The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Buhari

  • The plan to engage experts in overcoming Economic challenges

     

    He stated this in his remarks at the Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji Arakeji, Osun State during the conferment of an honorary degree on him by the university.

     

    Oke, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, said, “The challenge before this country is because of economy policies somersault and I want to enjoin the government of President Buhari to engage a seasoned economist in his government because I have not seen a single economist in this government and that is why we continue to have problem bordering on revenue leakages, the revenue is there, but we continue borrowing.

    “There is nothing bad in borrowing but when you borrow, you should do something with the money, something tangible like capital projects that will repay borrowed money but not borrowing money to pay salaries of workers, not borrowing money for going to seminars.

     

    “There are some laws that the Federal Government and parliament must work on, we need to look at our tax principles, the operation of oil and gas-rich zones, the operation of Nigeria Export Promotion in the desert and know what is happening there, because these foreign companies and some locals are exploiting these laws because they are open-ended to avoid and evade tax.”

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Benue State Governor blames President Buhari for ongoing Insecurity crisis

    Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has said President Muhammadu Buhari should be blamed for ongoing insecurity crisis plaguing the country saying he had failed to secure lives and property which he promised in 2015.

     

    Ortom stated this, yesterday, during a tour of some projects embarked upon by his administration in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

     

     

     

    The governor listed as example attempt by the Presidency to review the Land Use Act of 1978 to give ownership of land to the Federal Government and to push for take over of water ways and river banks by the Federal Government, as policies initiated to create crisis in the country.

     

    He vowed that Benue State would reject the planned review of the Land Use Act as it was meant to grab land from the people for open grazing, cattle routes and grazing reserves.

     

    “Mr. President is the one creating insecurity problem in this country. The grazing routes he is advocating will only cause crisis. No room for reviewing land use act and we are not going to allow the review in Benue. I stand with my Commissioner of Education, Prof. Dennis Ityavyar, on what he said that there is land for ranching in Benue. What we are against is open grazing. Our law is still in place and we will prosecute anybody who goes against the law.

     

     

     

    “The only people who can reverse this is Benue people, not even me. That is why I will continue to call on President Buhari to rescind his decision that open grazing must continue in Nigeria. Open grazing is outdated, there is no need for it, and we must ranch our cattle.

     

    “I have maintained that there is land for everyone for ranching in Benue provided they respect the provisions of the law. We have not stopped anybody or tribe from doing business in Benue.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • Constitutional Amendment: “Only the National Assembly can reorganize Nigeria, I’ll assent the bill on restructuring If passed – Buhari

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said he would not hesitate to give assent to any amendments to the 1999 Constitution on restructuring.

     

    He spoke when the National Executive of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), led by Prof Benjamin Okaba, visited him at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

     

    On calls for restructuring, the President noted that the National Assembly, whose responsibility it is to amend the constitution, had concluded regional consultations.

     

    “As soon as they finalise the process, necessary action would not be delayed on my part,” he said.

     

     

    Advocates of restructuring will leave a sigh of relief after yesterday’s comment by the President.

     

    This is unlike what he said at the weekend in a message at the Kudirat Abiola Sabon Gari Peace Foundation in Zaria, Kaduna State.

     

    He said: “Those who are discussing restructuring, my question is, what are you going to restructure?

     

    “If you ask many Nigerians what they are going to restructure, you will find out that they have nothing to talk about.

     

    “Some of them have not even studied the 1999 Constitution. The 1999 Constitution is almost 70 to 80 per cent 1979 Constitution.”

     

    Responding to other requests by the INC, the President said the creation of two additional states and more local government areas for the Ijaw are to be handled by the National Assembly.

     

    He praised the INC leadership for affirming its belief in a united Nigeria.

     

     

    A statement by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, quoted the President as saying: “Make sure that we keep working together to keep this country a united, indivisible entity so that we can tackle our problems together and overcome our challenges together.”

     

    On the Hydrocarbon Remediation Project, the President said he had directed the Federal Ministry of Environment to ensure that the remediation efforts in Ogoni are implemented with a high percentage of local content.

     

    The President said the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, under the same ministry, is working to ensure that oil spills are prevented.

     

    On the allocation of operational licenses for marginal fields to the Ijaw people, the President said: “The process of granting licenses is guided by laid down rules and regulations, most of which even favour local content and local contractors.

     

    “I see no reason why they should not be granted such licenses if they qualify.”

     

    On the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the President pledged that the Board would be inaugurated as soon as the forensic audit report is submitted and accepted.

     

    “A contentious issue that has been a subject of discourse amongst the Ijaw people of recent has been the need for the NDDC to live up to its billing by delivering the required succour to the people of the region.

     

    “Based on the mismanagement that had previously bedevilled the NDDC, a forensic audit was set up and the result is expected by the end of July 2021.

     

    “I want to assure you that as soon as the forensic audit report is submitted and accepted, the NDDC Board will be inaugurated.

     

    “I would like to implore the Ijaw National Congress to play a more active role in making sure that the mismanagement that occurred in the past is not repeated,” he said.

     

    The President also assured the leadership of INC that the completion of the East-West Road remained top on his infrastructure agenda.

     

    “We have made considerable progress with the construction of the Bonny to Port Harcourt Bridge,” he said.

     

    Prof Okaba reaffirmed INC’s belief in the “overall and mutual benefits of true federalism and resource control to the prosperity and stability of Nigeria”.

     

    He assured the President that the Ijaws “have no secessionist agenda.”

     

    He urged President Buhari to mandate the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to direct the relocation of the headquarters of all oil companies to their operational bases in the Niger Delta.

     

    “The excuse of insecurity is no longer tenable. It is common knowledge that nowhere in Nigeria is safer than the other.

     

    “The revamping of the major ports at Onne, Warri, Port Harcourt and Bonny will accelerate economic growth, reduce joblessness, youth criminality and contribute to national unity and stability,” he said

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.thenationonline.com

  • The President who rules a nation with deteriorating healthcare Infrastructure runs off to London in pursuit of Medical treatment

    President Muhammadu Buhari will proceed to London, the United Kingdom, for scheduled medical follow-up today.

     

    A statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said Buhari is expected back in the country during the second week of July, 2021.

     

    Buhari was away for two weeks between March 30 – April 16 for routine medical checks.

     

    He had been routinely criticised by citizens for his constant medical trips to the UK, especially given the rot in the country’s healthcare infrastructure and government failure to commiting funds into the rehabilitation or putting on ground state-of-the-art medical facilities as found abroad to address critical ailments suffered by citizens.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • NBC sues FG over directive to broadcasters to stop using twitter

    Socio–Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Federal Government and Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Muhammed from using the unlawful directive to TV and radio stations not to use Twitter and to delete their accounts, as a pretext to harass, intimidate, suspend or impose criminal punishment on journalists and broadcast stations.

     

    The suit followed the order by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) asking TV and radio stations to “suspend the patronage of Twitter immediately”, and telling them to delete ‘unpatriotic’ Twitter, after the social media giant was banned in the country for deleting President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet.

     

    In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/496/2021 filed last Friday, SERAP is seeking “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the government of President Buhari, NBC, and Mr Lai Muhammed and any other persons from censoring, regulating, licensing and controlling the social media operations and contents by broadcast stations, and activities of social media service providers in Nigeria.”

     

     

     

    SERAP is also seeking an order setting aside the directive by NBC and Muhammed that broadcast stations stop using Twitter, as it is unconstitutional, unlawful, inconsistent and incompatible with the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended) and the country’s obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

     

    “The government of President Buhari, NBC and Mr Lai Muhammed have consistently made policies and given directives to crackdown on media freedom, and the rights of Nigerians to freedom of expression and access to information, and to impose crippling fines and other sanctions on broadcast stations without any legal basis whatsoever. The court has an important role to play in the protection and preservation of the rule of law to ensure that persons and institutions operate within the defined ambit of constitutional and statutory limitations.”

     

    No date has been fixed for the hearing of  the suit.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • The President that describes a particular tribe as a dot in the circle

    De facto Customary Government of Biafra, led by Asari Dokubo, has flayed President Muhammadu Buhari for describing Igbo as a dot in a circle.

     

    The group, in a statement by the Head of Information and Communication, Uche Mefor, said the president’s statement clearly demonstrated his intent for a genocidal action against Ndigbo.

     

     

     

    Mefor said: “President Buhari’s statement that the Igbo (whom he referred to as Indigenous People of Biafra are ‘a dot in the circle’ is an unfortunate manifestation of his insatiable desire, genocidal intent and ethnic cleansing of the Igbo Biafrans.”

     

    He said the ongoing militarisation of the entire Igboland and the launch of operation restore peace in both South South and South East is a recipe for his commencement of that genocide and crimes against humanity which he alleged could not complete between 1967 and 1970.

     

    “This is also reminiscent of the description by Leon Mugesera of the Tutsis in Rwanda as ‘cockroaches’ that must be exterminated in the build up to the horrific genocide in that country in 1994.

     

     

     

    “This existential threat which Buhari represents to the entire population is not only for the Igbo in South East but everybody in the South South and should be ignored to the consternation and chagrin of all.

     

    “That is why it is not going to be taken for granted. Hence, self-preservation which is the greatest unconscious and innate human response to danger remains the safest fallback for the population of both the South East and South South.”

     

    Mefor, therefore, called for the collaboration of the South South and South East against the threat by the president.

     

    “The unity of these two regions of Biafra at this particular point in time cannot be overemphasised. All stakeholders and particularly the political class must stand with their people and defend their collective interest.

     

    “They must think beyond 2023 and save themselves from the impending genocide and crimes against humanity. Let us make that sacrifice and make sure South East and South South are protected and insulated from t he invaders,” he said.

  • Buhari plans to reopen grazing route, masses kick

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s pronouncement last week that his administration would reinstate cattle routes and grazing areas across the country to ensure herders have free access for their animals have continued to generate flaks

     

    In apparent response to the ban on open cattle grazing by the 17 Southern governors, the president said when the governors gave the directive that open grazing would be banned, he referred them to the gazette that makes provisions for cattle routes and open grazing areas. He then said he has resolved to revive those routes and grazing areas in the country to resolve the issue.

     

     

     

    “What I told the governors was to ask them to go and dig up the gazette. There are certain routes and grazing areas so that when cattle rearers were moving from the north to the west, they were allowed to go through there. But if you allow your cattle to stray into any farmer’s farm, you are arrested and the farmer is invited to submit his claims. Those who encroach on these cattle routes and grazing areas would be dispossessed.”

     

    However, in separate reactions, Arewa, Igbo and Yoruba groups roundly condemned the statement saying the move rather than resolve the issue would exacerbate it.

     

    As far as the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) is concerned, reactivating open grazing routes may cause legal and security problems.

     

     

     

    Spokesman forf the group, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, in a telephone interview, reminded the president that the 1999 Constitution gives state governors powers cover land and to even revoke federal land.

     

    “The reactivation of open grazing routes in southern part or any other parts of the country is problematic both in legal terms and security. I would have said the best way to go is for us to seek legal interpretation beyond the Office of the Attorney General. The Federal Government can actually sue governors that ban open grazing and the court will rule whether they are right or wrong.

     

    “I will reserve final judgment on the president’s position. We caution that there is more to open grazing than availability of land and routes. It is not about opening the grazing routes, it is also about the security of the cattle and herders, and getting the support of communities that they will go through. Our open grazing requires political will. The Federal Government has already adopted the National Livestock Transformation programme to equip the Fulani. We, in the North, are in favour of ban of open grazing but we want it to be done in phases, in an orderly manner that does not harm the cattle and the Fulani. We also support the active intervention of the Federal Government, the northern governors and everybody to make sure that in the next one year or two, open grazing is abolished completely. I think this is the way to go.”

     

    However, the Association of South East Town Unions (ASETU) in collaboration with other respected Igbo groups, including Nzuko Umunna, Aka Ikenga, Igbo World Assembly (IWA), World Igbo Congress (WIC), Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), Ekwe Nche, European Igbo Communities, Igbo Board of Deputies, Council of Igbo States in America, Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo and South East Community Youth Leaders, rose from a one-day emergency security meeting with a vow to resist open grazing in the region.

     

    The coalition warned that governors in the zone who fail to implement the ban would be treated as foes.

     

    National President, ASETU, Chief Emeka Diwe who made their position known, said the meeting totally condemned the continued attacks by killer herdsmen in Igbo communities and urged governors to rise to the occasion and protect their people.

     

    Stressing that the primary purpose of political governance was the security of lives and property, the Igbo groups charged governors who had not kick-started the processes of enacting anti-open grazing laws, to as a matter of urgency, send Executive Bills to their respective Houses of Assembly.

     

    “Our position is very clear, which is the stand of Ndigbo; we say no to open grazing and are not making any pretences about that. We insist that any cattle in the South East must be ranched. So, we urge all nomadic herders to leave our land. We also urge our governors to do everything possible to implement the ban on open grazing. In fact, Ndigbo will treat any governor who fails to carry out this heartfelt desire and demand as an enemy. We equally urge each state to have forest guards with legal backing to ensure that our forests do not harbour terrorists and criminals,” Diwe said.

     

    The groups regretted that President Muhammadu Buhari who had never spoken strongly against the atrocities of Fulani herdsmen and bandits was threatening to visit another festival of blood on the Igbo.

     

    ADF recalled that it had been in the forefront of the agitation for the banning of open grazing in Igboland since 2015, hence its insistence on the enactment of anti-open grazing laws as the most potent strategy to prevent armed Fulani herdsmen from overrunning the Southern states.

     

    Its spokesman, Abia Onyike, said the law to be passed in the State Houses of Assembly should be accompanied by clear modalities, instrumentalities and machineries for their enforcement. He added that the effectiveness of this move depended on the synergy between the governors, the legislators and the people, including the civil society organisations.

     

    Similarly, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, said the president’s pronouncements fell far short of what was expectation.

     

    “We have some questions for Mr. President and the Attorney General in this respect. One, who created the so-called grazing routes? At what time in our history did our founding fathers gather to designate specific routes from the north to the south as ‘grazing routes’? Two, assuming without conceding, that there were so-called grazing routes, what would now happen to structures that have been built in areas where the so-called routes are to be re-opened? Would such structures, including residences and factories be pulled down so that cows would have places to graze? Compared to what would be lost economically, socially, politically and in security terms if these structures are to be pulled down, is it not better to encourage the building of ranches? We can go on and on.”

     

    Afenifere claimed President’s pronouncement on open grazing and his confession on how he determines who occupy positions at the national level seems to indicate that Buhari’s government is operating a constitution that is different from the 1999 Constitution.

    “For instance, Section 2 of the Land Use Act, the law governing land matters in the country, vests the administration and control of lands in a given state in the hands of the governor of the state. It is such that even when the Federal Government wants to use a portion of land, it has to seek the consent of the governor of the state concerned. Since most governors in the country have outlawed open grazing in their respective states, on which land does the Federal Government want to ‘open’ or ‘re-open’ its vaunted grazing routes? Why talking of grazing routes in this age when ranching is the fad in all civilised climes?”

     

    The group claimed President Buhari seems to derive pleasure in shifting blames and responsibilities when pressed on what his government ought to do.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • Buhari says He”ll reinstate cattle routes and grazing areas in the Country

    President Muhammadu Buhari has said his administration would reinstate cattle routes and grazing areas across the country to ensure that herders have free access for their animals.

     

    He also directed the military and police to deal ruthlessly with insurgents and other criminals across the country.

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    Buhari, who expressed confidence that the order would yield positive results within weeks, recalled that he had in the past visited Chad, Niger and Cameroon as part of efforts to promote good neighbourliness and security at the nation’s borders.

     

     

     

    Warning that the country might experience food shortage, Buhari said there was the need to decisively tackle insurgents who are keeping farmers away from their farms.

     

    The president also defended the administration’s appointments, insisting that there were made based on merit.

     

    The president, who expressed the hope that Nigerians would be fair to him while assessing his administration, also urged them to question previous regimes on what they did with the nation’s humongous earnings.

     

     

     

    He spoke, yesterday, during an interview with Arise TV.

     

    In apparent response to the ban on open cattle grazing by the 17 Southern governors, he said when the governors gave the directive that open grazing would be banned, he referred them to the gazette that makes provisions for cattle routes and open grazing areas.

     

    “What I told the governors was to ask them to go and dig up the gazette. There are certain routes and grazing areas so that when cattle rearers were moving from the north to the west, they were allowed to go through there. But if you allow your cattle to stray into any farmer’s farm, you are arrested and the farmer is invited to submit his claims. Those who encroach on these cattle routes and grazing areas would be dispossessed. The problem is trying to understand the culture of the cattle rearers. The Governor of Benue said I am not disciplining the cattle rearers because I am one of them and I told him that the Nigerian cattle rearer doesn’t carry anything more than a stick or a machete. But I can tell you that we are trying to resuscitate these cattle routes and grazing areas.”

     

    •Anti-graft war

     

    Buhari said fighting corruption in a democratic setting is a difficult task to accomplish.

     

    He, however, stressed that his administration had succeeded in easing out corrupt public officials without making noise about it.

     

    Buhari recalled that much was achieved in the fight against corruption when he was military Head of State in the early 80s “when a lot of people were sent to prisons before I was also booted out.”

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    The president frowned at the way and manner local government system was being managed, saying the local government administration was almost non-existent in the country.

     

    He cited situation where state governors continued to starve the local governments of funds saying “in a situation where N300 million is allocated to local government and they are given N100 million is not fair”.

     

    •IPOB like a dot in a circle — we’ll defeat them

     

    He described the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) as a dot in a circle, saying the group is isolated in its call for secession.

     

    Buhari said he has been assured by the elderly people and the youths from the South-South that they have no intention of seceding.

     

    He said IPOB will not have access to anywhere even if they eventually secede from the country.

     

    The president then reiterated his statement that IPOB members will treated in the language that they understand.

     

    “I was encouraged by what I heard, nobody told me. Two statements from the south south: one by the elderly people, they said this time around there would be no (secession). And again the youth made the same statement; such encouragement.

     

    “So that IPOB is just like a dot in a circle. Even if they want to exit, they’ll have no access to anywhere. And the way they are spread all over the country, having businesses and properties. I don’t think IPOB knows what they are talking about.

     

    “In any case, we say we’ll talk to them in the language that they understand. We’ll organise the police and the military to pursue them.”

     

    IPOB has been agitating for the secession of the South-East.

     

    •Bandits in N/East

     

    On activities of Bandits and kidnappers particularly in the North West and North Central zones, President Buhari said he had given the police and armed forces instructions to be ruthless with bandits and vandals terrorising innocent citizens across the country.

     

    He said he had told the security agencies to treat bandits and other criminals in the “the language they understand”.

     

    “Problem in the north-west; you have people over there stealing each other’s cattle and burning each other’s villages.

     

    “Like I said, we are going to treat them in the language they understand.

     

    “We have given the police and the military the power to be ruthless. You watch it in a few weeks’ time there will be difference.

     

    “Because we told them if we keep people away from their farm, we are going to starve. And the government can’t control the public.

     

    “If you allow hunger, the government is going to be in trouble and we don’t want to be in trouble.

     

    “We are already in enough trouble. So we warn them sooner than later you’ll see the difference,’’ he said.

     

    Buhari dismissed the assertion that majority of Boko Haram members were foreigners.

     

    •State police

     

    On call for the creation of state police, Buhari revealed that two governors from the South-West governors visited him with complaints about encroachment by herdsmen on farmlands in their states but he urged them not to be idle but that they should work hard to protect their states because that is why they were elected.

     

    “Two governors from the South West came to be complaining about herdsmen encroaching on their farms and I told them that they campaigned to be elected, so they should go back and secure themselves. They cannot go round and win elections and think that someone will do their jobs for them, so I sent them back.”

     

    On the calls by Southern governors for devolution of powers, the president said if the three tiers of government were working as they should, there would not have been such social problems. He said the local governments which are under the control of state governors are dead, which he says is bad for the country.

     

    “The local governments are virtually dead and it is not good for this country because if your local government is supposed to receive N300 million, they will sign that they have received N300 million but they will be given only N100 million. So our local governments are dead.”

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • Buhari gives directives to shoot on sight anyone wielding Ak47 or other fire arms and weapons

    President Muhammadu Buhari has said his directive to security agencies to shoot any person or persons found illegally wielding AK-47s and other assault weapons was still in force.

     

    The president also vowed that his administration would act firmly and decisively ‘‘against any and all persons found attacking our Police Force and other security personnel.”

     

     

     

    Buhari spoke in Lagos, yesterday, at the handing over of security equipment by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to the Police Command.

     

    The president declared that any nation that turned its police personnel and infrastructure into targets of violence and destruction was on the path to self-destruction.

     

    ‘‘As Commander-in-Chief, my primary responsibility remains the security of the country and the safety of all citizens. Despite the many challenges we are facing, I want Nigerians to rest assured that we will secure this country.

     

     

     

    ‘‘We will secure our infrastructure, our highways, our communities and our forests. We will secure the lives of our people,’’ it further quoted him as saying.

     

    The president told members of the Nigeria Police Force that government would strive to improve their welfare and capacity, but added that the citizens equally had expectations from them.

     

    ‘‘First, let me commend the Inspector-General of Police and the entire Force for the recent efforts to restore peace to troubled parts of the country.

     

    ‘‘I have charged the Inspector-General to leave no stone unturned in rebuilding the morale of his officers and men, especially in the aftermath of the mindless violence associated with the EndSARS protests as well as the recent spate of attacks on Police Stations in some parts of the country.”

     

    While commending the governor for providing the security equipment and assets, the president noted that it would go a long way in boosting the morale of the Police and further enhance the capacity to fight crime and combat criminality.

     

    ‘‘This is even more touching in the light of the unwarranted violence that ensued in the wake of the ENDSARS protests last October during which the security architecture in Lagos State was severely damaged,’’ he said.

     

    The president added that it was commendable that Lagos State, the Centre of Excellence, had shown a truly resilient spirit in the face of the massive destruction it suffered last October.

     

    He said: ‘‘You did not allow yourselves to be deterred by the severe setback; instead, you have bounced back and already boldly rebuilding the confidence of residents and investors in the State.

     

    ‘‘I acknowledge the initiative taken to kick-start the rebuilding process, through the establishment of the Lagos State Rebuild Trust Fund, and through this very laudable effort by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund.

     

    “I enjoin other State Governments to emulate your bold, proactive and resourceful initiative.’’

     

    The president also reiterated that government was taking its constitutional oath to secure the lives and properties of the Nigerian people very seriously.

     

    He said his administration is conscious of the fact that lasting security is a necessary foundation for business, investment and true prosperity.

     

    Buhari declared that no federal government, since 1999, had been as committed as his administration toward reforming and repositioning the Nigeria Police Force and national policing architecture.

     

    ‘‘In 2019, I signed into law the Act establishing the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, the first in the history of the Force, to provide guaranteed funding to support Police welfare, logistics and equipment.

     

    ‘‘In 2020, I assented to the Bill amending the Nigeria Police Act, which was originally enacted in 1943.

     

    ‘‘This new Act, a vast improvement over the old one, among other things, spells out the modalities for the implementation of a National Community Policing Scheme in Nigeria.

     

    ‘‘This new scheme will build confidence within our local communities and make them active stakeholders in the safety and security of their environs.

     

    ‘‘We are currently recruiting 10,000 Police officers to rein force our personnel capacity across the country.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • NASS Minority asks Nigerians to disregard Twitter Ban, PDP calls for Visa Ban on Buhari

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) called on the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and other members of the international community to immediately impose visa ban on President Buhari for allegedly stifling free speech in Nigeria.

     

    The party said the visa ban should be extended to Attorney Gen. Abubakar Malami; the Information minister Lai Mohammed and certain leaders of the APC.

     

     

     

    In a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said the ban violated United Nations International Charter on Human Rights.

     

    NASS minority caucus: ban has no legal backing

    The minority caucus in the National Assembly asked Nigerians to disregard the ban

     

    The caucus made up of the Senate and House of Representatives opposition members described the ban as draconian.

     

    It also dismissed the threat of prosecution of those violating the ban by Malami.

     

    In a statement jointly signed by Senate Minority Leader Enyinnaya Abaribe and Minority Leader of the House Ndudi Elumelu, the opposition lawmakers asked Nigerians to continue to use their Twitter handle as they will not be contravening any known laws of the land.

     

    The statement partly reads:” It is agonising that Nigeria and Nigerians have been losing billions of naira on daily basis since the ban on Twitter. This is completely unacceptable as it is worsening the already biting economic hardship and frightening unemployment level in the country.”

     

    “Moreover, the ban on Twitter in Nigeria appears to be in favour of criminal and terrorist elements, whose activities fester in an environment of suppressed information flow.”

     

    Activist lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) faulted the ban, saying it was contrary to the spirit of June 12.

     

    Adegboruwa therefore admonished activists, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations and all lovers of democracy, not to participate in any programme or event to commemorate the June 12, 1993 el ection.

  • FG dish out threats of tough action on perpetrators of insecurity

     

    The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.),  on Tuesday, warned people behind security problems in the country,  saying he would soon be hard on them.

     

    Buhari also said secessionists were too young to know loss of lives and other tragedies that attended the Nigerian civil war of 1967 to 1970.

     

    Buhari said these at the Presidential Villa, Abuja after being briefed by the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, on series of attacks on facilities of the electoral body across the country.

     

    These were contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, titled, ‘Those who want to destroy this country have shock coming their way, says President Buhari.’

     

    But the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, in its reaction, advised the President to stop issuing threat and act decisively to end insecurity in the country.

     

    Since the President’s reelection in 2019, the insecurity in the country has worsened with many parts of the North-East under attack by the Boko Haram insurgents.

     

    Others zones, which were hitherto peaceful, have been witnessing kidnapping and killings by armed herdsmen and bandits.

     

     

     

    Also, there have been increased agitations by separatist groups in the South-West and South-East.  Many INEC offices in the South-East have been burnt by hoodlums.

     

    After his meeting with the INEC chairman and commissioners on Tuesday, Buhari issued a stern warning to  those who were eager to decimate the country by promoting insurrection and burning down critical national assets.

     

    He said, “I receive daily security reports on the attacks, and it is very clear that those behind them want this administration to fail.

     

    “Insecurity in Nigeria is now mentioned all over the world. All the people who want power, whoever they are, you wonder what they really want.

     

    “Whoever wants the destruction of the system will soon have the shock of their lives. We have given them enough time.”

     

    Speaking on the dangers that the burning of INEC facilities would pose to the 2023 general elections, Buhari said he would give the electoral commission all it needed to operate.

     

    “We will fully support INEC so that no one would say we don’t want to go, or that we want a third term. There will be no excuse for failure. We’ll meet all INEC’s demands,” he said.

    The President told the chairman that the service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police had been changed, “and we will demand security from them.”

     

    Buhari also said people misbehaving in certain parts of the country were too young to understand the travails and loss of lives during the Nigerian Civil War.

     

    The statement read, “He (the President) said those misbehaving in certain parts of the country were obviously too young to know the travails and loss of lives that attended the Nigerian Civil War.”

     

    It further quoted the President as saying “Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand. We are going to be very hard sooner than later.”

     

    He promised to continue leading Nigeria by the constitutional provisions.

     

    In his remarks, Yakubu said that so far, there had been 42 cases of attacks on INEC offices nationwide, since the 2019 general elections.

     

    He said, “The 42 incidents so far occurred in 14 states of the Federation for a variety of reasons…Most of the attacks happened in the last seven months, and they are unrelated to protest against previous elections.

     

     

     

    “From the pattern and frequency of the most recent attacks, they appear to be targeted at future elections. The intention is to incapacitate the commission, undermine the nation’s democracy and precipitate a national crisis.”

     

    You should lead fight from the front, PDP advises Buhari

     

    The PDP in its reaction to the  President’s statement asked him to match his words with actions and lead the fight against insecurity from the front.

     

    National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this in an interview with one of our correspondents.

     

    He said, “On the issue of security, the expectation of Nigerians is that Mr. President should lead the battle against insecurity from the front like he promised during his electioneering.

     

    “But the inactions of Mr President today are responsible for the deluge of insecurity that has affected our nation. The expectation of Nigerians furthermore, is that these challenges should not be limited to the issues of lip talk; rather, they should be confronted so that Nigerians can sleep with their two eyes closed.”

     

    On the 2023 elections, the PDP spokesperson said, “The least Nigerians expect from the President for INEC to function optimally, is for him to revisit the Electoral Act amendment which he refused to assent to.

     

     

    “He should dust it up and return it to the National Assembly if there are further amendments they should be included. Let them work on it and return it to him to sign into law so that our elections will be better.

     

    “Mr President should also encourage INEC to institutionalise the electronic transfer of results in order to forestall problems that arise in the process of collation. This is not too much to ask.

     

    “As a political party interested in the corporate existence of this great country, we are prepared like we have always done, to offer advice and assist in every legitimate way to help Nigeria overcome its challenges.”

     

    On its part, the All Progressives Congress said it had no interest in trading words with the PDP over what the President said.

     

    When contacted, the Acting National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, said, “Our President has spoken, there is nothing more to add.”

     

    2023 constitutional crisis looms over attacks, INEC alerts Buhari

     

    Giving further insight into INEC’s meeting with Buhari,  a National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, in an interview with The PUNCH, said the commission told the President that there would be a constitutional crisis in 2023 if the attacks on the agency’s facilities were not checked.

     

     

     

    He said INEC chairman told the President that burning of INEC offices would have negative effects on future elections as ad hoc staff including transporters would be scared of working for the commission.

     

    Okoye said the commission told the President that persons behind burning of the offices were bent on undermining the nation’s democracy and precipitate a national crisis.

     

    According to him, the INEC  chairman told the President that since the majority of election duty workers were ad hoc staff, the cost of insuring them would increase on account of the crisis.

     

    Okoye stated that Yakubu informed Buhari that since the commission relied heavily on private vehicles and boats owners for the movement of materials, the crisis would discourage such people from participating in elections.

     

    He said, “The Chairman of the commission, Professor  Mahmood Yakubu and other national commissioners met with the President, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari today June 1, 2021 and briefed him on the spate of attacks on the commission’s offices and facilities nationwide and their implications for elections and electoral activities in Nigeria.

     

    “The chairman pointed out that there have been 42 cases of attacks on INEC offices across the country since the 2019 general elections.

     

    “He further informed the President that from the frequency of the most recent attacks, they appear to be systematic, coordinated and targeted at future elections. The intention, he pointed out, is to incapacitate the commission, undermine the nation’s democracy and precipitate a national crisis.

     

     

    “The chairman painted a clear picture of the implications of the challenges inherent in targeting the offices of the commission and bringing down its facilities including the huge investment in building the national electoral infrastructure and the difficulty in replacing them in the immediate and in the future.

     

    “The chairman further pointed out that the commission relies heavily on private vehicles and boats for the movement of materials and that the crisis will discourage the partnership with them. He stated that the majority of election duty staff are ad hoc staff and the cost of insuring them will increase on account of the crisis.

     

    “Furthermore, the cost of conducting elections will increase astronomically if staff and facilities are targeted. Fundamentally, if the commission is unable to conduct elections, there is a likelihood of a constitutional crisis.

     

    “The chairman also briefed the President on remedial actions already taken by the commission and sought the President’s intervention in view of the urgency of the situation.”

     

    The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere  advised Buhari to solve various challenges facing the country, rather than threatening agitators

     

    A chieftain of the organisation and outgoing Secretary General, Bashorun Sehinde Arogbofa, who spoke with one of our correspondents, said the country was in a state of failure and there was a need for the President to do the needful.

     

    He said there were agitations from different parts of the country because youths were not happy with the situation of things.

     

     

     

    Buhari regime’ll be judged based on security, not infrastructure – Mimiko

     

    Meanwhile, a former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, on Tuesday said the President would not be judge based on provision of infrastructure but his ability to secure lives and property.

     

    Mimiko stated this in Abuja on Tuesday at the 71st birthday celebration of a former member of the House of Representatives, Joseph Akinlaja, and the launching of a book titled, ‘Labour, Politics and Grace.’

     

    The former governor stated,  “Mr President will not be judged by the number of kilometres of standard gauge railway; history will not judge his accomplishment through the Second Niger Bridge, but to what extent he rises up and addresses insecurity in our nation. This is the time to face our challenges as a nation and we shall conquer.”

     

    The former governor also said that the National Assembly was incapacitated to repeal the 1999 Constitution, calling for additional powers that will enable the parliament to initiate a new Constitution.

     

    A former Secretary-General of National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers, Frank Kokori, recalled how the oil workers frustrated the military junta out of the office and his experience in a  cell in Bama for four years.

     

    Kokori said, “The country today enjoys democracy, no matter how benevolent the military regime is, the worst democracy is better than the military regime. That is why we sacrificed so much with deprivation to bring the military to an end. And if you imagine how ruthless Abacha was; how ruthless (the then military dictator, Gen Ibrahim) Babangida was, and we gave the military a seven-day ultimatum, even when the NADECO had given them two weeks and they refused to do anything; but NUPENG gave them a seven-day ultimatum and  who are these NUPENG people? Look at them, the tanker drivers that are treated like orphans.”

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

     

     

  • Npower: FG enrolls one million new beneficiaries

     

    All outstanding payments to Batches A and B beneficiaries of N-Power programme have been paid, the Federal Government said on Thursday.

     

    It also announced that it was about to conclude the new enrollments of one million beneficiaries under Batch C of the social investment programme.

     

    The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, who disclosed this to journalists in Abuja, said the one million beneficiaries would be taken in two streams of 500,000 participants each.

     

    Some Batch B beneficiaries had claimed in the past that they were being owed the N30,000 stipend being paid by the government to participants of the programme.

     

    But while reacting to this, Farouq said her ministry in partnership with the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation had successfully cleared all outstanding payments.

     

    “We have sorted out all the backlogs of N-Power payments with the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and we have moved on to the next batch,” she said.

     

    She explained that that N-Power was another component of the National Social Investment Programme designed to stem the growing tide of poverty, unemployment and social insecurity in Nigeria.

     

    She said, “N-Power is the job creation and economic component of the NSIP for young unemployed Nigerians. It has provided temporary income-generating opportunities for 500,000 unemployed youths of Batches A and B N-Power beneficiaries.

     

    “Currently the ministry is about concluding the enrollment of 1,000,000 Batch C applicants in two streams of 500,000 in the first instance and another 500,000 later.”

     

    Farouq further stated that under the National Social Register, a total number of 6,969,230 households and 29,766,599 persons had been captured.

     

    She said about 4,000,000 households and 20,000,000 persons were to be added to the social register, as one million households and 5.6 million persons had been captured under the Conditional Cash Transfer.

     

    “There is a plan to add another batch of 1,000,000 households and 5,600,000 p ersons to the CCT,” she added.

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com