President Muhammadu Buhari will Wednesday tonight meet with All Progressives Congress (APC) senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting scheduled for the First Lady Conference room, is expected to start by 9.p.m Wednesday.
Fourteen senators had on Tuesday decamped from APC to People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC).
President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated former Governor of Nasarawa State, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, on his 72nd birthday anniversary.
President Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, joined all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the National Assembly, family and friends of the party chieftain in celebrating the grace of many years bestowed by God, which have been largely devoted to serving the nation and humanity.
The President commended Sen. Adamu for his loyalty and steadfastness in the shared cause of pursuing the betterment of the country, particularly in ensuring that democracy and development work symbiotically to improve the lives of Nigerians.
As he turns 72, President assured the lawmaker that posterity will be kind in recollecting his many achievements and contributions to national development especially as he consistently advises on the need for a diversified economy driven by agriculture and his relentless advocacy for unity, peace and harmonious co-existence.
President Buhari prayed that the almighty God will grant Sen. Adamu longer life, good health and strength to keep serving the nation.
The Presidency on Tuesday said that it has taken note of the orchestrated campaign against President Muhammadu Buhari each time a Very Important Person (VIP) is invited by the law enforcement agencies, in the discharge of their legitimate duties and functions.
In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, the Presidency said that the law of the land is intended for all, not for the poor or those at the lowest rungs of the social ladder.
It added “It is odd, strange and bizarre that while ordinary citizens can be called up to answer questions or be interrogated, the VIP cannot be questioned without the annoying insinuations of partisanship, persecution or outright politicization.
“This country cannot achieve development in peace when important cases are viewed through a political prism and the law is considered as being applicable to some, and not applicable to others.
“The workings of law enforcement agencies are set out in the constitution and the laws of the country. If they worked at the discretion of past presidents, who decided who to question and who to detain, Nigerians should get used to the fact that this President is different. President Buhari does not and will not influence or interfere with cases.
“The constitution clearly directs law enforcement agencies to promptly report and investigate any actual or potential infringement of the law and also initiate proceedings against all those involved.
“This President is not the one who directs them on what to do.
“President Buhari does not stand in the way of law enforcement either. Under our constitution, he has no powers to stop the investigation of anyone or institution. When they are set to investigate anything and anyone, the best friend of the law is the one who lets them do their work.
“The President’s constant refrain is that he will not tolerate any form of illegality including corruption and the law enforcement agencies have been given complete freedom to identify and bring all culprits to justice. His instructions to them are very clear: Anyone with a case to answer or found guilty should not be spared,” it said.
The statement also said that accused persons should approach the courts to plead their innocence rather than going to the public to plead persecution.
“The country is better served when the law enforcement agencies are allowed to do their work and we must stop the actors of this dangerous game of politicizing law enforcement,” it stated.
…Nigeria, Niger sign MoU
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday hailed the move by Nigeria to export crude oil from Niger Republic.
He also welcomed the setting up of a refinery in Katsina state that will make use of “stranded crude” from Niger Republic.
The two countries on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
At the ceremony, President Buhari thanked the Niger delegation for considering Nigeria as a partner on what he observed as a mutually beneficial strategic initiative.
According to him, Nigeria and Niger have had excellent relations for several decades as neighbours sharing a long border with common cultural and historical ties.
Nigeria, he said, sees the cooperation on crude oil export from the Republic of Niger and construction of refinery facilities in Katsina State as a “win – win” for both nations.
He said: “The initiative will not only provide a reliable market for the stranded crude from the Niger Republic but will also provide petroleum products for Nigeria, as it aggressively pursues its aspiration on petroleum product self-sufficiency.
“In addition, it is my hope that the current frontier exploration efforts in the Northern part of the country (Chad Basin, Gongola Basin, Sokoto Basin, Bida Basin and Benue trough) will also result in the provision of additional hydrocarbon inflow to the corridors of the proposed pipeline and a potential refinery around Kaduna axis.
“I am happy that several productive engagements held between the Nigerian and Nigerien authorities have resulted in the positive agreements to progress with activities on this important project.
“This project will be private sector driven with the full support of the governments of both countries and I am happy to understand that several expressions of interest from prospective investors are already being received,” he said.
He also announced the setting up of a steering committee to be chaired by the Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachiku, while the alternate chairman is the Nigerien Minister of Petroleum, to provide strategic leadership, direction and governance oversight for the project.
He also said that a Senior level Joint Technical Team has been selected based on competence to develop the implementation roadmap and strategy on both the refinery and pipeline projects.
He said that the team will be led by Nigeria’s Engineer Rabiu Suleiman supported by the DG Hydrocarbon of Niger Republic.
Buhari said he expected that by December 2018, the group will come up with a detailed roadmap and guideline leading to actual execution of the projects.
He directed that the detailed roadmap should cover the following: Bankable feasibility studies for both the Refinery and pipeline projects; Optimal project site, pipeline routes and details; Security plan and selected consortia of investors for both the refinery and pipeline projects.
The President assured of Nigeria’s commitment to pursuing “this partnership with vigour and determination.”
In his address at the occasion, Kachiku said Buhari has personally driven the initiative, which he said was propelled by the sole desire to create a more favourable investment opportunity in Nigeria’s downstream sector and encourage cross border economic development.
The occasion was witnessed by the President of Niger Republic, Issoufou Mahammadou.
Speaking on when the refinery will start, an oil and gas investor, Ibrahim Zakari said “I think the two presidents have already mentioned everything. It is going to be private driven by investors-100 percent private driven .We are one of the investors who are willing to invest almost 2bn dollars.
“The funds are coming from abroad, us, Canada, India and the middle east. It’s going to be a 50 thousand barrel refinery then we will scale it up to 100 thousand with the crude coming from Niger Republic.
On the time frame, he said “It will take 3-5 years to complete the refinery, it’s a Modular refinery. It will create 2500 direct employment and over 10 thousand indirect employment. It will cover not only Katsina and the North but the whole of Nigeria.”
Three senators from Lagos State Tuesday opposed the nomination of Muiz Banire as the Chairman of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON)
President Muhammadu Buhari had submitted a letter to the Senate seeking the confirmation of Banire as AMCON boss.
But Senate at its sitting Tuesday received a petition endorsed by the three senators from Lagos State which opposed the nomination of Banire as the chairman of AMCON.
Senator Solomon Adeola (APC-Lagos West), who laid the petition, noted that it emanated from their constituents.
Adeola noted that enclosed in the petition were “the signatures of the three senators from Lagos State against the nomination.”
He solicited the permission of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to lay the petition before the Senate for consideration and approval.
Saraki gave Adeola the go ahead to lay the petition.
He referred the petition to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions for necessary action.
The Senate had on July 18, 2018 acknowledged receipt of the request from President Buhari to confirm Mr Muiz Banire (SAN), as Chairman, Governing Board of Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
The President said that request was in compliance with Section 10(1) of the AMCON Act 2010.
The Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Matters on July 23, screened Banire for appointment as AMCON chairman.
The committee has not submitted its report o Senate in plenary.
The petition may be a stumbling block to the confirmation of the nominee.
It is the age of the alliance. As the nation hurtles towards the 2019 general elections, more Nigerians are discovering that there is power in making common cause on political issues.
First, it was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) corralling more than 30 other parties into the contraption called Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), whose sole aim is toppling President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
Then last Wednesday, an ‘Extraordinary Summit of Leaders and Elders of Nigeria’ was convoked in Abuja at the instance of Professor Ango Abdullahi’s Northern Elders Forum (NEF). Aside the grand title of the event, the list of attendees was equally impressive.
It is not every day that you gather the NEF, Ohaneze N’digbo, Afenifere, Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and sundry others in one room, and emerge with an agreement. For each of these groups set their stall as ethnic and religious champions whose interests hardly cohere.
Into the midst of these sectional leaders, the conveners parachuted Buhari’s bete noire former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who loves to posture as the arch-nationalist, as guest speaker – thereby setting the stage for what you would have expected to be a fractious gathering.
But agree they did. In a communique titled: ‘State of the Nation: The Rising Spate of Killings Must Stop’, the leaders and elders condemned the bloodletting, called for the emergence of a new dynamic and visionary leadership, as well as resolved to work towards the restructuring of the country.
The communique must have made for grim reading at the Presidential Villa as the summit returned a damning verdict on Buhari’s stewardship with regards to the economy, security and corruption – the three pillars of his 2015 election campaign. On each item they handed him a failing grade, rounding it up by dismissing his performance as incompetent.
Their call for a ‘new visionary and dynamic leadership’ to lead Nigeria out of its present crisis was certainly no endorsement of the president’s second term bid.
The Presidency hit back in a cutting response by Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, which dismissed the gathering as an unholy alliance of selfish leaders motivated by hunger.
HeHHe accused them of shedding crocodile tears because they felt alienated by an incumbent who had introduced a transparent and accountable system which disrupted their disproportionate survival on resources of the state.
Shehu then reels off a number of ongoing security interventions in Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kaduna and Niger States to debunk the suggestion that his principal was merely sitting on his haunches while the country bled to death.
With the battle line between Buhari and the old political elite – north and south – sharply drawn, it is tempting even if you are not a presidential spokesman to question the motives of the summiteers. Many have been active participants in government at all levels from as far back as the 70s. They, Obasanjo included, had every opportunity to move the country in a better direction but blew their chance.
They could have restructured the country economically and politically but were among some of the most vociferous voices that have pushed for the sustenance of our virtually unitary system of government. They could have been visionary and foreseen signs that the minor economic and sectarian problems they left to fester would one day threaten to break up the country.
So, Shehu may have a point that a lot of the finger-pointing is hypocritical coming from many who helped to create the mess that now requires cleaning. The downside for the president and his team is that, our history notwithstanding, they were elected to clean it all up. It is too late in the day to moan about the scale of the exercise or the motivations of the ever-present army of faultfinders.
No matter how unfair the critics may be, Buhari and his team must ask themselves whether, in the context of what the nation is passing through, their solutions are enough? Defensiveness would not do. Saying that the killings didn’t start under your watch, or that the body count was higher under the Goodluck Jonathan administration, is a totally unacceptable position.
Although Shehu listed several ongoing military operations, it should alarm everyone that in spite of all he says is being done, so much bloodletting continues. It really goes beyond effort; it is all about the efficacy of what is being done. When Boko Haram was bombing major cities back in 2013 and 2014, the Jonathan administration also regaled us with all it was doing to battle to sect.
To be fair, the Buhari government has done well with blunting the insurgency. The Islamist group is no longer the frightening force it was in 2014/2015. The government equally deserves commendation for the number of Chibok girls it has rescued, as well as its quick response that led to the return of almost all the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls – leaving only Leah Sharibu as a sore point.
Boko Haram maybe on the wane, but the overall security picture is bad news for the government. In terms of numbers and perception, the bloodshed of the last few years clearly surpasses any other period in recent peace time Nigeria.
Herdsmen killings in the Middle-Belt, savage banditry in the Sokoto-Zamfara axis, and the swarm of kidnappers around Kogi, Abuja, Kaduna and many others parts of the country, have obliterated whatever feel-good dividend Buhari expected to reap from his successes in the Northeast.
Indeed, the gravity of the situation was captured recently by former Kaduna State Governor Balarabe Musa who said the kidnappers had become so evil they have taken to abducting poor Almajiris from isolated farms and asking for ransom as low as N3,000.
A person who would abduct another human being for as low as N3,000 is really not much of a kidnapper; he’s just a desperately hungry fellow whose only solution is base criminality.
One direct consequences of the abduction epidemic is that farming takes a hit. The herdsmen killings also have the same effect – compounding poverty and the country’s larger economic problems.
What is happening is very complex and cannot be easily attributed to just one or two reasons. Clearly, the parlous state of the economy is a major factor. A clichéd expression speaks of the devil finding work for idle hands.
There are environmental problems at play as desertification forces herdsmen down south where their unrestrained encroachment on farmlands sparks conflict and killings.
There are the x-factors. Many of Nigeria’s immediate neighbours to the east and north are seething with conflict: from separatist groups in Cameroun to the untamed regions of Libya, there is unceasing flow of small arms that end up in the hands of criminals.
The president and his team would also have us believe that some of the killings are sponsored by politicians. My problem with this is that the government with all its powers has not moved against those it accuses. That is hard to understand.
At different times agents of government have highlighted these points. But to my mind the biggest challenge remains economic. Until the economy is sorted out, a thousand military taskforces would not pacify this land. We would never have enough soldiers and policeman to keep watch over isolated villages, farmlands and highways north and south.
The Elders Summit communique mentioned new statistics that claim Nigeria now has more poor people than India. It should surprise no one that this dubious distinction coincides with the nation’s serious security crisis.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday night met behind closed doors with members of the Parliamentary Support Group at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The group had met with the President over the various issues confronting the nation as it moves towards the 2019 general elections.
Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the Chairman of the group, Musa Sarkin Adar said “We looked at the concerns within the country and the various political parties because election is approaching and we members of APC in the National Assembly felt that it is necessary to come and interface with Mr. president and the national chairman of the party to address issues and concerns raised by members across the federation.
“In each state of the federation, there are certain concerns and misgivings when the congresses were held from wards, to local government to state level, there were so many discrepancies and issues that came up and people made a lot of complaints and they were not listened to as a result of that some people thought that they will move out of the party and join another party.
“Others, even before that have made up their minds they are going somewhere and we feel it is necessary to come and inform the president that we are committed to remain party members, but issues should be looked into and addressed properly, so that all aggrieved members can be persuaded to remain together so that we can ensure victory for our party in the 2019 general elections.
“It is also to encourage the relationship between the executive and the national Assembly to be cordial. We know who causes all those frictions and we are trying as much as possible to make sure that such things does not happen again for the betterment of this country. We should not be partisan in everything we do, especially on our conduct on the floor of the House.
“From the previous experiences of the previous Assembly which we were opportune to be members then, we know what happened and we know what it caused the country. So it is now a clarion call for us to rally behind the president and the need for us to also be listened to so that the issues of development of this country can be addressed,” he said.
On the President’s response at the meeting, he said “Very well and very fantastic. We explained to him the idea of zonal intervention or what is called constituency projects; that it is not money given to us, but projects worth millions of naira that we should only site where it should be sited in our various constituencies and it is one of the most unifying factor of this country.
“Because it’s one of the ways in which you can have a reflective performance of the government in certain areas. For example if you go to rural areas and you don’t have provision of water borehole, primary school or primary health care, before you take certain projects to them, it will be difficult.
“But these constituency projects that are allocated to us on the basis of where you come from and you select 1 2 3 4 or whatever the money allocated to the project is given then that is what your people will benefit from and as such, there is equitable distribution of infrastructure across the nation,” he said.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha said that the meeting was a very encouraging interface between the legislature and the executive.
He said “Don’t forget that the national Assembly had an Open Week, throughout the course of this week, this is a continuation of that engagement and I belief that after this kind of interaction with different arms of government, we will be able to build synergy, build consensus on issues and find resolutions to it.
“Politics is a game of negotiations, it’s a game of dialogue, and understanding and it is for the betterment of our country. We are the party in government; the legislature is part of government; if the executive does not succeed, it will also rub off on the legislature. So it is just a continuation of this dialogue that can afford us the chance to deliver the dividends of democracy to our people.” he said
Speaking further on the meeting, the Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly matters (Senate), Ita Enang said “Let me very sincerely appreciate these honorable members of the parliamentary support group and they have come as persons who have come together to support the president’s vision on the floor of the House of Representatives and the national Assembly as a whole.
“And I use this opportunity to express to them the concerns of all the members and Mr. President has responded in a manner that is very satisfactory to them. This is one of the back channels that is being arranged and is granted by Mr. President and officers of the executive from time to time to enable the legislators interact personally, with personal questions and personal concerns on the state, the party, projects and programmes of government and that has been fully addressed.
“And of course, his Excellency Mr. President invited the National Chairman of the party and addressed all their concerns assuring them that matters of the party will be properly addressed and that none of them should have fear because the party is for every person.
“And he has told them how the nominations will go and has given them confidence and this confidence will be transmitted to all other members of the house and Senate who are not here and next time, we are going to arrange for Senators in the next few days as part of confidence building and bridging the gap between the executive and legislature.” he said
Abdulmumini Jibrin said that they were at the Villa to show solidarity to Mr. President and to encourage him to continue with the good work he is doing for the country and also to discuss some issues concerning the APC.
With the success of the meeting, he said that Mr. President has requested for such meeting to hold quarterly.
Speaking on decamping, he said “Well every party in the world, not only in Nigeria has its challenges and the APC is not an exception but I am sure that the leadership of the party is doing all that it can do to ensure that they continue to unite the party and everyone is protected within the party.
Mohammed Gololo said “We are hopeful that with the interaction we are having with the national chairman of the party, with the synergy that is ongoing, most likely, the defection may not take place as it used to be amplified.”
The International Cargo Airport project in Bayelsa State will soon be completed. In fact, barring any change in plans, President Muhammadu Buhari, will be on a state working visit in the state to inaugurate the only airport sited in the only homogeneous Ijaw state.
The workaholic Commissioner for Works, Lawrence Ewruhjakpor, is working round the clock to deliver the project. In a recent tour of the project located at Amassoma, the community of late former Governor Diepreye Alamiyeiseigha, in Southern Ijaw, it was obvious that all the aspects of the project were nearing completion.
The commissioner is working to ensure that the project is delivered in August ending following the directive of Governor Seriake Dickson. Ijaw youths, some political leaders and other stakeholders accompanied the works commissioner for the inspection of the project.
The commissioner declared that the project was about 80 per cent complete. He said the terminal building was complete but that some corrections were being made by the contractors based on the suggestions of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) which visited the project site.
The commissioner said the car park was 70 per cent complete adding that the fire trucks and other fire equipment were on their way. Ewruhjakpor said most of the fittings had been done and explained that the access road was also complete.
Conducting the stakeholders round the project, he said: “On the August 10, we should be through with asphalt work on the binders and we’ll have another five days because of the markings on the runway to give guidance to the pilot and airport users.
“The contractors that worked on the Abuja airport assured us that we can do that in one week. From what is on ground, the deadline of August ending which is the date the governor has given to us for the commissioning approved by Mr. President.
“I think it’s quite visible because all we need to do is to up our visits in terms of rounding off on the project. Clearly, we are on target and we are working with the contractors. For every place we need to look at details.
“We want to see if we can reduce the time. If we are able to work hard and we get 31st of July as our ending date for asphalt work, we will be happy but if we cannot do that it’ll be because they’re a few issues that is out of our control like the weather.
“Once it’s raining there’s an extent to which we can work and that is why work is slow. But we are looking at 30 days to do our asphalt laying. That is the major area we have issues but every other area is complete”.
The commissioner further explained that the terminal building in the airport is of international standard and comparable to similar buildings in airports in Enugu, Owerri, Calabar and Akwa Ibom. “It is more magnificent, the only one that can actually give us a chase for our money is the one at Lagos and the one at Abuja”, he said.
Ewruhjakpor dwelled on the passion of the governor for the development of the state. He said Dickson was prepared for governance. He said: “If you know why you’re coming into government, you’ll know what to do as a governor, so he is not a governor who came to learn on the job.
He said the governor’s desire to develop Bayelsa compelled him and his ministry to always visit project sites. He said Dickson was always seeking information about all the projects in the state adding that failure to furnish him with details would mean incompetence.
“He is a governor who has learnt how to become a governor before he came one. He sees underdevelopment of Bayelsa as the greatest injustice anybody can make to humanity, so he feels pained every day. Right now, the Nigerian nation has left us behind. Do we ourselves leave ourselves behind?
“The answer is no. So what Dickson is trying to say is that since Nigerian nation has left us behind, we have the capacity to catch them up, so let’s catch them up and that is what we’re doing even if means going spiritual, physical or otherwise.
“That is the driving force of Dickson. Every day, you meet the governor to say good morning, he’ll answer you but the answer will be what of this project? And that is why we are achieving the successes we are getting because if you have the boss is always around you, you have to be on your toes and some of us that are on our toes it’s because of what he is doing”.
He added: “Definitely, he’ll ask you questions about the project and if you’re not able to explain to him clearly, you’re incompetent and you don’t want to become an incompetent person before your boss. So, his passion for the development of Bayelsa”.
Apart from the airport, the governor was also working relentlessly on the Agge Deep Seaport. He said Dickson desired to see the commencement of the seaport and was working to see whether he could bring in some ships before the end of his administration.
“If it were to be some governors who have one year and a half to go he should be slowing down but he is not prepared to slow down. What he told me in his closet is that we are going to work until the day we are going to hand over. So if there is a project that needs to be started on the February 13, 2020, start it, then we hand over that project to the next administration that is coming in”, he said.
He said the completion of the airport would open the state to the world and the world to Bayelsa. He said it would prevent the risk of kidnapping faced by people traveling to board flights in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
“The airport will also increase tourism because the man who knows that he doesn’t need to drive two to three hours of risk before he gets to Yenagoa will prefer to come to Yenagoa. There is no traffic congestion. The air here is pure”, he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of IYC Central Zone, Tari Pori, said the project was evidence of Dickson’s visionary leadership. He said they had earlier taught that an airport project in the state was impossible but Dickson changed their perceptions,
He said the magnificence of the project made people to claim falsely that it was a federal project. “I could recall when we were pushing for the 2015 election, many people were playing politics with this project, but today the governor has disappointed them”, he said.
He described the airport as unique saying it surpassed similar projects in many states he had visited. He praised the governor for keeping faith with the project despite the economic downturn. He said persons outside the state claiming that nothing was happening in Bayelsa should try to visit the state.
He said: “These are projects we felt before now that without federal government supporting, they were not possible. But the governor has realized it. The youths of Bayelsa are absolutely standing with him and we are happy that he is giving us legacy projects such as international airport.
“Don’t also forget that this project will engage many young boys and many young ladies. We are also again saying thank you to the Governor because when you don’t come up with legacy projects such as this, it will be very difficult to engage the youths.
“This project will create enabling environment for international communities to come to the Ijaw land. This is the first airport in Ijaw land and for us we are speaking on behalf of Ijaw people and what we are saying is that the youths are behind the governor”.
The Ekiti Development Front (EDF) has said no fewer than 6.8 million Nigerians have benefited from the Federal Government empowerment programme tagged N-power.
EDF praised President Muhammadu Buhari for initiating the programme that has helped in stemming the tides of poverty and crime among Nigerian youths.
The group said poor handling of the economy under the current Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government of Ayodele Fayose caused the high level of poverty among the people.
The group said the state has abundant human and material resources that could be deployed for Ekiti economic prosperity, if they are judiciously harnessed by the present administration.
The group stated this in Ikere and Aramoko Ekiti on Wednesday while empowering 500 residents in Ekiti South and Central Senatorial Districts.
Materials donated included clippers, dryers, sewing machines, compressors, power generating sets, mixers, food stuffs, washing machines, grinding machines and cash gifts.
The body also flagged off its social security scheme which will enable beneficiaries to receive monthly stipends if criteria set are met in line with the model set by Dr. Kayode Fayemi while he was the governor of the state.
While addressing the beneficiaries, EDF Coordinator in Ekiti, Adeoye Aribasoye, a lawyer, advised the electorate to vote for Fayemi in the July 14 governorship polls, so that more people can benefit from the N-power.
Aribasoye stated that the best way for anyone to escape the menace of poverty is to be economically active.
He also said the self-employment scheme has become the veritable way for people to get engaged in productive jobs with the dearth of white collar jobs at both state and federal levels.
“There is no job now in the state, because we have a government that can’t think outside the box to create wealth for its people.
“If a government is claiming that it has employed people, it doesn’t mean you have taken them into the state civil service. A government can create opportunities through private individuals and give support to the organisations to be able to pay those in its employ.
“It happened under ex-Governor Fayemi’s regime when the state’s Job Creation Agency partnered with private bodies for the training of unemployed graduates for them to be self-reliant.
“Government, at that time paid for the training and salaries of those employed by the private organisations for some time.
“We are pleading with you to use this opportunity very well. In a modern economy such as ours, one can begin a business with little amount of money and with dedication, one can go places.
“This organisation doesn’t believe in tokenism. We could have given you a sachet of rice and N1, 000, but these will take you nowhere.
“But with the little we have given you, you can start something on your own and with dedication and commitment to what you are doing, the sky would be your starting point,” he said.
Aribasoye said the organisation will continue to partner with private individuals and philanthropic bodies to put smiles on the faces of the people.
The coordinator further said time has come for individuals and organisation to begin to engage in philanthropic gestures, to serve as a bulwark and to complement the opportunities provided by government at all levels.
“What we are doing is not politically inclined; we are doing it to reduce poverty. And whatever we give out doesn’t have political colouration. We regard all Ekiti indigenes as one, whether you are in PDP or APC.
“We shall continue to relate with Ekiti people irrespective of class, political affiliations and ethnic affinity, because making Ekiti a good place for all is our utmost aim and that we shall achieve”, he stated.
President Muhammadu Buhari, has nominated a former All Progressives Congress (APC) National Legal Adviser, Mr. Banire Muiz Adeyemi (SAN), for confirmation as Chairman, Governing Board of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
This is contained in a letter the President sent to the Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
President Buhari in the letter dated 11th July, 2018 which was read by Saraki, said that the nomination is in compliance with Section 10(1) of the AMCON Act, 2010.
Buhari asked the Senate to consider and confirm the nominee in its usual expeditious manner.