The Nation Newspaper

Tag: President Muhammadu Buhari

  • Buhari vows to end herdsmen’s attacks

    Buhari vows to end herdsmen’s attacks

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday vowed that his administration will continue to ensure the safety of lives and property of all Nigerians in all parts of the country.

    This followed the continuing reports of attacks by “herdsmen” on communities across the country, particularly Monday’s attack on Ukpabi Nimbo in Enugu State,

    President Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, particularly condemned the attack on Ukpabi Nimbo and other such acts of extreme violence against communities in other states of the Federation.

    Acting on the President’s directive, the Inspector-General of Police and heads of the nation’s other security agencies are already taking urgent steps to fully investigate the attacks, apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

    Ending the recent upsurge of attacks on communities by herdsmen reportedly armed with sophisticated weapons, the statement said, is now a priority on the Buhari Administration’s agenda for enhanced national security.

    “And the Armed Forces and Police have clear instructions to take all necessary action to stop the carnage,” It added.

    Continuing, the statement said: “In keeping with the President’s directive, the Inspector-General of Police, the General Officer Commanding the 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army and the Director of the Department of State Security in Enugu State have visited Ukpabi Nimbo to personally oversee investigations into the attack on the community and ongoing efforts to apprehend the culprits.”

    President Buhari is scheduled to meet with Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi later on Wednesday to receive further briefing on the attack on Ukpabi Nimbo and discuss additional measures to forestall similar attacks and restore public confidence.

    The President urged all Nigerians to remain calm and assured of his administration’s readiness to deploy all required personnel and resources to remove the new threat to the collective security of the nation.

  • Photos: Equatorial Guinea minister visits Buhari

    L-R: Foreign Affairs Minister of Equatorial Guinea, H.E. Mr Agapito Mba Mokuy shakes President Muhammadu Buhari

    L-R: Foreign Affairs Minister of Equatorial Guinea, H.E. Mr Agapito Mba Mokuy and President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House on Monday

    Equatorial Guinea ,H.E. Agapito Mba Mokuy

     

    Equatorial Guinea , Mr Agapito Mba Mokuy

     

    Equatorial Guinea, H.E. Mr Agapito Mba Mokuy

  • Buhari charges African leaders to end internal conflicts

    Buhari charges African leaders to end internal conflicts

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said that to achieve greater peace and political stability in their countries, African leaders must work harder to ensure social justice for all their citizens.

    He spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja while granting audience with the Foreign Minister of Equatorial Guinea, Mr. Agapito Mba  Mokuy.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, also maintained that as leaders of sovereign nations, African Heads of Government must be allowed to discharge their responsibility for peace and security within their countries, without external interference.

    He said that this was why Heads of State and Government of the African Union decided against sending peacekeeping troops to Burundi during the country’s recent political crisis.

    President Buhari said that he expected the Government of Burundi to work towards greater peace, national unity and social justice for all Burundians to justify the decision of the African Union.

    “Governments should be responsible for the security of their countries. Burundi must therefore ensure social justice for its entire people so as not to disappoint Africa in the eyes of the world,” the President told the minister who was in Abuja as a Special Envoy of President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

    He assured him that Nigeria will continue to work with Equatorial Guinea and other nations to strengthen the African Union and its various organs for the good of the continent.

    Buhari also said that Nigeria will welcome more cooperation with Equatorial Guinea and other members of the Gulf of Guinea Commission to curb piracy and enhance security in the gulf.

  • Ndume assures on 2016 budget

    Ndume assures on 2016 budget

    Senate Leader, Alhaji Muhammad Ndume, on Monday assured that the impasse between the presidency and the National Assembly on the 2016 budget would soon be resolved.

    Ndume, representing Borno South, told newsmen in Maiduguri that the resolution was to allow the country to move forward.

    He said that the National Assembly was not in conflict with President Muhammadu Buhari on the budget.

    “Nigerians should know that the National Assembly does not have any conflict with the president on the budget, but we might have minor disagreement.

    “The major challenge that the National Assembly has is not disagreement with the president.

    “The challenge that we have is how to do what the president is asking us to do within the law,’’ Ndume said.

    According to him, disagreement between legislative and executive arms of government is normal in a democratic system.

    “Disagreement between the legislature and executive is normal. The executive prepare the budget and present it to the legislature for processing and the legislature sends it back for assent after processing.

    “Usually, the president takes a look at it and if he is comfortable with it, he signs and if he not comfortable, he takes note of the areas and sends it to the legislature for ratification.

    “This is where we are now, but the unfortunate thing is that because of the change in government, the attitudes of Nigerians have also changed, which is normal.

    “Nigerians are so anxious because Buhari is a new president they are expecting so much from; they are expecting to see changes quickly,’’ Ndume said.

    The Senate Leader recalled that the National Assembly had similar disagreement with past presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, the late Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan on budgets during their tenure.

    He said that the leadership of the National Assembly would hold a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari this week in Abuja towards ending the impasse.

    “The leadership of the National Assembly will sit down and talk to the president on the issue this week,” Ndume said.

    He said that the meeting was earlier slated for last week but was shifted due to some unforeseen circumstances.

    “We were supposed to have met last week, but we shifted the meeting to this week due to some factors,’’ Ndume said.

  • Buhari to transform Nigeria with ICT – SGF

    Buhari to transform Nigeria with ICT – SGF

    President Muhammadu Buhari is determined to use Information and Communications Technology to drive the change agenda of his administration and diversify the nation’s economy, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Eng. Babachir Lawal, has said.

    According to him, the journey had started with the use of ICT and the digital platform to fight corruption and insecurity in the country.

    The SGF made the remarks Tuesday while declaring open the 14th Innovation Africa Digital Summit 2016 organised by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Galaxy Backbone Limited at Transcorp Hotel, Abuja.

    He told participants at the 2016 Summit, among whom were the Ministers of Communications from Ethopia, Lesotho, and Sierra Leone, and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winiefred Ita-Oyo that the event was a new dawn for African countries to leverage on ICT and digital platforms to transform their socio-economic outlook.

    The SGF said besides other global issues such as climate change and insecurity, the Buhari administration remains committed to leverage on the opportunities in the ICT sector to ensure socio-economy transformation of the country through massive employment generation, fight against corruption, poverty and insecurity.

    He assured that the government would continue to support all efforts geared towards the diversification of the nation’s economic base to provide more opportunities for Nigerians and improve the wellbeing of the people.

    The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winiefred Ita-Oyo said henceforth human capacity development; examinations and assessments of civil servants for promotion would be digitally driven to curtail the problem of ghost workers in the service.

    She said it has become imperative for the nation’s public service to be part of the digital movement in that it would improve facts and records keeping in personnel and pay roll management system in the service and impact positive on service delivery in the country.

    The Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu described the summit as opportunity for the present administration to leverage the benefits of the digital revolution, innovation and convergance of technology to kickstart a new digitally smart Nigeria.

    He added that the government was partnering with the South-Korea government on e-government initiative, stressing that a roadmap would soon be unveiled by the government to usher in a digitally smart government with ripple effects on the Nigerian economy.

    He said government would bank on industry analyst’s suggestion that the ICT tools and devices, softwares solution, IT outsourcing and the e-commerce sector could employ over 40 million Nigerians and contribute billions of dollars to the economy to open channels of growth and development of the sector.

    The Minister said: “It is worthy to note that government is also fast tracking initiatives to expidite the penetration of reliable and affordable broadband plan for a robust internet services available in the country. This is aimed at improved economic development and several business growth.

    “I am working and looking forward to having a country with strong, diversified, sustainable and competitive economy that effectively harnesses the talents and energies of its people and responsibly exploits its natural endowments and ICT potential so as to guarantee a high standard of living and quality of life to our citizens.”

  • TUC to Buhari: relinquish minister of petroleum position

    TUC to Buhari: relinquish minister of petroleum position

    The Trade Union Congress (TUC) Tuesday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to relinquish the position of Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources because the office is too critical to the economy to be combined with the office of the President and Commander-In -Chief.

    According to the congress, the perfect candidate for the job should be someone who has the necessary knowledge, experience and competence that would directly supervise the affairs of the ministry and report to the president.

    TUC however noted that although the position of the Minister of State for Petroleum and Mineral Resources should remain as a junior minister in the ministry, a different Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) should also be appointed to directly supervise the affairs of the NNPC.

    Its President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, made this call at the “Save Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Round Table Conference in Abuja.

    He said: “There is cogent need for appointment of a substantive Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. The ideal candidate for this should be someone who has the necessary knowledge, experience and competence, and who would directly oversee the affairs of the ministry and report regularly to the President.

    “That position is too critically important to the economy to be subsumed as one of the many offices or portfolios of the President and Commander-in-Chief. Of course the position of Minister of State for Petroleum and Mineral Resources should continue to exist as a junior minister in the ministry. A separate Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) should also be appointed to directly supervise the affairs of the NNPC.”

    The TUC boss added that all the appointees must be persons of bold, incorruptible and sound principles.

    Kaigama pointed out that the cabals in the sector emerged due to corruption in the corporation.
    He stressed that “it is high time we halt the ugly trend whereby members of the cabal are paid billions of naira for ‘fuel imports’ that never reach our shores.”

    In his address, the President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said that Nigeria is the worst case scenario in the management of oil and gas wealth in the world.

    He told a story of his colleague in Ghana that revealed that his country is guarding against the Nigerian experience in her fledging oil sector.

    The labour leader noted that the problem in the oil and gas industry is not lack of law but adherence to the laws.

    He advised Nigerians to oppose anyone that flout the law, adding that he refused to pay N200 per liter for the  petrol he bought  in a station in Kaduna State two weeks ago because the pump price is N86 per litre.

    Chairman of the occasion, Ambassador Paddy Njoku in his address said that for government to achieve the aims of the Nigerian Content Monitoring Board Act , it is vital to continually collaborate with industry stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation and enforcement of the act.

    He sought the passage of the pending Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law in order to strengthen the progress that the board has made.

    In his presentation, Dr. Louis Brown Ogbeifun, submitted that “it is better to have a not too perfect PIB that could be reviewed in the next few years than allow the status quo to remain as it has been these last 16 years.

    “Stakeholders should close ranks as the death of the oil and gas industry shall have ripple effects on the state of the Nigerian economy as we still run a monolithic economic system.”

     

  • CCB/CCT Act’s amendment: Attempt by the senate to shield corruption, says cleric

    CCB/CCT Act’s amendment: Attempt by the senate to shield corruption, says cleric

    The presiding Bishop, Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Dr. Francis Wale Oke, has condemned the planned amendment by the Senate of the Act establishing the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

     

    The cleric described the amendment as an attempt to shied corruption, fight the presidency and legislature.

     

    Bishop Oke stated this while addressing journalists at the Garden of Victory, the Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Ibadan.

     

    “The move to amend it is not in the best interest of Nigeria and the anti-graft war of President Muhammadu Buhari. Amending it will render CCB use and make it a toothless bulldog. The senate should not just tell the nation they are fighting corruption, but should prove it beyond all reasonable measure by joining hand with other arms of government.

     

    “This move shows that they are working against the present administration of President Buhari’s war against corruption. The legislature are now seen as confronting the judiciary also. It will be unjust to render CCB useless because one of them  is facing the CCB. They should not drag all the senate into an amendment that will drag the country backward. Amending the CCB act shows that the senate is self-centred. Even if the act is not perfect, this is not the best period to amend it.” he said

     

    According to the cleric, the senate should drop the plan to amend the act and save the credibility and integrity of the hollow chamber.

     

    He went further:” I believe that the senate has better things to do than the issue of amending the CCB acts. We still have the issue of the budget details, missing Chibok school girls, child trafficking issue and more productive matter to deliberate upon.

     

    “God will not allow it to pass through because they are only planning to amend it because some of them has been caught in the CCB Web. This move even looks as if they are trying to formalise corruption and history will hold them accountable if they do so. They should have the fear of God. God doesn’t support corruption and will stop them”

     

    Bishop Oke who appealed to the senate in the name of God, implored the senate to drop the move to amend the act, and work together with the presidency, judiciary to fight against corruption.

  • Buhari’s visit to China yields billions investment

    Buhari’s visit to China yields billions investment

    President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed satisfaction with the outcome of his working visit to China, which has yielded additional investments in Nigeria exceeding $6 billion USD.

    He believed that the several agreements concluded with the Chinese during the visit will have a huge and positive impact on key sectors of the Nigerian economy, including power, solid minerals, agriculture, housing and rail transportation.

    According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, North South Power Company Limited and Sinohydro Corporation Limited signed an agreement valued at $478,657,941.28 for the construction of 300 Mega Watts solar power in Shiriro, Niger State.

    In the solid minerals sector, Granite and Marble Nigeria Limited and Shanghai Shibang signed an agreement valued at $55 million for the construction and equipping of granite mining plant in Nigeria.

    A total of $1 billion USD is to be invested in the development of a greenfield expressway for Abuja-Ibadan-Lagos under an agreement reached by the Infrastructure Bank and Sinohydro Corporation Limited.

    For the housing sector, both companies also sealed    a $250 million deal to develop an ultra modern 27-storey high rise complex and a $2.5 billion agreement for the development of the Lagos Metro Rail Transit Red Line project.

    Other agreements announced and signed during the visit include a $1 billion for the establishment of a Hi-tech industrial park in Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone in Igbesa, Ogun State.

    Furthermore, the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone and CNG (Nigeria) Investment Limited also signed an agreement valued at $200million for the construction of two 500MT/day float gas facilities.

    An agreement valued at $363 million for the establishment of a comprehensive farm and downstream industrial park in Kogi state was also announced at the Nigeria-China business forum.

    Other agreements undergoing negotiations include a $500 million project for the provision of television broadcast equipment and a $25 million facility for production of pre-paid smart meters between Mojec International Limited and Microstar Company Limited.

    About 100 Nigerian businesses and 300 Chinese firms participated in the Nigeria-China business forum which took place a day after President Buhari began his visit to China

  • Diversification of Nigeria’s economy requires urgency, says Buhari

    Diversification of Nigeria’s economy requires urgency, says Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Guangzhou, China, said that his administration will take urgent steps to restructure Nigeria’s economy by encouraging new investments in mining, agriculture and manufacturing.

    Speaking at a reception in his honour by the Communist Party of China, President Buhari said that Nigeria will welcome the support of the Chinese government, foreign investors and local businesses for efforts to diversify the nation’s economy.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, noted that the diversification of the Nigerian economy was long overdue as continued reliance on crude oil exports had always made the economy vulnerable to shocks.

    ‘‘This time we will be more deliberate. The government and businesses will be involved,” President Buhari said.

    In his remarks, the Secretary of the Communist Party, who is also the Governor of the Guangdong Province, Mr. Hu Chinhua, pledged that the region will support the implementation of all the bilateral agreements reached with the Chinese government during President Buhari’s visit.

    President Buhari also visited the Sino-Singapore Knowledge City  in Guangzhou, which showcases advancements by China in medical, science and technological inventions.

  • Buhari’s visit to China yields billions investment

    Buhari’s visit to China yields billions investment

    President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed satisfaction with the outcome of his working visit to China, which has yielded additional investments in Nigeria exceeding $6 billion USD.

    He believed that the several agreements concluded with the Chinese during the visit will have a huge and positive impact on key sectors of the Nigerian economy including power, solid minerals, agriculture, housing and rail transportation.

    According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, North South Power Company Limited and Sinohydro Corporation Limited signed an agreement valued at $478,657,941.28 for the construction of 300 Mega Watts solar power in Shiriro, Niger State.

    In the solid minerals sector, Granite and Marble Nigeria Limited and Shanghai Shibang signed an agreement valued at $55 million for the construction and equipping of granite mining plant in Nigeria.

    A total of $1 billion USD is to be invested in the development of a greenfield expressway for Abuja-Ibadan-Lagos under an agreement reached by the Infrastructure Bank and Sinohydro Corporation Limited.

    For the housing sector, both companies also sealed a $250 million deal to develop an ultra modern 27-storey high rise complex and a $2.5 billion agreement for the development of the Lagos Metro Rail Transit Red Line project.

    Other agreements announced and signed during the visit include a $1 billion for the establishment of a Hi-tech industrial park in Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone in Igbesa, Ogun State.

    Furthermore, the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone and CNG (Nigeria) Investment Limited also signed an agreement valued at $200million for the construction of two 500MT/day float gas facilities.

    An agreement valued at $363 million for the establishment of a comprehensive farm and downstream industrial park in Kogi state was also announced at the Nigeria-China business forum.

    Other agreements undergoing negotiations include a $500 million project for the provision of television broadcast equipment and a $25 million facility for production of pre-paid smart meters between Mojec International Limited and Microstar Company Limited.

    About 100 Nigerian businesses and 300 Chinese firms participated in the Nigeria-China business forum which took place a day after President Buhari began his visit to China.