic tenets and reeks of intolerance.

    It applauded the actions taken by the Federal Government and urged it to thoroughly investigate the immediate and remote causes of the NASS blockade in order to unveil the truth and sanction all those found culpable no matter their status both within and without the service.

     

     

  • Buhari fully committed to use of PVCs, card readers, says Presidency

    The Presidency yesterday said President Muhammadu Buhari is fully committed to the use of Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) and card readers for the 2019 general elections.

    A statement by Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu reads: “Our attention has been drawn to incorrect and misleading reporting in newspapers regarding the status of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

    “The Presidency would like to set out the true status of the Bill. The Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was sent by the National Assembly to the Presidency at the end of June 2018, for assent.

    “Following extensive consideration, the Presidency engaged with the National Assembly to raise concerns regarding errors and inconsistencies found in the submitted version. Following this, the National Assembly, on July 24, 2018, met to review and correct the Bill.

    “The Bill was given, on July 24, 2018, a “clause by clause consideration” by the Senate. The Votes and Proceedings from the Senate on July 24, 2018, attest to this.

    “The Senate resolved to rescind its decision on a number of clauses included in the version they had earlier sent for consideration by the President, and to reconsider these clauses.

    “According to the Senate Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday July 24, 2018: “The Senate: … notes that in the course of final cleaning of the Bill as passed, some provisions were found to negate the essence of the amendment; [and] Resolves to: Rescind its decision on Clauses 3,5,8,11(2), 13(b), 14 (4), 15(3), 18,21,23,24,28,32 and 38 of the Bill as passed, and recommit same to Committee of the whole for reconsideration and passage.”

    According to him, the re-considered Bill was passed by the Senate on July 24, 2018 the same day that plenary was adjourned to September 25, 2018.

    He said that the revised Version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018, with corrections by the National Assembly, and dated the 2nd of August, 2018, was received by the Presidency on the 3rd of August, 2018.

    The President, he said, has 30 days from the date of receipt, to assent to or decline the Bill.

    The Bill, according to him, is therefore still under consideration by the Presidency.

    He added “The allegations that the President declined assent to the Bill because of objections to the use of card readers are wild and baseless.  President Buhari did not and has never raised any objections to the use of Card Readers for elections in Nigeria. On the contrary he has always been a passionate advocate for the use of PVCs and Card Readers in elections in Nigeria, mindful of the role that Card Readers and PVCs played in the election that brought him into office. And he has repeatedly made this clear, and praised these technologies.

    Quoting the President while speaking at the State House on May 28, 2018, while hosting the Judiciary to the customary breaking of the Ramadan Fast, he said: “I tried running for President] three times, and ended up in court three times. The fourth time, I eventually made it, thanks to God and thanks to technology. These Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and Card Readers, they’re fantastic.

    “Those who went to their polling booths in their constituencies, and put in their votes, their votes counted. Before, votes were disregarded, [results] were just written, and there was nothing you could do before the [Judiciary] to prove your case. But now with technology, it has been made easy.

    “That is why I keep on appealing to the Governors, to please do voter education. Tell the people that their Voters Card is their national card, so to speak. Let them vote anybody they want across ethnicity and religion. I’m begging the Governors to please continue to do voter education, so that people will take their Permanent Voters Cards seriously, and make sure they don’t lose them.”

    None of these clauses reviewed and revised by the National Assembly in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018, he said, related to the issue of electronic voting or to the use of Card Readers.

    “The President also did not raise any objections whatsoever to the use of Card Readers, contrary to the stories being maliciously peddled by sections of the media and on the Internet.” he stated

  • No foreign pressure on Buhari not to run, says Presidency

    The Presidency has described as fiction parading as news a newspaper report with the headline; ‘Pressure mounts on Buhari not to seek re-election.’

    Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a statement, condemned the publication, describing it as ‘fake news’.

    He maintained that the author of the ‘tendentious story’ was being mischievous or got procured by anti-democratic elements, and then penned the mischief.

    The statement read: “It is necessary to respond to a tendentious story published today as cover choice by Daily Independent Newspaper.

    “Under the headline, ‘Pressure mounts on Buhari not to seek re-election,’ the fiction parading as news claims that foreign powers, including the European Union, United States of America, United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia, are putting pressure on President Buhari not to seek re-election, due to some concocted reasons.

    “We thought fake news was the sole preserve of the social media in this season.

    “Alas, a traditional medium has caught the bug. Obviously, the author of the story just got a brain wave, or got procured by anti-democratic elements, and then penned the mischief.

    “If there are quarters in which President Buhari is held in very high esteem, and the work he is doing for Nigeria highly lauded, it is in the countries mentioned. Some of them are equally bastions of democracy, and will not interfere in the democratic affairs of a sovereign country. The newspaper should simply tell its story to the marines.’’

    According to him, President Buhari is not a flippant or frivolous individual, as he gave deep thought to the prospect, before announcing his bid for a second term in office.

    “It is only those who fear that their goose would be cooked, if they meet with him at the polls that are trying to dissuade him from running by all means, including sponsored newspaper stories.

    “By saying it got feelers that President Buhari may opt out of the 2019 presidential election, Daily Independent embarrassed itself, and all those who love good journalism.

    “The newspaper can surely do better,’’ he added

  • Electoral Bill still alive, says presidency

    The presidency said yesterday that the 2018 Electoral Bill amendment passed by the National Assembly on July 24 and transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent on August 3 had not been killed.

    This is contrary to the impression created in a report that President Buhari has vetoed the Electoral Act amendment Bill 2018.

    After expunging some controversial provisions of the amendment Bill, including a new sequence of elections, the National Assembly forwarded the Bill to President Buhari for assent on August 3.

    Speaking on the status of the Bill, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, noted that the vetoed Bill was the one sent to the President on June 27.

    He said the Electoral amendment Bill passed on July 24, the day the two chambers embarked on recess, was still very much alive.

    Enang said the vetoed Bill was the one with contentious “provisions and infractions” on provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

    He said: “The reported vetoed Bill was the one passed by the National Assembly and transmitted to the President for assent on June 27, duration of which in line with constitutional provisions expired on July 26, warranting the said veto.

    “Yes, an electoral Bill was vetoed or refused assent by the President, but not the last version of the 2018 Electoral Bill transmitted to the President for assent on the 3rd of this month that has just spent 11 days on his table and still having 19 days more for possible consideration and assent.”

    Besides the vetoed version of the 2018 Electoral Bill forwarded to the President on June 27 and vetoed on July 26 by President Buhari, the President has rejected the 2010 Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018 forwarded to him in February.

    The President cited three reasons for vetoing the Bill, including the insertion of a new sequence of elections as Section 25(1) of the Bill.

    President Buhari noted that the inserted section violates Section 72 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers INEC to fix dates of elections and see to its conduct in all ramifications.

    The National Assembly in the new Bill forwarded for president’s assent on August 3, deleted the controversial provisions kicked against by President Buhari.

    It is not clear why the National Assembly will transmit two bills on the same subjects for the President’s assent.

     

     

     

  • Bauchi, Katsina, Kogi: APC waxing stronger, says Presidency

    The Presidency is celebrating the victories of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in last weekend’s election.

    The APC won senatorial bye-elections in Katsina and Bauchi states and a House of Representatives seat in Kogi State.

    Briefing State House correspondents, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, described the victories as an indication that President Muhammadu Buhari and Acting President Yemi Osinbajo have a better chance in next year’s election.

    He also faulted the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for carrying out its actions in a militant manner rather than following laid down procedures.

    Shehu said: “I like to speak to you about the fabulous shows of the APC in Katsina, Bauchi and Kogi, and even to some extent in Cross River states. All of these coming against the background of Ekiti State.

    “It is clear that from election after election, Nigerians are reposing confidence in the Buhari/Osinbajo presidency. Each of these election victories is considered to be epic in nature because none of these elections was an ordinary election.

    “We are happy that we have won and on behalf of the President and the Acting President, we’ll like to say thank you to Nigerians who continue to repose their confidence in the leadership of the APC administration.

    “We also want to thank the leadership of the party at the national level, but equally important, to thank all the party’s apparatchiks deployed to all the campaigns who ensured that all the elections were won handsomely by APC.

    “So, we are expressing our gratitude to everyone for these that had happened and to say that with this increasing confidence reposed in the President and the Acting President, who are determined more than ever before to leave no stone unturned in order to bring the promised change to Nigerians.”

    “For a quick review, maybe one, two, three or four lessons can be taken from the victories that the party has been recording.

    “First of all is to say that these decisive victories are indications that clearly, Nigerians have spoken that President Buhari maintains his momentum. That these victories place Buhari/Osinbajo presidency in very good stead for next year’s election.” he added

    Advising the National Assembly, Shehu said: “It is a statement of the fact that the APC will go into election next year with every confidence that the elections will be won and that Nigerians, by this statement, will also  say that they no longer have time for politics of insult and diversion, mudslinging and ‘monkey dey work, baboon dey chop’ politics of the PDP, and equally important is that these election victories are a clear message to the National Assembly that all that Nigerians are interested in is that the business of government should go on.

    “That Nigerians are saying that they are not interested in the drama; they are not interested in the grammar, the subterfuge and all of the games that are being played in the National Assembly.

    “I think it is appropriate this time to appeal to the National Assembly to be on the same page with the President Muhammadu Buhari administration so that we can deliver on all of these things. There are urgent matters that need to be attended to, including matters of shortfall in money supply for the execution of the budget.”

    Urging the opposition party to desist from operating like a militant organisation, Shehu said: “Secondly, I think that it is not the right attitude for a political party, a so-called opposition leader to conduct their affairs like a militant organisation , a political party cannot be run like a militant organization. If you have disagreement on the outcome of an election, they know the process and they know it because they abused it before. You can see this is the clear difference of the kind of democracy the APC administration is trying to put in place from what they are used to.

    “Willie Obiano of Anambra, same afternoon President Buhari said congratulations and welldone, we were happy we came second in the elections, that is the way it is. We lost a Senate seat in Osun, we didn’t try to bring down the roof, and this that has happened in Cross River, did you hear Adams Oshiomhole say he wanted to shoot people? I think this is the difference we need.”

    Shehu also charged Nigerians who are raising allegations of votes buying during the bye-elections to help the law enforcement agencies with the information.

    “One is to say that bribery of voters or vote buying is an offence in this country, I think that citizens who have evidence regarding this have a duty to report to the law enforcement agencies. This is the way to help the country,” Shehu said.

    The APC also in a statement by its acting publicity secretary Yekini Nabena, said: “The hat-trick victories following weekend’s by-elections for Katsina North; Bauchi South Senatorial seats and the Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency House of Representatives seat have again powerfully demonstrated the confidence and trust by our people in the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    “While we thank the electorate for coming out enmasse to vote for our candidates in the weekend by-elections, we also congratulate Hon. Ahmed Babba-Kaita (Katsina); Hon. Lawal Yahaya Gumau (Bauchi) and Haruna Isa (Kogi) on their victories.

    “Since assuming office, President Buhari has demonstrated the political will and remains solidly committed to the task of building a new Nigeria in line with the Change Agenda we promised to the electorate and the progressive ideals we stand for.

    “As a political party, we remain genuinely committed to address our challenges, reconcile legitimately aggrieved interests and emerge as a more united and stronger political fighting force as we face General Elections in 2019.

    “Like every other country, we have our challenges, but they are surmountable. We have an administration working day and night to surmount them and put the country on the right pedestal. With the continued cooperation and support of Nigerians, we have good reason to look forward to the future with great hope.”