Tag: Tony Momoh

  • Buhari greets Tony Momoh at 80

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday  felicitated with a former Minister of Information and Culture, Prince Tony Momoh, who turns 80 years today.

    Buhari hailed Momoh’s contribution to the growth of journalism in Nigeria and in particular his visionary role of advocating integration of communication strategies in development plans and implementations.

    The President, in a statement by his chief spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, extolled Momoh’s courage in delving into politics and providing strong leadership as Chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and serving earlier as the Chairman of Media and Publicity for the All Nigeria’s Peoples Party (ANPP) Campaign Organisation for many years.

    Buhari said the former minister’s sacrifice for growth of democracy and journalism in Nigeria would be remembered by posterity.

    He urged him to always stick to the progressive ideals that had brought him recognition and encomiums.

    He prayed that the Almighty God would reward Prince Momoh for his goodness to country and mankind.

     

  • Buhari greets Prince Tony Momoh at 80

    President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with the former Minister of Information and Culture, Prince Tony Momoh, as he clocks 80 years on April 27.

    According to a statement by the President’s spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Friday, the President joined the media industry in celebrating the former minister’s contribution to the growth of journalism in Nigeria.

    President Buhari particularly acknowledged Momoh’s visionary role of advocating integration of communication strategies in development plans and implementations.

    The president also extolled Prince Momoh’s courage in delving into politics and providing strong leadership as Chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and serving earlier as the Chairman of Media and Publicity for the All Nigeria’s People’s Party (ANPP) Campaign Organisation for many years.

    President Buhari believed that the former minister’s sacrifice for growth of democracy and journalism in Nigeria would be remembered by posterity.

    He, therefore, encouraged him to always stick to the progressive ideals that had brought him recognition and encomiums, and continue to inspire younger leaders in same path.

    He prayed that the almighty God would reward Prince Momoh for his goodness to country and mankind, and grant him longer life, good health and joy.

  • Congratulate Buhari, Tony Momoh tells Atiku

    Former Minister of Information Prince Tony Momoh on Wednesday advised the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Feb. 23 election, Atiku Abubakar to concede defeat and congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Momoh gave the advice in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos while reacting to the declaration of Buhari as winner of the polls by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu while announcing the results of the polls on Wednesday in Abuja, said the APC candidate, Muhammadu Buhari polled 15,191,847 votes to the defeat his PDP counterpart, Atiku, who polled 11,255,978 votes.

    Atiku had in a statement described the results as questionable, saying he would challenge it in court.

    Momoh said Atiku would earn respect, nationally and international, if he accepts the outcome of the results as the wish of the people.

    The former minister also advised Atiku not to go to court but call to congratulate Buhari like former President Goodluck Jonathan did in 2015.

    He said the singular act made Jonathan an instant hero, adding that Atiku could earn the same status if he allows national interest to rise above his personal ambition.

    “A beautiful thing happened shortly after the results were announced in the 2015 general elections; Jonathan called the winner (Buhari) and congratulated him.

    “That singular act not only made Jonathan a respected national figure, but also an international figure.

    “Therefore, as a national leader, I will call on our friend, Atiku to call Buhari and congratulate him.

    “That will make him not just a national figure like Jonathan, but also an international figure.

    “Though court is an option, I advise him not to go to court because time will tell if he will get any reckoning after doing so.

    “He should not allow anybody to deceive him, instead, he should immediately call Buhari to congratulate him,“ Momoh said.

    Read Also: Buhari’s address after receiving his Certificate of Return

    Momoh said he believed the outcome of the election reflected the wishes of the people, adding that it was the aggregate of the results from polling units across the country.

    He said that INEC had done what was expected of it as an impartial electoral umpire.

    Momoh said that he advised Atiku not because he did not believe in the court to seek redress as he went to court with Buhari in 2003, 2007 and 2011 to challenge election results.

    The former Minister said he only gave the advice because Atiku would earn respect by conceding defeat, rather than challenging what he called the will of the people.

  • 2019: Defections won’t stop Buhari’s victory – Tony Momoh

    A former Minister of Information, Prince Tony Momoh, does not see the exit of some bigwigs from the All Progressives Congress (APC) stopping President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election next year.

    Momoh, also an APC chieftain, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday that while the defectors might get substantial votes for their new party in their respective areas, Buhari would still win in their domains.

    The former minister said Buhari got more votes than most of the defectors in their respective zones and states in previous polls, and the same thing would happen in the next election.

    He said that the President has done well as a leader, adding that Nigerians would show appreciation and re-elect him.

    He said: “I do not think the defection would stop the President from winning in the next election.

    “I will not say that it will not affect the votes of the president; votes are about people, and now that some people have left, it will have some impact.

    “But I do not think that the impact will be such that it would stop the president from winning.

    “Come to think of it, the President got more votes more than the defectors in their senatorial zones and states mostly in the North in 2015.

    “Overall, he got 15 million votes in the election. Now that he is President who has performed well, he will get more votes mostly in the South-South and South-East.

    “He has delivered great projects in these two regions which did not really vote for him in 2018.

    “The votes the President will get in these regions will make up much more for the very few votes he might lose to defections in the North.”

    Momoh said APC should not lose sleep over the defections, as Buhari would record his biggest win ever in 2019.

    The former minister said the President has not disappointed Nigerians on the three-pronged promises of security, corruption and economy on which he campaigned.

    He said the second term of the President would enable him to consolidate on his present achievements.

  • I never insulted Prince Tony Momoh – Blessing Agbomhere

    I never insulted Prince Tony Momoh – Blessing Agbomhere

    Blessing Agbomhere, a former chieftain of the All Progressive Congress APC has distanced himself from recent publications circulating online which pointed abusive fingers at one of the founding fathers of APC.

    The one time governorship aspirant in a press release sent across said Prince Tony Momoh is the reason stayed long at the APC and he appreciates him for his fatherly role.

    “Prince Tony Momoh is like a father to me and I value his advice and counsel.”

    “I wish to disassociate myself from the online publication which is on various platforms as I was quoted out of context in some parts of the said interview.

    “I did say I have enjoyed the love and wisdom of Prince Tony Momoh, a founding father of the APC, for whose sake I have resisted to leave the party despite all the challenges I have faced while in the party. And I also said I know that Prince Tony Momoh, an elder statesman, a former Minister and National Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, as one of the leaders who led the APC to victory will continue to advice Mr President concerning the oneness and wellness of Nigeria.

    He however apologize for being misquoted in the interview published online

    “I apologize sincerely if any part or all of the interview has offended him.

    “I remain committed in my service to my country and that remains my focus regardless of party affiliations.
    I thank all those who have supported me in my APC days and I hope we will put Nigeria above self by working together for the common good of Nigerians” he said.

  • Buhari has done well, can seek second term- Momoh

    Buhari has done well, can seek second term- Momoh

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ), Prince Tony Momoh on Wednesday said President Muhammadu Buhari has done well in the delivery of his electoral promises.

    Momoh, a former Minister of Information, gave the assessment in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

    He said though there were still some challenges in the country, Buhari had acquitted himself remarkably well as president of the country.

    Momoh pointed out those who said Buhari had not done well were either playing politics or refused to check the facts.

    He said the president had achieved a lot in the areas on which he anchored his campaign promises despite the herculean problems he met on ground.

    “President Buhari has done well based on the facts available and not sentiments. He has done well in the delivery of his campaign promises despite the big problems he met on ground.

    Read also: What is President Buhari up to?

    “For example, let us look at the area of security, before Buhari came in, the Boko Haram insurgents was operating almost uninhibited, to the extent of seizing territories.

    “But for Buhari’s intervention, Only God knows what would have happened to the country because of Boko Haram.

    “Also, while some other countries are still wriggling under recession caused by crash in commodity prices, the country is out and is even doing well in the area of diversification.

    “Even the World Bank has just predicted that the country’s GDP will further grow in 2018, there are also monumental gains in the fight against corruption.

    “I reviewed a book recently on the scorecard of the president and I was pleasantly surprised by some of the revelations about Buhari’s performance.

    “Those who do not know, should go and check the facts, Buhari has done well as president,” he said.

    He said the opposition was behind the cacophony of voices asking Buhari not to seek re-election based on the way they rated him.

    Momoh said they were only seeing Buhari’s performance based on their perspectives which did not reflect the facts.

    He said Buhari had the moral and legal right to seek re-election so long he made the decision and the party endorses him.

    “The opposition cannot stop Buhari from contesting if he decides to do so and the party endorses him. The facts are different from the prism through which they are looking at his performance,’’ he said.

    Momoh called for caution in treating the killings in parts of the country as being caused by Fulani herdsmen.

    He said criminal, including Boko Haram, might be hiding under Fulani herdsmen to unleash terror in some communities in the country.

    “We should be careful in the way we see the killings in some parts of the country, so that we can have a better understanding of dealing with the problem.

    “Some criminals, such as cattle rustlers and even Boko Haram insurgents can also hide as Fulani herdsmen to unleash terror on Nigerians.

    “The herdsmen we used to know were not carrying AK47, how we have come to this problem of killings calls for proper understanding.

    “It is not a political matter but a matter that needs understanding and attention because it involves lives,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • How Buhari is preventing corruption, by Presidential media team

    How Buhari is preventing corruption, by Presidential media team

    The Presidential Media Team, in a forthcoming book, offers deep insight into how the President Muhammadu Buhari ’s administration is blocking corruption loopholes in the nation’s public institutions.

    The book titled, “Making Steady, Sustainable Progress for Nigeria’s Peace and Prosperity: A Mid-Term Scorecard on the President Muhammadu Buhari administration”, is set for launch in Abuja on Nov. 16.
    In an excerpt of the 348-page publication, the team notes that beyond arrest and prosecution of suspects, the Buhari government is strengthening public institutions for accountability and transparency.
    The book explores measures being instituted by anti-graft agencies, especially the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission ( ICPC ), in this regard since the last two years.
    These include conduct of System Study and Review in ministries, departments and agencies, and Corruption Risk Assessment (CRA) in various sectors of the nation’s economy.
    It says the education, health, water and aviation sectors as well as e-governance platforms, including the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS), have benefited from the ICPC’s CRA exercise.

    The exercise, it adds, has led to the identification of weaknesses in the systems that create opportunities for corruption.

    Consequently, the commission has designed Integrity Plans directed at plugging the loopholes and enhancing the integrity profile of the systems for efficiency and effectiveness, it states.

    The book promises to clear the cynicism of many Nigerians, who think the Buhari government is more reactive than proactive in its fight against corruption.

    Nevertheless, the publication contains milestones recorded by the ICPC in the area of convictions, and recovery of looted funds and assets since the inception of the Buhari government on May 29, 2015.

    The book was edited by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity; Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on  Media and Publicity, and Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, (Office of the Vice President).

    The Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) contributed to the publication, whose foreword was written by the president.

    The book will be presented by APC National Leader Bola Tinubu and  reviewed by Prince Tony Momoh.

    NAN

  • FMARD to engage 2m youths, 997,500 women through LIFE programme – Report

    FMARD to engage 2m youths, 997,500 women through LIFE programme – Report

    The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ( FMARD ) says it will engage 1.9 youths and 997,500 women through its Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises ( LIFE ) programme.

    This was disclosed in excerpts of a Book entitled: ‘‘Making steady, sustainable progress for Nigeria’s peace and prosperity: a mid-term scorecard on the President Muhammadu Buhari administration’’authored by the Presidential Media Team.

    The book will be presented to the public on November 16 in Abuja.

    LIFE is a programme aimed at bringing life back to rural communities through the empowerment of youths, women and other vulnerable groups across the country.

    It stated that the programme design commenced in the past one year.

    It is geared to promote community-based on-farm and off-farm business activities as a model for job and wealth creation among unemployed youths and women in rural and suburban households.

    “Programmes under LIFE are expected to establish 150,000 cooperatives nationwide under commodity value chain groups, establish and operate up to 1,000 cottage industries in the country.

    “It is also expected to ultimately engage 1,995,500 youths and 997,500 women for enhanced productivity and, through these interventions, add about 5,965,000 metric tonnes of foods to the national food store,’’ it said.

    The report said the key challenge leading to the late take-off of the programme was related to the cumbersome procurement procedures.

    It stated that the Anchor Borrowers Programme, driven by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in collaboration with FMARD, had provided substantial money for dry season farming in 2015, wet season rice and wheat farming in 2016.

    According to the report, the programme is currently supporting 2016 dry season farming in many states.

    “Anchor Borrowers Programme is an intervention aimed at fast-tracking access of rural farmers to finance for productivity.

    “This entails provision of agricultural credit for financing the production of rice, wheat, ginger, maize and soybeans in nine states.’’

    The states are Kebbi, Niger, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Benue, Zamfara, Anambra and Kwara.

    “Through the programme for the out-growers in the past one year, massive harvest is expected to meet the national requirements of paddy and milled rice within the shortest possible time,’’ it stated.

    The publication was edited by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity; Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, and Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, ( Vice President’s Office).

    The book is a documentation of the notable achievements of the Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Party (APC) administration since it was inaugurated on May 29, 2015.

    President Buhari wrote the foreword of the 348-page book, containing milestones of all the federal ministries and some select departments and agencies in the last two years.

    The Buhari Media Support Group also contributed to the compendium rich with text and visuals.

    The book will be reviewed by Prince Tony Momoh while APC National leader  Bola Tinubu is the keynote speaker/book Presenter.

    NAN

  • FG generates 18,597 jobs through labour-intensive public works in two years

    FG generates 18,597 jobs through labour-intensive public works in two years

    The Federal Government ( FG ) says it has generated 18,597 jobs through labour-intensive public works.

    It has also trained 3,392 people in technical and vocational agricultural skills in the last two years.

    It said this in excerpts of a book entitled “Making steady, sustainable progress for Nigeria’s peace and prosperity: a midterm scorecard on the President Muhammadu Buhari administration’’.

    The book is to be presented to the public on Nov. 16 in Abuja.

    Authored by the Presidential Media Team, it is a documentation of the notable achievements of the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration since its inauguration on May 29, 2015.

    According to the book, the Federal Government also trained 16,587 people in life planning and entrepreneurial skills and implemented 182 community/local government development projects.

    It said efforts were also made to reduce unacceptable level of poverty and socio-economic vulnerability in the nation.

    In this direction, the Federal Government formulated the Social Investment Programmes ( SIP ) for which N500 billion was appropriated in the 2016 Budget.

    The programme features Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT), Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, N-Power Job Creation Programme and Government Economic Empowerment Programme (GEEP), among others.

    “The National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme is aimed at providing a free nutritional meal for public primary pupils across Nigeria to improve school enrolment and completion as well as child nutrition and health.

    “So far, 2,000 youths have been empowered through the N-Power programme.

    “The National Cash Transfer has also given out loans to farmers, traders and business people to enable them to secure gainful employment.’’

    Buhari wrote the foreword of the 348-page book, which contains milestones of all the federal ministries and some select departments and agencies of government.

    The publication was edited by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity; Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity and Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, (Office of the Vice President).

    The Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) also contributed to the publication.

    The book will be reviewed by Prince Tony Momoh while APC National leader  Bola Tinubu is the Keynote Speaker/Presenter.

    NAN

  • Committee identifies communication breakdown as reason for Kogi APC crisis

    Committee identifies communication breakdown as reason for Kogi APC crisis

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Fact-Finding and Reconciliation Committee on Kogi Crisis has blamed acrimony in the state’s chapter on communication breakdown.

    It said that the hitch in communication engendered the ruptured relationship among the party in the state, the government and the governor.

    Chairman of the committee, Chief Tony Momoh, stated this on Wednesday in Abuja, while speaking with newsmen after submitting the committee`s report to the party`s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

    He said that while the committee`s assignment lasted, it met three times with Gov. Yahaya Bello because the bulk of the issues; “ really stopped on his desk“.

    Momoh added that the committee also met with members of the House of Assembly and other relevant stakeholders in the state.

    He said that while everybody in the state accepted that Bello was its chief executive, issues on his style of governance were raised.

    According to him, lots of people testified on what the governor was alleged to have done.

    “We came to the conclusion that the problem of Kogi is absent of communication, miscommunication or even inadequate communication.

    “There was breakdown of communication and everybody was singing his own song and telling his own story, “ the Momoh said.

    He added that while the committee pleaded with all aggrieved party members in the state to be calm, it ensured that everybody that had a case was heard.

    He, however, said that while most aggrieved party members had their grouse against the governor, he also came up with his own defence.

    Momoh said that some of the identified problems in the state were skewed appointment against the party, non-payment of workers’ salaries and political reconciliation with late Abubakar Audu and James Faleki’s group.

    He said the exclusive membership registration which the governor was said to be doing without relating to the party`s leadership was also identified as a problem.

    Momoh said that also identified was poor state’s House of Assembly relations, dictatorial governance and corruption allegations and not to give anti-party activities during the elections.

    The committee chairman said that the party`s national headquarters complicity and poor stakeholders` consultations was also identified as an issue.

    He stressed that all identified issues were comprehensively discussed, adding that the committed had submitted its recommendations to the party`s leadership for scrutiny.

    This, he said, included five pages of executive briefs which summarised the recommendations and 300 pages of presentations.

    He maintained that the recommendation was a win win consensus and would be acceptable by all parties.

    “I can assure you that the recommendations we gave will be acceptable to all parties.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Momoh, was the former National Peter Chairman of the dissolved Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

    Members of the committee which was inaugurated on April 12, were earlier charged by the party`s leadership to carry on their personal prestige and integrity and undertake the assignment without fear or favour.