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Tag: Yemi Osinbajo

  • FG will implement more projects in Lagos State – Osinbajo

     

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says Federal Government will implement more projects and infrastructure in Lagos State, if the All Progressives Congress (APC) wins the presidential election.

    Osinbajo made the pledge during his visit to the palace of the Monarch of Kosofe and Oloworo of Oworoland, Oba Olohuntoyin Salau.

    The vice president, who was in the area to continue the party’s house -to-house campaigns in Lagos, said that the state was very important to the Federal Government.

    “We were in opposition for 16 years and the party at the centre did not do well for Lagos. Now that we are at the federal, we will ensure that we achieve everything that we desire in the state.

    “Governor Akinwunmi Ambode cooperated with us at the federal, that is why we are moving forward and doing some projects for Lagos state. I believe Babajide Sanwo-Olu will do the same.

    “I want to assure you that, Lagos and Kosofe will enjoy more federal presence. We will implement more federal projects in Lagos State,” the he said.

    Earlier Salau urged the Federal government to release Oworonsoki Global Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) before the general elections.

    Responding to the monarch’s request, Osinbajo said the present administration would work on reclaiming the land.

    The Oba also called on the government to assist the community in sand filling water logged and swampy lands in Kosofe Local Government Area.

    Read Also: Osinbajo seeks massive support for APC candidates

    The traditional ruler said the assistance became necessary so that there would be more land available for government to build infrastructure such ad  Trailer Parks.

    According to him, such infrastructure will reduce the traffic challenges in some parts of the state caused by unavailability of parking lots for the heavy duty trucks.

    The Oba, however, assured Osinbajo that the people of Kosofe would vote for President Muhammadu Buhari.and the Lagos APC Governorship Candidate, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

    He also promised the vice president that his people would vote for all other APC candidates in the forthcoming House of Assembly and National Assembly elections.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Osinbajo was accompanied by Sanwo-Owo, his running mate, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, Special Adviser to the President on Politics, Sen. Babafemi Ojudu.

    Others were: Senator Gbenga Ashafa, (Lagos East APC) senatorial candidate for Lagos East Senatorial District, Bayo Osinowo and Mr Rotimi Agunsoye, representing Kosofe Federal Constituency, among others.

    NAN further reports that the campaign took Osinbsjo and his entourage to select houses around Ketu, Oworonsoki Alapere and its environs, among others.

    NAN

  • Fayemi seeks OPC, vigilante’s support on crimes

    Ekiti State Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi has solicited for support of the Pan-Yoruba group, O’dua People’s Congress(OPC)  and vigilante to rid the state of criminal element.

    He solicited for their support especially in the rampaging kidnappers perpetrating heinous acts in the state .

    Fayemi said though his government had given marching orders to the Police Commissioner, Mr Asuquo Amba and the Directorate of State Services(DSS) and other security networks to rid the state of criminals.

    He insisted  the backing of  other stakeholders  in security sector would provide a buffer  to the conventional security for the task to be realised.

    The governor spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Mobilisation, Prince Tunji Ogunlola on Saturday while meeting the leadership of the group in the state, who paid him a visit  at his office in Ado Ekiti.

    Former Commissioner for Lands, Mr. Remi Olorunleke  and the Director of Administration, Gbonyin Council area , Mr. David Jejelowo , were on Monday kidnapped along Ado-Ijan road .

    This incident occurred barely a week an accountant with Emure local government, Mr. Abayomi Ajayi was killed by gunmen along Ikere –Ise road while two other staff from the council were abducted .

    The governor had also through his mobilization unit  met the leaderships  of the Private Sector in the State, the Artisans and Inter-party Advisory Committee (IPAC), assuring them they shall benefit  from the federal government’s tradermoni programme being advocated by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    Fayemi who lamented his government was not comfortable with the spare kidnapping and killings of some local government officials and other Ekiti citizens in recent time, added that all  efforts must be geared towards putting those with criminal tendencies at bay to safeguard  the lives and property of the residents.

    He said the government needs the backing of every member of the society to tackle the menace. Read Also: ‘Fayemi needs better House of Assembly’

    “We are seeking the efforts of every member of the society to tackle these evil doers. Within two weeks, over five people were kidnapped while one person was shot dead, we won’t rest until these people are either flushed out or apprehended.

    “To show how committed we are to making Ekiti safe, we have reinstated the sacked operatives of the scrapped Ekiti State Peace Corps. We intend to recruit 800 operatives to work with the police across every community.

    “OPC as a respectable pan-Yoruba security group is also welcomed in the battle to make Ekiti safe. We need you because you are credible, you understand the terrain and we have that confidence in you that you can provide supports for the police in the area of providing information for the security agencies that will help their intelligence gathering  for them to take  proactive actions.

    “However, in doing our business, we need to be guided by the laws. We need to bow to superior directive from the police and we must not take laws into our hands, all we want is you being partners in progress, necause Ekiti must be safe and nothing must be spared to actualize this”, he said.

    Fayemi appealed to the group to support the presidential aspiration of President Muhammadu Buhari and other candidates of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in the 2019 elections.

    The governor assured that all the beneficial intervention schemes and policies shall be brought to Ekiti for the benefit of all Ekiti indigenes.

    He said the benefit has started manifesting with the payment of four month salaries , including one owed by former Governor Ayodele Fayose within a spate of two months he assumed duty..

  • Osinbajo, Akeredolu, Fayemi grace OPC founder’s funeral

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday attended the funeral of late Dr Frederick Fasehun, the founder of Oodua Peoples Congress(OPC) at the Cathedral Church of Saint Stephen, Oke-Aluko, Ondo, Ondo State.

    The OPC chieftain passed on Dec. 1 at the Intensive Care Unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja (LASUTH).

    Osinbajo was accompanied to the service by Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, Gov. Kayode Fayemi, among others.

    Former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko was also in attendance.

    In his tribute, Osinbajo said it was a great honour to be at the service to express his own condolence on behalf of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Government of Nigeria.

    He said that Fasehun was exceptional in everything he did as he was medical doctor, a sociologist as well as a versatile acupuncturist.

    “He studied acupuncture in 1977; and set up the very first acupuncture centre in Africa at LASUTH.

    “ He was such a brilliant medical doctor; one would have thought that he would just restrict himself to practice of medicine.

    Read Also: Osinbajo, Soyinka, BBC, others move against fake news

    “Of course, many of us know he was the proprietor of Bestcare Hospital, which catered for the poor; so many people were able to receive medical attention.

    “But beyond that, I think that what he will always be remembered for is what he did with the OPC; of course, many of us know about the struggle.

    “He was not really a politician; his first interaction that we know within the democratic struggle was when he founded the Movement for Social and Economic Justice.’’

    Osinbajo said that when the deceased founded the OPC, he decided that it was not enough for the Yoruba people to be recongnised for their industry and for their enterprise, but to seek beyond that.

    He said that the first set of members of OPC were artisans, who Fasehun taught excellence and integrity and also at the same time, teaching them democratic principles and activism.

    The vice president said that he was happy that Fasehun lived a good life and knew God.

    In his tribute, Akeredolu said that Fasehun would be remembered for excellence and for championing the cause of the Yoruba nation.

    Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, the Archbishop of Abuja Province and Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, prayed God to comfort the family of the deceased and all he left behind.

    Read Also: 2019: Okorcha charges the Military on credible polls

    Okoh, whose message was read by the Most Rev. Gabriel Akinbiyi, Archbishop, Ecclesiastical Province of Ondo and Lord Bishop, Diocese of Akoko, also prayed God to give Fasehun’s family the fortitude to bear the loss.

    In his sermon, Akinbiyi said that from the tributes from family members and friends, it was evident that he impacted on lives.

    He said that Fasehun remained faithful and committed to serving God in spite the post he held.

    The bishop prayed that God would give Nigeria a leader after God’s heart as the “nation goes for elections.’’

    He said that one of the lessons from Fasehun’s life was that one could face trials and difficulties and still maintain standard.

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, also sent a condolence message.

  • Fake News has capacity to cause great harm – Osinbajo

    The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday painted a picture of the destructive power of fake news.

    Osinbajo said that the capacity of fake news is lethargic as it does not only cause personal harm but can also lead to violence as it has been demonstrated.

    Besides, he said fake news can also cause damage to credibility and integrity of public information.

    The Vice President spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at the BBC Conference, on Nigeria 2019: Countering Fake News.

    He stressed that the capacity of fake news to cause great harm is not in doubt as it has the ability to mislead without realizing it.

    Osinbajo who narrated his personal experience in the hands of fake news peddlers, however, said there remains a problem of drawing a line so as not to infringe on the rights of the people.

    He said: “I have also been a victim. Fake news may also cause you marital peace. About three weeks ago I got a call from my wife in the office and she said, Yemi what are you doing with strippers. There have been this story on a very famous blog that said, ‘Osinbajo caught with strippers.’ And there was also a photograph of me standing in between the perfectly clothed ladies and under the photograph, the same ladies now not wearing much. It turned out that I have taken a photograph with the ladies at an entertainment event when they were perfectly clothed.

    “The capacity of fake news to cause great arm is not in doubt at all. It has been the realization that it may even mislead. I think it was Wilson Churchill that said a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get his pants on. But why fake news is now news, is obviously because of the greater dimension of content of harm that it can do and then the scope.

    “A lot of these are as a result of the advancement in technology, especially in the past few decades or so. But I think as for the damage done to the credibility and integrity of public information, the capacity of fake news to cause alarm, fear and even violence has been demonstrated again and again.”

    He, however, warned that greater damage will be done if nothing is done about it.

    “One of the great worries for us should be, what harm it has done to public information. I think that a time may come if nothing is done, when nothing will be believed or nothing will be believable because as technology improves in its capacity to manipulate and disseminate, after a while there will be perfect videos raising artificial intelligence and all of the other tools of digital technology,” he posited.

    He added, “A perfect video of people speaking or somebody making a speech that he never made at events that never happened. It will become more and more difficult to differentiate between what is truth and what is not.

    “I think if we discredit public information, it is a massive danger for society itself aside from the capacity of its to cause physical harm. Ones it destroys the believability of public information, then the means of communicating with each other has been soiled forever.”

    While raising concern of human right in an attempt to address fake news, Osinbajo, however, said it will be impossible to regulate social media without infringing on fundamental rights.

    He said: “Today there are three issues we have to look at. The first is to which extent can we hold local media owners to account. A lot of the disinformation obviously are from social media. It is easier to sue the traditional media because they are bound by local laws and it is much easier to hold them to account. But social media is under multi-jurisdictional regulation if there is any threat. But I think there is opportunity here for more jurisdictional collaboration. There should be some kind of agreement between countries that should help us regulate social media much more effectively.

    Read Also: Fake News may cause 3rd world War- Soyinka

    “The second concern is how to deal with the consequence without infringing on the Freedom of Information and also the freedom of the press. Everybody is a press now, so freedom of the press means my freedom to own a blog, my freedom to determinate information, but the question is how do we regulate now without infringing on these fundamental freedoms.

    “Really it will be impossible to regulate social media without infringing on fundamental rights. There is no way we are going to leave that in the hands of government or in the hands of the legislature without refining some activity on the part of government of the legislature. How do you create that balance?

    Commending the organizer for coming up with the conference, Osinbajo said: “This conversation is overdue and I hope that we are able to provide some direction for the way we should handle this problem on fake news.”

  • Osinbajo inaugurates Buhari Twitter, FaceBook centre

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday in Abuja inaugurated the Buhari New Media Centre (BNMC).

    It was set up to deploy social media tools in communicating the achievements of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

    Shortly after performing the inauguration at Gwarimpa estate, Osinbajo went round the offices and inspected the facilities.

    The vice president also made FaceBook calls using the centre’s facility.

    Speaking with newsmen, Abubakar Barde, Deputy National Coordinator, BNMC, said that the centre was an information hub for Buhari supporters.

    “Here, we have people that bridge the gap of information between government policies and also the people.

    “We have the call centre here where the vice president spoke with two or three Nigerians.

    “We have the call centre to communicate with Nigerians on the achievements of this administration; we have the studio where we will be having interactions on the achievements of this government.

    Read Also: APC cautions supporters against anti-party activities

    “Also, we have a monitoring department—situation Room—where we are going to monitor the election and end to end of live events that are happening at the polling units.’’

    Barde said that the target of the centre was Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora.

    According to him, the centre itself is not new but the facilities are bringing the difference.

    He said that BNMC had coordinators in 36 states and the FCT as well as a national leadership.

    “We have been engaging in door to door; street to street community engagement on the achievement of the president and we are doing tremendously well.

    “It is about the social media; the Twitter, FaceBook and the new generation, where we communicate freely.

    “The essence of our door to door interactions is to let those who are not attuned to the new media to understand the policies of government,’’ he said.

    Osinbajo, afterwards, extended his family chats mode of campaign to the family of Madu-Inuwa Wagami in the estate.

  • Pro-democracy group hails Buhari’s performance at Town Hall meeting

    A pro-democracy group, Democracy Support Coalition lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for his sterling performance at the Town Hall meeting organized and broadcast by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) tagged ‘The Candidates’.
    President Buhari, who appeared on the programme with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, highlighted some of his achievements since assuming power in 2015.
    The group said Buhari during the programe clearly demonstrated his clear understanding of the issues militating against the progress of Nigeria as he responded to germane queries from Nigerians.
    Rotimi Adeyemi, Esq, Executive Director, noted Buhari in the course of the programme was able to move away from theoretical and textbook posturing to demonstrate with real life project execution what he has done for the country and what he would be able to do when given another four years in office.
    He said in a a statement that “No other debate can be more brutal given the candour with which Nigerians interacted with President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo yet they were able to satisfactorily sell their vision for the country in a way that completely convinced the electorates that voting for the other candidates would amount to wasting ballot papers.
    “All what these other candidates have offered from their other engagements pale in relevance to what the APC candidate has promised.
    “We encourage Nigerians to accept President Buhari as the best choice for the country especially when the short and long term solutions to the problems of the country can only be found in the template he has presented. He has the kind of courage needed to address these problems.
    “Some other candidates might have presented rosy solutions but a deeper assessment of their promises clearly show that they are busy trying to impress their fans even when it is obvious that their proposals are unworkable while they themselves lack the will and experience to implement such assuming their solutions are practical in the first place.

    Read Also:Don’t renew BEDC license, Oba of Benin tells Buhari

    “It is impressive that the President subjugated his candidacy to the needs of the nation as he did not shy from saying the truth in response to the questions of Nigerians during the Town Hall Discussion Program.
    “Other candidates would have, out of desperation to win, lie their way through the entire programme in the hope of deceiving voters. Their lies would have been propelled by their being addicted to manipulating facts to appear saintly when they had never for once in their lifetimes harboured any good intentions towards the country.
    “We congratulate President Buhari for seizing the opportunity provided by the programme to engage with the citizenry, which he has done at all times the chance presents itself to engage with Nigerians. His habit of stating matters the way they are without hiding behind deceptive words is responsible for his ever growing following amongst the masses that form the support base that will hand him another term of four years in office.
    “The contents of the shallow promises being made by other candidates are well known to Nigerians. They range from those that have concluded on how they will sell national assets to their friends to those who want to use Nigeria as the guinea pig in their next economic experiment and to those that want to officially commission the country as a drug hub.
    “President Buhari on the other hand has rendered a satisfactory account of his under four years of stewardship, which gave the assurance that another four years will make the plants he has sowed to begin yielding fruits.
    “We are therefore able to conclude that the results are in already and President Muhammadu Buhari is the winner in the round about convincing citizens on how Nigeria should proceed in the next four years.”

  • It’s all politics

    Unnecessary brickbats over Osinbajo’s statement on Yoruba presidency in 2023

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s comment during the house-to-house campaign in Oyo, Oyo State, on December 22, has generated controversy which could easily pass for storm in a teacup. What did Osinbajo say? The vice president, who also seized the opportunity of his visit to the ancient town to have a 45-minute closed-door meeting with the Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, said that the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in next year’s presidential election was crucial to the south western part of the country as it would guarantee the geo-political region’s clinching of the presidency in 2023.

    According to the vice president, “Yoruba have a lot to contribute to Nigeria for the 2019 elections. It is for us, Yoruba; if you understand, it is for us. We are not looking at 2019, but 2023. If we don’t get it now, it may take some time again,” Osinbajo said. For me, this is political talk, and it should be expected, especially in a season when politics is very much in the air. Truth is; Nigeria’s presidency is not something that someone could wish into existence.

    The plank of the critics’ argument is that Vice President Osinbajo’s assertion in Oyo contradicted President Muhammadu Buhari’s message through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, assuring the south easterners of handing over to them in 2023 if he could get their support for his reelection bid next year.

    The major criticisms came from the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere; the Igbo pan-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo; the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, among others.

    Of course, when a man of Osinbajo’s stature opens his mouth, especially on an issue as contentious as the country’s presidency, there will always be brickbats and the reactions will expectedly depend on the side of the fence that the critics belong to. It is therefore not surprising that even Afenifere has taken up Osinbajo on the matter, despite the fact that the vice president is one of its own. That is the nature of politics in Yorubaland. There has been no love lost between the group and the Buhari government and it therefore should not surprise anyone that the group is not on the same page with the government over sundry issues, including especially restructuring that the group believes the Muhammadu Buhari government, under which Osinbajo is vice president, does not believe in.

    Afenifere also seized the opportunity to specifically pick holes in the ‘Trader Moni’ scheme, one of the social investment programmes of the Federal Government, which provides an opportunity for petty traders to take between N10,000 to N50,000 loan, collateral and interest-free. By this arrangement, all the encumbrances encountered in securing bank loans are either eliminated or minimised. But a segment of the Nigerian elite has mocked this scheme, saying that N10,000 is too small to do any meaningful trading. The response of the beneficiaries nationwide has however proved such critics wrong. It has shown that many of us just sit in our respective comfort zones and assume that the way money rolls in for us is the same way it does for every other Nigerian.

    I remember a few years back, (I think in  early 2000), a report claimed that there were some Nigerians who never at a time had up to N5,000! We would be deceiving ourselves if we assume that was a long time ago. As a matter of fact, things have gone progressively worse since then. And one cannot blame the Buhari administration for this; at best, we could blame it for not having the expected magic wand to turn things around within three years. There is no doubt that small as the N10,000 ‘Trader Moni’ seems, it is appreciated by many of its beneficiaries. Trading is in categories; just as traders. Even some of the big traders today will tell you they started small. Anyway, let me stop here on this because it is not a piece dedicated to ‘Trader Moni’ but the country’s presidency in 2023 that the vice president wants for his geo-political zone.

    Ohanaeze, on its part, completely missed the point almost as usual, in reacting to Osinbajo’s comment when, instead of making its case for the southeast, it resorted to threats and curses as if these are the essentials needed for the Igbo or any part of the country for that matter, to clinch the presidency. Its spokesman, Uche Achi-Okpaga, said in an interview that Nigeria would continue to wallow in abject socio-political, economic and developmental blindness until an Igbo man becomes the President. And that anything done in Nigeria without the active cooperation and participation of the lgbo would always crumble.

    Ohanaeze was right in listing some of the people from the region that have done creditably well in their respective public offices. While some of the claims are true, the fact is; it is not only in the southeast that we have such distinguished Nigerians. They are all over the country. According to Ohanaeze, “The Igbo are the descendants of King David, the man after God’s heart. Anything you do in Nigeria without the active cooperation and participation of the lgbo would always crumble as exemplified in the present administration of PMB. The Igbo are to Nigeria what Israel is to the world today.

    “Take my word today, until an Igbo man leads, Nigeria will continue to wallow in abject socio-political, economic and developmental blindness”. How does the southeast think this kind of disposition can advance its cause? Isn’t it a way to further alienate the region and pushing it farther from its dream presidency? Anyway, if things are as Ohanaeze claimed, and if Ohanaeze believes in the God factor that it said Osinbajo and the Buhari presidency do not take into reckoning, then clinching the presidency should have been a walk-over for the region all these years; in which case it won’t have to use curses and threats as a bridge to its dream world.

    Perhaps most laughable is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that was sacked about four years ago; which has naturally joined the fray. Kassim Afegbua, one of PDP’s Presidential Campaign Council spokespersons, said “giving out two promises has exposed the insincerity and dubious intention of the Buhari-led Federal Government with the people of the South-East and South-West geopolitical zones with empty promises of bequeathing power to the two zones at the same time in 2023. “This is why Nigerians cannot take the APC and the Buhari Presidency’s seriously any longer as we prepare for the 2019 elections.” The PDP easily forgot how it deceived its presidential aspirants in 2015 by collecting money for nomination forms from them when it knew there was no vacancy, and that the ticket had been duly reserved for the then incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, among some of its numerous sins. A case of the kettle calling the pot black? The party conveniently forgot how ‘papa’ deceived the presidential (PDP) aspirants in its own fold in 2015. Such is life!

    I sympathise with the south east geo-political zone which has not had a shot at the presidency for about five decades. But, the point must be made; that the country’s presidency is not something to be handed over to any geopolitical zone on a platter. Any zone that wants it must crave it. It must work assiduously towards getting it rather than wait for others to place it on its laps. Part of the problem of the region, as some observers have noted, is that even if the south east was asked to produce a presidential candidate, it would hardly do so in unison. So, the Igbo must first be ready to convene a family meeting where they will agree on a consensus and marketable presidential candidate that they can now market to the rest of the country.

    While one could pardon those of the critics with genuine criticism, after all we are in a democratic era and democracy permits plurality of opinions or beliefs, there are also others who would not see anything good in whatever the vice president says or had said. Even when mum is the word from him; some people would still say he ought to have said something, if only to make political points. I can imagine how Afenifere, for instance, would have descended on the vice president if he had said the Yoruba should not take part in the 2023 presidential race for whatever reason. Already, the group has accused the vice president of failing to identify with most of the important things the Yoruba race sees as dear to it.

    Without doubt I agree with critics who believe that Prof. Osinbajo is the country’s vice president, and should therefore be seen to be putting on a national cap; but he is first and foremost a Yoruba before being a Nigerian and then vice president. Indeed, it was on the basis of his geopolitical zone that he was even nominated and eventually elected as vice president, as the position was strategically zoned by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the south west. Although zoning is alien to the Nigerian constitution when it comes to elective offices, it has become a useful instrument that political parties use in balancing the power equation among the country’s various ethnic nationalities.

    At any rate, democracy is only still evolving in the country. We therefore cannot compare it with advanced countries where democracy has grown over the centuries. For me, therefore, there is nothing inherently wrong in the vice president advancing the interest of his geo-political zone in the context that he did. It’s all politics. And, as Hans J, Morgenthau said: “ all politics is a struggle for power”.

  • Buhari’s govt capable of tackling corruption

    A group, Buhari/Osinbajo Re-election Group (BOREG) from the 18 local government of Ondo state said it had concluded arrangements on mobilization of voters across the state to facilitate the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and his deputy,Prof. Yemi Osinbajo in the 2019 polls.

    They urged Nigerians not to underrate the forces of corruption that were fighting forcefully to regain power in the country.

    Rather, the group said it should summon courage as they approach 2019 general elections and permanently neutralize these negative political forces in  the land.

    At the group’s secretariat on Oyemekun road,Akure, its coordinator, Basorun Wale Oyewole said efforts should be geared towards mobilizing eligible voters in the state to join the crusade for continuity of Buhari and Osinbajo in office because of their laudable achievements.

    The meeting was attended by party leaders and groups across the 18 local government areas of the state.

    Read Also: Group commends Buhari over 2019 budget

    At the meeting were Dr Jide Owoka, Captain S.O Oyepata (rtd) Hon Wale Akintimehin Alhaji S.A Idris, Alhaji I.A Oloruntoba, Hon Omoogun, Hon Rahman Rotimi (former APC State Secretary) and Deacon Samson Ojetayo.

    Others are Bola Awodola, Mrs Kehinde Adeniran, Hon Lekan Obolo,Barr Bisi Ayeni,Chief A.Garuba and Hon.O.Olakunle among others.

    The group appreciated the kindness of Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Togo,Sola Iji for fulfilling his promise of donating campaign vehicles including 12 cars and  three buses with fourteen giant billboards to support the election campaign group.

    The meeting resolved that the group would work for all candidates of the party,stressing that members would not involve in any anti-party activities.

    It acknowledged the long-suffering of many party members that have not benefitted from the system and promised that they would be rewarded eventually.

  • Afenifere endorses Buhari for 2019 polls

    •Public declaration January 29
    •‘Any other Yoruba not with us are renegade and usurpers’

    The Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere, has endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as the Yoruba candidates ahead of next year’s presidential election.

    It said any other group that fails to align with the current position would be treated usurpers and renegades.

    The organisation recalled that Afenifere, as started by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, should be progressive.

    Its spokesperson Biodun Akin-Fasae stated the group’s position yesterday while addressing reporters on the outcome of a meeting of delegates and elders from the six Southwest states in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    The group is led by the longest-living senator in Nigeria, Pa Ayo Fasanmi.

    Notable figures at the meeting included a former Oyo State Governor Omololu Olunloyo, Prince Tajudden Olusi, Dr. Abayomi Fini, Chief Adeleke Adewoyin, Prince Biodun Ogunleye, former Oyo State Deputy Governor Iyiola Oladokun and Pa Ayo Afolabi.

    Governments’ representatives at the meeting included Dr Morounkola Thomas (Oyo), Mr Oladosu Oladipo, Chief Akin Fasae (Ekiti), Mr Muyiwa Ige (Osun), Prof. Adebanjo Ademodi (Ondo), Mr Tokunbo Ajasin and Mr Awa Bamiji.

    Akin-Fasae said: “We have decided to host the Yoruba land in Ibadan on January 29. It is to proclaim the support of the Yoruba for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 and to tell the world that the Afenifere that Baba Awolowo created before he left is still intact as a progressive movement. Any Afenifere person who is not in the progressive is not part of us.

    “We are now telling the Yoruba people and the whole world that Afenifere, as enunciated and enacted by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, is still intact and we are going to support President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in the 2019 presidential election.”

    Asked why Afenifere was supporting the Federal Government, He said: “The economy is a collective issue. The economy has been bastardised for years. As at now, President Buhari is trying his best; he is bringing the economy up. The gross domestic product (GDP) is growing. Look at the programmes for youths and the children through empowerment and school feeding programmes in schools across the country; 26 states are already in the programme and many other states are happy with it.

    “So, President Buhari is trying his best and the best is yet to come. That is why we are asking people to vote for him, particularly in this Yoruba land, in the 2019 presidential election.”

    On the authenticity of the support in view of another faction of the group supporting another presidential candidate, Akin-Fasae said: “The Afenifere that we know in Yoruba land is a progressive movement. This is where we are today in Ibadan. The other Afenifere (the Ayo Adebanjo group) that is talking about Abubakar Atiku are not part of us. They are usurpers.

    “The Yoruba are not divided; there are not so many Afeniferes. Yoruba is a nation and even during the time of Baba Awolowo, there were dissent voices. So, we are not embarrassed. Our group is led by the longest living senator in Nigeria, Pa Ayo Fasanmi. You can see everybody there, including Senator Durojaiye, Dr Olunloyo, Baba Olusi. So, every other person in Yoruba land who is not a renegade is with us. There was no time Afenifere has not been a socio-political organisation. It is a socio-cultural and political organisation. That is just the full name of Afenifere…”

     

     

     

  • Reps investigates Nigeria’s rising debt profile

    The House of Representatives is to investigate the rise of Nigeria’s external debt from$10.49b in 2015 to $17.83b in June 2018.

    This followed the adoption of a motion by Yusuf Tajudeen (PDP, Kogi) Chairman of the House Committee on Capital market, who noted that the true state of the nation’s debt profile has  continued to generate controversies.

    This has led to varying figures given by the Federal government and some fiscal policy monitoring organisations, he noted.

    The lawmaker said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is the chairman of Nigerian Economic Council (NEC) revealed that the nation’s debt profile stood at $10b in the last three years while the figures given by economic and budget experts range between $13b to $47b from May 2015 to June 2018.

    He said “Nigeria’s external and domestic debt, which reveals that the external debt grew to $17.8b in June 2018 from $10.49b in 2015, while domestic debt, which was N8.39 billion in June 2015 has risen to N 12.15 trillion as at June 2018; representing an increase of N17.6 trillion in three years”.

    Besides the rising national debt profile, there is a sharp increase in sub-national borrowing in the last three years, such that the domestic debts of states governments rose from N1.69 trillion in June 2015 to N3.4 trillion in June 2018, he said.

    “Unlike global practices where borrowings are tied to specific projects mutually agreed by respective organs of government, various borrowings by the Federal government since June 2015, have not been transparent, this is a situation that gives room for doubts, misconceptions and prone to manipulations,” added.

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    According to him, Nigeria’s revenues are sharply declining, which makes it increasingly difficult to attract and sustain higher debts.

    This, he said ultimately portends micro and macro dangers to the national economy amidst numerous developmental challenges.

    The motion unanimously adopted after a voice while Joint committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management, Capital Market and Institutions and Banking and Currency were mandated to carry out the investigation.