President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met behind closed doors with the former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Nnamani said that there are moves to bring those aggrieved during the primaries back to the APC fold.
He said “We are still harmonizing; in the primaries and the congresses, there were quite a few conflicts and conflicts are common in political arena.
“Right now, we are grappling with the outcome of the primaries, trying to bring everybody together.
“We are not asking anybody to go to hell; we are asking them to come together; if you do not do well, there is nothing to cheer; if you do well, everybody will be happy; we are still working on appeasing a number of people so that we can be happy.
“APC is a national party and we should do everything to integrate our people, so that we can make progress.” he said.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday night again blamed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for wasting the commonwealth of Nigerians during its sixteen years administrations.
According to him, there was nothing to show for the huge resources that were earned in the country during the period.
He spoke at a dinner for youth political appointees at the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He specifically queried the $16 billion expended on the power sector during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“There was no power they said they spent $16bn on, where is it?” he queried.
The President also expressed disappointment with the Nigerian press over the poor coverage of his go back to land agricultural revolution program.
He said that the press did not give the credit of the ongoing transformation in the agricultural sector of the country to his administration.
Buhari said: “I’m very disappointed with the Nigerian press. They didn’t give this government the credit of the go back to land program. We have cut down the importation of rice by at least 90 percent.”
According to him, Nigerians are now leaving white collar jobs for farming to tap from the revolution.
He also said that the country has achieved food security.
The President said he appointed Chief Audu Ogbeh as the Minister of Agriculture in view of his experience in the sector.
“Ogbeh went to a bank, borrowed money and invested in the agriculture. He suffered but eventually he paid the money. So, you cannot have a better person than somebody who has suffered in the sector, “he said.
Speaking at the occasion, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said that the PDP didn’t achieve one-tenth of APC achievements in its sixteen years at the helm of affairs.
He said “As a Government arm, we have achieved so much and I am going to make available to you a document that we have put together, which captures what the government has been able to achieve in just about two and half years, what I called a midterm report.
“If we have to make a comparison of what has been achieved in the last couple of years, the 16 years of PDP administration will not constitute one-tenth of what we have been able to achieve in the last three and half years.
“We went to the 2015 elections with promises, but we will go to the 2019 elections with our scorecard,” he said.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday night said that the brutal activities of the Boko Haram sect would soon become history.
He gave the assurance while hosting members of the Kannywood entertainment industry to a dinner at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking in Hausa language, he said that the Federal Government would not allow any group hiding under religion to unleash terror on innocent citizens.
He said: “It’s totally wrong for any believer in God to kill innocent people either in the Mosque, Church or the market place.
“You can’t be shouting Allahu Akbar (Allah is Great), Allahu Akbar, and be killing innocent citizens and destroying properties all in the name of God.
“It is either you don’t know what you are saying or you don’t even believe in the existence of God Almighty. God has nothing to do with injustice.
“So, now we are confronting them and by the grace of God we will destroy them.’’ he said
Recalling his political struggles since 2003 when he made his first attempt at the presidential seat, he lauded former President Goodluck Jonathan for accepting defeat in the 2015 general elections.
“I’ll continue to hold former president Jonathan in high esteem as a result of that singular act.
“He (Jonathan) was in power as Deputy Governor, Governor (Bayelsa), Vice-President and President, all for about 10 years and he voluntarily accepted defeat and surrendered power to me,’’ he said.
The president also enjoined members of the Kannywood to use their respective talents in promoting the culture of peaceful co-existence and unity among the diverse socio-political groups in the country.
Speaking earlier in his remarks, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, expressed the hope that Buhari had been guaranteed at least five million votes in the 2019 presidential election by the fans and followers of the entertainers.
He, therefore, urged them to use their platforms in the social media in promoting the achievements of the Buhari administration.
Mustapha thanked entertainers for the roles they played in 2015 which contributed immensely to the victory of Buhari in the presidential election, and called on them to repeat the same in 2019.
Representatives of the Kannywood entertainers, who spoke at the event, pledged to mobilise support for Buhari and other APC candidates in the forthcoming 2019 general elections.
The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel Udom on Thursday said that he would not be distracted by the antics of political opponents in his state.
According to him, the opponents were allegedly planning to cause mayhem and disrupt the forthcoming general elections in the area.
Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, he said that only God ultimately gives power and that he was not afraid of losing re-election next year.
He said “There is something you people must know. When it comes to power it is only God who determines and we are conscious of that. We are professionals who have made names in other places. So, when people just discuss some of these things we keep doing our own businesses.
“At times, some of these things are to distract you but we refuse to be distracted. We play politics of development and our people are seeing that. So, whatever would have tried in any way to distract us we don’t want to be distracted. So, don’t be bothered about that. It is only God who determines what happens the next minute, not man. And no man is God.”
He also said anyone planning violence and war in Akwa Ibom was wasting his time as the people have resolved to be peaceful and will remain so.
He however pointed out that such threats from any quarters were being noted even at the level of the presidency, and that he believed there is no cause for alarm.
“At the moment , Akwa Ibom State is very peaceful. We only hear of those plots. I am sure you people heard where people were pronouncing that Warsaw, Warsaw, and that’s what they wish Akwa Ibom would be.
“But we indigenes are saying no, we are peaceful and we want to maintain peace. Whoever wants to live by Warsaw, will also see war on his own, not within the state. Because, most of those people that make these pronouncements, ask them where are their children?
“So, who are those children that you are pronouncing this Warsaw for? Election does not call for that. That’s not democracy!
“People can give different kinds of meanings for democracy, but that’s not democracy. Our own democracy is about development and I think we’re conscious of that. As of today in terms of internal security I think we are still doing very well and we’ll continue to carry everybody along.” he said
According to him, he was at the Villa to discuss with the President development issues concerning Akwa Ibom.
The new Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi was among state governors that attended the National Economic Council ( NEC ) meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday.
Fayemi was sworn in as Executive Governor of Ekiti State on Tuesday.
He arrived the Council Chamber venue of the meeting around 10.54a.m
Fayemi was the centre of attractions as he stepped into the hall being the first time he was attending the NEC meeting under the current dispensation.
He went round the hall to have hand shake with his colleagues.
Cameramen and photographers had a field day taking his shots at he moved from one point to the other.
The meeting started around 11.05a.m when Vice President Yemi Osinbajo called for rendition of the National anthem.
The opening Muslims prayer was offered by the Niger State Governor, Sani Bello.
…Approves six transaction parties
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday approved the issuance of $2.9 billion Eurobond towards implementing 2018 budget.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed at the end of the FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
She was with the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh and the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige.
She said “We got approval for the issuance of $2.9 billion in Eurobonds and other securities from the international capital markets.
“They are to enable us implement the external borrowing plan of 849.6 billion equivalent to $2.786 billion, which is provided for in the 2018 Appropriation Act. And this is to fund capital projects in the 2018 budget.
“We also got approval to raise $82.5million to bridge the shortfall of 500 million Eurobond that matured on the 12th of July 2018,” she said.
According to her, FEC also approved six transaction parties including Citigroup Global Market Limited, Standard Chartered Bank as joint manager; FSDH Merchant Bank Limited as financial adviser; White and Case LLP, Banwo and Ighodalo as legal adviser and Africa Practice Limited as technical adviser on communication.
She said that they are expected to adviser the Nigerian Government on the structure and timing and documentation for the issuance of the Eurobonds and other securities.
The Minister also disclosed that the total cost of the six advisory groups is N374 million
She went on “We also got approval for $60 million loan for livelihood improvement family enterprise project in the Niger Delta for six states, while three other states will join them in the phase two.
“N187 million 600 bullet proof vest and helmets for Nigeria Customs Service in the fight against rice smuggling into the country,” she added.
The Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu was among cabinet members who attended the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday.
The meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari started around 11.08a.m at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
A fortnight ago, Shittu and the immediate past Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, were disqualified from participating in the Oyo and Taraba states governorship primary elections, respectively, under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
While Shittu was disqualified for not taking part in the compulsory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, Alhassan was disqualified over issues of loyalty to APC.
Shittu also failed to present any NYSC exemption certificate to the APC screening committee.
While disqualifying him, the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, had stated: “He (Shittu) admitted that he did not do the mandatory NYSC as provided for under the law and in his own judgment, his being a member of the House of Assembly in the state and now as a Minister of the Federal Republic, that these were enough sacrifices. But for us as a party we know that NYSC is a mandatory scheme.
“It is not something you may elect to do or abstain from doing and my understanding of the NYSC Act is that no employer of labour is permitted to employ anyone who graduated under 30 years and who did not obtain an exemption for reasons as provided for in the NYSC Act.
“So, for us, not participating in the NYSC raises very serious moral issue as well as legal issue.
“After interviewing him, we were convinced that….for our party, there are clear lessons we need to learn from our recent past when people…anyway, we were convinced that if he did not do NYSC, that for us, was enough to disqualify him and we had to find the courage to do so.
While Alhassan had immediately resigned from the cabinet, Shittu arrived for the first FEC meeting after his disqualification around 10.56a.m.
He exchanged pleasantries with his colleagues before taking his seat.
President Buhari called for rendition of the opening National anthem at the FEC meeting around 11.08a.m
Opening Muslims prayer was said by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed , while the Christian prayer was offered by the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu
Recall that the immediate past Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, had resigned from the cabinet due to fake NYSC exemption certificate presented to get the job.
Her ignorance of the status of the certificate she had presented could not save her from losing her seat in the cabinet.