The Nation Newspaper

Tag: President Muhammadu Buhari

  • Bage, Galinje appointed as Justices of S/Court

    Bage, Galinje appointed as Justices of S/Court

    President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday approved the appointment of Justices Sidi Bage and Paul Galinje, as Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

    Mr Soji Oye, the council’s Acting Director of Information, made the disclosure in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday in Abuja.

    Oye said the two Justices would be sworn-in by Justice Walter Onnoghen, the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) on Dec. 5.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bage and Galinje are from Nasarawa and Taraba state respectively.

  • Nigeria, Morocco to sign 15 bilateral agreements

    Nigeria, Morocco to sign 15 bilateral agreements

    Nigeria and Morocco are set to sign fifteen bilateral agreements.

    The King of Morocco, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, who is on three-day visit to Nigeria, was received by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The two leaders are to witness the signing of the agreements.

    Speaking with State House correspondents, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema said that the agreements would touch on Trades, oil and other sectors.

    On what Nigeria stands to gain from the Morocco King’s visit, he said: “Hopefully in the short and medium terms it could run into billions. We are looking at a trans-Africa gas pipeline that is going to run along the coast of West Africa from Nigeria to Morocco giving us the potential to supply gas to Europe directly. We are talking billions of dollars there.

    “And also production of fertilizer, Morocco is a big … So establishing production plant here to produce fertilizer and supply to West Africa sub region is also going to run into billions of dollars.

    “The potential is enormous. The visit is very important, it is a win-win visit, win for Morocco and win for Nigeria,” he stated.

  • Free, fair election in Rivers abnormal, says Ganduje

    Free, fair election in Rivers abnormal, says Ganduje

    …Wike: Rivers elections normal

    Kano State Governor and Chairman of Rivers’ All Progressives Congress (APC) Rerun election Campaign Committee, Abdullahi Ganduje on Friday said that it will be easy for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to have free and fair elections in Rivers State and the southern part of the country.

    The rerun election in Rivers State is billed for December 10th.

    Ganduje, however said that everything will be done to change the trend and have free and fair elections in the state.

    He spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said: “We are prepared, we just came out of the Ondo elections, we have fresh ideas even though both environments are different but we have our own strategies. Like in Ondo state we must ensure we have free and fair elections.

    “You know in that part of the country having free and fair elections is not normal and we have to make it normal this time. We must ensure that they is security so that people will come out and vote that’s our main preoccupation at the moment. We are making wider consultations with stakeholders and we believe we will succeed,” he said.

    He said he was at the Villa to brief the President on the security situation in Kano, especially the fallout from the north western part of the country where some Boko Haram members and Kidnappers try to dominate the forest.

    He said: “They came back from Sambisa forest so that they can be operating from another part of the north western part of the country. So the security agencies are working very hard. A lot of arrest have been made and investigation is going on.

    “We won’t allow them to dominate Kano and make it as a launching pad, since the cosmopolitan city of Kano is an attractive place for such elements to come in. The security agencies have apprehended about three or four of them,” he stated.

    According to him, the President is happy with the situation in the state.

    On economic summit between Lagos and Kano, he said: “We appointed a technical committee. It is working on that, we are examining the business relationship between Lagos and Kano, we take advantage each state is having and we will invite Mr President to the summit.

    “The summit will hold in Kano. The governor of Lagos State has agreed it should hold in Kano. There are similarities between Lagos and Kano, both are mega cities. Lagos is the largest commercial city in Nigeria while Kano is the largest commercial city in the north.

    “We are both cosmopolitan and our developmental challenges are the same in terms of providing social amenities, security, urbanization. There is a need to look inward now that money is going down so we need to take comparative advantage of both states.

    “We have farmers and lot of agriculture production and Lagos have consumers and they also process and they have higher industries than Kano. This is the kind of relationship we can develop, and we believe it will work.”

    Reacting to the claim that having free and fair elections in Rivers is abnormal, the state governor, Nyesom Wike said elections in the state have been normal.

    “It is unfortunate if he said so. As far as I am concerned, elections have been normal in my part of the country. All we are asking for is free and fair election.

    “Is Governor Ganduje speaking on behalf of INEC? Is he the one conducting the elections now? He queried

    He added: “I have respect for him as an elderly person but his statement is unfortunate.

    “When his friend won the governorship election in Rivers State, the election was normal. The election was also normal in Edo State where his party won.

    “We are waiting for him to come and perform the magic he did in Kano State,” he stated.

  • Sanusi advises Buhari to jettison $30b loan plan

    Sanusi advises Buhari to jettison $30b loan plan

    …Says support to private sector will end recession

     

    The Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi Friday kicked against plans by President Muhammadu Buhari to seek approval of the Senate on the $30 billion loan request.

    The former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor said even if the Senate gave their ascent to the loan, no country or global financial institutions would be willing to grant the loan request.

    Sanusi during policy dialogue forum organised by the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), in Abuja disclosed that for a nation that has five exchange rates, it would be difficult for such request to scale through.

    He said the nation’s foreign exchange lacks credibility, thus federal government needed to embrace private sector investments as means to grow the economy out of recession.

    Sanusi emphasised that oil cannot help the nation out of the current economic situation and it would “never make Nigeria ‎rich.”

    His words: ‎”I can tell you for free, if the Senate today approve that we can borrow $30 billion, honestly, no one will lend us. It should be approved and I will like to see how you will go to the international market with an economy that has five exchange rates.

    “There is one rate for petroleum marketers, there is inter-bank rate, there is another for money market operators such as western union, money gram, there is bureau de change rate and there is a special rate you get when you call the CBN for a transaction.

    “So who will borrow you when they don’t know your exact reserve and exchange rate. I want to see who will borrow you money when the Niger Delta bombing of oil is there ‎when the main source of the loan repayment is oil.”

    He noted that the country’s population continued to grow to over 40 million people since 2015, yet government found it hard to increase capital expenditure.

    He warned on continuous dependence on China as good ally, adding that imports from China have scrapped the nation’s local industry.

     

    “We trust China too much. We need to be very careful. They are killing our textile and other industries and yet selling to us,” he added.

    However, he urged the federal government to reduce its debt service through greater loan concessionary.

    He said the country in the past 15 years had been borrowing money to pay salaries, fuel subsidy and there are possibilities for the nation to keep borrowing in the next 15 years, as those borrowed were not channeled into health, power or infrastructural development.

    Sanusi said the June 2016 forex reform should be implemented to unite the market through single transparent rate rather than creating four new rates.

    “The Senate should support tax incentives and other benefits to encourage private sectors,” he added.

    In his remark, former Anambra State Governor‎, Peter Obi called for drastic reduction in cost of governance.

    He said only four states in the country are viable yet they are burdened with huge debts such as overheads.

    Obi called for a change of attitude in government activities.

     

  • World leaders urged to rise against cultural genocide

    World leaders urged to rise against cultural genocide

    A call has gone out to world leaders and stakeholders in the culture and tourism sector to rise against cultural genocide.

    The call was made by the President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), at the on-going International Conference for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in Conflict Areas.

    The conference is organised by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) with the support of French and UAE Governments.

    The conference is to address the rising aggressions targeting humanity, cultural treasures and create an International Fund with 100 million Dollar seed fund to address the challenge.

    The President, represented by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said “it has become a pattern that major victims of armed conflict are no longer just the human being and property but also cultural heritages like artefacts’’.

    He said the world is coming to the realisation that genocide could be in any form, including the deliberate annihilation of cultural symbols that binds people together and symbolises their existence.

    “What we are witnessing all over the world today is cultural genocide.

    “Cultural genocide can actually be more devastating than ethnic genocide in the sense that there are heritages that bind humanity and become a force for unity.

    “If you remove or destroy them, you are destroying humanity because it is not just about the people, but also about the minds and the Arts.

    “It is no longer true that in times of war, safeguarding natural heritage is a luxury, it is now a necessity,’’ he said.

    The President said that, like Syria, Afghanistan, Mali and others, Nigeria had its fair share of the destruction of its cultural heritage sites during armed conflict.

    “We have armed conflict in the Niger Delta and terrorism in the Northeast that has destroyed our heritage sites.

    “One of our UNESCO declared world heritage sites has been affected in Adamawa state by Boko Haram insurgency, which went there and looted artefacts that dated back to several centuries.

    “In Damaturu, Yobe, we have evidence of a vault that dates back to 8000 years that was also affected.”

    He said the activities of vandals destroying pipelines in the Niger Delta have also resulted in the flow of crude destroying the habitat and affecting the ecological and cultural sites in the area.

    The President underscored the need for deliberate efforts at early preparation to preserve cultural heritage even in times of peace.

    Corroborating Buhari’s position, the Director-General, National Commission for Museum and Monuments, Alhaji Yusuf Abdallah, said one of the affected sites in the North East is the Sukur Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World heritage site in Madagali area of Adamawa.

    “The extremist went into the hill. Initially, the place was serving as a safe haven for the communities around the landscape because it is rugged up in the hill and people were taking refuge there.

    “The Boko Haram extremists discovered the place and went in there in December 2014. The community was able to repel them.

    “Although, the integrity and authenticity of the site remains but there is always the fear of the community going back to the hill.

    “The intangible component of the site is compromised because festival are not organised and other spiritual ceremonies are avoided because people do not want to congregate for fear of attack,’’ he said.

    Abdallah told journalists that Nigeria stands to gain a lot from the conference because some of the cultural sites that suffered from the destruction would get attention.

    He said when fully established, the UNESCO International Fund for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in Conflict Zones would assist in training and capacity building for Nigerians on preservation and conservation of cultural heritage.

    Earlier, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova said the conference is crucial because “it brings a  coalition of partners and connects the doors between security and humanitarian in cultural issues’’.

    She said the conference would ensure that deliberate destruction of cultural heritage is recognised as a war crime and perpetrators are punished as such.

    Bokova said that the Fund to be created would have its headquarters in Switzerland and produce sustainable impetus supporting the implementation of short and long-term activities in safeguarding endangered cultural heritage.

  • Buhari, Moroccan King meet in Aso Rock

    Buhari, Moroccan King meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday received the King of Morocco, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The monarch, who arrived the seat of power around 1.35 p.m. inspected the guards of honour after 21 gun-salute in his honour.

    He is expected to observe the jumaat prayer with the President before meeting.

    Prof. Yemi Osinbajo had on Thursday received the visiting Morocco king at Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

    Details later…

  • Peace Corps: Youth council appeals to Buhari for speedy assent

    The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) on Thursday appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure speedy assent of the bill seeking the establishment of the Nigeria Peace Corps.

    The President, Interim Committee of NYCN, Malam Murtala Garba, made the appeal in Abuja at a news conference on the passage of the Nigeria Peace Corps Bill by the National Assembly.

    The Senate recently passed the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill into law, thereby giving approval for the establishment of the corps as an agency under the Ministry of Interior.

    Garba said that assent to the bill would accelerate implementation of all President Buhari’s social safety net and youth empowerment programmes.

    “ We believe that President Buhari must have been eagerly praying and waiting for the passage eagerly praying and waiting for the passage of the bill by the National Assembly.

    “ The Nigeria youths have no doubt over the speedy assent and signing into law of the Act, “ Garba said.

    The president commended the leadership of the National Assembly under Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara for their efforts in ensuring the passage of the bill.

    He said that the passage was so far the most monumental achievement and legacy ever recorded by any individual or member organisation of the National Youth Council.

    Garba also applauded the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Solomon Dalung, for his tireless effort towards improving the living condition of the Nigerian youth.

    “ The leadership of NYC wishes to salute the bravery and unparalleled leadership qualities of Dr Dickson Akoh for envisioning such a great youth-based movement, and for standing firm and resolute all through the teething stage.“

  • Buhari to Biafra agitators:  Drop the idea of Nigeria’s break-up

    Buhari to Biafra agitators:  Drop the idea of Nigeria’s break-up

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday reiterated the essence of the unity of Nigeria, urging those contemplating its break-up to have a rethink.

    He made the call while speaking at a meeting with the Council of South-East Traditional Rulers at the State House, Abuja.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, warned that the question of having another country out of Nigeria was misplaced.

    “The question of having another country out of Nigeria is going to be very difficult.  From 1914, we have more than 200 cultures living with one another. God had endowed this country with natural resources and talented people.  We should concentrate on these and be very productive,” the President said.

    Addressing specific issues raised in the address by the traditional rulers, the President gave assurance that the South-East will also benefit from the new railway architecture being put in place by his administration.

    On their request for more representation for the South-East in his government, the President said that he was “very conscious of the sensitivities of the South East”, on account of which, he gave the region’s four out of five states Senior ranking Ministers in the Federal Cabinet.

    President Buhari used the occasion to appreciate the good work of the Ministers from the region in the federal government, saying that they are doing very well for the country.

    He appealed to the traditional rulers from the South East to persuade their people to give his government a chance and to continue to serve as beacons of culture and traditions of their people.

    He assured the delegation that kidnapping and cattle rustling, which he described as “unfortunate” will be the government’s next target, now that “we have managed to calm down the North-East.”

    In taking note of the profuse commendation for his administration’s war against corruption and insecurity by the traditional rulers, President Buhari expressed frustration at the endless nature of some ongoing trials, citing some of the cases as going far back to the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    “We are asking the judiciary to clean itself. Nigerians are tired of waiting. They want some actions,” he stated.

    The President said he hoped that the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria and Attorney-General of the Federation will come to some form of agreement by which specially designated courts will give accelerated hearing to some corruption cases that are pending, arguing that “we want Nigerians to know we are serious.”

    Earlier in his address, the Chairman of the South East Council of Traditional Rulers,  His Royal Majesty, Eze (Dr) Eberechi N. Dick (JP), had made requests for roads, other projects among other issues, even as he assured the President of their support for his leadership and programmes.

    According to a copy of the presentation to the President at a closed-door meeting obtained by our correspondent, Dick urged the President to consider some of the demands made by Biafra agitators including the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

    Stressing that they are not against one united Nigeria, the group said that there was need for the government to look at some of the grievances.

    He said that the group has continued to preach to the agitators for peaceful dialogue and respect for the rule of law.

    He said: “On the issue of the agitation by some of our youths like IPOB and others for a Biafran Republic. We have continued to engage and preach to them that every problem of the nation can be best resolved through peaceful dialogue and respect for the rule of law.

    “While, we re-assure Your Excellency of our total belief in one united and indivisible great nation of ours called Nigeria, we also want to call the attention of the federal government to some of their mentioned grievances for serious considerations, which includes:

    “Neglect of the South East in the Amnesty Programme, deplorable state of Federal Roads and other infrastructure in the South East.

    “Relegation of oil Producing States of the South East in NDDC projects and exclusion of the South East in key federal appointments.

    “Anti-nationalistic treatment of Igbo people by other Nigerians. We also want to call the attention of Your Excellency to the criminal activities of kidnappers, some cattle herdsmen which are posing serious security challenges to the people of South East.

    “In the recent times, so many lives and properties worth billions of naira have been lost. While the Governors and Traditional Rulers of the zone have been managing the situation, we want to call on the federal government to use all the instruments of power and resources available to you to come to our aid and rescue.

    “May we also use this opportunity to call the attention of Your Excellency to the injustice meted out to one of us (HRM Eze Samuel Agunwa Ohiri, the Chairman, imo state Council of traditional Rulers) by the previous administration,” he said.

  • Biafra: Another judge refuses bail to Kanu, others

    Biafra: Another judge refuses bail to Kanu, others

    …Judge says Buhari”s comment can’t influence proceedings

    …Prosecution seeks to shield witnesses’ identity
    Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja Thursday refused to grant bail to leader of the group, Indigenous People of Biafra (lPOB), Nnamdi Kanu and three of his associates.

    Justice Nyako’s decision Thursday formed the third time a court will refuse Kanu and others bail since they were arrested last year.

    Justice John Tsoho (also of the Federal High Court, Abuja) refused a similar application for bail earlier this year. The Court of Appeal, Abuja later upheld Justice Tsoho’s decision, dismissed Kanu and others’ appeal and ordered them to submit themselves for trial.

    Rather than agree to trial before Justice Tsoho, Kanu and others accused the judge of bias and asked the judge to withdraw from the case, which Justice Tsoho did. The case was re-assigned to Justice Nyako, before who they were recently arraigned on an 11-count charge and their bail applications heard.

    Kanu, IPOB’s National Coordinator, Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi are charged with terrorism, treasonable felony, managing an unlawful society, publication of defamatory matter, illegal possession of firearms and improper importation of goods. The charge is marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015.

    Ruling on their bail application yesterday, Justice Nyako said the offences for which they were being tried “are very serious in nature”, and therefore not ordinarily bailable. She added that irrespective of what the charge is, the court has to exercise its discretion on way or the other, but that some of the charges against the defendants could attract life imprisonment if proved by the prosecution.

    The judge dismissed the contention by the defendants that President Muhammadu Buhari had openly directed that they should not be released on bail.

    She said the President, as a Nigerian citizen, was at liberty to exercise his right to freedom of speech.

    The judge said the President’s comment was incapable of influencing the decision of the court. She said the defendants did not place any new fact or law capable of persuading the court to reverse an earlier ruling (by Justice Tsoho) in which they were equally denied bail.

    Justice Nyako noted “The offences are serious in nature and carries very severe punishment if proven. I hereby therefore refuse bail of the applicants.”

    Thr judge later ordered accelerated hearing in the case.

    Shortly after the ruling, prosecution lawyer, Shuaibu Labaran argued his application seeking the court’s permission for the protection of the identity of his witnesses.

    He urged the court to allow the prosecution witnesses testify behind a shield to be supplied by the court.

    Labaran also sought an order preventing the disclosure of the name and other details of the witnesses in the open court for security reasons.

    .The defendants opposed the application, contending that granting such request would amount to a gross violation of their rights to fair hearing.

    Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor argued “We vehemently oppose secret trial of the defendants. They were accused in the open; we also request that they be tried in the open. The defendants need to see those testifying against them eye-ball-to-eye-ball. We are ready for this trial”,
    another defence lawyer, Maxwell Okpara, told the court that most of the proposed witnesses were foreigners allegedly imported by the government from neighbouring countries.

    “My lord, we have uncovered their plan to bring Ghanaians and people from Cameroon to appear in this court to testify against the defendants.

    “We as Nigerians will resist that plot. It cannot work. That is why they are insisting that they should testify behind screen. That plot has failed, it will not work”, Okpara said.

    Justice Nyako has adjourned to December 13 for ruling.

  • I’m committed to fighting terrorism, corruption, salvaging economy – Buhari

    I’m committed to fighting terrorism, corruption, salvaging economy – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said that his administration remains committed to realizing the key priorities of securing the country, fighting corruption, and salvaging the economy in spite of current challenges.

    He made the remark while receiving the Letter of Credence of the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. William Stuart Symington, at the State House, Abuja.

    In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President said the security situation in the North East had improved significantly following support in training of the military and supply of hardware after the G-7 meeting in Germany in 2015.

    ‘‘When I was invited to the G-7 meeting after my inauguration on May 29, 2015, I thought I was going to be an observer at the meeting, but without prompting, I was asked to brief the leaders on the security situation in Nigeria, and I did. Since then, we have received support in training and military hardware, and I hope we have not disappointed,’’ he said.

    The President said the target of reversing the ‘‘culture of corruption’’ in the country had received support from Nigerians, with many realizing the depth of damage done by some previous administrations from the ongoing investigations and prosecutions.

    ‘‘The corruption we met at personal and institutional levels was unbelievable. Corruption was turning into a culture. After we came in, people started realizing the truth,’’ he added.

    He told the U. S ambassador that his administration was still determined to continue investigations and prosecution of corrupt persons in the country as ‘‘Nigeria will either kill corruption or corruption will kill Nigeria in the long run.’’

    The President noted that the years of mishandling of the economy at a period of financial prosperity, affected the economy, making it more challenging to create employment for the youths and improve the livelihood of many Nigerians.

    ‘‘It has not been easy for another party to come in and get things done properly, especially with the new economic reality of $37 per barrel of oil, against the $100 for the period, and there was no savings, no infrastructure on ground,’’ he said.

    The President also said the timely intervention of the United States, with a visit of the Secretary of State John Kerry to Nigeria, before the 2015 elections helped in ensuring peace and stability in the country.

    In his remarks, the U.S ambassador said the interest in the well-being of Nigeria was of mutual benefit.

    ‘‘We do it not only for Nigeria, but for ourselves. We did it because it was right for us and right for our people,’’ he said.

    He said he would work hard to further strengthen the relationship between his country and Nigeria, assuring that President-elect Donald Trump would also be interested in the wellbeing of Nigeria.

    President Buhari also received Letter of Credence from the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, Mr. Moha Ouali Tagma, assuring him of Nigeria’s willingness to improve bilateral relations between the countries.