The Nation Newspaper

Tag: President Muhammadu Buhari

  • Reps summon Buhari over security situation 

    …pass vote of no confidence on Services Chiefs

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari is to appear at plenary before members of the House of Representatives to answer questions over security situation in the country.

    Though the date is yet to be fixed, President Buhari is expected to be confronted with the question of sacking his military and security chiefs having being accused of failure over the country’s security of lives and property.

    The lawmakers passed a vote of no confidence on the Service Chiefs.

    The House will also suspend legislative sittings for three days in solidarity with victims of the killings around the country.

    Furthermore, the House has asked that killer herdsmen are declares as terrorists, while all cattle rearers must undergo security profiling.

    The decision of the lawmakers followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance by Mark Gbilah (APC, Benue), who said the Federal government failed in its primary responsibility of welfare and security of lives and property to the people of his State.

    Citing the killing of two clergymen and others on Tuesday, Gbilah said killing of people in their homes at night has not stopped despite numerous appeals to the Federal government for intervention.

    According to him, army personnel deployed from the 72 Army battalion in Makurdi to quell the incessant murder in Gwer East, Gwer West and several other Local Govermemt Areas (LGAs) by armed herdsmen took the law into their hands in a blatant display of brigandage and criminality and attacked Naka town in retaliation for the alleged murder of one of their colleagues.

    He said Benue state government has repeatedly raised alarm to security agencies about the alleged location of the attackers near Adaka in Makurdi LGA and Gbaji Gwer West LGA from where recent attacks were launched against neighboring communities.

    He regretted that security agencies curiously do not employ a proactive strategy to preemptively attack the locations or carry out continuous surveillance of identified flash points.

    Another lawmaker from Benue, Dickson Tarkighin (APC) said the people of Benue have lost faith in Nigeria while adding that the killers were from Nasarawa and other neighbouring states.

    Edward Pwajok (APC, Plateau) said the security chiefs should be summoned to face the lawmakers and be interrogated in the full glare of the world.

    Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta) said the President has breached the constitution by failing in his primary responsibility to the nation and that the House should not be afraid to activate the relevant provision for such breaches.

    Kehinde Agboola (PDP, Ekiti) said: “It is like the leadership of this country is confused, if the President cannot resign, he should sack the Service Chiefs”.

    On his part, Deputy Minority Leader, Chukwuka Onyeama urged his colleagues to be decisive in their decision and call the President to order.

    Sunday karimi (PDP, Kogi) said Nigerians are disappointed in the President, “Buhari is not the Buhari of 1985. Nigerians gave him a strong mandate.

    “He has changed, he has failed to move the nation forward, Section 143 should be invoked,” he said.

    Aliyu Magaji (APC, Jigawa) said though he belonged to the ruling party but President Buhari has not shown enough capacity to convince Nigerians that he is capable of tackling the many challenges facing the country.

    “Enough  is enough, this beyond sentiment, the Service chief must go, if there is no Nigeria, we cannot be here,” he said.

    The motion was unanimously adopted after it was put to a voice vote by Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

    Read Also: Reps mull impeachment proceeding against Buhari over $496m military equipment spending

     

  • Don’t blame judges for delayed cases, says CJN

    ….Says Executive, Legislature could establish special courts

     

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen on Tuesday exonerated judges from being the sole cause of delay in court cases.

    He made the remark while speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    According to him, the responsibility of investigation and prosecution rest squarely with independent bodies.

    He explained that the responsibility of the judges was to  decide on the cases brought to them.

    To this end, he said, it was unfair to blame judges for not expeditiously trying cases when judges were always seated and ready to listen to cases brought before them.

    The establishment of special courts for speedy adjudication of special cases, he said, was the prerogative of the executive in conjunction with the legislature while the judiciary only provides the manpower to handle the special courts.

    According to him, he was at the State House to facilitate with the President who had returned from the Commonwealth of Heads of Government Meeting, CHOGM, in London and also to inform him on developments in the judiciary arm of government.

    He said, “I am here to felicitate with Mr. President. As you are aware, he has just returned from the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting at the head of federal government delegation and there is also the need for regular interaction to keep him abreast of latest development in the Judiciary.”

    On the claim that the Judiciary was not doing enough to ensure speedy trial of cases, he said, “Now, l believe that you know, with your experience of many years of practice that there has never been situation in which any case was taken to court and decided upon and the Judge was not there to listen to the case. , or having finished hearing, he refused to deliver judgement.

    “So, when cases are not tried expeditiously and the Judge is there, ready to listen to the case, you come and for one reason or the other, you take a date to adjourn the case, and the courts grants the adjournment which is normal during proceedings, you cannot turn round and blame the Judge for that.

    “These are the basic things that everybody must know. We must all work together, cooperate for the system to move forward. But if you keep thinking that the Judiciary is the culprit in this delay process, you are not telling the whole story.

    “It is not the judiciary that would go and arrest someone before looking for evidence, it is not the judiciary that would go into investigations. No, we do not operate the Inquisitional mode of justice as it is practiced by the French. Our own is that an independent body must investigate, prosecute while the judge decides.”

    He also commended the judges for doing good jobs despite some pockets of blames.

    “So far, so good. Under the circumstances, l must admit that so far, so good.

    “It is in order to enable you know the workings of the system that l set up the COMPRECO (Commission for the Prevention of Corruption) committee. All along, everybody is passing buck, left, right and centre. The prosecutor is saying, no it is not our responsibility, we are not the cause of the delay, the investigator is saying l am not the cause, the Judge will say, l am not the cause.

    “So, the people must know who is actually causing the delay that is why l set up that committee. And it is made up of the defense counsel, the prosecutor and the Judiciary under the NJC,” he said

    Speaking on the claim that the judiciary was not on the same page with the executive in the ongoing fight against corruption, he said that the judiciary has good working relationship with other arms of government especially the executive in the fight against corruption.

    He said, “I have answered that before and l still say the same thing. We are on the same page with the Executive as well as the legislature. There are three arms of government and these three arms constitute the government. The government is not only the Executive neither is it the legislature but it is the embodiment of the three.”

    Asked when special courts would be set up to try corruption cases, the CJN said, “It is the Executive that has the prerogative in conjunction with the Legislature to establish courts under our constitution.

    “It is not the duty of the judiciary nor that of the Chief Justice of Nigeria. If a special court or any court for that matter the powers that decides to establish them, the Judiciary will run it by providing the manpower required to run it.”

    He said the judiciary was working hard to decongest the nation’s prisons in its prisons reforms even as he noted that the prisons were populated by awaiting trials inmates.

    He said, “You are seeing everything being done on the issue. Next week, we are continuing with our action. But there is something you should know about prison decongestion. Now there is the aspect about the constraints by the physical constraints in respect of the prison itself, how many people were to be contained in one prison, how many were there and how many are there now.

    “Secondly, you should also know that the actual prisoners are fewer compared with the total number you see there which is mainly awaiting trial and that is where the aspect where prison decongestion is working on and l can assure you that this is being handled,” he stated.

    Read Also: Only fit, proper judges will preside over courts – Buhari

  • Why I wrote my Will at 28 -Presidential Adviser Babafemi Ojudu

    Senator Babafemi Ojudu is the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs and also a gubernatorial aspirant in Ekiti State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. In this interview with our Deputy Editor, Nation’s Capital, YOMI ODUNUGA, the journalist, activist and philanthropist speaks on his mission in running for the governorship of the state, noting that President Muhammadu Buhari’s battle against corruption is yielding results even if the agents of the monster are giving him a tough time. Excerpts:

    There were claims in some quarters that you are in this for some form of political bargain because your party may end up with a consensus candidate. Are you in the race for governorship  for bargain or is this for real?

    How is that possible when we have put all our plans in place? I’m planning to work and we have set up mobilisation for our group. We mean business. We are convinced that we are capable of building the new Ekiti and make Ekiti a place of example for the rest of the country. This is no joke and I keep telling people that it is not an ambition for me but a mission to rescue Ekiti, rebuild and show the world the possibilities in that state.

    In spite of Governor Ayo Fayose’s order that your posters and bill boards should be removed for allegedly failing to pay required fees, you were still able to pull an impressive crowd. Was that a rented crowd as being peddled by some persons?

    I couldn’t have rented the crowd. I did not rent any crowd. If you look at the video and how enthusiastic they were, you will know they were largely members of our group, Ero Rebirth Organisation. We have a group present in all the wards, all the towns in Ekiti State. We have 177 coordinators in the wards and 60 coordinators in the local governments. We have headquarters in Ado-Ekiti. We have been working on it. We also have branches in the major cities in US, Britain, South Africa, Australia and Ghana. We have a branch in Abuja here, Lagos, Port Harcourt. So we have people, who came from all over these places.

    You have highly educated people but in spite of that, the state is still backward, how do you change that narrative?

    Let’s diagnose the problem. People say Ekiti people are learned. Yes. When you go to school and become an accountant, engineer, medical doctor, there is nothing to do other than to move out of Ekiti to look out for greener pastures in Lagos, Maryland, Washington, Atlanta, Germany and everywhere. Those left at home are people struggling to eke out a living—you have the civil servants, the teachers. So, yes, we are educated but a lot of people who are doing well are not in Ekiti State. The few who are living in Ekiti are civil servants and teachers, whose salaries have not been paid in 12 months. They are perpetually poor; they can’t pay their rent or medical bills. They can’t do anything for themselves. Someone who has not got salary for 10 months, what will he make of his life? Won’t the children go to school? The graduates can’t find employment, they don’t have a hope, the infrastructure are dilapidated while schools are run down. So there is no life. I have been in this government for more than two years now, whether it’s Peoples Democratic Party or All Progressives Congress, I have seen what the governments have done. Some of them are very creative and intelligent. Look at Kebbi, for instance, all the lands have been turned to rice and wheat farms. But, in Ekiti, nothing has happened. Fayose waits for the end of the month, take his share from the state’s share of the Federation Account and everybody can go to hell. If you pay Paris fund, he is just gallivanting around. He has turned himself to one project governor which is to criticise Buhari, abuse Buhari. That has been his only agenda. So when you get to Ekiti state, you see suffering, grief and hunger. You see hopelessness and that’s the problem we are facing now and trying to find solutions to.

    How do you change that?

    First, you have to ensure there is productivity. Wherever there is no productivity, there can’t be wealth creation. We have a basic formula to resolve the problem in Ekiti. Yes we are educated but knowledge without enterprise can lead to poverty. We want to add enterprise plus knowledge to create wealth and development. You cannot wake up and go into heavy industries. Land area in Ekiti is very fertile. Less than 10 per cent of land in Ekiti has been cultivated. I have done a research on that. We have done research on that and calculated what is available as land space. So we want to move people back to agriculture so that they can farm and produce heavily.

    When they produce, you can then find private investors to come and do processing as it’s happening in Kebbi. In Ekiti, we have five dams and they are not used to provide water for the people and not used for agriculture. They are just lying there fallow. With those bodies of water, we can grow maize all year round, vegetables and tomato; with market in Lagos, Ibadan even Abuja, we will make good money. We are not talking of cutlass and hoe agriculture but mechanised farming. This will, firstly, move large number of our young people to the farm using tractors and other farm machineries to do agriculture. If you look at history, you realise that 40 per cent of revenue generated in the western region that Chief Obafemi  Awolowo used to build free education and develop the region came from Ekiti. I am talking of cocoa and the cocoa producers are still there now but they are old. Initially, we were producing 80 pods per tree but currently producing 4 pods per tree. We want to review that and focus on agricultural development. The entire south of Ekiti State is a cocoa belt. If we have that now, we will be swimming in wealth. So we are going to really encourage the renewal of those farms and see how we can renew cocoa farms estate.

    Unlike Awolowo, we won’t export the raw cocoa but we will dry and bag it. We will keep the pod here and ask the private sector to establish processing plants that will process them and ship them out. It will add more money than shipping them out raw.

    So basically, within two years of being in government, we will have established the estate in every local government where you can rest, provide electricity and modern technologies such that young people can stay in the villages and live a very good life. If they want to watch football competition, they can do that after farming and then they can be productive. You don’t see youths who just walk across the streets. Every young man today in Ekiti State is a politician. Many of them are already on drugs, many have become thugs.

    The incumbent governor has both political and financial power, how will you wrestle power from such a person?   

    Over the last two years, people have seen that it’s a deceit; he doesn’t mean what he says but just deceiving them. You say you a friend to the common man, yet you are not paying their salaries. The stomach infrastructure you used to campaign, you no longer give the rice anymore. This last Christmas, we were waiting for him to give them rice and chicken but because he knows he would no longer contest the election, he didn’t give them. People now see that it’s a deceit. When you look at his lifestyle, it betrays what he preaches. You went to Benue State and donated money yet you didn’t pay the salaries of your people. You built a two kilometers bridge in a town where there is no traffic or water. He has cut the salaries and allowances of Obas in the state. Everything is just going wrong; so they are just waiting for that day to vote in APC.

    Outside politics and journalism, you are also known as a philanthropist. Were all these tailored towards the realization of your gubernatorial ambition?

    As you said, they know me and I don’t hide anything from them. What is paramount to me is the development of that state. I even told them, I have a 3-bedroom bungalow in Ado-Ekiti. If I’m elected, I’m staying in that bungalow to make a statement that we have to cut all of these wastes attached to governance in Nigeria.

    How will you rate your chance within the APC?

    My chance is very bright. I will tell you this: there is a set of people in Ekiti who says because of what we have seen in Fayose, who came back, we are not going to accept that again. You can’t seek re-election so you can decide not to do anything. You can just decide to come and get your retirement benefit. So, there are elements who said no. There are also those who, because of their antecedents, have offended Obas, students, party men or the opposition. So people are waiting. These people are carrying a lot of baggage. There is nobody in that state who did not know my role since 1999. If a government is not doing well, if one becomes so troublesome to the extent of beating up Obas, I will go there and organise his impeachment. I organized the impeachment of Fayose in 2006. In 2011, he contested against me and I defeated him. I had 68, 000 votes, he had 21, 000 votes.

    So they know my antecedents, they know that I’m forthright and I have never stolen money. My name has not shown up in any theft or embezzlement. I have never been investigated as a public official in my life. I live within my means; I don’t promise what I can’t do, I have an antecedent. They know my role in bringing about democracy in Nigeria. So, my credentials stand out.

    How do you mix these three- journalism, activism and being philanthropist?

    It has to do with having a genuine heart.  Whatever I do, I add passion to it. I have never been investigated. Whatever I don’t have passion for, I stay away. Then I want to say that I’m not motivated by money. If you say Femi Ojudu, there is money two kilometres away from here to be taken; I’m not going to take it. If you call me and say a young man or woman is being oppressed 10 kilometres away and you are the one who can save the person, I will run with all the energy I can summon to save the person. That’s the kind of person I am.

    So when you talk about activism, yes. I am passionate about human rights, good governance and democracy as well as freedom of the press. It is passion. The same thing with governance, I believe that this country can be better if we all decide to say no way to corruption.

    You are the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, would you say this administration has done enough to tame the corruption monster with the kind of stories we read daily about what is happening in the system?

    Let me tell you, we have all benefitted from corruption. All of us in this country and that’s what this administration is taking away from us. If I were SA, Political Affairs to a former President, you won’t come and see me here. For this interview, you won’t come and see me here. I will take a suite and have all of the champagne and foods for you to drink from. And when you are going, I’ll say Yomi, take $10,000. I won’t know I’m giving you anything and when you get home, assuming you are doing a construction project in your house, you may send $5, 000 for it. If you have a girlfriend, you give her $1, 000. So, it tickles down. That is how people benefit. You are a jeans maker, you are not producing anything but by just knowing Mr. President, the Minister, 100s of millions of dollars come to you and you buy private jet, hire crew, two pilots and gallivanting all over. You come to Abuja, you buy a mansion and yet you are not producing but taking from the state.

    Then, if somebody comes and says I’m taking away all these, you can no longer pay your pilot. You can’t service that jet, you can’t pay the insurance, and your girlfriends can no longer travel first class abroad, so she abandoned you. Things are just collapsing. You can’t just maintain the house you bought, you can’t pay the school fees of your child you registered in a very expensive school in America, there is no way you won’t hate the man but the man didn’t hate you. The man is saying let us use the resources of this country for the benefit of our people. You are in this town. When I was in the Senate, I observed how pastors, bishops, emirs, alfas visited the villa. When they were going, they put a bag of $200, 000 in trunk of their cars. If you now have a president that says all I can give you when you come is bitter kola and tom-tom, and a handshake when you are leaving, there is no way you won’t be angry.

    Some years ago, you see a girl who just completed youth corps using an Iphone worth N500,000. The hair is from Brazil, which cost N50,000 and rented an apartment in Asokoro for N20 million per annum, riding a Range Rover. You then ask where she got all that kind of money. It is from corruption. All of that has stopped. I am not saying that corruption has been totally eradicated but largely, it has been blocked. And that is why many are angry. That is why they want Buhari dead, and out of government. They want the country to collapse and corruption to thrive. But the man said, whatever you do, I must get this country going in such a manner that majority of Nigerians benefit from the resources.  So when you are looking for why people hate Buhari, that is the reason.

    People will like to know your philosophy of life? With your activism under the late General Sani Abacha to your interventions in the fiery politics of your state, is it right to describe you as a fatalist?

    (Laughs) Fatalism, for me I will say whatever will be will be. Just believe in yourself. I lost my sense of fear perhaps at the age of 25. I wrote my first Will at the age of 28 and I have been updating it since. So I don’t sense danger. I can trek the streets without policeman. I can eat anywhere without any fear of food poisoning. If you poison me, I die and so what? What’s the big deal about dying? If you say fatalism in that sense, fine. See it is when you panic or be apprehensive that you cannot achieve your dreams. When as young men, we confronted Abacha, people said they would kill you. And so what? We were in danger, arrested, detained but we were not killed. We survived. We did what giants could not do. In this same way, I will go into this, confront all of the giants and survive. If in the process anything happens to me, so be it. Somebody else will carry on from there.

  • On Buhari’s re-election bid

    Sir: President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration the other day to seek re-election has understandably generated a wave of mixed reactions from Nigerians. The ascetic General, at a NEC meeting of the APC told a startled party faithful that he is going to take another shot at the presidency. Reports say pin-drop silence enveloped the arena following the declaration.

    The torrential downpour that came down same day was attributed to the declaration by Buhari. According to those who circulated this tale, heaven, like most Nigerians, was angry with Buhari’s declaration.

    Frankly, I don’t know when rain started falling in anger. Do the heavens not open when it wishes? When did rainfall become a sign that all is not well?

    Buhari says it’s a response to the clamour by Nigerians for him to seek a second term. We’ve heard several clamours. But there have also been other contrary clamours.

    Away from Buhari’s declaration and the fuss it has generated, there are some very pertinent issues that should preoccupy the minds of Nigerians other than whether somebody is running, walking or sitting.

    While it is advisable not to say – never, other parties, especially the seemingly contrite and faintly repented PDP must get to work, cleanse their house, put it in order and put forward a young, fresh and untainted presidential candidate that will command mass support and followership if they really want to dislodge Buhari and the APC from the throne.

    Instead of dissipating energy attacking Buhari every other day and APC for not loving Nigerians enough by coming out again with an ‘old man’, why not focus on your house and think of the right, perhaps, pan-Nigerian candidate that will have Nigerians defy party, tribe, and primordial leanings to vote for him?

    PDP and others must think beyond just grabbing power. We are still groping in the dark alleys of epileptic, if not nonexistent power supply. Buying fuel is still a big thing here despite nature blessing us with black gold. Young Nigerians have found solace in betting centres for lack of jobs, some federal roads remain highways to the grave; we suffer brain drain as our best medical doctors jet off to foreign lands to practise their trade, leaving our eternally ill equipped hospitals to rot away.

    Poor Nigerians make do with the hospitals described by many as mere referral centres while those who should fix them seek medical attention abroad when headache knocks.

    Our education system is crying for much more attention than the pedestrian attention we give it. All these are pressing national malaises that should engage our time and not whether Buhari will run or not.

    Why we have remained a sleeping giant on broken limbs should get us thinking and worried. It’s not about power and all its appurtenances. Nigerians are sick and tired of empty promises. Our disillusionment has reached its tipping point. The nation is on a cliff hanger. Politics of nepotism, favouritism and deception has ruined this blessed contraption. We’ve suffered for far too long in this nation owing to insincere leaders and saboteurs who loathe the progress of this country.

    What special, unique thing that set a good template for the nation to fly did those calling for Buhari’s head do when the lever of power was theirs? Is it a Nigerian thing that one receives sense in excess when out of power? The idea here is not to defend Buhari; but will other parties, especially the leading opposition, PDP, present a better alternative or will they pander to such worn out sentiments of who can beat Buhari?

    As the clock ticks towards the next polls, it is germane for the APC and Buhari to tell us, in clear terms, why the Daura man should be voted again as was the case in 2015 and why we should believe them.

    On their part, the Peoples Democratic Party whose expedient apology the other day remains a matter of hot debate in political circles, pepper soup joints and beer parlours, in concert with other opposition forces, having known who will likely fly the ruling party’s flag, must devise ways of beating them at their game, get a vibrant, sound and youthful presidential candidate that Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, religion, will vote for en masse like it was with Buhari and APC in 2015.

    We need a stainless technocrat not tied to the apron strings of our perpetual godfathers and political buccaneers to salvage this nation from its many troubles.

    Will they?

     

    • Kenneth Jude,

    Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

  • Buhari to host ECOWAS conference on farmers/herders clashes 

    President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to declare open on April 26 a conference of the member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on farmers/herdsmen clashes across the country.

    This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

    Stressing that the meeting was initially planned for last February, he said that it was part of efforts by the ECOWAS and some other African countries towards finding permanent solutions to the persistent farmers-herdsmen clashes in Nigeria and beyond.

    He said “This is why, for instance, we initiated the conference that is to come up between April 26 and 29 under the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Goods and Services, zeroing particularly on the protocol on the movement of trans-humans which was signed in 1978 but yet to be implemented.

    “I had meetings with President ECOWAS Commission, the one that left, and we agreed to have this conference sometime last month. But because there were leaving and new set of management was coming in it was shifted to toward the end of this month.

    “So, the whole idea is to look at this issue of movements across borders. So, this month on April 26, God willing, we are going to have this conference and Mr President has graciously agreed to open the conference,’’ he said

    The conference which would also attract participants from the Central African Republic, Chad, Cameroon, Morocco and Mauritania, he said, would explore the relationship between the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, and trans-border criminal activities.

    He said “Zeroing particularly on the protocol of trans-humans which was signed in 1978 and we are yet to implement them. I had meeting with the president ECOWAS commission, the one that left and we agreed to have this conference sometimes last month but they were leaving, and the new set of management coming in, it was shifted to towards the end of this month.

    “The whole idea is to look at this issue of movement across borders. The protocol provided for instance, that any of such movement, of trans-human should be received at the reception center by the host country and there international trans-human certificate are supposed to guide them. And not only that, they should also go along with international health certificates for the cattle they are going with.

    “So, if somebody comes in with 10 cattle for instance, and if he is going out with 20, you have to ask him questions because of the issue of cattle rustling. We will also be able to know that the animals he is bringing do not carry disease. We also want to be sure that they obey the laws of the country to the latter.

    “And the issue of carrying of arms because it is a no go area, we have zero tolerance to that because it is not part of the protocol. So, these are the issues that will be discussed at a high level ministerial conference which involves all ministers responsible for internal security and agriculture in all these countries, the fifteen ECOWAS countries plus some of these countries in Central Africa, particular, Chad, Cameroun and Central African Republic. And also, it will involve Mauritania and Morocco. Mr. President has graciously agreed to open the conference on 26th, so it is of great concern to us,” he said

    On threats by Shiites to continue attacks in Abuja, he said “Well, I’m not sure of where that alert is coming from. You know that these days, you have to be very mindful of these things in the social media. It is like I saw one yesterday saying that there is going to be nuclear attack in the United Kingdom and this was broadcast by the BBC, and it is fake.

    “So, you have to be very careful with that. But I want to reassure you that law and order exist within the society and the FCT minister is very aware and is on top of it because of what happened recently. The commissioner of police is aware and is part of it.

    “About some people attacking or not, I think is something that we have to be cautious of where such information is coming from. If there is anything like that, you will get it from official sources. As at now, there is nothing like that because the police is handling that. You must have listened to the news last night and this morning, the commissioner of police FCT came out to speak and he assured all residents of FCT of security of lives and property,” he stated.

    Read Also:Buhari to restore study of history in schools

  • I’m more preoccupied with security, economy than 2019 elections – Buhari 

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said that his administration is more preoccupied with the three-pronged focus of the current administration that the 2019 presidential elections.

    Buhari had last week Monday declared his intention to run for Presidential elections in 2019 before travelling to the United Kingdom.

    But speaking in a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister, Theresa May on Monday at 10, Downing Street, London; Buhari explained that he is still more bothered about security and the Nigerian economy.

    In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, the President said “We campaigned on three major issues, to secure the country, revive the economy and fight corruption

    “We have elections next year, politicians are already pre-occupied with the polls, but I am bothered more about security and the economy,” he added.

    Recalling that Nigeria and Britain have a long history of cooperation on several fronts, President Buhari said: “People ought to know how they arrived where they are, if they would move forward. It was a mistake for us to have stopped the teaching of history as a subject in schools, but we are returning it to the curriculum now.”

    He commended British companies like Unilever, Cadbury, and many others, “who have stood with Nigeria through thick and thin. Even when we fought a Civil War, they never left.

    “But like Oliver Twist, we ask for more investments. We are encouraging more British companies to come to Nigeria. We appreciate the support you have given in training and equipping our military, particularly in the war against insurgency, but we want to also continue to work with you on trade and investment.” he said

    The President also briefed Prime Minister May on the strides in agriculture, which he said has put Nigeria firmly on the road to food self-sufficiency.

    “I am very pleased with the successes in agriculture. We have cut rice importation by about 90%, made lots of savings of foreign exchange, and generated employment. People had rushed to the cities to get oil money, at the expense of farming.

    “But luckily, they are now going back to the farms. Even professionals are going back to the land. We are making steady progress on the road to food security.”

    On education, President Buhari said more investment was being made, because “people can look after themselves if well educated. In this age of technology, education is very important. We need well-staffed and well-equipped institutions to move into the next generation.”

    On Climate change and environmental issues, President Buhari brought up the necessity of inter-basin water transfer from Congo Basin to Lake Chad.

    He said  “The Lake Chad is now about 10% of its original size, and it is perhaps one of the reasons our youths dare both the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean, to get to Europe. But if there is inter-basin water transfer, about 40 million people in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and other countries stand to benefit.

    “I made the case during the Climate Change Summit in France. If Lake Chad is recharged, it will reduce the number of youths coming to Europe to increase social problems. We brought back about 4,000 people from Libya recently. Almost all of them were below 30, and Libya was not their final destination. They were headed to Europe.” he said

    Prime Minister May, in her remarks, said Britain would continue to work with Nigeria in the areas of training and equipping the military.

    She was particular about abduction of young schoolgirls by Boko Haram, noting that Britain would continue to give Nigeria needed assistance.

    The Prime Minister said the Buhari administration has “been making good progress on the economy,” and urged it to maintain the focus, despite approaching elections, and increase in political activities.

    On education and climate change, she declared: “Good grounding in education is good. It is important to equip young people for today’s world. It is also a good bastion and defence against modern slavery.

    “The issue of the environment and climate change is very important, because of its impact on many countries in the Commonwealth. Stability at home is important, to curb illegal migration.” she said

    Prime Minister May, who commended President Buhari for the much he has been doing on improving trade and business for Nigeria, noted that it was also time to boost intra-Commonwealth trade.

    Read Also:Why looters don’t want Buhari to be re-elected in 2019 – Rivers APC

  • Why looters don’t want Buhari to be re-elected in 2019 – Rivers APC

    The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has stated that looters do not want President Muhammadu Buhari to be re-elected in 2019, in order to protect their loot.

    It also described the brouhaha generated by a cross-section of Nigerians on the resolve of President Buhari to seek a second term next year as unnecessary and unwarranted, stressing that the President is constitutionally empowered to seek re-election, if he so desires.

    Rivers APC stated these Monday in Port Harcourt through the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media/Public Affairs Consultant to its state chairman, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze.

    It noted that it was fully aware of the dangers inherent in the propaganda and wicked rumours being peddled by economic saboteurs and persons who looted with impunity, in order to ensure that the re-election of President Buhari became a bit difficult, but maintained that no matter their level of propaganda, the President had performed well to guarantee his re-election.

    Rivers APC said: “The party will not be deterred by the antecedents of the enemies of Nigeria. We wish to reassure Nigerians that the people who ruined the country’s economy and are attempting to frustrate the re-election of the African icon of anti-corruption struggle (President Buhari) will surely not succeed.

    “The looters are fully aware of what the re-election of President Buhari entails, as it will constitute a challenge to their keeping and securing their loot, but we will not allow them to come back to continue their looting spree from where they stopped in 2015, no matter the odds.

    “APC-led Federal Government, under President Buhari, has proved within less than three years that the party has the best interest of Nigerians, especially Niger Deltans, through the various intervention projects and programmes being embarked upon. President Buhari will surely be supported for his second term bid.

    “Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, a son of the Niger Delta region, in his six years as the President of Nigeria, acknowledged that he failed the people of Niger Delta by not embarking on any meaningful project in the region, besides imposing Nyesom Wike as the Governor of Rivers State, to promote insecurity in the state and other parts of the Niger Delta.”

    The main opposition party in Rivers (APC) also urged the people of Niger Delta to massively vote for President Buhari in 2019 and not to repeat the blunder of the 2015, where they mostly mistakenly supported their son (Jonathan), whom APC said failed the region and Nigeria abysmally.

    Read Also: It’s wrong to say Buhari shouldn’t run, says Olanipekun

  • Who will save some Nigerians from intellectual laziness

    Since President Muhammadu Buhari met with the Archbishop of Canterbury in London on Wednesday, and spoke on the likely impact of gunmen trained by former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, on the killings by herdsmen in Nigeria, some people have virtually flown off the handle, ululating as if wailing was going out of fashion.

    They twisted the meaning of Mr President’s words (yes, some people twist everything, even the words of God; 2 Peter:3, 15,16). They claimed he was blaming Gaddafi, long dead, for the killings in Nigeria.

    But let’s see the vacuousness and intellectual laziness in the twist they have given what President Buhari said, out of sheer malice and evil hearts. Sadly, even a Senator was involved in the sickening display of poisonous heart. That’s what you get when small minds get into high places.

    Here’s what Mr President told Archbishop Justin Welby:
    “The problem is even older than us. It has always been there, but now made worse by the influx of armed gunmen from the Sahel region into different parts of the West African sub-region. These gunmen were trained and armed by Muammar Gadaffi of Libya. When he was killed, the gunmen escaped with their arms. We encountered some of them fighting with Boko Haram. Herdsmen that we used to know carried only sticks and maybe a cutlass to clear the way, but these ones now carry sophisticated weapons. The problem is not religious, but sociological and economic. But we are working on solutions.”

    “The problem is even older than us,” said President Buhari. If anybody is not challenged with simple understanding of English language, does this mean pre-Gaddafi? The former Libyan leader was born in 1942, and killed in October 2011, making him 69 years old at the time of his death. So, did he cause clashes between farmers and herdsmen, which the President said was older than most living Nigerians? Only rabidly mischievous minds can conceive such.

    “It has always been there, but now made worse…” If you say something has been exacerbated by a factor, does it mean such factor is the cause? Simply illogical.

    The President talked about the influx of militia trained, armed and used by Gaddafi, who now dispersed into different countries, including possibly Nigeria, after the Libyan strongman’s death. Are some people claiming ignorance of such development, despite it being global knowledge? So deep must be the ignorance of such people. Simple research will show them the Libyan influence on proliferation of small arms all over Africa, after Gaddafi’s death.
    The President then talked about the herdsmen we used to know, who carried just sticks, and at worst a cutlass, saying those armed with sophisticated weapons were unknown to this clime. Is that not true?

    If herdsmen have suddenly turned murderous in a country, it calls for all sorts of interrogation, including intellectual, as to what may have gone wrong. The causes could be multifarious. And solutions must be jointly proffered.

    A President has sensitive security reports available to him. President Buhari gave another vista from which the herdsmen/farmers clashes could be considered, but rather than be reflective and do critical interrogation, the wailers engaged in their pastime: they began to wail, including senators and people who should naturally be level headed and examine issues dispassionately. Very sorry.

    “But we are working on solutions,” President Buhari told the cleric. They ignored that. It holds no meaning for them. They are interested in problems, not solutions. Problems serve their pernicious interests more. Pity!

    That is what hatred does to the heart. It stunts the mind and poisons the soul. Such heart plays petty partisan and divisive politics with every matter. It is what President Buhari at that meeting called “irresponsible politics.” And as we head for general elections next year, much more of it would be seen, except such people reform, and put on their thinking caps.

    The tendency now is to twist and slant every word from President Buhari in the negative, all in a bid to demean, de-market, and demonize him, and make him unattractive to the electorate. But those who do it are to be pitied.

    Sensible Nigerians know what the President is doing for the country, and would queue behind him at the polls next year. At the end of it all, the detractors would be holding the short ends of the stick, and looking small, forlorn and disconsolate. Where would they then hide their faces?

  • Fury of host communities

    Amid despair following an attack on the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), President Muhammadu Buhari has warned such invaders of severe consequences, reports OKODILI NDIDI

    It is foolhardiness for a host to harm his guest. This is an ageless African adage that buttresses the brotherliness and friendship that define host-guest relationship. Your guest is your brother and should be protected and given the best treatment, especially when he behaves himself and keeps to the host’s etiquette.

    This wise counsel was jettisoned by the host communities to the nation’s premier university of technology, the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) when they invaded the school in the dead of night and unleashed such wanton destruction as stunned the institution’s management, students and other people of good conscience.

    The marauders demolished the newly erected perimeter fence of the university measuring over 1.5km, valued at N60 million.

    The incident has thrown the university community into fear of further attacks from the host communities.

    The bickering between the university and the host communities including Ihiagwa, Obinze, Umuanunu, Eziobodo and Avu did not start today. They have been locked in fierce dispute over the university land which was duly acquired with full compensations paid by the Federal Government but which the community is laying claim to.

    The host communities despite all efforts by the university management to resolve the matter have continued to encroach on the expansive land, selling and building houses on plots designated for academic projects.

    To forestall this ugly trend, the management painstakingly commenced the perimeter fencing of the entire university land. The labourers worked day and night and the walls grew taller each day as if it sprouted from the ground. But just when the university was about consolidating the new sense of security occasioned by the high walls, it came crashing. And what used to be an impregnable and imposing wall was reduced to ruins in one night of mindless destruction.

    Briefing journalists before the latest invasion of the university by hoodlums, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Francis Eze, had lamented that the university is under serious threat over the criminal activities of land speculators who have invaded the institution’s land.

    He disclosed that the encroach-ment on the university land by unauthorised land grabbers poses serious danger to lives and property of the management and students, as well as the corporate existence of the institution.

    Prof Eze pointed out that the forceful takeover of the institution’s land by the speculators recently assumed a dangerous dimension with the pulling down of the exit gate and the security house by the invaders.

    He said, “The university duly acquired the land in compliance with laid down procedures including the full payment of all settlements to the host communities. But the recent encroachment on the University land is so overwhelming that you can call it invasion”.

    He, however, warned, saying, “All those patronising land speculators and buying FUTO land and building on the land will lose their money as the buildings will be demolished”.

    Eze stated that the management of the University has started perimeter fencing of the University, “We have started the perimeter fencing of the University at a huge cost just to protect the land. Last time some group of persons brought heavy equipment and brought down our gatehouse; it is that bad but we will no longer allow that. All those buying and building on FUTO land are doing so at their own risk”.

    The Vice Chancellor disclosed that the University has been up and doing in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility by engaging in medical outreaches for the host communities, as well as providing jobs and admissions for qualified students from the communities.

    He also hinted that another major worry for the university is the activities of illegal miners that have been mining sand under the foot of the bridge in the school premises.

    “If nothing is done about the menace of the sand miners, this bridge built at a huge cost will collapse one day,” he said.

    Also at different occasions, the youths from the host communities have disrupted ongoing projects in the university to demand illegal payments from contractors and the school management.

    Meanwhile one of the leaders of the host communities, who didn’t want his name in print, said that the land was acquired at a time the people were yet to appreciate the value of such expanse of land.

    He said, “We have lost all our ancestral lands to the university. We don’t even have any land left to farm on, so what we are saying is that the university cannot acquire our whole land, we need to renegotiate, that’s all we are demanding”.

    Amid the gloom in the university community, some hope has come from the highest office in the land. President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that invasion of institutions of higher learning will no longer be tolerated.

    He also directed security agencies to go after the invaders and bring them to justice.

    The president was speaking at the 30th convocation of the university at the weekend where he was represented by the Minister of State for Education Prof Anthony Anwuka.

     

  • Diversification: Steel industry to the rescue

    If well harnessed, Nigeria could earn $3 billion in foreign exchange from the steel industry. In this article entitled: “Reviving Nigeria’s steel industry for economic development”, Frederick Owonka, identifies the industry as one of the major pillars of the diversification efforts of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    Thanks to corruption, poor management, sponsored sabotage and fake news/barriers created by competitors/importers afraid of competition, professional litigants, many industrial initiatives have either collapsed or were abandoned. Nigeria’s steel industry is one of the key economic sectors abandoned by the past administrations in the country, and no reasonable government can afford to see such huge investments go into waste.

    Since the Buhari administration was elected into office in 2015, the country has witnessed a rigorous and well-focused commitment to revive the country’s abandoned industrial projects. The steel industry is one of the major pillars of Nigeria’s economic diversification efforts. Undoubtedly, the Buhari administration has demonstrated real commitment to this national endeavour.

    Local production of steel will significantly reduce Nigeria’s importation of steel and save Nigeria a minimum of $3 billion dollars in foreign exchange per year. In a world that has grown furiously competitive, no nation can afford to rely on one export commodity. It is, in fact, no longer safe for Nigeria to depend entirely on oil as the main revenue earner.

    One of the key objectives of privatisation is the desire to achieve efficiency and profitability. Besides, the success or failure of privatisation also depends on the technical experience and competence of the investors taking over public enterprises.

    Premium Steel and Mines Limited, fully owned by Nigerians with 50 years of successful track record in key sectors & major industries of the economy is making impressive progress in terms of achieving Nigeria’s economic diversification initiatives.

    According to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Prasantra Mishra, Premium Steel and Mines Ltd, will produce 50 per cent of Nigeria’s steel needs in the first phase of manufacture.

    With its facility at Ovwian, Aladja, Delta State, the company has pledged to meet more than 50 per cent of steel products need during the first phase of production. Premium Steel has been allocated Iron ore mines in Kogi and will commence mining soon. Mr. Mishra, who announced this at the official commissioning of the steel and mining facility, said it was high time “Nigeria, sustainably and inclusively converged with the rest of the world to enhance industrial and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita income.

    Mishra explained: “We are touching the lives of the local communities, particularly through accessible and affordable healthcare, employment, women empowerment, education and sustainable development.

    It is not enough for investors to make profits, but they should also make positive impact on the lives of the communities where they serve. In line with this objective, Mishra noted that his company is committed to Nigeria’s industrial and economic revolution to lay the foundation of efforts to address poverty and inequality by creating job opportunities, and wealth creation.

    The former Delta Steel Company (DSC), which was estimated to produce 1.2 million tons of various steel products per annum, is currently being run by Premium Steel and Mines Ltd.

    Backed by sound experience, these local investors have remarkably transformed the former DSC into modern industrial success story. The company is now retooled with state-of-the-art equipment and “it is ready for competitive production as the wheels spin once again”.

    Ranked as one of Nigeria’s best steel mills to produce the BS 4449 grade steel, Premium Steel has the capacity to produce high capacity and quality products to be used for high-rise buildings, bridges, flyovers, malls due to its tough mechanical and remarkable strength.

    No less important government support is essential to the success of the investors. Mishra praised the Buhari administration’s industrial transformation agenda, describing it as the “prerequisite for economic development and sustained per capita income. He also recognized the dynamic leadership style, guidance and support of the Mines & Steel Development Minister, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, for what he called Fayemi’s ‘strong initiative.’”

    According to the minister’s road map for development, his ministry is capable of contributing $27 billion dollars to the country’s GDP.

    According to the road map, Nigeria’s aspiration was to be Africa’s mining mineral processing centre last year and in 2020; it seeks to make Nigeria compete in the global market for refined metals and minerals from 2018 to 2030 with the ultimate goal of achieving globally competitive mining sector.

    Read Also: Twist in the Ajaokuta Steel tale