The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Yayi

  • Hoodlums disrupt Lagos Senator’s town hall meeting

    Hoodlums on Monday disrupted a town hall meeting by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola AKA (Yayi) at the Indoors Pavilion Sport of Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) at Oshodi.

    The Senator, representing Lagos West Senatorial District, was said to be meeting with artisans, market women and physically challenged people within the district.

    The meeting, which ended abruptly, also had in attendance members of Community Development Associations (CDAs) as well as leaders of Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa communities.

    According to eyewitnesses, the hoodlums stormed the meeting in the middle of the programme.

    Read Also: Hoodlums attack Adamawa community

    The hoodlums, they said, disrupted the meeting when they couldn’t get money from Adeola, who had come to address people on his plans and programmes, if re-elected.

    “The hoodlums, disturbed by their inability to get money from the lawmaker, opened fire into the air in the presence of the men of the Mobile Police Force.

    “But for the swift intervention of the police, the hoodlums could have attacked the Senator. The hoodlums exchange fire with the police,” one of them said.

    Senator Adeola was later whisked away by the Police.

    Several bullet cannons littered the premises venue of the meeting.

  • No regrets having Tinubu as godfather, says Sen. Adeola

    Senator Solomon Adeola (APC-Lagos) says he does not have regrets having the national leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Tinubu as his godfather.

    Adeola, who made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja said there was nothing wrong in having a godfather in politics.

    He was reacting to the belief by some Nigerians that his actions and inactions, particularly on the floor of the senate were geared towards pleasing Tinubu rather than his constituents.

    The lawmaker said while the interest of his constituents remained paramount to him, he had high regards for Tinubu, who had nurtured him through his political career.

    Adeola, who is Chairman Senate Committee on Local Content recently won the APC primary election for Lagos West Senatorial District.

    He expressed optimism that with Tinubu and the people’s support, he would return to the senate in 2019.

    “I want to thank my father, mentor and role model, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu who endorsed me as the party flag bearer.

    “If not for God and Tinubu, I would not have been here today.

    “I also want to thank all the party members for seeing me fit to go for another election.

    “I am here on a mission, to protect and defend our democracy.

    Read Also: 2019 Polls: Police will be fair to all Parties – DIG

    “I believe in the power of the people and they are the ones to decide those that will represent them,” he said.

    Adeola said the electorate had seen his performance over the years and were prepared to give him their mandate to represent them in the 9th National Assembly.

    He said, “I have had the opportunity of serving as a House of Representatives member and now I am in the Senate.

    ” In the last three years, I have sponsored 15 bills and two have been assented to by the President.

    “I have also sponsored several motions on matters of national importance.

    “I have also tried as much as I can to give my people a voice and I know they are pleased with my performance.”

    The lawmaker added that he had carried out constituency projects that impacted greatly on the lives of his constituents.

    “The things I have done in my constituency are evident. As we speak, we are planning a constituency outreach by first week of December.

    “All we are doing is to ensure that we remain in constant touch with the people.

    “It is a yearly thing and we will ensure that this year’s outreach impacts as much as the ones in the past if not better.”

  • Yayi hails Buhari on Lagos-Badagry road contract award

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content, Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos West), has hailed President Mohammed Buhari for approving the award of contract to rebuild and rehabilitate the deplorable Lagos–Badagry Expressway.

    This is coming a few days after the President’s visit to Badagry in Lagos West Senatorial District.

    Adeola, popularly called Yayi, was reacting to the outcomes of the President Buhari-chaired Federal Executive Council (FEC) deliberation on Wednesday, where the council approved the award of a N63.023 billion contract for the rehabilitation and rebuilding of the Lagos-Badagry-Seme Border Express Road.

    The senator noted that the move was commendable as it showed that the Federal Government was serious to ameliorate the daily suffering of his constituents and other Nigerians.

    He said the collapse of those major roads over the years had caused untold hardship to commuters as well as crippled businesses along the international land gateway to Nigeria.

    Adeola said: “Millions of my constituents, other Nigerians and foreigners plying this critical international highway in Lagos spend gruelling hours in gridlocks occasioned by the deplorable state of vast sections of the roads leading to Seme international border with Benin Republic.

    “Last year, I took my town hall meeting and empowerment programme to Badagry. We spent four and a half hours to reach Badagry from Ikeja for a journey of less than one and a half hours. I had to spend a night and a day to conclude what should ordinarily be a programme of less than three hours.”

    The senator said the approval of the 46-kilometre road contract, as announced by the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, include a 24-kilometre six-lane expressway and 22 kilometred retaining the old four lanes.

    He said the roads would impact positively on the welfare of the people and business growth along the corridor.

    According to him, with Lagos State government under Akinwunmi Ambode undertaking the construction and rehabilitation contract from Eric Moore in Surulere to Okokomaiko section, Nigeria, the completion of the contract would have fulfilled its part of the Lagos- Abidjan highway project as agreed by ECOWAS Heads of State in 2013.

    Adeola promised to keep track of the progress of the contract for its execution.

    The senator said in a bid to ameliorate the suffering of the people in that axis of his “humongous senatorial district”, he facilitated the rehabilitation of Baale-Olodi Apapa Road (Boundary-Berger-Suya-Kirikiri Bridge) in 2017 Budget of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA).

    A statement by his Media Adviser, Chief Kayode Odunaro, said Adeola also included the rehabilitation of Gbagi-Owode Road in Badagry in this year’s budget of FERMA.

     

  • Yayi: Still serving the people @ 49

    In this piece, the media aide to Senator Olamilekan Solomon
    Adeola, extols the virtues of the lawmaker who turns 49 today.

    AMong the five youngest senators of the 8th Senate below the age of 50 is Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola(APC, Lagos West). In the highest legislative body in Nigeria with many former state governors, retired military generals, professors, former national political party chairman and other influential Nigerians whose average age hovers around 65, it takes more than knowing how to wash your hand to dine with elders, indeed statesmen of Nigeria. It takes hard work and cognate legislative experience. Senator Adeola apparently possess both in addition to knowing how to “wash his hands”, obvious reason he is widely rated among the top 10 Senators of the 109 member Red Chamber.

    In his three years plus in the Senate and in fulfillment of his core function as a lawmaker, Adeola has so far sponsored 15 bills making him one of the first 10 in terms of bills sponsorship. Twelve of these bills are constitutional amendment bills with two of them passed by the National Assembly in the ongoing Constitutional Amendment of the 8th Senate while three are still in process of passage.

    Similarly in the area of oversight activities and beyond the regular senate committees’ oversight that he is fully involved in, Adeola has so far move three motions that were passed into Senate Resolutions leading to full blown Senate investigations that have so far revealed massive financial demurrage of the Federal Government finances as well as shortchanging of Nigerians. He was the sponsor of the motion to Investigate Non Remittances and Misuse of Revenue Generated by MDAs; the motion to investigate the Local Content and Cost Variation Elements of the $16 Billion Total Egina Deep Offshore Oil Project and the motion to Investigate the near Bankruptcy of Etisalat leading to renege on Multi-Billion dollar loans. These three motions were passed into resolutions with two Senate Ad- Hoc Committees headed by Adeola currently investigating revenue generating agencies and the Egina project with many startling discoveries in the Interim Reports while the Senate Committee on Banking and Finance is investigating the Etisalat near bankruptcy.

    No doubt Adeola from his record in the senate as recorded above in addition to his often incisive bipartisan contributions on the floor of the Senate that is relayed of television placed him far away from the so called benchwarmer legislators. It is however, in the area of empowerment that Adeola has touched the lives of many constituents in mostly provision of income generating equipment for them in the largest senatorial district in Nigeria. Details of such are perforce not for this write-up but suffice to say they include such equipment as sewing, block molding, welding, vulcanizing and grinding machines, vehicles, tricycles, motorcycles among others. Other areas he touched the lives of constituents include provision of ten 500KVA transformers to 10 LGAs, lifejackets for riverine communities, Educational Empowerment like scholarships for tertiary education, payment of JAMB fees and skill and entrepreneurship training among others.

    It was therefore not surprising that when Adeola recently return to his primary constituents to inform them of his intention to seek a second term as senator, it has been endorsement galore for this Under 50 senator. It started with 185 ward chairmen of his party, APC in Lagos West followed by 28 LGAs/LCDAs chairmen of APC from Lagos West, 28 Leaders of the 28 Legislative Councils of Lagos West, I86 elected Councilors as well as Alimosho Federal Constituency, the largest federal constituency in Nigeria. To crown it all, over 350 Leaders of Lagos West at an event tagged “The Journey So Far As Lagos West Senator” endorsed Adeola for Second Term. The leader of the senatorial district Alhaji Rabiu Oluwa was assisted by such other prominent leaders as Chief (Mrs) Kemi Nelson, the APC Southwest Woman Leader, Chief Henry Ajomale, immediate past Lagos State APC Chairman, Cardinal James Odunbaku, former vice chairman, APC, Lagos State, Senator Ganiyu Solomon (GOS), Chief Sunny Ajose, Lagos State APC Deputy Chairman, Chief Funsho Ologunde, Lagos West Senatorial Chairman and Dr.Wale Ahmed, APC State Secretary in the endorsement by leaders. Mrs. Nelson pointed stated for the leaders that Adeola has done well for the women of Lagos State as he was instrumental to her many achievements as the party’s Woman leader for 15 years!

    For the young man born some 49 years ago without a silver spoon or indeed any spoon, not many would have imagine the man Adeola making it this far in the affairs of our nation as a legislator par excellence having transverse all levels of legislative hierarchy in Nigeria. But he did and is poised to still render service to the people and nation. He has made a name for himself as a noted grassroots politician that delivers at all times in public office without blemish.

    His meteoric rise as a technocrat politician winning four elections at state and federal levels consecutively apparently marked him out as a peoples’ politician. In our peculiar political terrain, the electorates are not that patient to continuously re-elect an indolent non performing politician. His sobriquet ‘Yayi’, an abbreviation of the Yoruba name Omoyayi’ meaning a “Distinguished Son” indeed fits perfectly for his current elected position as a “Distinguished Senator” of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    Born on August 10, 1969 at Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, Lagos State to family of Mr. Ayinde Adeola Ogunleye and Madam Abeeni Olasunbo Ogunleye (nee Akinola),  Yayi began his education at the State Primary School, Alimosho in Lagos State. On the successful completion of his primary education, he proceeded to Community Grammar School, Akowonjo, Lagos for his secondary education. His quest for educational advancement in life took him to the prestigious Ondo State Polytechnic, Owo now Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo state where he bagged the Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accounting. Adeola became a Chartered Accountant at a relatively young age. He is a distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, (ICAN), a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation as well as a Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT).

    Adeola working experience in both private and public sector finance started in “The Guardian Newspapers”, where he put in almost 12 years of accounting service and rose to the position of Accountant.   He resigned from “The Guardian” and proceeded to Olatunji Omoyeni &Co where he led the audit team for several years and was later promoted to the position of a Senior Auditor.  Adeola later established his own company, Sootem Nigeria Limited, where he was the managing director and chief executive officer until his foray to serve the public through partisan politics.

    Politically he pitched his tent with the progressive arm of Nigerian politics.  He won the primary of the then  Alliance for Democracy, AD and was elected as a member to represent Alimosho State Constituency 2 at the Lagos State House of Assembly from 2003 to 2007 and again from 2007 to 2011. At the Lagos Assembly he was appointed the Chairman of Finance Committee and Joint Chairman of Appropriation Committee, where he was instrumental to the enactment of the law that strengthened the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service. The legislative reforms laid the foundation that catapulted the revenue of the state from a paltry N5billion monthly to about N30billion presently!

    And in all his years as a legislator, Adeola set the standard for effective representation. He is noted for his numerous personal and constituency projects. The people of Alimosho and indeed now Lagos West can never forget his developmental initiatives in the area of provision of water through boreholes, provision of electric transformers, regular free medical programmes and rehabilitation of roads. Other areas of  life changing programmes that are the hallmark of Yayi’s representation include educational empowerment and support in the form of building classrooms with ancillary facilities,  annual purchase of GCE forms and tutorials for indigent students as well as ICT training at NIIT for of youths in his constituency.

    In fulfillment of his core function as a legislator at the House of Representatives, Adeola sponsored and successfully pushed through to passage a bill that repealed the colonial Audit Act of 1956 and Re-Enact the Audit Act of 2014 on May 22, 2015. The new law seeks to establish the Federal Audit Service Commission as well as grant autonomy to the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation.

    At the end of two years of 8th Senate, Senator Adeola according to Daily Trust Investigation had the highest number of bills among members with the exclusion of former Leader, Senator Ali Ndume and present Senate leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan.

    Adeola, a Christian, is a believer in religious freedom for Nigerians. The noted philanthropist is happily married to Mrs. Temitope Adeola and the union is blessed with children.

    At 49 years of age, fourteen served as a legislator at state and Federal level and still counting, Adeola is setting a worthy record of an experienced legislator par excellence and look set for more service to the people and nation considering his relatively young age, professional standing and cognate experience.

  • 2019: Lagos APC ward chairmen endorse Yayi

    One hundred and eighty five ward chairmen of All Progressives Congress, (APC) from all the wards in Lagos West Senatorial District have endorsed Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola  aka Yayi for second term as senator.The endorsement came during a meeting Senator Adeola held with the ward chairmen to inform them of his intention to contest for second term in the largest senatorial district in Nigeria.

    “In the 8th Senate, I am one of the senators with the highest number of bills sponsorship and two of my bills were among the 23 Constitutional Amendment bills passed by the National Assembly. My voice is usually heard on the floor of the Senate on major issues of national importance. I have so far done two major empowerment programmes and another one is coming up in September” he told the ward chairmen.

    “I have practiced all my politics in Lagos West from the days in the House of Assembly to House of Representatives and now Senate. I have not move outside Lagos West Senatorial district. The move to consult for the race in Ogun State was based on some strategic party considerations and now I am informing you as the grassroots party manager of the our party that I am re-contesting for the seat of Senate” Yayi had told the party leaders.

    Responding, Mr.Sola  Sobajo, the chairman of the Conference of APC Ward Chairmen in Lagos State, who is also from Lagos West Senatorial district, said the turnout of all the chairmen shows their support for their performing senator adding that real party men will stand by a loyal party man in place of a betrayer. He called for improved welfare for ward chairmen including exploring the possibility of putting ward chairmen on the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, adding that the senator’s gesture of donating a bus for the ward chairmen is the first of its kind in Lagos State.

     

  • Yayi and the largest senatorial district at three

    ON June 9, 2018, the 8th Senate clocked three years in a government that marked the first time an opposition party is mounting the saddle as ruling government after an election in Nigeria. It has indeed been a novel period in our history seeing a ruling party transformed into opposition and vice versa.

    For elected representatives in legislative houses with four year tenure, three years down the line is a good point to look how it will all end in terms of delivery on the mandates bestowed by the people. It is much like a student undergoing a 4 year degree course in the university. By the end of third year, it will be pretty clear, barring “Act of God”, if the student will end the programme with a First Class, Second Class(Upper/Lower), Third Class or “Let My People Go” Pass Degree. At the end of third year, a total failure is not contemplated or possible as the student would have been withdrawn at some point earlier

    It is in this light that one would attempt to look at one unique representatives’ performance in the last three years at the highest legislative body in Nigeria, the Senate, and see if he measures up for passing in flying colours. The senatorial district he represents is unique in several respects and could indeed be taken as a microcosm of Nigeria. Lagos West Senatorial District, of 10 local governments areas, representing half of Lagos State, is unarguably the largest senatorial district in Nigeria with a population of over 12 million constituents. It stretches from the state capital, Ikeja, through Oshodi, Alimosho (most populous federal constituency) Mushin, Ajegunle, Festac Town, Ojo and right up to Badagry at Nigeria border with Benin Republic. Representing this area with virtually all tribes of Nigeria present in at least hundreds of thousands is a herculean task considering that each senatorial district in Nigeria have equal rights and entitlements. Some districts have less than a quarter of the population of Lagos West whose population is greater than that of some states in the Federation.

    When Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, aka Yayi, was popularly elected a senator in the 2015 National Assembly Elections, many that knew his antecedents as a legislator, both at the Lagos State House of Assembly for two terms and a member of the House of Representatives for a term, were sure that Lagos West would not be disappointed in it’s choice.  Doubts were however expressed that with a population of over 12 million representing over half of Lagos State mega city, Yayi may find it challenging effectively representing the district in the Red Chamber. He did but that did not stop him putting in a “good day’s work” in the last three years in all the critical areas of the function of a legislator.

    The doubts were further reinforced by the crisis that bedeviled the leadership election at the Senate which saw Senator Adeola rooting for the party position with intrigues and fallouts that denied him his rightful position even in the traditional ranking of position in the Senate. On the sideline was the costly distraction of an election petition by the PDP and its candidate that went right up to the final appeal before his popular mandate was further judicially validated. And within the three years covered by this summary, the nation fell into a recession which impact vitiated otherwise effective representation.

    On his primary function as a lawmaker, he has presented a bill; “Federal Capital Territory Act Cap F6, LFN (Amendment) Bill, 2015” to correct the anomaly of double taxation affecting Nigerians in the Federal Capital Territory. And let it be known that it is not only bills presented or supported that a senator is assessed in a democracy. Their opposition to the passage of some laws or motions affecting the interest of their constituents and people also counts. In this wise, he opposed the now dead Social Media Bill that wanted to criminalise use of social media under the guise of curbing frivolous petitions. He also kicked against the attempt of GSM service providers to increase tariff for data.

    The senator however caused not a small stir in the course of the second year as a senator with the introduction of 14 Constitutional Amendment bills, aimed at addressing various issues that ail our constitution or provisions that need adjustment to take in realities of the present and future times. Twelve of the bills were successfully introduced, passed the first reading and were committed to the Constitutional Review Committee for further legislative work in accordance with Senate Standing Rules.

    One such is a “Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Guarantee Freedom of Speech and Legislative Actions of Members of the National Assembly”. It is noteworthy that two of these bills were among the 23 passed by the National Assembly for further constitutional processing.

    In the area of legislation for educational development, Yayi introduced two bills for the upgrade of two polytechnics, namely; Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos and Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, to the level of a degree awarding universities of technology. The two bills have passed first reading and will soon be debated to pass second reading.

    So far, Senator Adeola has single handedly introduced 15 bills to the 8th Senate while co-sponsoring many others, including the Sexual Harassment Bill and Special Status for Lagos Bill.

    In the area of motions ,Senator Adeola was the sponsor of the motion to ”Investigate Revenue Generating Agencies over alleged Leakages, Non Remittance and Misuse of Generated Revenue”, which led to the inauguration of an ongoing Senate Ad Hoc Committee that he chairs to investigate all revenue generating agencies.

    He has successfully presented five petitions to the Senate and one of the petitions has been fully resolved in a case of injustice against one constituent, Sgt. Amos Olaniyan. He was verbally suspended from the Nigerian Police Force 21 years ago for an offence that a Police Orderly Room trial has since exonerated him of. The Senate has adopted the report of its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Petition and its Resolution ordered the IGP to apologise, reinstate, promote and pay Sgt. Olaniyan all salaries and allowances due him. He has since been reinstated and is processing his papers for payment of salaries from 1994 to 2015. With the reinstatement, he was retired and is due to collect gratuities and pension.

    As it is, Yayi has done his best to ensure he get nothing less than a political Second Class (Upper) from his ‘score’ at the end of third year  considering he gets the same allocation as any other Senator with negligible population of constituents.

    Certainly, as we enter another era of political campaign, he is set for any elective office with such a sterling record in office in the humongous Lagos West.

  • Ogun 2019 and the Yayi phenomenon

    The word “phenomenon” has been described as “a remarkable development” by the dictionary and that is exactly what Senator Solomon Adeola has brought to the politics of Ogun State.

    Yayi as he is better known means different things to things to different people. To some he is a Tokunbo (Returnee), to others he is an enigma, a brilliant and highly cerebral personality with passion for human emancipation hence the sobriquet “Yayi”. Sen Adeola’s sojourn back to his place of origin in Ogun West Senatorial District to contribute his quota to the realization of Governorship aspiration of the people who have long been in a serious political and economic quagmire in the scheme of things didn’t just start overnight. May be he believes in what Benjamin Franklin said that “Those who give up liberty for safety deserve neither liberty nor safety”, hence the journey back home.

    Sen Adeola has always been conscious of his ancestral origin and had never hidden his desire to identify with anything Ogun West even while operating in Lagos. I remember vividly as a serving corps member in the Lagos House of Assembly back in 2005, I was hosted by him on hearing that I hail from Yewa part of Ogun State, and with a standing order never to hesitate to call on him any time I feel like because we are brothers.

    Fast forward to 2012 when I visited Abuja to see my then boss in the Lagos House of Assembly, I inquired about how the then Hon Adeola was doing as a member of the House of Representatives, “remarkable, brilliant and  phenomenon” are the adjectives my former boss used. He told me how the man did not care to let the world know he is from Yewa despite being a representative from Lagos State. I was told how he was given the chairman of the all important House Committee on Public Account as matter of trust in his capacity to perform and he never for once disappointed.

    Again in 2015, Sen Yayi decided to take a dive into Ogun polity where he hails from but was stoutly rebuffed with politics of exclusion that played out then. As God will have it, he is presently representing Lagos West Senatorial District. Today, Yayi has indicated his desire to help in the actualization of governorship bid of Ogun West people which has always resulted in stillbirth since the state was created in 1976 because of all kinds of gerrymandering and internal self immolations bordering on greed without any thoughts for the people.

    Since joining the fray, the political nomenclature of Ogun polity has changed. The polity in the state is getting more sophisticated, modernized and competitive. Yayi has brought finesse, experience, exposure, temerity, resilience, unwavering commitments to common goods, determination to a purposeful goal, meticulous planning and fear of God while interfacing with the people. Ogun political landscape is changing courtesy the Yayi phenomenon. Despite high levels distraction and political hoopla of ancestral background coming from those feeling threatened by Yayi’s ascendancy, his high sense of concentration and eye are fixed on the ball.

    When you talk of Senator Solomon Adeola, you are talking of a man of incredible productivity and exhibition at all times in any task undertaken. A man of contagious inspiration; whose enthusiasm is a propeller of progress, development, good life and wisdom.

    The Yayi phenomenon is real in Ogun State, gaining more admirers and sympathizers almost on daily basis.

     

    • From Akindele Olusegun,

    Oke Odan, Yewa South,

    Ogun State.

  • Photo: President Yayi visits Aso villa

    Photo: President Yayi visits Aso villa

    President Muhammadu Buhari with President Boni Yayi of Benin Republic at the Presidential Villa in Abuja during Yayi official Visit to Nigeria on Thursday
    President Muhammadu Buhari with President Boni Yayi of Benin Republic at the Presidential Villa in Abuja during Yayi official Visit to Nigeria on Thursday
    President Muhammadu Buhari with President Boni Yayi of Benin Republic at the Presidential Villa in Abuja during Yayi official Visit to Nigeria on Thursday
    President Muhammadu Buhari with President Boni Yayi of Benin Republic at the Presidential Villa in Abuja during Yayi official Visit to Nigeria on Thursday
  • 50 per cent of Beninoise came from Nigeria, says Yayi

    50 per cent of Beninoise came from Nigeria, says Yayi

    President of Benin Republic Boni Yayi said yesterday that 55 per cent of the population of his country came from Nigeria.

    He described Republic of Benin as the 37th state of Nigeria.

    Yayi spoke yesterday after a closed door meeting between him and the President elect, Muhammadu Buhari, at the Defence House, Abuja.

    He explained that Nigeria and Republic of Benin are not only close neigbours, but have cultural and traditional affinity, assuring that “Benin Republic will always be on Nigeria’s side”.

    The Beninoise leader expressed confidence in the ability of Buhari to take up the challenge facing Nigeria and West African sub region, including the problem of Boko Haram, peace enforcement and other issues.

    He noted that the citizens elected Buhari to enhance their destiny because of his integrity and experience as a former Head of State.

    Yayi noted that with Buhari as Nigeria’s president, the nation’s economy, which he described as the engine room of the sub region, will be on the path of recovery to impact positively on other countries in West Africa.

    He assured of his country’s cooperation with the incoming government and prayed for Buhari’s success.

    The President-elect expressed appreciation to the government and people of Republic of Benin for identifying with the major problems facing the Nigeria, especially the security challenge in the Northeast caused by the Boko Haram.

    Buhari said Yayi has voluntarily identified himself with efforts by Nigeria to stamp out insurgency in the Northeast.

    Buhari said: “Your Excellency, I very much appreciates your boldness in identifying yourself and your country with Nigeria. It is critical to Nigeria and the neighbourhood is very important.”

    Yayi also yesterday paid glowing tributes to President Goodluck Jonathan for setting an exemplary leadership style in the African continent.

    He gave the commendation after a closed-door meeting with Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Noting that Jonathan played a leadership role in Africa, he noted that Jonathan had mediated in achieving peace in many countries, including Mali and Guinea Bissau.

    According to him, he could not come before now to congratulate the President for presiding over a hitch-free and successful election and for congratulating his challenger before the result was announced, because of the legislative election held in Republic of Benin.

    He said: “I came to congratulate my brother, President Jonathan. He is a very great statesman; he organised the election peacefully in the largest country in sub Saharan Africa.

    “To us, the election was very transparent and peaceful and coming back, he took a wonderful decision by a great statesman by calling his challenger to congratulate him even before the final result was released.

    “Usually, in Africa, it is rare. He gave us very good example of democracy, not only in our sub region and Africa, but also in the whole world.

    He prayed that God should continue to be with Jonathan and his family members in their future endeavours.

  • Benin Republic president meets Buhari

    Benin Republic president meets Buhari

    … Nigeria is West Africa’s engine room – Yayi

    President of Benin Republic, Mr. Boni Yayi and President -elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, held a closed door meeting on Thursday, with Yayi expressing confidence in Buhari’s ability to take up the challenge Nigeria.

    The Benin Republic leader described Nigeria as engine room of the West African sub region.

    Speaking after the meeting held at the Defence House, Abuja, Yayi said Nigerians elected Buhari to enhance their destiny because of his integrity and experience as a former Head of State.

    He said 55 percent of Benin’s population comes from Nigeria, describing the tiny West African nation as Nigeria’s 37th state.

    According to him, the President-elect has the ability to take up challenges facing Nigeria and the sub region including the Boko Haram insurgency.

    Buhari on his part thanked the government and people of Benin Republic for identifying with the major problems facing Nigeria, saying  “President Yayi has voluntarily identified himself with Nigerian government’s efforts to stamp out insurgency in the northeast.”