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Tag: PRESIDENCY

  • Killer herdsmen: No protest will stop Osinbajo’s panel — Presidency

    Killer herdsmen: No protest will stop Osinbajo’s panel — Presidency

    The Presidency yesterday said that the reported protest against some members of the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s committee on herdsmen/farmers clashes will not stop the committee from performing its assignment.

    The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association was reported to have rejected the Osinbajo panel because of the inclusion of the Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom and Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku on the panel.

    The two state governors are strong supporters of the anti-grazing laws in their states.

    Their communities have been attacked by killer herdsmen, resulting in the death of some Nigerians with injuries to many, while others were displaced from their communities.

    The Osinbajo committee was set up by the last meeting of the National Economic Council towards finding a solution to the killings in the affected communities.

    Speaking with The Nation, the Vice President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Laolu Akande, said the committee was set up in the interest of all Nigerians, especially the affected communities and parties in the crises.

    Stressing that the interest of the administration is to ensure peace and security, he said the Osinbajo panel would leave no stone unturned to ensure peace and security of life and property in the affected communities.

    He said: “Our job is to all Nigerians, and in this case, all the affected parties and communities. The interest of the administration is peace and the first duty of government is to provide peace and security of life and property.

    “So we note the views of all and welcome their right to their own positions. Government will also do its job to secure the wellbeing of all Nigerians, including those who have expressed their opinions.

    “The Working Group has met once already and would continue to meet to ensure that all Nigerians live in peace and security.

    “The Group is made up of elected governors including those whose communities are affected.

    “And we should not forget that all those serving in states as governors and the Federal Government have sworn to protect the constitution.

    “That is the guarantee by law that their actions would be fair and without fear or favour.

    “This crisis and the misunderstanding that attends it would be over under the Buhari administration by the special Grace of God.” he stated.

  • 2019: Kaduna PDP endorses Makarfi for presidency

    2019: Kaduna PDP endorses Makarfi for presidency

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna has unofficially endorsed former Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, to contest the presidency come 2019.

    The party made the endorsement at its Executive Committee meeting on Friday. Party loyalists, who filled the conference hall at the state Secretariat in Kawo expressed optimism that Makarfi was the right man for the job

    The immediate past governor of the state, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, who was the first to address the conference asked them if they would support Makarfi’s presidential bid and a thunderous response of ‘Nigeria sai Makarfi’ rented the air in affirmative.

    But when the meeting was over, Makarfi himself declined to talk to the press as he walked down the hall in company of other party chieftains.

    Should he agree to join the presidential race, he would be facing other top contenders including former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who is at the moment, the party’s most popular candidate.

  • Buhari’ll ensure free, fair polls in 2019, says Presidency 

    Buhari’ll ensure free, fair polls in 2019, says Presidency 

    President Muhammadu Buhari is fit enough to contest in 2019 and winning a second term will enable him to consolidate on what he has done, The Presidency said yesterday.

    Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina, in an interview with State House reporters, said the President and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had provided a level-playing ground for all elections since 2015.

    The President, he added, will leave no stone unturned to ensure free and fair elections in 2019.

    He also maintained that the President’s health is far better than when he came in 2015.

    Said Adesina: “About election, the President  said it publicly before but those of us who are his aides when we talk we reiterate it that if it is the only thing he does, he wants to give free and fair elections to the country, elections that are acceptable.

    “And you would have noticed that since this government came, there have been elections APC didn’t have to win.

    “It was not like that in the past when a certain party was in power. They won all the elections that held in states.

    “But you saw Anambra. Just this weekend, you saw a senatorial election there. Some months ago, in November, you saw the governorship election. If APC had wanted to overrun Anambra, using federal might, it would do and it would win the election.

    “Election had held in Bayelsa under this administration, APC didn’t do it. Ondo, APC won fair and square. Kogi, it won fair and square. Where APC wins, it wins. Where it loses, it loses. That’s the attitude of the President. Your party doesn’t have to win by hook or crook.

    “So, he says if it is the last thing he does, he will leave free and fair elections for Nigeria. So, he will bequeath free and fair elections to Nigeria and that is happening.

    “Then, talking of his own personal ambition or lack of it, we have to wait until he blows the whistle. You can’t start a race until the whistle is blown. So, when he blows the whistle and say ‘yes, this is my ambition,’ then, the race start.

    “So, for now, we just say that we keep waiting on him to tell us what direction to go.” he said

    On the calls for the adoption of the Mandela option of four years only in Nigeria, Adesina said: “Of course, this is a democracy. People will always have a right to their opinion. You know one thing about democracy is that there is multiplicity of opinion.

    “So, those who believe in the Mandela option, it is their right. And it is also the right of the President to run or not to run. So, you don’t abridge the right of anybody under a democracy.”

    On the report that the President has appointed Rotimi Amaechi as DG of his campaign, Adesina said: “Well, me I believe that things like DG will come when you have become a candidate. If the President steps into the fray now, he’s an aspirant just like any other aspirant. Having a DG comes when you become a candidate of the party.”

    On whether the President has enough to give him a second term in office, he said: “I believe that if the President wants to run, he can run. I will support him. I will always support him any day.

    “Then, has he done enough? More than enough. In fact, a second term will give him chance to consolidate on what he has done.

    “The things he has done are apparent: security, despite the challenges of the moment, you can’t rule out what he has done in security. Economy: economy went into recession, stayed there just for one year; it has come out and the indices are are good. Even the World Bank has projected 2.5% growth for Nigeria this year. So, in the economy, the government is doing well. The economy is like a plane with its nose up. As long as you have a plane with its nose up when it’s taking off, it’s good news.

    “Anti-corruption, no friend, no foe. That goes on. So, those three things he appointed for himself, one, to secure the country, two, to fight corruption, three, to revive the economy; they are going well.”

    Speaking on the President’s health, Adesina said: “Yes. Health is wealth. Health is wealth. The President is not a frivolous person. If he thinks that his health cannot carry anything, he will not do it. So, of course, his health will matter a lot. It will be very important but we need to give the glory to God for the way he is now.

    “Every day you see the president, you see a glow about him, you see a freshness about him. I think he’s even in a better state than when he came in 2015. It’s all to the glory of God.

    “So, once he assesses that his health can carry it, there’s nothing wrong if he steps into the fray. But he has the final decision.”

  • Presidency defends new NIA DG over appointment

    Presidency defends new NIA DG over appointment

    The Presidency has frowned at media reports criticising the appointment of the new Director-General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr. Ahmed Rufa’i.

    A statement issued in Abuja yesterday by Mr. Abiodun Oladunjoye, Deputy Director (Information), Media Unit of the State House, quoted Malam Garba Shehu, a Presidential Spokesman, as flaying the negative reports.

    Shehu expressed concern during a send-forth for the newly-appointed Director-General of the NIA.

    The send-forth was organised by Presidential aides and staff of the State House, Abuja.

    Shehu, who is also the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, said it was regrettable that the appointee had been maligned by a section of the media following his appointment.

    He, however, described Rufai’s appointment as well deserved.

    “Ahmed Rufai Abubakar is a perfect fit who is most qualified for the job. He has occupied various top public offices in the agency in the course of which he received several awards. He left voluntarily to go to the United Nations as a Director.

    “When he retired, he was appointed as a Senior Adviser in the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) regional coalition of countries for the fight against Boko Haram and other trans-border security threats in the region.

    “There is no doubt at all as to Mr. Abubakar’s qualifications for the job and that is what is most important,” he said.

    The Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari, who also spoke at the event, described the erstwhile aide on international relations to the President as “a patriot, intelligent and consummate gentleman”.

    He said: “I met him for the first time in this office after my appointment as Chief of Staff.

    “I do not think his elevation will deny us the opportunity of still working together.

    “During his stay here, he distinguished himself as a patriot and he brought his wealth of experience in working with international organisations to bear on his work.

    “At any given time, even at late hours, Abubakar was always ready to give his best. He was committed.”

    The State Chief of Protocol, Amb. Lawal Kazaure, in his speech advised the former presidential aide to surround himself with the “right advisers”.

    “Do not have people who tell you what you want to hear around you but those who will tell you the truth dispassionately,” Kazaure said.

    He urged other staff members to continually pray for the new Director-General.

    The Permanent Secretary, State House, Alhaji Jalal Arabi, on his part said the civil service has gained richly from Abubakar’s wealth of experience.

    “Hard work was Ahmed Rufai Abubakar’s middle name during his period at the State House. Please, I want you to be guided by your conscience and philosophy in your new assignment,” he said.

    On her part, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora, said she had looked forward to consummating their work plans for 2018 before the new appointment.

    She said: “When he was appointed, I got a text message from someone who said: a Yoruba man was removed from office and now a northerner has been appointed in his place, what kind of thing is this?

    “I replied: If it is this Rufai that I know and have worked with, honestly he is the best person for the job and I really don’t care where he comes from, and that ended the conversation,” she said.

    NAN reports that Ahmed Rufai, who until his appointment, was a Senior Special Assistant to the President (SSAP) on Foreign Affairs/International Relations, in the office of the Chief of Staff.

     

  • Presidency replies CAN, says Buhari poses no threat to democracy

    Presidency replies CAN, says Buhari poses no threat to democracy

    The Presidency has condemned a statement credited to General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Dr Musa Asake, where he described President Muhammadu Buhari as a threat to the nation’s democracy and constitution.

    A statement issued by Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Tuesday night said it was totally wrong for Asake to pass judgment on decision or actions of the Buhari led administration.

    According to Shehu, the CAN Scribe who made his allegations during a news conference he addressed failed to provide valid evidence to justify his claims of constitutional violations

    The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to reports of a news conference by General Secretary of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Dr Musa Asake in which he passed a judgment on the constitutionality of certain actions of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    “Unfortunately, he could not cite any valid cases of constitutional violations. President Muhammadu’s government poses no threat to the country’s democracy and Constitution.

    “There are no cases of any violation of our sacred constitution and there will be none under this President.’’

    The presidential aide advised Asake to always shun acts capable of creating socio-political unrest, and stick to his religious duties.

    “The respected religious leader should stick to his religious duties and leave politics for politicians.’’(NAN)

  • Osinbajo: Presidency didn’t ignore governor’s letters

    Osinbajo: Presidency didn’t ignore governor’s letters

    The Presidency said yesterday that it did not ignore  Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom’s distress letters.

    The governor had alleged that he wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and security chiefs on the situation in his state. But he claimed he was ignored until people were killed.

    But yesterday, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said he was shocked by the accusation.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Laolu Akande, said: “Governor Ortom wrote to the Vice President, then Acting President, on 7th June 2017 protesting a newspaper publication where the leadership of Miyetti Allah was reported to have stated that it was opposed to the Open Grazing Prohibition law of  the state and that they would  mobilise to resist  the law.

    “The Miyetti Allah had written to the Vice President on the 5th of June 2017 on the same law protesting several sections of the law. The governor went on to say that the leadership of Miyetti Allah should be arrested because they used words such as “wicked, obnoxious and repressive,” to describe the law, and because these were “utterances that are capable of undermining the peace…”

    “The Vice President subsequently met with the Governor, discussed the matter and the security situation in the State and then ordered law enforcement agencies to be on the alert to prevent any attacks or violence. This was in June 2017!  “In the said letter written by the Governor, there was no mention of any threat to any specific one of the 23 local governments of Benue State, so the best the law enforcement agencies could do even then was to await information or intelligence of an imminent attack. None came.  Since then the VP has held several meetings with the Benue State Governor, including a visit to the State on the 6th of September, last year at the behest of Mr. President during the tragic floods in the state last year. At all such meetings, the Vice President discussed the security situation of the State with the Governor.

    “Following that, the then Acting President convened a major national security retreat which was attended by all State Governors, service chiefs and heads of security agencies. The Retreat featured very detailed discussions on the herdsmen/ farmers’ clashes.

    “To the best of our knowledge, neither Governor Ortom nor the Federal Government was aware of the imminence of the cowardly attack on Logo and Guma on the 1st of January, and therefore any suggestion that the President or the Vice President ignored the State Governor’s warning is both absolutely false and certainly misleading.”

  • Presidency raises the alarm over fake tweet

    Presidency raises the alarm over fake tweet

    The Presidency yesterday branded as fake a Twitter message   purportedly written by  President Muhammadu Buhari,justifying the recent attacks by herders.

    “Evil doers and enemies of our country are obviously at work, seeking ways to further advance their pernicious acts,” the President’s  Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said in a statement.

    He said: “The message is denounced in its entirety, and President Buhari stands by his earlier condemnation of the killings in Benue and other parts of the country as dastardly and unacceptable before God and man.

    “Those behind the concocted message are also enemies of God and man, who have no place in a decent society.

    “The President stands by his earlier directives that all those behind wanton killings in any part of the country must be brought to book.”

     

     

  • Herdsmen: Fake Buhari’s tweet in circulation – Presidency

    Herdsmen: Fake Buhari’s tweet in circulation – Presidency

    The Presidency on Saturday alerted Nigerians about a fake Twitter handle purportedly belonging to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the parody account has been posting spurious messages justifying the attacks by herdsmen, saying they were only defending themselves.

    He said: “Evil doers and enemies of our country are obviously at work, seeking ways to further advance their pernicious acts. The message is denounced in its entirety, and President Buhari stands by his earlier condemnation of the killings in Benue and other parts of the country as dastardly and unacceptable before God and man.

    “Those behind the concocted message are also enemies of God and man, who have no place in a decent society.

    “The President stands by his earlier directives that all those behind wanton killings in any part of the country must be brought to book.”

    NAN

  • Buhari not supporting killer-herdsmen, says Presidency

    Buhari not supporting killer-herdsmen, says Presidency

    The Presidency last night dismissed insinuations that because President Muhammadu Buhari is Fulani, he is condoning Fulani herdsmen’s killings.

    Special Adviser on Media and publicity Femi Adesina, in a video message posted on his Facebook account argued that such killings by herdsmen started before the Buhari administration.

    He affirmed that ensuring the security of lives and property of the citizens was the responsibility of government.

    He said: “Something that is disturbing that I have heard about it is linking those developments to the fact that a Fulani man is president and so, he is brooking such kind of evil acts.

    “I think that is very unkind. And I will try to back my position with statistics.

    “In 2013, particularly, there were nine cases of herdsmen invading communities in Benue state alone and more than 190 people were killed.

    “In 2014, there were about 16 of such tragic developments with more that 231 people killed. And then there was a change of government in May 2015. But between January and May 2015, there were six attacks which left about 335 people dead.

    “Now,, the question is, during that period, did we have a Fulani president?

    “This is showing us that the issue of herdsmen attacking settlements, attacking farmers, attacking communities is pure criminality and it is something that government must deal with.

    “It is the duty of government to preserve the lives of the citizenry. It is the responsibility of the government to maintain law and order and that this government is determined to do.

    “Therefore, let nobody say that all this is happening because we have a Fulani president.

    “We have had many Fulani presidents in the past and this issue of herders and local communities at loggerheads, has predated this government.

    “But I will just like to appeal to Nigerians that the Muhammadu Buhari government is determined to crack this issue, is determined to get to the bottom of it and it will get done.” he stated.

  • How Buhari‘ll end violent conflicts, by Presidency

    How Buhari‘ll end violent conflicts, by Presidency

    The Presidency yesterday gave the road map of how President Muhammadu Buhari will end violent conflicts across the country.

    A conference of stakeholders on infrastructural and agricultural development to put in place a plan for immediate relief and long-term plan for the expansion of agriculture is in the offing.

    The conference, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant  on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, will tap into experiences and best practices to draw up a planned development 20-30 years ahead based on population and development projections and will take into consideration environmental impacts.

    The statement said: “President Muhammadu Buhari has been concerned about these conflicts each time he received those very gruesome pictures of mayhem from several parts of the country, especially as it affected Benue and neighbouring states. He is equally worried about some public pronouncements and finger-pointing that are, in most cases very unhelpful to peaceful coexistence of our diverse peoples.

    “The President is conscious of his duty to Nigerians, not least because he is held accountable for everything that goes wrong. He deeply sympathizes with the families and all the other direct and indirect victims of this violence. He is determined to bring it to a permanent end.

    “While there are many Nigerians who see the conflict between the nomadic herdsmen and peasant farmers as an ethnic problem, others point to religious differences and agenda.  The President does not subscribe to such simplistic reductionism.

    “President Buhari holds the view, as do many experts, that these conflicts are more often than not, as a result of major demographic changes in Nigeria.  When Nigeria attained independence, the population of the country was estimated at about 63,000,000.  Today the population is estimated at close to 200,000,000; while the land size has not changed and will not change.  Urban sprawl and development have simply reduced land area both for peasant farming and cattle grazing.

    “It is therefore both unfair and unkind, for anyone to keep insinuating that the President is condoning the spate of killings in Benue and other neighboring States.

    “President Buhari has publicly condemned the violence at every turn. He is prepared to permit every possible step that can lead to the stoppage of the killings. It is on account of this he brushed aside an opinion that the federal government should challenge the constitutionality of the anti-open grazing bill. He wanted to give a chance to the State government to succeed in stopping the senseless killings.

    “It will be recalled that as he did in dealing with the Boko Haram insurgency in northeast Nigeria, which required sustained action from the governstead sit down with the government and security forces and carry everyone along in finding an all-embracing solution.”