The Nation Newspaper

Tag: President Muhammadu Buhari

  • Police roadblocks in S/East haven for corruption

    President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to direct the Inspector-General of Police (IG) to dismantle road blocks mounted by his officers on the South Eastern roads.

    Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Foundation (HURIJE), which made the call in a release in Onitsha, on Friday, described the increasing number of checkpoints in the zone as haven for corruption.

    The statement signed by chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of HURIJE, Dede Uzor Uzor, revealed that there were over hundred road blocks mounted by the Police in different routes in South East.

    The group said there were not less than 25 road blocks from Onitsha to Owerri, 28 from Enugu-Porthacourt, 16 from Enugu -Owerri, 24 from Onitsha-Enugu, 18 from Onitsha -Orlu, among others.

    “While the Police cited checkmating of criminals as reason for mounting these road blocks, it has become clear that the road blocks have become “oil well” for Police authority, their officers and men.

    “The roadblocks have outlived their usefulness. They don’t provide the expected security again. They have been grossly abused and therefore should be scrapped and dismantled immediately,” it decried.

    The group wondered why the larger chunk of the road blocks were prevalent in the South East, saying “You don’t see much of Police roadblocks in the North and West.”

    It however lauded President Buhari for dismantling the roadblocks mounted by the army in various parts of the South East, saying their removal had brought relief to the people of the zone, especially travelers.

  • 2019: It won’t be winner takes all, Atiku promises GNU

    The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has declared that it won’t be a winner takes all affairs if he emerges victorious in the 2019 presidential election.

    Atiku said the PDP would run an all-inclusive government with the institution of a Government of National Unity (GNU), which according to him, will be drawn from membership of other political parties in the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP).

    Speaking Friday at a meeting with leaders of about 45 political parties that adopted him as sole candidate, Atiku said there will be no room for any cabal to operate under a government of national unity.

    Atiku said, “I want to commit myself to the continuation of the doctrine of government of national unity.

    “We believe as a political party in a government of national unity and there must be stability before you can do anything- implement your economic programme and implement your healthcare programme.

    “Right from the beginning, I have been a member of the PDP and I know we have always believed in a government of national unity. It takes a long time for a country as diverse as Nigeria to be united and stable even before we start talking about which ethnic group we come from or which religion we practice.

    “I want to assure you that as long as we are having a government of national unity, there will not be a cabal”

    He encouraged parties in the coalition to make public their decision to adopt him as sole candidate for the benefit of Nigerian voters.

    Also speaking at the meeting, President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, said since his election in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari has demonstrated a lack of capacity to find solution to the question of hunger and poverty ravaging the country.

    Saraki called on the parties in coalition to step up their campaign to ensure victory for Atiku.

    Saraki said, “The message everywhere we go is that this country must move forward and we have agreed that the existing President must give way because he is not leading us in the right direction.

    “We have met with Nigerians all over the country, the old, the not-too-old and the message is that the President cannot lead us the right way.

    “We must be part of the process to usher in a new direction. The most important thing is that we want a change, a new direction. We want a man that understands the issues.

    “We have been to three zones and there is a common message and that message is one of insecurity and hunger. Everywhere in this country, hunger and poverty are the issues.

    “So the challenge before us is how to bring back prosperity to this country. Unfortunately, our President today cannot do it. He cannot do it because he does not have the ability to do so.

    “Government alone cannot bring prosperity to this country because close to 80 percent of government revenue goes into personnel cost and servicing of debts. The remaining percentage cannot bring about development.

    “To bring development to this country today, you need an environment that encourages people to bring in investments. Nigerians are even afraid to bring their monies out and so they need somebody that they have the confidence will bring about the right environment for their business.

    “At the moment, the verdict is that this government and this President do not give that confidence and without that investment, we are going nowhere”.

    The chairman of the Coalition of United Political Parties, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, said 15 other parties have indicated interest in joining the 25 parties that have adopted Atiku as sole presidential candidate.

    According to him, consultations were still ongoing to ensure that other parties in the coalition officially write to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw their presidential candidates.

    Oyinlola, who chairs the CUPP, is expected to coordinate events leading to the formalisation of the adoption of Atiku as consensus candidate and the official withdrawal of presidential candidates of other parties in the coalition.

     

     

  • Buhari congratulates NLC President over ITUC election 

    President Muhammadu Buhari has rejoiced with President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Philibus Wabba, on his election as President of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the largest trade union federation in the world.

    The President, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, joined members of the NLC and all Nigerian workers in celebrating the election, which further signals the great work the union had been doing in ensuring the welfare of workers.

    As the first African to head the ITUC, President Buhari believed the labour leader will bring his wealth of experience in persuasion and negotiation to the new position, assuring him of the Federal Government’s support.

    He wished the NLC President a successful tenure.

  • 2019 elections result’ll reflect people’s will, Says Buhari   

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Abuja said he understands the yearnings of Nigerians and strongly believed in the collective dream for a greater country, assuring that all will be done to ensure that results of 2019 elections reflect the will of the people.

    He made the remark while receiving Letter of Credence from Ambassador of Finland to Nigeria, Dr Jyrki Juhani Pulkkinen, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari said Nigerians reserved the right to elect leaders at various levels in 2019, and all efforts will be made to safeguard the integrity of the process.

    Read Also:2019 elections: Be combat ready, police boss charges personnel

    “I respect the people’s feelings. I assure all that we will have a free and fair election next year.’’ he said

    The President congratulated Finland on its 101 independence anniversary, December 6, 2018 and commended the growing relations with Nigeria, especially in areas of Information Communication Technology (ICT), trade and education.

    In his remarks, Ambassador of Finland said the areas of mutual benefit in relations with Nigeria can be extended to electricity, smart technology and crises management initiatives, pointing out that he will work hard to improve the trade figures and exchanges.

    “We will like to contribute to Africa rising, and we know that Nigeria is the biggest country on the continent, so we are very interested in the growth of Nigeria,’’ he said.

    At the level of the United Nations, Dr Pulkkinen said his country will continue to support the restructuring of the multilateral institution to give greater roles to African countries like Nigeria.

    President Buhari, who also received letter of Credence from Ambassador of France, Mr Jerome Pasquier, said French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, and the stopover in Lagos, was really impressive in bolstering both countries’ relations.

    The President said he was impressed with relations between France and its former colonies in Africa, noting that France continues to play positive roles in promoting security and economic growth in the countries.

    “France is investing so much in Nigeria and we are grateful,’’ he added.

    President Buhari, however, called for more support in the fight against terrorism as the networks keep expanding with fighters moving across borders to support insurgents.

    Responding, France Ambassador said President Macron will continue to support Nigeria, especially in the ongoing war against terrorism, with specific interest in gathering and sharing of intelligence.

    He commended the President for Nigeria’s role in resolving the crisis in Togo and Guinea Bissau.

    President Buhari equally received Letter of Credence from the Ambassador of Czech Republic, Mr. Marek Skolil, assuring him of improved economic relations in areas like solid minerals exploration.

    Mr. Skolil said his country will continue to support Nigeria’s military in the fight against terrorism in the North East.

    “Nigeria is a very important country for us. We look forward to stronger ties, particularly with the armed forces,’’ he said

  • People calling Buhari a clone, ignorant, ungodly -Tony Momoh

    Former Minister of Information and elder statesman Prince Tony Momoh has said that people calling President Muhammadu Buhari a clone from Sudan are ignorant and ungodly.

    He said, it is not easy to move ones spirit from one body to another because it’s only God that can create life.

    Speaking Thursday in Abuja at the annual master lecture series of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Momoh said that just like most countries outside enjoy cultural tourism; Nigeria has come to experience spiritual tourism.

    Read Also:Don’t criminalize drug users, says Aisha Buhari

    He also added that the political space must be decongested if the country is to develop.

    His words, “The future is in Nigeria, Nigeria is a spiritual magnet for investment. Presently, people go to other countries for tourism and come to Nigeria for spiritual tourism, if the world doesn’t know now, they will but we must be politically disciplined.

    “The only person that created you and brought you to life is God almighty so anybody talking of cloning is talking of what human beings can do. People calling the President a clone are ignorant and ungodly, only God can create an individual, do you think a human spirit is that easy to move from one body to the other?”

    Acting Director General NIHOTOUR, Alh. Momoh Kabir said that the policies being set up by the present administration can grow the tourism sector.

    “Apart from increasing exchange earnings if this country, tourism generates wealth. People gave to visit you, when they do they have to stay somewhere, buy meals and the young men and women we are training to take people round as tour guides are paid. Unfortunately we have not gotten to the point of making people appreciate tourism but looking at the way we are going about it, u have the believe that we will get there.

    “In view of this present regime, you will recognize it is gearing towards a situation where eventually tourism can do provide for this country,” he said.

  • Buhari confers 2018 Merit Award on Prof. Olufemi Obafemi

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday conferred the 2018 Nigerian National Order Merit (NNOM) Award on Professor Olufemi Obafemi at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Obafemi, who is currently the National Chairman of the Nigerian Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria (REPRONIG), has been a Professor of English and Dramatic Literature at the University of Ilorin since October 1st, 1990.

    A prolific playwright, novelist, poet, literary and theatre scholar, Professor Obafemi was said to have published 14 scholarly books, 16 creative books, and over 70 journal articles in national and international outlets.

    At the yearly award ceremony that comes up every first Thursday of every December, Buhari lauded the research and intellectual qualities of the recipient.

    According to him, Obafemi has made Nigeria proud with his contributions drawing global attention to Nigeria.

    He said that the Federal Government would continue to support research innovation in the country and also look into the requests of the agency.

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said that the recipient was selected based on his selfless contribution to the development of Nigeria.

    The Chairman of NNMA, Professor Shekarau Yakubu noted that Obafemi is the 76th recipient of the award for 2018.

    “This recipient has successfully scaled the hurdles and is thus worthy to be conferred with the Nigerian National Order of Merit award for 2018,” he said.

    Obafemi during vote of thanks, expressed appreciation to the President and the board for selecting him as the recipient for 2018.

    According to him, good education policies of government are very important for students to attain top academic achievements.

     

  • Lead development, Buhari charges FUTA, others

    President Muhammadu Buhari has called on universities to lead the country’s drive for development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) through the production of critical manpower with demonstrable Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills.

    Buhari gave the charge on the final day of the 29th and 30th combined convocation of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) last Friday.

    The Visitor to the university, who was represented by the Director of Accreditation, National Universities Commission, Abuja, Dr. Noel Biodun Saliu, said: “In this age of ICT, we believe that our universities of technology are pivotal to the actualisation of our national development agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations in training and producing highly qualified manpower to solve the problems of unemployment, security and youth restiveness, thereby enabling them become self-reliant, entrepreneurs and job creators.”

    He called on universities and other higher institutions to align with the Education 2030 Agenda which  aadvocates for “education for self-reliance, basic skills and competencies needed in the 21st Century” so that “graduates can be employers of labour rather than searching endlessly for white collar jobs which are not readily available.”

    On funding, the President assured universities of government’s readiness to improve, but also appealed to all stakeholders in the education sector not to rely on government alone for funding.

    “I strongly believe that FUTA is endowed with high quality and innovative researchers who can take up this task. I encouraged the leadership of FUTA to be forthright and focused with a view to faithfully upholding the confidence reposed in you by government and all other stakeholders.”

    To the graduating students, Buhari urged them to  apply the knowledge and skills acquired in school to contributing to the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria.

    The Chancellor, Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu, and the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, Senator Joseph Waku , appealed for more government funding, especially for specialised universities.

    “As the needs of universities have been on the increase to meet the challenges of global competitiveness, I wish to crave the indulgence of the Federal Government for more financial support, especially on the release of the shortfalls in personnel grant to our University,”Senator Waku said.

    In his address, the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Joseph Fuwape called on the graduating students to hold firm the ideals and standards they acquired as students.

    He said FUTA had achieved a lot, particularly since he became VC.

    “Our academies have been positively engaged in high quality and impactful need driven research in globally relevant areas of technology, particularly renewable energy, food security and biotechnolog.The university has also embarked on various research activities and developed strategies to rebrand FUTA as a Centre of Excellence in research, innovation and product development.  The efforts of the research activities have yielded positive results, particularly in the area of renewable energy with the launch of solar powered generator,” he said.

    For 2016/2017 session, 2,767 graduated with 86 first class; and 2,033 graduated in 2017/2018 Session with 120 First Class in the undergraduate category.

    For Postgraduate, there were 1,401 Postgraduate Diplomas (PGDs), Master and Doctorate Degrees for the two sessions.

    Mr. Tope Adebodun of the Department of Applied Geophysics graduated as the best student with the highest Cumulative Grade Point Average of (CGPA) of 4.91 in the 20116/17 academic session; and Funke Olanrewaju of the Department of Food Science and Technology with the same CGPA emerged the best graduating student for the 2017/18 academic session.

    President, Impact Leadership Academy, Mr Akinwumi Odumakinde; former President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Dr Lawrence Olusegun Aina; and Oba Olufemi Olutoye, the Alani of Ido-Ani Kingdom, were conferred honorary doctorate degrees.

  • Buhari pledges to ensure release of remaining kidnapped Chibok girls

    President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged that his government will not rest until the remaining Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists in April 2014 are safely released.

    He renewed his commitment on Monday in Katowice, Poland, at a bilateral meeting with Swiss President Alain Berset, on the margins of the UN Climate Change Conference, COP24.

    The President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, had spent the whole day at the International Conference Centre, Katowice, where he delivered his national address at the opening of the 12-day meeting of COP24, and met with several world leaders and visited the impressive Nigerian pavilion at the climate summit.

    During his meeting with the Swiss President, the Nigerian leader thanked the Swiss Confederation for its efforts and important role as intermediaries to secure the release of some Chibok girls and assured him that the issue of the remaining kidnapped girls and other abducted persons will remain a ”key priority” for the Nigerian government.

    President Buhari and his Swiss counterpart discussed joint strategies to ensure the safe return of the girls, building on the past successes of securing the release of some of the Chibok girls and other abducted persons in the North Eastern part of Nigeria.

    He also welcomed the Swiss President’s commitment to continue providing humanitarian assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria and to ensure the safe release of the abducted school girls.

    ”We will continue to make the safe release of the remaining Chibok girls a priority and will welcome any kind of support from any quarters to make this happen, ” the President said.

    In separate bilateral meetings with the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda and the Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, President Buhari commended the country for a successful outing at the opening of the COP24 meeting in Katowice.

    The President told his Polish counterpart that Nigeria was facing serious climate change challenges, particularly the receding Lake Chad, which is a source of livelihood to some 40 million people living in the region.

    ”Nigeria is totally committed to global efforts to mitigate and adapt to effects of climate change,” President Buhari told the Polish leader, whose country is the president of COP24.

    In his meeting with Prime Minister Morawiecki, the President lauded the plan by the Polish Government to open a Trade Office in Lagos soon, promising that investors who look to Nigeria can be ”guaranteed” of safe returns on their investments.

    ”We have a vibrant and active young population and our government is doing so much on the Nigerian economy, including diversifying to non-oil sectors.

    ”We welcome increased cooperation with Poland and will encourage investments in other sectors of the economy like solid minerals and information technology, ” the President said.

    Morawiecki told President Buhari that traditionally 96 per cent of oil imports to Poland come from Saudi Arabia and Russia, adding ”but now we are looking at importing oil from Nigeria.”

    The Prime Minister noted as the fastest growing economy in the European Union, Poland has identified Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa, as three top investment destinations in Africa.

    ”We want the hub of our investment destination to be in Nigeria,” the Polish Prime Minister told President Buhari, welcoming the pledge by the Nigerian leader to immediately put in place a framework to encourage more Polish investments in Nigeria.

    Meanwhile, the President’s bilateral meeting with his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Van der Bellen, focused on the challenges of Lake Chad and what was required to recharge it.

    Noting that the Lake faced the two challenges of technology and financing, President Buhari told the Austrian leader that enormous financial resources and technology were required to transfer water to Lake Chad from the Congo Basin.

    Van der Bellen, who indicated his country’s interest to cooperate with Nigeria on recharging the Lake Chad, talked about climate change challenges in Austria including drought, glaciers melting, among others.

    President Buhari also met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and both leaders followed up on their past discussions, during their last meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, in July, which centred on trade, investments and partnerships in agriculture.

    The President welcomed the proposal by the Dutch Prime Minister to visit Abuja soon and promised that the Nigerian government will continue to provide a conducive business environment for existing and prospective Dutch investors.

    On the sidelines of COP24, President Buhari also met with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Jüri Ratas.

    The Prime Minister of the Northern European country sought Nigeria’s support on its bid for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

    The two leaders also discussed bilateral cooperation and climate change mitigation.

  • The Economist tips Buhari for victory in 2019 election

    President Muhammadu Buhari will win next year’s election, The Economist has reported.

    The respected magazine has also predicted that the opposition coalition may collapse before the general election.

    But Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar yesterday said the forecast of the London-based magazine failed to meet the attributes of objectivity, balance and fairness.

    According to The Economist in its latest edition, “The World in 2019”, there is little hope that Islamist insurgency in the Northeast will end.

    In a country appraisal for Nigeria under “The world in numbers”, the magazine said:  “The president, Muhammadu Buhari, will win re-election in February, as a new opposition coalition may collapse before the vote.

    “Given the outlook for continuing political weakness, there is little prospect of progress in the fight against the Islamist insurgency in the north, nationalism in the oil-producing Delta and secessionism in the Biafra region.

    “Market-based reforms will languish, holding back growth yet again.”

    The magazine’s other predictions for Nigeria are: GDP growth (1.9%); GDP per head-$2, 410(PPP: $6,020); inflation (13.6%); Budget balance (5GDP) is -2.0 and population (201.0m).

    In a separate report, the Foreign Correspondent of The Economist, Aman Rizvi, distanced himself from the official position of his magazine.

    He said the election will be close, with the PDP having a slight edge.

    Rizvi said: “Mr. Buhari’s approval ratings have languished below 50 % for most of 2018. Ominously, he has been hit by a wave of defections to the PDP.

    “Desertions to the APC four years ago, by many of the same people, felled ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

    “Mr. Buhari’s electoral opponent in 2019, Atiku Abubakar, is one such double-turncoat. He is also a septuagenarian, billionaire businessman, former vice president and three-time presidential aspirant.

    “With Mr. Abubakar distrusted for his wealth and opportunism, the election will be close. Its outcome will hinge on who arouses less apathy.

    “So, who will win? Many Nigerians do not care. The back-and-forth floor-crossing has convinced them that the same people will be in charge either way. The PDP holds a slight edge, if only because expectations for Mr. Buhari were higher and his failure to meet them was more recent.”

    But Atiku has rejected the latest prediction of The Economist.

    A statement by the Special Assistant on Public Communication and Strategy to Atiku, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, said the forecast was a “poorly-executed hatchet job”.

    The statement said: “The political camp of the PDP presidential candidate has described as a poorly-executed hatchet job, the prediction by The Economist of London, in which the magazine put on the garb of a partisan and made no pretenses to professionalism while predicting that President Buhari will win next year’s poll.

    “With the tacit endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term, in its current edition, the erstwhile influential news magazine has hit a new low by throwing all pretences to the wind to take up the job of presidential spokespersons.

    ‘’It is common knowledge that the Economist’s fortunes have taken a nosedive in recent months with its flip- flop on issues, especially as it pertains the upcoming presidential election in Nigeria.

    “But the magazine hit a new low in its current edition , The World in 2019, where it made projections of issues and events that will shape the year 2019 across many countries including Nigeria.”

    Shaibu said even if the All Progressives Congress (APC) or President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokespersons had written that story, it could not have been so recklessly partisan, so undisguisedly biased and so devoid of any shred of professionalism.

    He said the story, which says “the president, Muhammadu Buhari, will win re-election in February, as a new opposition coalition may collapse before the vote” failed to meet the attributes of objectivity, balance and fairness.

    Shaibu said it was scandalous that the magazine went ahead to predict a victory for the APC candidate even when it said  Buhari’s second coming portends disaster for Nigeria.

    He said it was equally strange that the magazine whose Intelligence Unit predicted that Atiku will lead the new government come 2019 has now made a U-turn to endorse President Buhari.

    ‘’But we hasten to say that with or without the endorsement of The Economist or any news medium for that matter, we will defeat Buhari fair and square,” he said.

    Shaibu said when on May 29, 2019  Atiku Abubakar is sworn in  as the President of Nigeria,  The Economist will have to look elsewhere for patronage, since there will be no more room for cash and carry forecasts, and fully-paid for endorsements.

    He said that the PDP candidate was aware that “when fake news materials are planted in big news outlets, they often help to lay the groundwork for rigging in elections but warned that members of the opposition party and their supporters will resist the rigging of next year’s elections”.

    Speaking with our correspondent, the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lanre Issa Onilu, said: “I will say that The Economist is just living up to its reputation. What the magazine has said is not new to most Nigerians; it is a report of the reality.

    “I am not surprised that PDP did not find the report palatable. For a political party that has been living in denial, instead of addressing issues as copiously enumerated by The Economist, PDP has chosen to behave like a baby whose toy has just been taken away from him or her.

    “PDP lacks credibility and any publication that is worthy of its own reputation will be taking a huge risk by making any attempt to dress PDP in a borrowed robe. PDP is a damaged product that has thrown up a discredited candidate. We can only commend The Economist.”

    Asked if the 2019 presidential poll will be a close race, Onilu said: “We think if The Economist conducts further research, they will come to the conclusion we have already reached  to the effect that next year’s presidential election is a no-contest.”

    He dismissed insinuations that PDP might have a slight edge over APC.

    “No. PDP cannot have a slight edge,” Onilu added.

  • Buhari: I’ll not complain again about Nigeria’s problems 

    ….Excited with Nigerians’ resilience in Poland

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday promised that he will no longer complain about the problems his administration met on ground at the inception of the current administration.

    According to him, lamenting over Nigeria’s history of corruption and mismanagement of resources has not helped his administration much.

    Read Also:2019: Buhari remains unbeatable candidate – Bindow

    The President spoke during his interactions with Nigerians at the Kraków Holiday In, Poland, an event put together by Abike Dabiri, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, as part of his engagements on the sidelines of the global summit on Climate Change, taking place in Poland.

    Instead of complaining, he said that he will face the challenges head on.

    He said “We inherited so many problems, actually l have said l will not complain because l asked for it. I tried to become President three times and l lost, but l was lucky the fourth time, l became one, so l can’t complain”

    “Who asked me to do it again? Three times l ended up in the Supreme Court. The third time, l said God dey and the fourth time, God and technology, using the Permanent Voters Card and the Card Readers, they couldn’t rig the elections, so l won,” he added.

    Buhari also expressed delights at the resilience of Nigerians in Poland, which he said has helped them maintain good relationships with their host communities despite such cases of hostilities and racial discriminations.

    The President was earlier briefed about the challenges Nigerians face in Poland as well as their relative good behaviors despite the high level of hostilities and discriminations faced in Poland, compared to the stories about how Nigerians behave elsewhere.

    The President had in his usual frankness during the interactive meeting told his audience that he will attempt to respond to the questions raised by them, even though they may not be satisfied with his responses.

    “You may not be satisfied with my answers, but l will be very sincere with you, as l keep trying to do with all our people where ever they are”

    The President, while speaking on security, said he has always taken security as his number one priority, because of the understanding that investments drive will be useless without first securing the environment.

    “It just makes sense. You have to secure our country or even the institutions, or environment to manage it properly. If they are not secured, you are wasting your time. So, security has always been our number one priority”

    “Those in the North East will tell you that before we came, the so called Boko Haram used to hold about 17 local government, now, physically, they are not holding any local government, so they have resulted to real Gorilla tactics of hit and run.

    “They mobilize, hit targets and then disappear again because they know the area more than the Soldiers that are defending them. Our Soldiers are from Port Harcourt, Lagos, Sokoto, but they are locally there and know the terrain more than the Soldiers.

    He lamented that “it is not easy financing the war against terror”

    Earlier, the Nigerian Ambassador to Poland , Eric Adagogo Bell-Gam, while giving his welcome remarks, had revealed that quit a number of Nigerians in Poland were stable professionally and have what they are doing in that country.

    He also noted that there are quit a large number of Nigerians studying in Poland because of the relative cheap nature and quality of their educational system, comparable to anywhere in the world.

    The Ambassador lamented however, that Nigerians were like other non- Polish citizens, subjects of racial discrimination, as “ according to him, “ there is a very high problem of animosity, dislike for foreigners”

    “Even in Nigeria, we have this spectacular problem if getting Visas from their Embassy there. I used to ask them, you want to improve relationships with Nigeria, yet you don’t want our people to come. How do we improve.

    “From my perspective, l do not know about others, l found them a little bit less friendly to us, than my encounters in other parts of the world where l have been lucky to serve.

    Despite these however, Nigerians in Poland, he said “have been able to persevere, like the strong spirited people that they are, in spite of all the provocations, sometimes unwarranted, but l must say that a lot of our people here are living above board. Nigerians here have made us proud.”

    Among the Nigerians who met President Buhari were Adekunle Ayoola, a produce merchant, promoting Nigeria agricultural produce in Europe, based in Poland, Larry Ugwu, an Artist and Curator, who has lived in Poland for 40 years and has contributed immensely to promoting Nigerian cultural heritage in the Polish society; Anthony Egwuatu, a Gynaecologist, who has lived in the country for 30 years, Olomofe Larry, a human rights activist, who has fought for justice for fellow Nigerians in the host country, among several others.

    The President was accompanied to the event by Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Yahaya Bello and Abubakar Sani Bello of Enugu, Kogi and Niger States, respectively.

    Others on his entourage include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, and the Minister of Environment, Ibrahim Jibrin and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Mongonu.