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Tag: President Muhammadu Buhari

  • Few days old opposition not allowed – APC Scandinavia

    Few days old opposition not allowed – APC Scandinavia


    • We need each other to make Nigeria great again.

     

    The National Coordinator of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Scandinavia chapter, Ayoola Lawal, has said it is a welcoming development that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is coming on board as an opposition to the ruling party.

    According to him, as much as such it is a welcoming development of our growing democracy and for APC, ‘the PDP spokesperson should be more constructive and put on his thinking cap before making a berating statement against the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration’.

    “Trying to impress as an opposition on board is one thing, facing the reality of rebuilding, development and leadership is another.

    “The PDP in the name of an opposition party trying to pressurise PMB into acting in their paradigm ways of good governance is a political trick that will not work against this current administration.

    “The PDP government, while in authority, completely immersed the fabric of the nation in ruin and the economy in comatose but kept deceiving Nigerians and the world that all was well, which could be likened to the mega financial meltdown of the world in the recent years passed.”

    “President Muhammad Buhari pace of leading is necessitated by the current situations on ground. He is a strategist that sacrificed several years to prepare for the leadership as president-elect.

    “No individual or few days old as an opposition party can push PMB into deliberate traps and holes premeditated.

    “Sixteen years of heavy looting of the treasury of the nation, setting up the country for total failure and making it a sink ship, then turning around to be pressurising PMB after barely 31 days in office is a shame on any individual or opposition party,” he noted.

    Lawal further stated that President Buhari and the APC leadership will always welcome any real and constructive advice, as well as meaningful pressures that will be useful in meeting the justifiable expectations of Nigerians, which the party uses every opportunity to reiterate.

    He therefore maintained that: “Diarrhoea mouthed, vendetta pressure and ill-intent criticisms are not amongst the ranks. Well meaning Nigerian or party will at this stage in the annals of Nigeria be praying for PMB to get it right and take a very calculated steps rather than rampaging.

    “Nigerian is already in a dark mess caused by callous, greedy and shameless people who still has the gut to make vacuum noise in the name of opposition.”

    Thus, he prayed that Almighty God continues to strengthen the president and the APC leadership in wisdom to make the country great again. “Welcome, all to a new Nigeria of our dream,” he added.

     

  • Buhari’s anti corruption drive unsettles PDP

    Buhari’s anti corruption drive unsettles PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears to be uncomfortable with the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to recover public funds allegedly stolen by government officials in the last administration.

    Apparently worried by the decision, the PDP has expressed fears that the exercise might become a witch hunt aimed at discrediting and undermining the opposition.

    In a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party cautioned the President against politicising the issue of corruption in the country.

    The PDP said, “While we expect the present administration to be serious about the fight against corruption, probe and persecute each and everyone involved in such, irrespective of their party leaning, we restate that these must be done within the ambits of the law and must not be used as a witch-hunt ostensibly to discredit and undermine the opposition. We therefore caution against the current drama of politicising the issue of corruption in the country.”

    The party said no amount of intimidation, blackmail and propaganda by the Presidency would stop it from standing shoulder to shoulder with Nigerians in demanding that the President kick-start his government and commence implementation of his campaign promises.

    The statement described as “lame and diversionary” claims by the Presidency that the financial mess created by the last PDP led administration was still being cleared.

    President Buhari had stated that he met a near empty treasury and huge debts at the time he assumed the Presidency on May 29, a situation he  said, was one of the reasons for the delay in appointing his cabinet ministers.

    But the PDP said the delay is creating loopholes through which some persons claiming closeness to the President have infiltrated executive bodies, arm-twisting and conniving with unscrupulous elements in the bureaucracy to siphon the nation’s resources in the last 30 days.

    The statement added that the PDP would not in any way be cowed by threats and wild allegations by the Presidency into abdicating its responsibility of speaking out as an opposition party where the system is derailing.

    “The PDP and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians were appalled by the response from the Presidency regarding our call for prayers to enable President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration locate its bearing, compose a government and halt the prevailing stagnation with its huge negative impact on the system.

    “Instead of addressing the issues raised, the Presidency descended to insults, abuses and innuendos, a stance which not only bears out the case made by the PDP but also raises questions about the capacity of this administration to shoulder the enormous responsibility of governance.

    “Furthermore, the analogy of the Augean stable is completely baffling to us at this level as it goes to a great length to question the capacity and the sincerity of those around the President.

    “In Greek mythology, Hercules in his ingenuity took the task and efficiently cleared the Augean’ stable in a day for which he demanded a reward of a tenth of fine cattle belonging to the king.

    “Nigerians would not want to believe that in the so-called clearing of the Augean stable, although not delivering in one day, President Buhari wants to play Hercules in his demand, this time, by wanting to run the government alone without the statutory components of the executive as enshrined in the constitution.

    “We ask, is the so-called clearing of mess responsible for his inability after 90 days of winning an election to make up his mind on rudimentary appointments such as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief of Staff and his demand for 15 Special Advisers as approved by the PDP controlled Seventh Assembly since June 5, 2015?

    “Perhaps we need to draw President Buhari’s attention to the fact that while he is busy clearing his imaginary mess on the pages of newspapers, some persons claiming closeness to him have in the last 30 days been piling up sleazes that also need his attention in key agencies of government.”

     

  • Don’t push Buhari into your traps, Sani tells PDP

    Don’t push Buhari into your traps, Sani tells PDP

    ‎Following the criticism from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over President Muhammadu Buhari’s pace on appointments, Senator representing Kaduna Central, Comrade Shehu Sani has alleged that the PDP was only attempting to rush Buhari into the traps and land mines left behind by its government.‎

    ‎Senator Sani said, the PDP government had destroyed Nigeria and its economy, as well as it has paralysed Nigerian people and impoverished them in the last 16 years of its ruling the country.

    Sani stated this while addressing newsmen shortly after his visit to the National Library in Kaduna on Monday.

    According to the Senator, “President Muhammadu Buhari’s pace is not deliberate, but a calculated and deliberate act to ensure that the steps he take are in the best interest of Nigeria and in the best interest of our people.

    “The Jonathan administration had laid a lot of land mines, snares and traps. You can’t rush President Muhammadu Buhari into such land mines, snares and traps. His critics want him to fall into such traps.

    “Those who are criticising Mr. President are the agents of the past. Despite the challenges of APC, Nigeria cannot go back to the PDP. PDP represent evil and we are paying the price of allowing the PDP to rule Nigeria for 16 years.

    ‎”It is only people that shameless that will be critical of the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari, after piling such enormous debt for our country, after looting the treasury of our country, after allowing blood to flow in all parts of Nigeria and now, you are talking about government being slow, I think they are very unfair.

    “We as a party will definitely overcome our differences and wax stronger and no matter what it is, Nigerians will not go ‎back to the past, because the past represents darkness and darkness is represented by the PDP,” the APC Senator stressed.

  • Buhari dissolves NNPC Board

    The Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has been dissolved by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The dissolution  was announced in  a statement by the Director Communications, Office of Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Haruna Imrana, on behalf of the HoS, Mr. Danladi Kifasi.

    “The directive to that effect was conveyed in a letter signed today (Friday) June 26, 2015 by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Danladi Kifasi. In it, the President thanked members of the dissolved board for their services to the nation,” he said.

  • Stakeholders protest N125b spent on 2015 polls

    Stakeholders protest N125b spent on 2015 polls

    Election stakeholders who gathered in Abuja on Thursday have condemned the N125 allegedly spent by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) on the recently concluded 2015 general polls.

    They also called for a reduction in the cost of conducting election in the country henceforth due to the economic meltdown that the country is experiencing.

    Speaking at a public presentation of the Transition Monitoring Group, TMG final report on the 2015 election, Samson Itodo, the head of Research, Policy and Advocacy  of the Youth Initiative for advocacy growth and advancement, YIAGA who said although the INEC intends to make the report on the election funding public next week, election stakeholders are deeply concerned about the huge fund expended.

    “We all know that election is a very expensive activity especially in a country like Nigeria that has a very high electoral demography and a vast population, however there is a need for us as a nation to cut down the cost of running elections”

    “Nigeria as a country cannot continue spending that much on election, INEC have to devise means to cut down the cost

    “The country cannot be procuring electoral equipments every time the country have to embark on election, it is frivolous

    “INEC  spent huge amount of money for the recruitment of ad-hoc staffs for the election, that is quite understandable, I think Nigerians too should be able to make some sacrifices, we need to have volunteers that will assist INEC during elections, this will go a long way in cutting the cost of election in the country” he said.

    He also advised President Muhammadu Buhari to consider the appointment of the next INEC Chairman as a matter of great importance.

    “If there is anything that the President should be greatly concerned about at the moment, it is the appointment of a very credible person to head the INEC

    “Buhari should  not bring another character like Iwu or any person that will come and tarnish the good image that the outgoing Chairman, Attahiru Jega has laboured to provide, Nigerians need a person with high integrity to pilot the affairs of INEC in years to come,” he added.

    The deputy country director of the Mac Arthur Foundation, Oladayo Olaide who also spoke at the session expressed great concern about the future of elections in the country

    The TMG Chairman, Ibrahim Zikirullahi who presented the report advised INEC to improve on the technical aspects of its activities in future elections.

  • BREAKING NEWS: Buhari, governors in a meeting

    BREAKING NEWS: Buhari, governors in a meeting

    President Muhammadu Buhari and governors of the 36 states of the federation are currently in a meeting at the Aso Villa in Abuja.

    The proposed meeting between President Buhari and the state governors is expected to provide a solution to the problem of unpaid salaries as witnessed by some states in the country.

    As at the time of filing this report, the meeting has just begun.

     

    Details later …

  • Nigerians write Buhari as he resumes duty

    Nigerians write Buhari as he resumes duty


  • Unpaid salaries: Take political sentiments out – Group warns

    A group of professionals under the aegis of the Progressive Communication and Strategy Think-Tank (PCSTT) on Sunday cautioned politicians against what it described as a “growing politicisation” of the ongoing problem of the unpaid salaries across the country.

    The group called the attention of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and other affiliated bodies to critically examine the condemnable degrees to which the very crucial problem of workers’ salaries in many states of the federation and under the Federal Government is being gradually turned to tool in the hands of politicians to score political points against one another.

    The PCSTT, after its meeting in Abuja at the weekend, said it reviewed the ongoing problems of revenue crisis in Nigeria especially as it affects the welfare of workers.

    In its release signed on behalf of the group by the Administrative Secretary, Mr. Adewale Adegoke, the Think-Tank group said workers must view with disdain and warn politicians not to turn their fate to tools of political brinksmanship.

    “We have in the last few weeks followed with keen interest and utmost attention the painful inabilities of many states of the federation to meet their obligations to their workers. While we recognise the efforts being made by the concerned states to clear the unpaid salaries, we are however miffed by an unsavoury development as politicians now see the development as a tool to play dirty politics.

    “The salary crisis, we believe, is one development that must wake us up from our inertia to fully understand the import of the faulty federation we run; the size and character of our bureaucracies and the urgent need to juxtapose what we earn and what we pay as remunerations vis-a-vis national productivity index,” the group stated

    The group also called the attention of workers across the federation to resist attempts to use their welfare and fate by politicians to score cheap points by embarking on propaganda against one another.

    “The interest of workers is beyond the political ambitions and interests of individuals and groups. This is why workers must stand up to condemn anyone found playing politics with this serious issue.

    “A politician who is genuinely interested in lasting solutions to the problem would not wait till he gets to power or use the plight of workers as bargaining tool to win supports. He should go straight to proffer solutions to end the hardship created by the unpaid salaries,” the PCSTT said.

    The group also called on the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari to accelerate its processes towards resolving the logjam adding that “the government cannot afford to allow the problem to get out of control with its attendant humanitarian complexities before it rises to the occasion”

    “We are confident to say that failure to take decisive actions by the Federal Government at this critical stage will provide rooms for more politicians to see the development as something to play dangerous politics with. This is a purely and national economic issue which must not be toyed with as it has the capacity to throw Nigeria into crisis of unimaginable proportion,” the group concluded.

  • Good riddance

    Good riddance

    We commend the FG for terminating the ill-gotten pipeline contracts to militants and ethnic militias 

    The dubious oil pipeline surveillance and protection contract which the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan gave to even dubious organisations in the twilight of his administration has ended ignominiously. According to the publicity secretary of one of the beneficiaries of that devious arrangement, Mr. Sylvester Eweka of the New Age Global Services, “on Sunday, a lorry load of task force members invaded the Sagamu area, claiming it had orders to forcefully reclaim control of the pipeline area”. He further said that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) abruptly sent a text message terminating the contract, with effect from June 15, 2015.

    We commend the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for sacking the ethnic militias masquerading as security agencies. As we had written on this page when the Jonathan administration took that desperate manoeuvre, it was unlawful to allow the ethnic militias to appropriate the statutory responsibilities of our security agencies. The leadership of one of the groups, the Oodu’a Peoples Congress (OPC), openly boasted that the contract was given to them to empower the group to deliver the south-west to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2015 general elections.

    To show how cynical the past regime was, the pipeline contract was parcelled out to ethnic militias that operated where the pipelines are. The protection of the pipelines in the creeks of Niger Delta was parcelled out to the various militant leaders in the area, before the amnesty programme. So, the Jonathan administration, instead of disarming the militants who had turned to terrorisers of their neighbourhood, opted to empower them financially, and provided them a cover to acquire more arms, in the name of execution of security contracts.

    As predicted, the beneficiaries of the pipeline protection contracts were unable to stop the stealing of our crude oil. Indeed, while the contracts lasted, pipeline vandalism increased, and the result was the continuous dwindling of the accruals from our crude oil. As expected, many commentators were wondering whether those who had been put in charge of the protection of the pipelines were complicit in the increased wave of pipeline vandalism, and the stealing of our crude oil.

    Another fallout of the dubious contract was increased violence in their areas of operation. One of the most volatile areas was Arepo in Ogun State, where a number of law abiding citizens became victims of the untrained security manpower used by the ethnic militias to guard the pipeline. In the Arepo incident, a lady lawyer was gunned down, as the hoodlums exchanged gunfire, with one of the culprits claiming to be fighting to protect the pipeline. There were also several cases of police engaging pipeline vandals in gun battles, with the latter claiming to be agents of the contractors.

    So, while the contract lasted, insecurity and confusion reigned in the areas that provided passages to the pipeline. There was also the contest for patronage among the ethnic militias. In the south-west, the two factions of the OPC contested amongst themselves which of them deserved to gain the contract. Similar disagreement also took place in the Niger Delta, and each time the contest spread into the streets, lives were lost, and properties destroyed.

    This contract no doubt gave rise to more proliferation of small arms, as the contractors without lawful permits armed themselves, in the line of their duty. Nigerians were appalled as television cameras caught these hoodlums bearing arms and engaging in mini-warfare, while the state security agencies watched helplessly. Instances abound where the pipeline contractors took their battle to other security agencies, with causalities on both sides. In such instances, the heads of the militants talked openly about losing their boys, as if they were the commanders of para-military agencies of state.

    So, we urge the Federal Government to completely flush out these unauthorised persons who are bearing arms and competing with state security agencies, quickly. As we have severally canvassed, the Nigerian Navy should be equipped to man our waterways, and protect the pipelines in the creeks; while the civil defence, police and the army should protect the pipelines that are covered by land. There is no justification for private citizens, under whatever guise, to be given the contract to take up the responsibility of the state, and of course, engage in abuses detrimental to the country’s economic wellbeing.

    We however add that the operation should be conducted with military efficiency and dispatch. The claim of one of the contractors that lives were lost in the takeover of the oil pipeline at Shagamu is unfortunate, and we urge the NNPC to give advance notice, before sending in military operatives. It is however salutary that the pipeline contract for political support is coming to a closure.

  • Buhari mourns victims of insurgency

    Buhari mourns victims of insurgency

    President Muhammadu Buhari has on Thursday expressed his sadness over the lost of innocent souls of Nigerians to insurgency.

    The president made this statement in a brief post which appeared on the Presidency’s official twitter handle: @NGRPresident.

    He said: “I mourn every single death of a Nigerian as a result of terrorism. That is why security is my number one priority.

    “Our efforts to strengthen security cooperation with our neighbours & adjust our own response to Boko Haram will yield results very soon.

    “Our resolve and capacity to end terrorism is much greater than the threat we face. Nigeria will prevail.”