Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, on Sunday the 14th day of August, 2016 said President Buhari will be known as one of Nigeria’s best presidents .

In an opinion article he he said:

“The currency liberalisation and the deregulation of the petroleum products sale will make President Buhari one of the best presidents till date. “The removal of subsidies on the petrol products has saved the government more than N2tn annual expenditure in this respect.

“President Buhari’s foreign trips have brought many things to the country. He has energised our foreign policy. Beyond the enormous goodwill reaped from “resetting” age-old but damaged relations with neighbours and distant partners and friends, the President has attracted foreign development assistance and direct investments. It is generally accepted that good foreign relations bring foreign direct investment. So much is currently being done one year into the administration. This is in spite of the world economy being sluggish and recession-stricken.”

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“I don’t say that media criticism is not reflective of the feeling of the citizens. President Buhari has himself on numerous occasions admitted that the change mantra has brought with it pain and suffering which he likened to the pains of labour. It is a passing phase.

“When they ask the question, is this the change we voted for, the critic forgets how far we have come from the scam-tainted years of the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) rule. How many people have given a thought to the possibility of Nigeria doing something that the combined strength of Europe and America have failed to do?

“Unfair criticism of the Buhari administration especially on account of escalating prices of foodstuff and the liberalization of the currency exchange needs to be challenged before it overshadows the commendable job the President has done in fighting terrorism as part of overall effort to secure the country, reducing corruption and yes, arresting the economic slide before it sinks the nation.”

“There are many today who take for granted the declared victory over the Boko Haram terrorists, forgetting the reign of the bomber who made it almost impossible for regular attendance in churches and mosques in many of our cities, including the Federal Capital City, Abuja.

“Victory over Boko Haram has brought peace not only to Nigeria but to the countries in the Lake Chad region.

“The world leaders are still at work trying to contain the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, ISIS, which threat sadly continues to become more potent.

“Everyone living in Nigeria knows that there is a major movement against corruption as part of the ongoing change. This war has forced the return to the treasury of billions of Naira and millions of Dollars stolen by past officials.”

Politics

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he handed over a Nigeria with the largest economy in Africa, though he met the nation the second when he ascended the office of the president following the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Jonathan spoke in New Jersey, United States, on Saturday, April 23, 2016, to Friends of Africa Coalition at the Mayor’s Office on issues dwelling on strengthening democracy and elections in Africa.

According to the Nigerian Monitor, Jonathan said the richest man in Africa, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, was the 5th richest man in 2009 but he handed over a nation that produced the richest man in Africa by 2015.

Dr. Jonathan, who also spoke on issues bordering on the 2015 general elections in Nigeria and the economy of the country, said the outcome of the 2015 polls would have been ridden with crisis if he was not a president elected by the will of the people of Nigeria.

According to the former president, “the campaigns leading to the elections almost polarized the country into Christian versus Muslims and North versus South divide. Most world leaders were worried that our elections will result into major crisis. Some pundits even from here in the United States said that those elections would spell the end of Nigeria and that we would cease to exist as a nation because of the polls.

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“That is where the leadership question comes into play. As a leader that was duly elected by the people, I considered the people’s interest first. How do I manage my people to avoid killings and destruction of properties? With the interest of the people propelling all the decisions I took, we were able to sail through.

“Indeed, we sail through because I refused to interfere with the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, having appointed a man I had never met in my life to run it. My philosophy was simple. For elections to be credible, I as a leader, must value the process more than the product of the process. And the citizens must have confidence in the electoral body.

“This rule of the law of process ensured that Nigeria’s peace, prosperity and progress was not derailed by the conduct and results of the 2015 elections and I am proud to say that while I took over a Nigeria that was the second largest economy in Africa with a GDP of $270.5 billion in 2009, I handed over a Nigeria that had grown to become the largest economy in Africa and the 24th largest economy in the world with a GDP of $574 billion.”

He said he inherited a Nigeria in which the trains were not working, and handed over a Nigeria in which citizens can safely travel by trains again, adding that “I inherited a Nigeria that was a net importer of cement, and handed over a Nigeria that is a net exporter of cement. In 2009 the richest Nigerian was the 5th richest man in Africa, but I handed over a Nigeria that produced the richest man in Africa.

“These are but a few of the parameters that illustrate some of the economic transformations we engineered during my term in office. This was made possible by the fact that there was a stable political leadership in Nigeria that did not have to pander to any other constituency except the electorate who brought me to power. And these actions have a contagious effect.”

Politics

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) says the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has fixed N150 per litre as the official depot price of kerosene (DPK)
Tokunbo Korodo, the South-West Chairman of the union, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Saturday.
According to him, the price will encourage more importation of the product by the marketers.
He said that most of the filling stations selling kerosene between N200 and N220 as the pump price was as a result of additional money on transportation of the product and some other levies paid by marketers.
The chairman said that at present, NNPC was the only importer of kerosene and was using private depots to sell the product.

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“The NNPC has fixed N150 per litre as the new depot price of kerosene and has directed all its depots and private depot to comply with the directive.
“This did not include the transportation of the product or several levies and bank interests paid by marketers.
“Consequently, marketers will now add all these expenses to the depot price to arrive at N190, N200 or N220 depending on their locations.

“The advantage of this is that it will open door for more marketers to commence importation of kerosene just like petrol,’’ he said.
Mr. Korodo, however, commended the Federal Government for its transparent policy in oil and gas sector.
He urged the NNPC to commence loading of its products from depots nationwide, adding that the System 2B oil pipelines were saved from being vandalised.
NAN reports that the Federal Government handon Jan. 24 increased the price of kerosene to N83 per litre from N50 per litre thereby officially removing subsidy from the product.
(NAN).

Politics

Factional chairman of APC in Kano State, Hussaini Mairiga, has described President Buhari as a total failure and a disappointment to Nigerians. According to Vanguard, Maigira said this while speaking to newsmen in the state yesterday August 8th.

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"From the looks of things, President Buhari has betrayed the confidence of the Nigerian masses who voted for him massively into power.” he said

According to Maigira, one year after assuming office, President Buhari and his cabinet members have nothing to show for it. He said hunger and starvation is prevalent in Nigeria like never before as most families cannot feed three times a day. He lamented that while a bag of rice now sold for N16, 000, prices of other essentials commodities had tripled. Mairiga accused Presidnt Buhari's ministers and aides of lying to him about the true state of Nigeria.

Politics

PDP in Ekiti state has reacted to the recent reports of the president's wife, Mrs. Aisha Buhari's recent visit to the US saying that they seriously doubt she visited the US. This reaction came after APC stated on Sunday that Mrs. Buhari visit to the United States had exposed Governor Ayodele Fayose as a “shameless liar.”
In a statement signed by the party's publicity secretary, Jackson Adebayo, the party said it became necessary to question Aisha Buhari's visit after there was no official statement made by the presidency over her visit to the US. Saying that making people believe she visited the US was a function of total ignorance and mischief, sayin:

“Even the Presidency has not told anyone that wife of the President travelled to the USA and in official communications, only ignorant and mischief makers in the APC will belief that a trip to the USA will be made by Mrs Buhari and Nigerians will only get to know about it through online media.”

The statement reads:

“The question is, did she travel to USA or Qatar? If the Presidency has not been bold enough to tell Nigerians that Mrs. Aisha Buhari travelled to the USA on official visit, only a party of scammers like the APC will go on the rooftops to celebrate photoshoped pictures as evidence of visit to USA.

The PDP, which said it would have ignored the APC and allowed those in the party to continue to wallop in their self-deceit, added that “it is only in the world of the APC that wife of the President of Nigeria, the most populous black nation in the world would travel to the USA, ostensibly to debunk her involvement in a major scam and no television station will report her departure and arrival. The question is, did she travel to USA or Qatar?”

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In a statement issued on Monday by the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Jackson Adebayo, the party said;

“If the Presidency has not been bold enough to tell Nigerians that Mrs Aisha Buhari travelled to the USA on official visit, only a party of scammers like the APC will go on the rooftops to celebrate photoshoped pictures as evidence of visit to USA.”

The party said:

“It is strange that wife of the President of Nigeria could travel to the USA and purportedly attended events there without international television stations like CNN, Al jazeera, BBC, Sky News etc and local stations like Channels TV, NTA, AIT and others reporting it. Or are they still ‘editing’ the video clips?”

While casting doubt at the trip, the PDP added:

“Even if Mrs Aisha Buhari actually travelled to the USA, does that erase the fact that in the judgment delivered by the United State District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, USA, in criminal No 1: 07CR209, that indicted the USA Congressman, Williams Jefferson, it was mentioned that $170,000 was transferred from account in Nigeria in the name of Aisha Buhari to an account in the name of The ANJ Group, LLC, identifying William Jefferson as beneficiary?” 

“As a party of responsible and discerning minds, the PDP in Ekiti State would have elected to ignore the APC and allow the party the freedom to advertise it idiocy. This is more so that the matter is now a subject of litigation and the no one has denied the existence of the judgment that indicted Williams Jefferson and featured conspicuously at page 22, the name of Aisha Buhari as having transferred $170,000 from account in Nigeria to William Jefferson.

“Most importantly, Nigerians have witnessed more heinous forgeries from the APC, one of them being pictorial claim that President Buhari (as APC presidential candidate then) had an interview with Kemi Fadojutimi on ‘All Eyes on Africa’ TV show in London, whereas the interview was held in Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.xxx “However, it is important to point out that from all evidences, the pictures circulated as arrival of President Buhari’s wife at Dulles International Airport, Washington DC could have been taken at the Doha International Airport, Qatar. 

Even on the official website of George Mason University and US Institute of Peace, USA where the president’s was said to have attended events, there is nothing to show that she attended any event in the two institutions.

“We have seen pictures of Wife of the Senate President, Toyin Saraki with President Barrack Obama’s wife, Michelle. We also saw pictures of Mrs Patience Jonathan with Michelle Obama when she visited the USA. Where are Aisha Buhari’s pictures with the First Lady of USA and major government officials from the country? Or could she have arrived and departed from the USA like a spirit?” “It is even more important that nothing official has been said about the purported trip. Not from the President’s spokespersons.”

Politics

The Commonwealth of Nations has taken notice of the May All Biafra Conference sponsored by The Organization of Emerging African States – OEAS.

The All Biafra Conference had requested the Commonwealth expel Nigeria for its crimes committed in Biafraland. The Commonwealth Secretariat has responded as follows.

Dear Dr. Levy

The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, has asked me to thank you for writing on behalf of Dr Ebenezer Akwanga, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Emerging African States, and for drawing to her attention his concern about matters relating to Nigeria and Biafra.

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I am asked to assure you that the matters raised in your correspondence, and in the accompanying document from the All Biafra Conference held in Accra, Ghana, 27-31 May 2016, have been noted by the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Yours sincerely,

David Banks

Public Affairs Adviser to the Secretary-General

Secretary-General’s Office

Politics

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has seized four houses worth N872 million from a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Sen. Bala Mohammed, and his son, Shamsudeen Bala.

The ex-minister is also under investigation on alleged fictitious contracts of about N1billion, allocation of 12 choice plots worth billions of naira and 37 other commercial plots of land worth about N8 billion to his suspected front named Tariq Hammoud as well as the controversial N1 trillion Abuja land swap.

More than 16 companies linked with fictitious contracts awarded by Bala had been under surveillance and their owners grilled by EFCC.

The anti-graft agency quizzed Shamsudeen, Hammoud and top directors of the Federal Capital Territory administration, including that of Treasury, Ibrahim Bomoi; Land, Babayo Mainasara, and Abuja Geographical Information Service (AGIS), Ms Jamila Tangaza.

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Tangaza, who had been in detention in the past one week, was battling for bail as at press time.

She has, however, been linked to N800 million questionable contracts to her personal firm apart from benefiting from plots of land from the ex-minister.

According to investigations, the ongoing probe of the ex-minister followed petitions against him, including complaints pending since 2013.

It was gathered that following preliminary findings, EFCC obtained an interim forfeiture order to confiscate a N650 million house at 1 and 3, Mariam Mukhtar Street, Asokoro.

The same forfeiture order was secured to seize the ex-minister’s son three duplexes costing about N222 million in the Apo Area of Abuja.

Source; The Nation

Politics

Somewhere in recent 2008, there were several outbursts from the Clintons over Obama. Some of us knew exactly how terrible they were.

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In short, the Clintons did not think that Obama was anybody good to enter the White House. The irony of politics is that the African American who was not “good” for anything is the very person making the Clintons good for everything, including the better half of Bill having access to the same While House.
Lesson is that we must not allow politicians define our sense of good and bad because they not have any good notion of good and bad. When you ride on their sentiment to select who represents you or who you love or hate, you’ll be left in the cold when they reconcile. They are more elastic than us when it comes to mending fences. They use us as they wish and we keep fooling along.

Politics

The era of President Muhammadu Buhari has been accompanied by a new lexicon which is not far from the political climate.

Nigeria’s political space is not without drama. The recent happenings have made the scene look like a theatre with different stunts from political actors. Amid this worrying situation, new terms, languages have been coined out, that many Nigerians now see as deceitful, usual and interestingly crept into the nation’s political dictionary.

Here is a look at some of these new terms:

1. Padding: Padding is the new vocab in Nigeria political space with the recent scandal by some members of the House of Representatives infused some figures into the 2016 Budget. Padding is to insert something into a document with the intention of comforting yourself or distorting information.

According to Lawal Gumau, member of the Transparency Group, he said they (lawmakers) are used to padding, as it has been around for a long time. This is causing heated controversy at the legislative chambers, especially with the sack of Hon. Jibrin Abdulmimin as Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation.

2. Inconclusive Elections: This is also a new term in the dictionary of Nigerian politics, over the spate of inconclusive elections under the watch of the Professor Mahmood Yakubu-led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Some now cynically refer to the Electoral body as the “inconclusive” National Electoral Commission. Since October 21, 2016 when President Muhammadu Buhari named the new helmsmen for INEC, the electoral body has conducted elections in Kogi, Bayelsa, Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo states, which were declared inconclusive at the end.

3. Stomach Infrastructure: Stomach infrastructure, a new vocabulary quietly crept into our political dictionary in this dispensation. The vocabulary crept into Nigeria’s political lexicon after the Ekiti governorship election when voters were given gifts of bags of rice and other foodstuffs to vote in certain directions. Distributing foodstuff during campaigns in Nigeria did not start with the Ekiti election. It has been happening in many parts of the country but it was heightened during the Ekiti election. Politicians have started handing over to Nigerians, the dividends of democracy in cash. The naira is becoming worthless and ordinary citizens are parading dollar notes, courtesy of politicians.

4. Ghost Workers: Ghost-working service has been around for a long while in Nigerian states. It’s one of the major setbacks in Nigerian Civil Service. In 2015, investigations revealed that the Federal Government and 10 other states lost over N538bn to thousands of ghost workers in the last five years. Of the amount, the Federal Government paid N220bn to 103,000 ghost workers between September 2013 and May 2015. Recently, some states also uncovered numerous ghost workers that constitute more than half of its workforce. 

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5. Technical Recession: This term got on the lips of Nigerians when Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun appeared before the Senate in July to allay the fears of Nigeria about the tough and troubled economy. According to Adeosun, ‘Nigeria’s economy is technically in recession, but, there is no need to panic because it will be short.’

6. Northernization/Lopsided Appointments: Northernization is not a new word in Nigerian politics. It became so popular in President Buhari’s administration with some of his appointments tilting towards the Northern region of the country. It has generated heated debates and raised eyebrows on why the ex-commander choose to do so. President Buhari had during an interview with BBC Hausa on September 8th, 2015 said the Constitution allowed him full control over the choice of his closest officials. The president assured that he was not ignoring some regions of the society in his appointments, explaining that those he appointed were some of his most trusted associates. Responding to the interviewer’s question on the controversy generated by the appointments, Buhari said “This is the nature of Nigerian politics.”

7. Lopsided Anti Corruption Fight: This is also one of the newest terms in Nigerian politics. It generated from President Buhari’s anti corruption war that has rounded up mostly members of the opposition party. Many believe Buhari is partisan on the anti corruption fight, leaving members of his own cabinet out.

8. Change: This seems to the most popular of the new terms in Nigerian politics today. It is hinged on what ushered in the current administration of president Buhari. Buhari came in to power with the CHANGE Mantra from the ‘Transformation Agenda’ of former President Goodluck Jonathan. President Buhari’s CHANGE Mantra is to rid off the system of gross corruption, terrorism, militancy, unemployment and to also improve the economy. But reverse seems to be the case, as Nigerians now experience Change (in the opposite context).

9. Technical Defeat of Boko Haram: Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari has insisted that the Islamic terror group, Boko Haram has been technically defeated, despite recent attacks by the insurgents. While speaking to BBC on Friday, February 5, Buhari maintained that the terrorists had indeed been technically defeated. According to him, “Well, all I know is that out of the 14 Local Government Areas in Borno State where they (Boko Haram) used to hold and hoist their flag, they are nowhere in charge of any of them again. But they can still regroup and go after attacking soft targets.” When asked if it was fair to say a group which killed over 65 people in a single attack had been “technically defeated,” the Buhari said: “Well, that’s your own description of it. My own description is that they can no longer mobilise enough forces to attack police and army barracks and destroy aircraft like they used to do. They can no longer do that.”

Credit: NigerianBulletin

Politics

Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retired), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to think of resignation, but should ensure that the country’s economy regain its strength, in order to alleviate the sufferings of the masses.

Gowon, spoke on Wednesday evening in Ile-Ife, at a Health Caravan and Award ceremony for the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, who was conferred with the Royal Ambassador for Hepatitis Advocacy in Nigeria, by the Seham Health Care Foundation, as part of the activities to commemorate the 2016 World Hepatitis Day.

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Fielding questions from newsmen shortly after the award ceremony, Gowon, urged Nigerians to cooperate with the government, saying that the Federal Government was doing everything within its reach to resolve the economic challenges facing the nation.

On the solution to Nigeria’s economic challenges, Gowon said, “Let the current authority find a way out of the current economic crisis. The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has been telling us what they have been doing to get the economy strong again. She said all will be well by September. Let’s wait till then.

“I have left government for a long time, so I may not really know what the problem is. The current administration should do whatever they can, to solve to economic challenges. They should find a way to restore confidence in the citizens and the nation at large by fixing the economy.”

On the controversial budget padding which resurfaced, the elder statesman wondered why the issue of budget padding became the order of the day in Nigeria, saying such never occurred during his administration and other subsequent administrations.

He however, urged the government not to allow anyone found guilty of budget padding to go free, in order to serve as deterrent to others.

“If that is true, the person should be checked and stopped, to ensure that such does not occur in the future.

“We didn’t do it during my time. We had Chief Obafemi Awolowo in charge of our finance, and he taught us to survive without borrowing. Such (budget padding) should stop, there is no point doing that”, he added.

Politics

US-based Chierika Ukogu will be making history at the 2016 Olympics Games, being the first rower to represent Nigeria. Born on October 1992, Okogu, who is a graduate of Stanford University, said in a recent interview that the sport had been challenging but she will put in her best, adding that her training with members of the U.S. team at the Vesper Boathouse at Schuylkill, Philadelphia had helped develop her skills.

"It is my ultimate goal to be the 1st Nigerian to row at the Olympic Games. Heading into Rio, it's a really wonderful opporunity for Nigeria. This is the first time we've had an athlete at the Olympics in the sport of Rowing," said Ukogu

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