DSS invites ex-Adamawa gov, Bindow, others over ‘anti-Buhari’ meeting

A former Governor of Adamawa State, Senator Jibrilla Bindow was grilled by the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday.

It was gathered that his questioning by the state service was related to a meeting he attended, where some attendees reportedly abused President Muhammadu Buhari and wished him dead.

Ripples Nigeria had reported that the leaked audio of the same meeting, led to the suspension of the All Progressives Congress (APC) caretaker chairman in Yola South, Suleiman Adamu, by the national body of the party.

Speaking on the saga, the media aide to the governor, Sadiq Abdullateef in a statement, confirmed the interaction between the DSS and Bindow on Wednesday, noting that some other people were also invited by the secret police.

He listed five other persons interviewed by the DSS on the same development as Kabiru Mijinyawa, former speaker Adamawa house of assembly; Sulaiman Adamu, acting APC chairman Yola south; Mustapha Barkindo, former adviser during Bindow’s administration; Abubakar Umar Sirimbai, former commissioner, and Yusha’u Adamu.

The statement however cleared Bindow of any blame for attending the meeting, noting that those who recorded and leaked the audio of the meeting were only trying to blackmail Bindow.

Also, the statement explained that when Bindow noticed that some people who attended the meeting were cursing President Buhari, he cautioned them but before the audio was leaked to the public, it had been doctored.

The statement read: “Former Adamawa State Governor, Senator Muhammad Umar Jibrilla Bindow was invited to a party meeting because some members of the party were aggrieved about the just concluded primaries, which he attended as an elder of the party.

”It’s worthy of note that, there was no program in the said meeting, he went there and sat and listened to the aggrieved members’ complains, and there was an unwarranted outburst from some members which he cautioned, it’s sad that some people are using that outburst with a recording to malign the former governor.

”The said recording was doctored and if you listened to it very well, there are some conversations that were skipped, Senator Bindow cautioned the members making those unwarranted utterances thrice in the meeting and even threatened to walk out.

”His words were, ‘please this is not right, you don’t wish anybody death because of political reasons, talk less of our leader and father, the president. Let’s make progress please, or I am leaving’.

”But because it’s a planned recording to malign and create problems where there is none, his utterances condemning what has been said wasn’t even in the circulated recording.

”As far as we are concerned, we were invited to a meeting and things were said in public and Senator Bindow cautioned the people making those utterances and that was it.

”President Muhammadu Buhari is like a father to Bindow and he will never entertain anything of such on the president.”

Buhari, PFN Mourn Badejo, Say His Legacy Worthy Of Emulation

Wilson Badejo

President Muhammadu Buhari and Bishop Wale Oke, president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), alongside others, have expressed shock over the demise of Rev. Wilson Badejo, the third General Overseer of Four Square Gospel Church in Nigeria from 1999 to 2009.

Buhari, while commiserating with his family and the Christian community, described Badejo as a worthy Christian leader who stood out, gave his life for the service of God and impacted humanity.

A message on Sunday through Buhari’s Special Ad­viser, Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, stated: “President Muhammadu Buhari sends heartfelt condolences to the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, and Christendom in general, over the passage of the formerGeneralOverseer, Rev. Dr. Wilson Badejo, aged 74.

“The President describes the departed as ‘a dedicated servant of God, who led the Foursquare Gospel Church for 10 years, and was committed to standing in the gap for not just his organisation, but Nigeria as a whole.’

“President Buhari prays that God will comfort the entire Bade­jo family, urging them to take so­lace in the fact that their father, a veterinary doctor, author, cleric, and public speaker, set a standard to be emulated by all and sundry.”

Pres Buhari says VP Yemi Osinbajo remains in charge as he continues his rest in Abuja

President Buhari who arrived Nigeria from London today, has asked Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to continue piloting the affairs of the nation as he needs more time to rest. He said this when he met with Osinbajo, his cabinet members and some governors at the state house this morning.

President Muhammadu Buhari Returns To Nigeria.

The Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari on Friday morning returned to the country after 49 days of medical vacation.

He arrived at exactly 7.41am at the Air Force Base Mando in Kaduna State.

The President was received by the Kaduna State Deputy Governor Bala Bantex, GOC 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, the Air Officer Commanding,Training Command of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshall Christopher Okoye, the Commissioner of police and other dignitaries.

President Buhari after alighting from the Presidential Jet,

We will punish those peddling Buhari’s death – Minister

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed

The Federal Government says the full wrath of the law will be brought to bear on the authors of subversive messages being circulated on the health of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The government said this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

“The source/sources of the fabricated messages are already being investigated and the authors should prepare to face the consequences of their actions,’’ the minister said.

According to Mohammed, the President is hale and hearty and there is no iota of truth in the subversive messages being circulated on his health.

He noted that there was no truth in the messages on the President’s health and the purported emergency meetings of state governors in Abuja or anywhere.

The minister urged Nigerians to disregard the messages being circulated via text messages and the social media, saying the messages were orchestrated by those who felt threatened by the emerging order.

Mohammed noted that the naysayers had also resorted to the use of ethnicity and religion as tools to divide Nigerians, overheat the polity, and cause panic among the citizenry.

“While opposition and criticism are all part of democracy, the crafting and circulation of subversive materials and scare-mongering are not.

“The emerging trend of resorting to destabilisation and scare-mongering is not unexpected,

Buhari seeks Senate’s confirmation of Ayine as Auditor-General

President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday asked the Senate to consider and confirm Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine, as the Auditor General of the Federation.

This is contained in a letter by President Buhari to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday.

President Buhari noted in the letter read by Saraki that Section 86(1) of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (as amended), states that the Auditor-General for the Federation shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Federal Civil Service Commission subject to confirmation by the Senate.

The letter added, “In line with this constitutional requirement, the Federal Civil Service Commission has recommended Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine for appointment as the Auditor-General for the Federation. The Curriculum Vitae of Mr. A. M. Ayine is herewith attached.

“I have accepted this recommendation and hereby present the nomination of Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine for confirmation by the Senate.

“While hoping that this request will receive the usual expeditious consideration of the Distinguished Senators, please accept, Mr. Senate President, the assurances of my highest regards.”

Nigeria’s Economy Needs Visionary Leadership

Africa is faced with a failing economy in the continent’s most populous nation. Nigeria's economy is on track to shrink by 1.7 percent this year, the official unemployment rate has more than doubled over the last two years, and inflation is at an 11-year high.

One concrete step President Muhammadu Buhari could take to address the crisis would be to eliminate the country’s disastrous foreign exchange controls. Instead, Buhari has made no secret of his desire to defend Nigeria's currency.
And the central bank has mostly gone along. Despite allowing the devaluation of the naira in June, it is continuing to manipulate the exchange rate -- discouraging foreign investors, creating a crippling shortage of dollars for businesses that need to import, and feeding a currency black market. To keep down the street price of vanishing dollars, Buhari’s government has arrested informal money-changers. More capital controls are in the works.
Dismantling Nigeria’s foreign exchange controls will doubtless cause at least a short-term rise in inflation. Yet doing so will not only draw foreign investment and make the economy more productive and competitive, but also cut off a conduit for corruption. Buhari can cushion the blow for Nigeria’s poor through targeted cash payments -- an approach Nigeria has used in electronically delivering subsidies to poor farmers. That same mechanism could also shield the poor from the regressive impact of an increase in Nigeria’s value-added tax -- which is relatively low but a potentially valuable source of additional government revenue.
There are other ways to stimulate the economy, of course. But Nigeria’s Senate rejected Buhari’s three-year spending blueprint and an ambitious campaign to borrow $30 billion abroad because they lacked details. Meanwhile, his reluctance to sell off state-owned assets has undermined other efforts to raise revenue.
To be sure, Buhari faced ugly circumstances when he took office in May 2015. The plunge in oil prices had left the economy reeling and government coffers bare, and attacks by Boko Haram were ravaging the country. Yet while some progress has been made fighting both terrorism and corruption, Buhari’s rigid leadership style has made the country's economic problems harder to solve.
Buhari’s election and pledges of good governance rightfully raised expectations across Africa. To fulfill those hopes, however, he will have to demonstrate more flexibility.

Senate considers Buhari’s N180bn virement request

Nigeria senate

The Nigeria Senate on Wednesday gave consideration to President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for legislative approval for virements totalling N180.8bn in the 2016 budget to cater for some sectors of the economy.
The Senate referred the request to its Committee on Appropriations and Finance, which was mandated to report back to the lawmakers in one week.
In the virement request, which was read in both chambers of the National Assembly on October 25, 2016, the same day the Senate rejected the $29.96bn external borrowing plan of the President, Buhari explained that the request was for the transfer of funds already appropriated for special intervention programmes, both recurrent and capital, to critical recurrent and capital items.
The virement is to take care of shortfall in provisions for personnel costs, inadequate provision for the amnesty programme, continued requirements to sustain the war against insurgency and the depreciation of the naira.
Meanwhile, soon after the House of Representatives rose on Wednesday, members of the All Progressives Congress went into a closed door meeting to discuss the virement request.
Investigations showed that the main agenda was to canvass support for the N180bn request to be approved at the committee stage.
The meeting was convened by the Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila.
One member, who did not want to be quoted, shared some of the details with one of our correspondents.
“A lot of explanations went on at the meeting. It was essentially to woo the APC caucus in particular to support the virement, especially now that it has successfully reached the committee stage,” the source said.

Leave Nigeria if you’ve another country – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday “If anybody has a country to go to, let him go, we will stay here and salvage our country.”
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, in a statement, quoted Buhari as saying this yesterday while meeting with stakeholders from the Niger Delta region.
Shehu said the high-level meeting with leaders and other stakeholders was to seek ways to end the militancy and the sabotage of oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta region.
He noted that Buhari had a vision of unity and progress for the country in which peace reigns and said peace, security, investment and prosperity are linked together.
“If we give peace a chance, investors will come here to invest. Nobody will invest in an insecure environment,” the president was said to have also noted.
Shehu said Buhari, "in a speech dripping with nationalist fervour", stressed that the problems his administration found on the ground were many as illustrated in collapse of oil prices, inability of 27 of the 36 states of the Federation to pay salaries, absence of savings to fall back and having to deal with an elite who didn’t seem to care.
The president was said to have stated that all these made his government to conclude that “life as usual is no longer affordable.”
Buhari said he was still expecting reports from officials he had instructed to review the implementation of the amnesty programme to determine where government fell short so that amends can be made.
Buhari said the service chiefs were putting together their own assessment of the militancy situation, saying “when I have these reports, including this one (just presented), we'll revisit the situation to ensure that we succeed this time.”
The president, according to Shehu, however cautioned the leaders of the Delta that they had more to do than anyone else to bring peace to the region, given the influence they have on militant groups.
Buhari expressed the determination of his administration to stay focused on its key campaign promises of securing the country, fighting corruption and creating jobs through the improvement of the economy.
The president was said to have also delivered his report card on the war against corruption and the efforts to secure the country, repeating his call to the Niger Delta leaders to join the administration in bringing peace to the troubled region.
“Please Your Excellencies, Your Majesties, distinguished ladies and gentlemen; we all have our individual constituencies.  Let us try to pacify our constituencies.  Let us first recover our country, secure the country and let us invite people who will invest.  Let us create jobs for our people and let us be accountable to our people where we are sitting on treasuries, whether it is local government, state or the center.
"Nobody wants to fail. So, the only way out is, if people understand and believe that we are doing our best at all levels, then we will have some peace.  But if they have reason to doubt our performance and sincerity, then we will have problem,” he said.
The Niger Delta leaders were said to have reaffirmed their support for Buhari's government and expressed total commitment to the unity, peace and stability of Nigeria.

Nigerians will see true change by 2018 – Vice President Osinbajo

Yemi Osinbajo

According to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the full impact of a positive change of government may not materialise until 2018, although the Federal Government is committed to ensuring the current hardship faced by Nigerians is alleviated.

Mr. Osinbajo, during an interview with journalists after a church programme in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital,  said the Muhammadu Buhari administration is “focused and determined to ensure this country is put on the right track.”

He said the government was aware a lot of Nigerians had become sceptical of the ‘Change’ mantra of the administration.

“There are lots of people who will say where is the change they promised,” he said. “People will condemn and shout, but we are very focused, calm and extremely confident that God is on our side and this country will not be the same.”

He, however, indicated that the full impact of the change may take a couple of years, until 2018.

“In another couple of years, we will see the difference,” he said.

“All of us have a part to play in the change. Nigerians must be patriotic in our dealings and daily activities. We should be committed to the nation,” said the vice president whose administration has come under heavy criticism from Nigerians for the handling of the economy.

Mr. Osinbajo also said pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta is the major cause of Nigeria’s current economic recession.

He said vandalisation has led to the loss of about 60 per cent of oil revenue, government’s major income source.

“One of the key reasons why we are in recession is the fact that we lost about 60 per cent of our revenue due to the vandalisation of the pipelines on the Niger/Delta and we lost almost 40 per cent of the gas,” he said.

The Vice-President, however, expressed optimism that Nigeria would soon overcome the challenge of vandalism

“Once we are able to resolve that, we would at least be able to earn more revenue,” he said.

Mr. Osinbajo’s optimism might be related to the fact that the Federal Government recently commenced negotiations with militant groups in the Niger Delta.

The Niger Delta Avengers, the main group responsible for most of the vandalism, recently announced a unilateral ceasefire, agreeing to conditional talks with the government.

On Sunday, Mr. Osinbajo also said the best way for the government to fully revive the economy was to diversify into agriculture and solid minerals.

He said work has begun in those two sectors and results would be gradually achieved.

The vice president said government was concerned about the number of unemployed youth.

He said the government would soon commence the implementation of the 500,000 job opportunities for volunteer corps as well as implement the planned micro credit facilities to a minimum of one million market women and artisans.

Mr. Osinbajo alluded to corruption as another major reason the country was facing its current economic challenges.

“These are challenging times. It is very obvious and we know the reasons,” he said.

“It is high level of corruption and we have dealt with that. We are controlling government expenditure. Once you can control corruption, we are out of it.”

Mr. Osinbajo, a Redeemed Church Pastor before his election, said he believes Nigeria “is one that God has a hand in its affairs.”

“In fact, the reason why President Buhari is in office is because God has a plan and hand in this nation; that this nation will be governed properly; that stealing of resources will stop; that we focused on issue of development.”

Buhari in Sallah message: We cannot “separate the present from the past.”

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday reassured Nigerians that his administration was committed to removing “the hardships the country is going through.”

In a Sallah message to Nigerians to mark Monday’s Eid-el-Kabir, Mr. Buhari explained that “the present recession is as a result of cumulative effects of worldwide economic downturn and failure in the past to plan and save for difficult times.”

“It is impossible to separate the present from the past to appreciate the extent to which mistakes of the past are affecting everyday life today,” he said.

He highlighted various sectors his administration was working on to improve the life of Nigerians.

Read the president’s full statement below:

Fellow Compatriots, as you celebrate the Eid-El-Kabir, I salute your steadfastness in spite of the difficult economic times the country is going through.

The lessons of the Eid are piety and sacrifice and, my dear brothers and sisters, you have exhibited these in equal measure.

The present recession is as a result of cumulative effects of worldwide economic downturn and failure in the past to plan and save for difficult times. It is impossible to separate the present from the past to appreciate the extent to which mistakes of the past are affecting everyday life today.

I assure you that this administration is working round the clock to remove the hardships the country is going through. Rail and road constructions, projects in the housing sector, support for farmers and for small and medium scale industries, youth and women’s empowerment programmes, support for revival of industries are all designed to reinvigorate the economy and enhance living standards of ordinary people.

We are getting security right. We are stopping corruption in its tracks and we will get the economy right by the Grace of God.

I enjoin Muslims to live by the dictates of Islam, to keep good relationships with their Christian brothers and sisters and as patriots to maintain the spirit of the Nigerian nation.

I wish everyone happy holidays.

Nigeria saves N8 billion monthly by eliminating 40,000 ghost workers – Presidency

A presidential aide has said that the Muhammadu Buhari administration is saving N8 billion monthly by getting rid of 40,000 ghost workers.

Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, stated this in a statement issued on Monday on the state of the Nigerian economy.

“See what the current administration is doing to sanitise the huge salary bill by eliminating payroll fraud,” Mr. Shehu said.

“So far, the federal payroll has been rid of about 40,000 ghost workers. More than eight billion naira stolen monthly has been saved.”

He said the Federal Government is also determined to enforce fiscal discipline across the states to check wasteful spending.

He said the Federal Government would force the state governments to reform their spending and build savings and investments.

Mr. Shehu said the reform would include blockage of leakages that allowed government’s revenues to be siphoned into private hands.

“The Federal Government is not limiting the reforms to the centre, but forcing state governments to reform their spending and build savings or investments,’’ he said.

He said that the ongoing probe into the finances of the military authorities was part of the reform aimed at checking corrupt practices in the military establishment.

“Look at what a civilian administration is today doing to the military, investigating their finance and accounts that the military could not do to themselves.

“We are also saving on wasteful expenses like First Class Travel and Private Jets for official trips.

According to the presidential aide, government is also increasing spending on capital projects, especially on infrastructure needed to make Nigerian businesses competitive and create jobs.

“Currently, there is focus on key sectors (apart from oil) that can create jobs and or generate revenue such as Agriculture, Solid Minerals and Manufacturing.’’

He said that if these things had been done when the oil price was as high as $140 per barrel, Nigeria would not be in the current predicament.

“We would not be suffering now if we had no cash reserves, but we had regular supply of power, a good rail system, good roads and good housing.

“Now that the oil has fallen as low as 28 dollars per barrel, it is very difficult to do what is needed but they must be done to save Nigeria.

“There is no other way if we want to be honest.

“If PDP were still in power they would have continued deceiving people, by borrowing to fund stealing and wastage and the problem would have simply been postponed for future generations to face.”

Mr. Shehu also responded to criticisms that the Buhari administration’s economic policies were not clear.

“There are many who say that this Government’s economic strategy is unclear whereas the previous government seemed well co-ordinated,” he said.

“I will make the confession that we, the officials hired to communicate government policies, that includes myself, have not done as well as we should have.

“The truth is that more than any other time before, there is a clear direction and strategy for achieving growth and development.

“Revisionists may not agree, but the truth of the matter is that the previous administration only had one issue, which was how to spend money (oil revenues and borrowed money).’’

He said that the spending by the past administration was focused on the wrong things and even though the economy seemed to be growing it was not sustainable.

I never warned Buhari against seeking re-election in 2019 – Obasanjo

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has distanced himself from reports claiming that he warned President Muhammadu Buhari against seeking re-election in 2019.
A report credited to the former Chief Press Secretary to Obasanjo, Alex Nwokedi, on Saturday, had said the former President warned Buhari against seeking a second term.
But reacting to the report, the former President in a statement by his Media Aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, described Nwokedi as an “enemy of democracy” who is against “freedom of speech.”

In the statement issued on Sunday, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, the former President disclosed that he had not spoken to Nwokedi in the last three years, and wondered why any news would be attributed to him.
According to Obasanjo, “My belief is that democracy allowed for anybody including President Buhari for that matter to contest any election and it is the prerogative rights of Nigerians to vote or not to vote for them.
“I have not communicated with Alex in the last three years, so how could a story be credited to me, when I did not authorize such or communicate with him in the last three years? Obasanjo queried.
He further said “not even me, can advise my children not to seek for elective post. It is part of freedom of democracy.

Kerry To Meet Buhari Today in Abuja

 

President Muhammadu Buhari will meet with US Secretary of State, John Kerry as from 3pm today at state house, Abuja.

 

After his audience with the president, Mr. Kerry is also expected to meet with governors from five northern states at the state house press waiting room.

 

The US Secretary of State will, however, have no interaction with the media in the course of his visit to the presidential villa.

A media advisory shared with state house correspondents indicates that the visiting US Secretary of State will not grant press interviews in the course of his visit to state house.

 

These are ground rules which were said to have been set at a meeting between officials of state house and Mr Kerry's reconnaissance team.

 

In a related development, the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield will travel to Kenya and Nigeria August 21-28. She will first accompany U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on his August 21-24 trip to Nairobi, Kenya, and the cities of Sokoto and Abuja in Nigeria.

 

On August 25 the Assistant Secretary will visit Lagos, Nigeria, where she will meet with oil industry executives, business representatives, religious leaders, and our consulate personnel.

 

The Assistant Secretary will then return to Nairobi August 26-28. She will lead the U.S. delegation at the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), and will participate in several bilateral meetings with African leaders.

 

This is the change we voted for

Muhammadu Buhari

 

The last couple of weeks have witnessed the heaviest public criticism of the Muhammadu Buhari administration since he came to power after inflicting a heavy defeat on the Peoples Democratic Party and their candidate Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Much of it has been on account of the unresolved social and economic problems facing the country.

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 the nation.

The Hausa have a saying: “Ba zomo na kashe ba, rataya a ka bani,” meaning literally “I killed no rabbit, I am helping to carry the prey.”

Wherever they go these days, in London, Dubai, Beijing, Washington, New York or Tokyo, Nigerians get the good feeling of being asked the question, how is President Muhammadu Buhari?

It is a proud moment for many citizens that the country is being perceived differently now that it has a different kind of leader creating a positive buss abroad, the kind of sentiment that can lead to foreign investments when properly capitalized upon.

The lavish praise the President gets abroad and the wide public support he enjoys among the lower segment of the local population is, by contrast, given a short shrift in the local press, mainstream and online. At its lowest point, this unambiguous media rebuke has created a wave of sympathy for anyone with a view that runs counter to the President’s.

Boko Haram terrorist leader, Shekau or the pipeline vandal form the Delta region is more likely to get newspaper front pages today than the Minister of Labour, Governor Emeka Ngige or the Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun talking about jobs creation in the economy.

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 labor. 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 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?

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.

On account of this war, government suspects that the biggest trigger of the opposition to the change agenda is the army of the corrupt. With the enormous resources at their disposal; money that is unearned, these forces are ready to throw in everything to gag the Buhari administration.

When he assumed office, President Buhari said he understood the outcry of Nigerians and was determined to right those wrongs. I will remind you of his inaugural speech where he said: “At home we face enormous challenges. Insecurity, pervasive corruption, the hitherto unending and seemingly impossible fuel and power shortages are the immediate concerns. We are going to tackle them head on. Nigerians will not regret that they have entrusted national responsibility to us. We must not succumb to hopelessness and defeatism. We can fix our problems.”(Emphasis added).

He has said times without number that his government is dedicated to the poor. As can be seen from the 2016 budget, this is a government that is determined to hugely empower the disadvantaged groups- the poor, the jobless, the widows and the orphaned children including those of the North-East.

As a listening government, the President was prepared to open the door to additional food imports but given the processes involved, the turn around in any such import of commodities would have taken a long time as to coincide with the harvest of home grown grains and cereals now in progress. The market would have been deluged and the local grower given the short end of the stick.

Calls on Hausa radio by a rabble-rousing section of the opposition for the “reopening of borders” to “allow food come in” are redundant and mischievous because all the county’s borders remain open till date.

Following the budget, the administration has begun rolling out several social welfare programs. The direct cash transfer to the poorest of the poor, the school feeding and the recruitment/skills training of about one million jobless citizens are such an example.

In addition to hard work, all leaders need luck on their side to create what is sometimes seen as economic miracles. As leader, President Buhari never had the luxury of high oil prices as did his predecessors in office.

When he first emerged as the military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari saw oil price, the mainstay of the nation’s economy sank to as low eight Dollars a barrel.

He rolled up his sleeves, worked on diversification strategy of the economy only to be eased out of power just as they began to take hold. Thereafter, his successors abandoned these efforts.

On his second coming, this time as a democratically elected leader, the collapse of oil prices has challenged President Buhari to quicken efforts towards the diversification of the economy with emphasis given to agriculture and solid minerals mining. Every crisis, it is said, is an opportunity. Not so in Nigeria. This is a county that inherited massive technological inventions from Biafra, yet failed to take it forward. We must not lose this opportunity to diversify the economy and our foreign earnings presented by the present oil crisis.

As the country hopes for a bumper harvest this year, government is taking steps to ensure that no farmer will sell at a loss or fail to find markets for their harvests. Grain silos are being readied nationwide to receive excess produce for warehousing to ensure food security, avert market glut and price collapse. By this, government will ensure a minimum guaranteed price.

In dealing with challenges of the economy, the administration is devoting attention to ridding the country of its notoriety as a difficult place of doing business.

The government has been making quiet but significant progress in this area, thanks to the leadership given by the National Economic Council under the Vice President and the combined efforts of the Ministries of Trade and Investment, Finance, Interior, Foreign Affairs, Budget and Planning and the Customs under new leadership.

Everyone in this sector is doing everything in their power to boost up Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s infrastructure initiatives will see country making progress with intractable projects such as the Second Niger bridge, the East-West expressway, the green field Lagos-Abuja expressway and important national railway projects, Lagos-Calabar and Lagos-Kano which had been on the drawing boards for as long as anyone can remember.

These projects will be counted among the accomplishments of the administration alongside the 4,000 MW Mambila power plant which the President has declared a national priority. Government has also taken several bold steps to boost renewable energy. It has opened the door for a new conversation on the environment with decisive steps towards the clean-up the Ogoniland in the Niger Delta.

The currency liberalization 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 two trillion Naira annual expenditure in this respect.

President Buhari’s foreign trips have brought many things to the country. He has energized our foreign policy. Beyond the enormous goodwill reaped from “resetting” age-old but damaged relations with neighbors and distant partners and friends, the President has attracted foreign development assistance and direct investments (FDI). 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.

It bears repeating that President is a different kind of leader, who just happens to be a victim of the tyranny of high expectations. He has brought positive intention, commitment, honesty and personal integrity into governance. This is why the country’s poor hold him so dear; this is why the world is in love with him.

His knack for prudent spending and effective management of resources is in the belief that this country can only prosper when there is transparency, reduced corruption and a drastic cut in bureaucratic red tape.

His decision to have a small cabinet, reducing government ministries from 46 to 24 has the effect of relieving the treasury of the burden of salaries, allowances and miscellaneous expenses now being counted in billions of Naira.

President Buhari should be credited for the the unblemished record of his ministers. This is a government that has stayed above scandal for a year.

If all of these are not desirable changes, to be appreciated and adored, it is hard to know or determine what some of our critics want.

These reforms certainly represent major milestones in change which have led to a decline of corruption at the top.

As to the question of these leading to a resurgent economy, it all means that in a democracy everything takes times. The President needs our support with understanding and patience. No matter how hasty a president wants to bring changes, there is no magic wand in that office to make everything change from bad to good or make all of us prosperous with a wave of the hand. This change is on course. It requires patience.

The change is working for the nation and sooner than later, the testimony shall be given.

– Shehu is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.

Northern youths threaten showdown with ‘anti-Buhari’ campaigners

Muhammadu Buhari

 

Northern youth under the auspices of Northern Youth Leaders Assembly, have threatened not to tolerate any further attack on the image of President Muhammadu Buhari, who according to them has done so much to put the nation on the path to progress.
The group which made this threat in a communiqué co-signed by its Chairman, Communique Drafting Committee, Yakubu Danlami and Secretary, Kwuanu Terrence, said it will no longer tolerate any insults to the family and members of the president cabinet threatening to mobilize “resources to take on anyone who think they can use their image as a chess pawn in the game playing out in the media”.
“We warn that the north will no longer tolerate any further attack on the image, family and character of President Muhammadu Buhari in his quest to make Nigeria a better place for all. We take particular exception to our Service Chiefs, security personnel and their families being harassed needlessly and we will not hesitate to mobilize our resources to take on anyone who think they can use their image as a chess pawn in the game playing out in the media,” they warned.
According to them, political and public office holders are being demonised and criminalised on account of what they stand for, while adding that the height of this is the rebirth of separatist movements and militant groups in the southern part of the country to harass the Buhari Presidency.
They said, some of those behind these aberrations have openly declared that they are doing it to express their ethnic discontent, acknowledging that this does not bode well for the country as the concept of a one Nigeria.
Meanwhile the youth have set up a media team responsible for countering propaganda against the north which according to them, will regularly highlight the President’s contributions to Nigeria’s democracy.