The Nation Newspaper

Tag: President Muhammadu Buhari

  • Kumuyi calls for dialogue to end crisis in Niger Delta

    Kumuyi calls for dialogue to end crisis in Niger Delta

    Pastor William Kumuyi, General Superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church, has advocated for dialogue to resolve the crisis in the Niger Delta region.

    He made the call on Monday while speaking with newsmen in Warri.

    The clergyman, who visited Warri for a one-day programme tagged, “Following a Life Transforming Example,” said the situation in the volatile oil rich region should not be a “win-win affairs.’’

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme was organised by the Deeper Life Bible Church at the Warri township stadium.

    Kumuyi said: “the solution to the crisis in the Niger Delta is dialogue.

    “Stakeholders should reason together and see a way forward instead of accusing each other.

    “What we are interested in is how to solve the problem; what are the expectations of both sides so that we can move forward,’’ he said.

    Kumuyi said that the administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari, had not done badly, adding that one year in office was not enough to evaluate the success of any government.

    “President Buhari has another three years in office; sometimes it depends on somebody’s approach, so let us not build the evaluation on his one year in office,’’ he said.

    He said that the general comment that the nation’s economy was sliding was borne out of the high expectations of the people to see their country move from its present position.

    “Nigerians believe we could have achieved something better than where we are presently as a country,” he said.

    The clergyman however said he was hopeful that with prayers and perseverance, things would improve in the shortest period.

    “I do hope we are not going to remain in our present position; we want to move forward as a nation and that is what people are saying.

    “I join our people to say the economy is sliding, but I know that our country is going to move forward from where we are now with prayers and with us being responsible,’’ he said.

  • Presidency: Buhari not incapacitated from performing his duties

    Presidency: Buhari not incapacitated from performing his duties

    *Osinbajo becomes Acting President

    The Presidency on Monday maintained that President Muhammadu Buhari is not incapacitated by his ear infection from carrying out his functions as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, who spoke with newsmen at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja as the President was leaving for London, said that it was wrong to refer to the ‘ear infection’ as ‘illness’.

    According to him, there is nothing wrong for a President to take 15 days rest in one year in office.

    He said: “The buzz going round town is that the President is “ill”, but “ill” will be a misnomer, it should not be the right word to use.

    “The President is going for a 10 day rest and during that period he will see specialists who will look at his ear because he has been treating that ear locally for some time.

    “Nigerian physicians have looked at it and now they have said you are going to UK, now that you will be there let specialists look at the ear. They have treated it locally so it is not a question of whether the President is ill. If he is ill, it presupposes that there are certain things that he cannot do.

    “Till the very last minute that he is traveling, the President performed the duties and functions of his office as the President.

    “So illness is not the issue, but as a human being yes he can rest. He has been President for one full year, you know that in February he took 5days leave, he is taking another 10 days now that means 15 days leave in one year.

    “You and I take more than that, so it is natural that the President as a human being is taking 10 days rest but he is not ill.” He added

    Rather than going into frenzy, he urged Nigerians to show goodwill and patriotism, pray and wish the President well.

    “Things about health life and death are in the hands of God, but I believe that all is well without President and God will take care of him and take care of the country,” he said.

    Asked on his message to Nigerians as he leaves for London, President Buhari said: “I have already told Nigerians that I am going for 10 days to get my ear checked.”

    Replying to the question on how to calm the tension that will follow a President falling sick, Buhari fired back: “Is there anybody that doesn’t fall sick?”

    On whether he has informed the National Assembly as required by the law, he said: “The National Assembly knows, they have been formally informed.”

    By informing the National Assembly, Section 145 (1) of the 1999 Constitution allows Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo to be Acting President to prevent any vacuum.

  • Photos: Buhari off to London for treatment

    Photos: Buhari off to London for treatment

    Buhari to Lon

     

    Buhari to Lond

     

    Buhari to Londo

     

    Buhari to London

  • Buhari, Okoh meet over herdsmen attacks, vandalism

    Buhari, Okoh meet over herdsmen attacks, vandalism

    Archbishop Nicholas Okoh on Friday led some Anglican clerics to a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, he said that the issues discussed included the herdsmen attacks and killings across the country and oil pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region.

    He said: “We told him many things but part of it we are all looking for solution to issues of the herdsmen, issue of vandalism on security in one way or the other because the people are asking us and we want to have explanation for the people whom we lead.

    “Very favourable, he gave us detailed explanations of what he is doing to ensure that these things are solved so we have hope, we have message for our people.” He said

    Noting that the first year was devoted to clearing the table, he was optimistic that things will improve in the country in the next one year.

    He said: “We believe that so far it’s been okay because of the difficulties of the time and between now and the next one year we are looking forward to something more direct now.

    “Something that will get to the people easily, so far for the first year it is trying to clear the table, prepare the place, make the work move forward.

    “We look forward to a better 2016-2017 budget year that you can see that with the long delay in budget, the issue of padding we were not able to begin easily.

    “So the next one we know will be better that is why we are talking in that way, its okay for now but it could be better,” he added.

  • Buhari, Obasanjo meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met behind closed doors with former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the Presidential Villa.

    He arrived the Villa in the company of Otumba Johnson Fasawe around 12.30 p.m.

    The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

  • President Buhari’s forgotten promise

    President Buhari’s forgotten promise

    Nigerians are in a frenzy. It is one year since President Muhammadu Buhari entered office and everyone is focused on the big picture. His promises to Nigerians are many and people are focusing on the big ones – security, economy, anti-corruption and the whole long list. One promise is being overlooked because the seemingly big promises take national attention.

    Mr President had promised to bring those behind Boko Haram to book. This should have been one promise kept within the first six months. Not one year. But these characters are still free men. They walk the street, it will seem, as saints since no one has been unmasked as a sponsor.

    There is free counsel to President Buhari on what can be done. For one: classify the different forms of being behind Boko Haram. There are those that offer monetary and logistic support to the group. Nigeria now has BVN. Tracing funding and financing should not be difficult. Smoking out Boko Haran financiers is therefore possible in a matter of a few clicks.

    Those that offer logistics and intelligence support to terrorists cannot continue to fleet like wraiths among us. They must of necessity communicate. SIM cards are now fully registered. Phone numbers of captured or killed terrorist are starting points. There is a treasure trove of intel there. Who have the terrorists been talking to in military circles, government circle, religious bodies, business world? We should know. We should act.

    Captured terrorists must have spilled the beans more than once. Who did they name higher up in the command chain? Who has benefitted from or is still benefitting from their atrocities? Who stands to gain if the attacks continue? Amirs – commanders of the terror group have been captured in several instances, what stops authorities from further investigating those that have been named.

    Who is the new Dasukigate leader? 

    Before President Buhari there was a gang that stole the country blind in the name of buying weapons to combat terror. They allowed terrorism to fester so they can keep harvesting their loots. Billionaires were made. Nigerians were killed. Who are the people that have stepped into those shoes? Are they too keeping terrorism alive for pecuniary gains? How much of this is tied to 2019 general elections.?Contenders have started campaigns even before President Buhari’s term in office properly begun. Are they trying to give PMB the GEJ moment? They reportedly infiltrated the former government. Have they infiltrated President Buhari’s government in just under one year? What hold do they have over the federal government that politicians in the axis are not having the searchlight beamed on them for whatever their roles may be in the endless carnage of the northeast.?

    Mr President must know that discerning Nigerians have not forgotten his promise. His promise was to bring those behind Boko Haram to book. On this promise, he must not and cannot fail. Other promises to Nigerians is hinged on it. The sponsors are like the brainbox or the heartbeat of the terror group. Arresting and prosecuting them will deal a deadly blow to Boko Haram. Finishing Boko Haram off would be a promise kept. Stamping out Boko Haram will free resources to commit to other sectors.

    Unmasking these sponsors would be hard. They possibly have clouts. They can hide behind their positions and public office. Mr President must look out for those that can be temporarily kept away from their positons to allow investigators have free hands. They need unfettered access.

    The President must also look inward. Ineptitude in executing mandates could be a cover to create conducive atmosphere for Boko Haram. Appointees connected with security must be assessed for meeting key job performance indicators. Those that have performed below expectations must not only be shown the way out but must also prove their incompetence is not deliberate sabotage.

    In the meantime, one year is enough to know those to weed out. If Mr President is I doubt of who to sack the National Security Adviser (NSA) would be a good start. The office, its occupant or both appear overwhelmed. The Defence Minister, Alhaji Mansur Dan Ali is no less overwhelmed. They have been invisible in the whole anti-terror efforts. The damage of their prolonged stay in office would be damaging to progress made on other fronts. Any other official that has performed below par qualifies for exit followed by investigation.

    President Buhari should keep this promise. In this his word is his bond. If Nigerians can exercise patience for another one year without Boko Haram sponsors being busted, the country’s security situation cannot. The military are needed elsewhere. Fighting a Boko Haram that is mutating because of highly placed sponsors would affect our fighting forces, unfortunately not in some marshland but in the Sahel and desert.

    Awolowo writes from Oregun, Lagos.

  • Pandogari crisis instigators won’t go unpunished – Bello

    Pandogari crisis instigators won’t go unpunished – Bello

    Niger state governor, Abubakar Sani Bello on Wednesday said that those involved in the religious crisis that engulfed Pandogari in Rafi Local Government area of the state won’t go unpunished.

    According to him, an investigative panel has been instituted to unravel the root causes of the crisis.

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

    The crisis, he said, has been brought under control.

    He said: “The situation was unfortunate in Pandogari. I think someone posted some blasphemous stories about the Prophet and of course you know the sensitive nature when it comes to religion and one person was killed‎ later on we heard that either police or the army shot a civilian and three or four people lost their lives.

    “We have instituted an investigative panel to investigate what happened so that we can address the situation. The deputy governor and my team are there at the moment, the situation is calm now.

    “We will await the outcome of the investigative panel so that we militate against this happening next time.

    “This is unacceptable and whoever is involved will be severely punished,” he added.

    On whether his administration will probe the previous administration in the state, he said that an ongoing investigation have already recovered some pension funds that were misappropriated.

    Noting that the recovered fund is not much, he said that the investigation is still on.

    “I believe the team has met with the former governor, I don’t want to interfere with their investigations.”

    He said that things have been slow in the state in the last 12 months as the administration met a lot of problems and challenges when it came on board.

    He said: “Things have been slow at the initial stage but with time things are beginning to pick up so by God’s grace I believe that President Muhammadu Buhari is driving Nigeria in the right direction.

    “We just need to be patient a bit and I believe we will start seeing positive results.

    On the media report that his government has resolved to be paying half salaries in the state, he said: “No no no! We have not resolved to pay half salaries but what we are saying is that from January this year we have been borrowing from bank to augment whatever we have been getting from FAAC.

    “As at this month we are owing almost N3 billion‎, if we continue like this by December we will be owing N10 billion. So I think we should go back to the table, of course we can’t give what we don’t have but we are facing difficult times now let’s sit down and see what we can do.

    “I really think it is unhealthy to keep on borrowing just to pay salaries, apart from that we are not just there to pay salaries, there are a lot of issues. I got call this morning that one Girls Secondary School that their roof is off in six out of seven dormitories. Where will they sleep? Now if I take the whole revenues and pay salaries, how am I going to fix schools, hospitals.

    He added: “Niger State has a population of over four million, civil service strength of about 40,000, we get N1.5 billion from federation account and even with that we still have to borrow to pay 40,000 people against over 3 million people that we need to cater for‎.

    “So I strongly believe and honestly we should look at it. It’s nobody’s fault that the price of oil has gone down, it’s nobody’s fault that the revenue has gone down, ‎we are facing difficult times but hopefully things will improve.

    “But we should all make sacrifices, I’m willing to make sacrifices, all my appointees are willing to make sacrifices. We have shown example by cutting down our expenditure, we have cut down the operation of the expenses of the government house from N150 million a week to N20, 25 million a week. So we have cut down government house expenditure by over 70 per cent and I mean these are all sacrifices.

    He said that the state has saved some money, which it is spending on some projects including the federal road. The Suleja-Minna Road is motorable now and very soon we will start working on Bida. I was asked at a function yesterday where I got money from but the truth is we just have to improvise, we have to save to move in.

    He said that the report that the state was going to reduce salaries is not true as the state is still engaging the labour.

    “We have laid the cards on the table, we are not hiding anything we are very transparent as much as we can but the truth of the matter is that I cannot give what we don’t have. I wish I had, personally if I had I would have paid from my pocket but I can’t.” He stated

    When asked to speak on the purpose of his visit to the Villa, he said: “I came to see what he is doing and to wishing him well one year in office.”

  • ‘Invest recovered loot in low-cost housing’

    ‘Invest recovered loot in low-cost housing’

    The institute of Mortgage Brokers and Lenders (IMBL) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to invest recovered looted funds in low-cost housing and mortgage .

    In a congratulatory message to the President on his one year in office, IMBL’s  Director-General Elisha Jasper said lack of housing is the major plight that most Nigerians are facing.

    He said: “There is a lack of mortgage professionals in Nigeria due to the lack of mortgage studies; thereby creating a lack of knowledge and skills on mortgage brokerage, financing and lending.

    “But the Institute of Mortgage Brokers and Lenders (IMBL) cannot do it alone. Individuals (workers and or students), governments, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and Primary Mortgage Institutions (PMIs) must all play their parts or roles in this fight. The governing council of IMBL urged that the (looted)  funds recovered should be reinvested in low-cost housing and mortgage.

    “ While the Institute of Mortgage Brokers and Lenders, with help from the  government, continues to raise and produce mortgage professionals, the FMBN should build mass houses that can be allocated or acquired by Nigerians on mortgage, Jasper, said, adding that the Institute of Mortgage Brokers and Lenders believes that every Nigerian should own a house, no matter the situation of the economy.

    The IMBL noted that the problem with housing in Nigeria has become very unbearable and unimaginable, for not just the poor or low-income earners, but also for the so-called rich and elite.

    It added that problems  ranging from lack of funds, insurgency, economic crisis, unavailability of structured houses and, most importantly, lack of skills and knowledge on mortgage, have led to the ineffectiveness of the housing sector and also the inefficient processing of the National Housing Fund application.

    It said the lack of awareness, skills and or knowledge on mortgage studies have brought about  low capacity of mortgage professionals. Lots of Nigerians serve their country and don’t even have houses owned by them to show for it.

    The message reads in part: “People waste money on paying rent for the rest of their lives without knowing that the money paid for rent can be factored into mortgage financing and owning these houses after the payment period.

    “People who give their lives for Nigeria don’t even own houses of their own. What then can they leave behind for their children, loved ones, family? The housing problem in Nigeria is unfathomable when you look at the massive land and infrastructural organisations at our disposal, which begs a whole lot of questions – what is the money allocated for housing development being used for? Where is the money? What are the government and or the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) doing to solve these problems?

    According to the institute, there  is an acute shortage of housing infrastructure in  urban centres due to rapid urbanisation, which found expression in the number of homeless people roaming the streets and sleeping under the bridge as well as those living in slums and squatter settlements.

    This phenomenon, said IMBL,  has become a great challenge to the teeming urban population and government.

    It said that  “there is an urgent need for government and corporate bodies to – through concerted efforts – find solution to the menace.

  • Group lauds Buhari for maitaining stability in education

    Group lauds Buhari for maitaining stability in education

    The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET), has commended President Muhammadu Buhari, for maintaining stability in the nation’s higher institutions.

    No few than 10 institutions were shutdown for different reasons when Buhari took over last year.

    The group in a statement on Monday in Abuja noted that the president had largely avoided the prolonged shutdown of institutions that traditionally plague administrations in their first year in office.

    The statement by CESJET Executive Secretary, Ikpa Isaac, said that the relative stability maintained in the education sector was commendable despite the economic hardship that had limited government’s ability to implement projects.

    The statement reads: “The Education Minister, Mallam Adamu Adamu had started on a less than popular footing with some policies and somersault like the controversial termination of the tenure of Vice Chancellors of Federal Government owned universities. But he has since gained traction and working hard to justify his appointment by President Buhari.

    “The ministry under Adamu demonstrated that it is in tune with trends in education worldwide with his support for the ICT revolution at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.  This is a pointer to his clear understanding of how important the sector is to our country.

    “We however urge the Minister and by extension President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerians expect further improvement in the sector when the economy begins to recover. Citizens will take the level of commitment to education in the past one year as the minimum basic and would not accept a decline for any reason.

    “We also urge that the sector should be modernized as rapidly as possible given the years of neglect that had left curricula outdated by several decades. The development at JAMB, which fully digitized and modernized most of its operation is the way to go and should be rolled across others facets of the education sector.”

     

  • Commission on ease of doing business coming

    Commission on ease of doing business coming

    President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the formation of a Presidential Commission on the ease of doing business in the country.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who spoke during the first quarterly meeting between the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Presidency said the Commision would be headed by a private sector professional.

    The Vice President said: “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a high-powered commission to work on the issues around the ease of doing business in the country. The commission will have a secretariat to be headed by a private sector professional.”

    A statement endorsed by the Senior Special Assistant (Media & Publicity, Office of the Vce President, Laolu Akande, explained that the professional will be appointed to lead the secretariat of the Presidential Commission that will pay greater attention and focus to the issues of doing business in the country.

    During the consultation, MAN raised the issue of multiple taxation. Vice President promised to follow -up on the matter, adding that “one of the key issues the presidential commission which I am heading would be  looking at is the case of multiple taxation.”

    He added that this is also an issue that the Ministry of Trade and Investment is also actively engaged with.

    Meanwhile, MAN has condemned the renewed spate of attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta region, arguing that the act amounted to economic sabotage.

    The group urged the rampaging vandals to join hands with the Federal Government to rebuild the economy.

    Speaking with reporters at the end of the meeting, its President, Dr. Frank Jacobs, expressed concern over the deliberate sabotage of government’s efforts.

    He said: “The association is happy about what the Federal Government is doing, but we are concerned about what is happening in the Niger Delta area which is a kind of sabotaging the economic activities of government. Therefore, we want to call on them (the vandals) to lay down their arms in the interest of the country.”

    He urged the militants to join hands with the Federal Government to move the country forward. The MAN chief stated that diversification of the economy is the best way to go given what is happening in the international oil market.

    He said MAN is “keying” into government policy in terms of diversification of the economy by doing its best to increase the capacity of production.