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2015-06-21T15:13:00.004-07:00

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POLITICSTHISDAY

2015-06-21T15:10:00.004-07:00

Nigeria

Kwankwaso and the 8th National Assembly

21 Jun 2015
PDP Governors Reject Claims of Electoral Fraud in Rivers, A/Ibom Governorship Elections

21 Jun 2015
Damina, Panti Emerge Bauchi Assembly Speaker, Deputy as Police Disperse Thugs with Teargas

21 Jun 2015
Anambra House Sets Agenda for 6th Assembly

21 Jun 2015
Marwa’s Move to APC Hailed

21 Jun 2015
Attahiru Jega Finishes in Grand Style

21 Jun 2015
Ojikutu Urges Nigerians to Pray for Buhari’s Success

21 Jun 2015
Justice Auta Seeks Stiffer Penalties for ‘Wonder Bank’ Operators

21 Jun 2015
Buhari’s Commendable Decision to Reduce Presidential Fleet

21 Jun 2015
Onwubiko : Amnesty International Report on Nigeria Military is One-sided

21 Jun 2015
For Ndigbo, Ekweremadu’s Re-election as Deputy Senate President Signposts Renewed Hope

21 Jun 2015
One Centre, Two Chief Executives

21 Jun 2015
Why Kashamu Discontinued Suit against Obasanjo

21 Jun 2015
Governor Ambode’s Reform Promise

21 Jun 2015
Encounter with Boko Haram Survivors

21 Jun 2015
Political Science Scholarship in Nigeria: Looking to the Future

21 Jun 2015
The Burden of Fashola Years

21 Jun 2015
Ramadan, Nigerian Style

21 Jun 2015
America’s White Skin in Black Masks

21 Jun 2015
Ending Child Marriage: Addressing the Cynics

21 Jun 2015
A Helipad for Akin Ambode’s Roadmap

21 Jun 2015
Our Harvest of Thanks -Taking

21 Jun 2015
Amaechi: Display of Integrity in a Famished Land

21 Jun 2015
Saraki/Lawan: Before the Crucifixion of Mark

21 Jun 2015
Kwankwaso and the 8th National Assembly

Atiku warns APC chieftains over Internal Opposition

2015-06-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

Category: REPORTS

Published on Sunday, 21 June 2015 15:53

Written by Elombah.com

[Image: Atiku Abubakar]

Former Vice President and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar says it is dangerous for any individual or group in the ranks of the ruling party to constitute themselves into an opposition even before the constitution and take off President Muhammadu Buhari's government.

The former Vice President made the call against the backdrop of developments in the polity, which he notes are interplay of forces and interests that are dynamic, but must not be promoted to the point of being a threat to our democracy and the new administration.

In a press statement released by his media office in Abuja on Sunday, 21 June and signed by Mazi Paul Ibe, the Turaki Adamawa while acknowledging that it is legitimate and desirable for individuals or groups to seek to pursue their interest, it must be done with the benefit of sustaining our democracy and promoting equity, fair play and justice in mind.

"Anything to the contrary may jeopardise our hard-earned democracy and constitute a clog in the wheel of the new administration," Atiku said.

He noted that because of the historic nature of the mandate of President Muhammadu Buhari and the arduous challenges ahead to deliver on making Nigeria work for all Nigerians, it is important, especially for members of his own party, to rally behind him in the quest to enthrone good governance, that will spur security and stability, economic and social development, job creation, infrastructure renewal and above all a better life for Nigerians.

The former Vice President urged members of the APC to emulate the unity of all the presidential contestants after the party's Lagos primaries and support the President to form his government and get to work.

The statement exonerated Atiku Abubakar of the purported hijack of the party and the National Assembly towards 2019 as figment of the imagination of those promoting it and asked Nigerians to ignore all such insinuation.

He notes that the recent outcomes of the National Assembly election contrary to insinuations are products of interplay of politics which is itself in constant motion.

"In politics, it is a mistake to expect fixed outcomes. As the President has done, let's all come to terms with what has happened in the interest of the system and move on."

Open Letter to Buhari on N5000 stipend to 25 Million poor Nigerians

2015-06-21T14:53:00.004-07:00

ARTICLE

Published on Friday, 19 June 2015 21:39

Written by Shaibu Stephen Ojate

Your Excellency Sir, I must first of all let you that i am one of your ardent critics in Nigeria. My criticism is not borne out of the fact that i hate you but aimed at pointing out your weakness and also to bring to your knowledge areas you need to take to correction for positive result.

Yesterday, I read in Daily Independent Newspaper that you have finally resolved to redeem your promise to give out N5000 each to unemployed Nigerians as part of your plans to reduce hardship among unemployed individuals in Nigeria following your earlier pledge during your campaign.

While I commend you for making the plight of poor unemployed Nigerians a priority in your administration, I must also remind you that your intended programme is tantamount to chasing shadow and leaving substance. I see it as one of those white elephant projects embarked upon by our past leaders to get applause from the public that they are working only for them to abandon them due to lack of fund to continue it.

It is good for unemployed Nigerians to gain something from your administration but i must make it clear to you that you are taking wrong step on our National problems. Giving N5000 each to 25Million is just like somebody is having Stomach pain and the Doctor resolves giving him Panadol. You would agree with me that Panadol tablet would be good for somebody suffering from headache and not stomach pain. Thus, giving out N5000 to 25Millions is just like the case i have illustrated above.

Point to note, if you successfully disbursed out the said fund to Nigerians, it would cost the Nation One hundred and fifty billion naira per month and One trillion five hundreds billion naira per year. This is a huge fund.

While I commend you for making the plight of poor unemployed Nigerians a priority in your

administration, I must also remind you that your intended programme is tantamount to

chasing shadow and leaving substance. I see it as one of those white elephants

embarked upon by our past leaders to get applause from the public

May I bring to your knowledge that Ajaokuta Steel and Itakpe iron ore companies are lying down in Kogi State. From the analysis i got from those working in these companies, i was made to understand that Nigerian government needs barely half a trillion naira to complete the projects. The One Trillion and Five Hundred Billion Naira that you plan to give out to 25Million Nigerians can perform wonder in these two companies if put to use.

Why not divert the said fund to complete Ajaokuta Steel and Itakpe Iron Ore Companies as the duo are capable of generating millions of jobs for unemployed Nigerians both upstream and downstream sector? Also, the newly employed persons in these companies would have money to take care of their dependents and this would go a long way to eradicate poverty in the land just like you yearned for. These companies when fully operational would have multiplier effect on Nigerians as it would contribute greatly to Nigerian economy. Vehicle and other metal products would be manufactured in Ajaokuta Steel Company.

Let me declare to you that if it is laudable achievement you want to get from you administration, you stand to be reckoned with when you resuscitate Ajaokuta steel and Itakpe Iron Ore companies. Nigeria would remember you as one Leader that resuscitated Ajaokuta steel and Itakpe Iron Ore companies both in Kogi State if you heed to my call as expending one trillion and five hundred billion naira does not implied that the suffering of the 25 million Nigerians would be totally eradicated. Kindly take to my advice as expending One trillion five hundreds Billion on unemployed Nigerians amounts to waste.

Missteps that altered APC’s NASS agenda.

2015-06-13T15:10:00.001-07:00

Missteps that altered APC’s NASS agenda.

June 13, 2015

Saraki and Dogora

Senator Bukola Saraki and Yusuf Dogara emerged as the leaders of the 8th National Assembly against the will of their party. FISAYO FALODI, in this piece, writes about the tactical missteps that disrupted the ruling party’s agenda

The emergence of Dr. Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara as the Senate President and House of Representatives Speaker of the 8th National Assembly came to many people as a surprise. Interestingly, the development defied the calculation of the ruling All Progressives Congress, which has its preferred candidates for the positions.

The APC has majority of seats in the two chambers of parliament.

The race for the leadership of the 8th National Assembly started not long after the APC was declared winner of the March 28 presidential election. As expected, the race led to the formation of various interest groups within the party with each group scrambling to get what it considered the best for it.

The groups’ decision was reinforced by President Muhammadu Buhari’s claim that he would rather prefer the National Assembly members to elect their leaders without any interference.

Interestingly, the now opposition Peoples Democratic Party cashed in on the situation to strategically position itself to gain lofty advantage over the APC, which was struggling to reach a consensus on the Assembly’s leadership. The decision culminated in the PDP’s adoption of Saraki and Dogara for the positions of the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Assembly respectively. It therefore urged PDP members in the National Assembly to vote for the two men

But Tuesday’s emergence of Saraki and Dogara as leaders of the two legislative chambers shocked the APC which had initially selected Senators Ahmed Lawan and George Akume for the office of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively. A former Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Tahir Monguno, were also selected for the leadership of the House of Representatives as the party’s preferred candidates in a mock election it conducted in Abuja last Saturday.

Saraki, who had initially boycotted the mock election even after signing an agreement earlier in the day with the Lawan group to abide by the outcome of the poll, was said to have continued his intensive lobbying of the PDP lawmakers in the National Assembly for support. Dogara participated in the mock poll, but scored three votes against Gbajabiamila’s 154. Explaining why it boycotted the shadow election, the Saraki’s group, popularly called Like Minds, said it took the decision because of the open ballot system the APC leaders adopted for the process.

The group said in a statement that the option was primitive and undemocratic. It said it “shall not be part of a process that promotes undemocratic electoral process that may result in rancorous and uncivil situation which inhibits the rights of individuals to vote for their choice.”

True to its word, the Saraki’s group boycotted the shadow election while the 8th Assembly Consolidation Group, the assemblage of lawmakers that promoted Dogara’s interest, also walked out of the venue with determination to present their candidates for the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly.

Their tactics paid off when the two groups won elections to lead the National Assembly. Saraki was unanimously elected as the Senate President by 57 senators present at the session when the 51 others were at another venue waiting for a meeting with the leadership of the APC. The meeting never held. Analysts have also said that even if Lawan’s supporters had been on the floor of the Senate for the poll, they would have lost. support, the PDP senators were rewarded with the position of the Deputy Senate President which Senator Ike Ekweremadu retained for the third time instead of Senator Ali Ndume, who had also indicated interest in the office of the Senate Deputy President.

Also, the victory of Dogara in the keenly contested election with Gbajabiamila equally sprang a surprise as it stopped the APC’s preferred candidate from assuming the leadership of the House.

As expected, the outcome of the elections, after weeks of horse-trading and lobbying by the two principal officers of the National Assembly, did not go down well with the APC. The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, rejected Saraki and Dogara and described the process that threw them up as unacceptable and treacherous.

The party said, “Senator Bukola and Hon. Dogara are not the candidates of the APC. The party duly met and conducted a straw poll and clear candidates emerged for the posts of Senate President, Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, supported by a majority of all senators-elect and members-elect of the House of Representatives. All National Assembly members-elect who emerged on the platform of the party are bound by that decision. The party is supreme and its interest is superior to that of its individual members.”

But the PDP saw the emergence of the two principal officers differently. The party said their elections underscored the fact that no section of the country should be neglected in national issues. It said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, that the emergence of the two leaders was victory for the nation’s democracy.

Though the decision of the APC to downplay the zoning of the positions of the Senate President and Speaker; alleged overbearing posture of the party’s national leaders; failure of the party to bring together all the interest groups within it; and Buhari’s aloofness on the choice of the party’s candidates were cited by observers as some of the factors that worked against the APC’s candidates, watchers of political events described the emergence of the new National Assembly leaders as very interesting. They nevertheless raised fundamental issues that political parties, including the APC should imbibe for them to remain relevant.

The KOWA Party presidential candidate in the last election, Prof. Oluremi Sanaiya, is of the view that too much interference by the APC prevented the party from achieving its plan. She particularly asked the party to deemphasise selection of leaders by allowing the people to exercise the freedom to make their choice.

She said, “We need political parties that will operate according to the best global practices. I believe that it is good to allow members of the National Assembly to decide who their leaders will be without too much interference from their political parties. The emergence of Saraki and Dogara as the President and Speaker of the National Assembly should serve as an important lesson for us to learn.

“Fighting within political parties with diverse interest groups might not be the best for us in this country and I am afraid that this is what has started to be playing out now. The people are beginning to talk about slowness in the pace of activities in the new government that the country has now.”

Sonaiya, however, raised concern that the special interests might hamper the speed with which the newly elected President could deliver governance and move the country forward.

She said, “We need political parties that are not tied to special interest of certain individuals. Let Nigerians be smart and begin to give themselves a different set of paradigms.”

Also, an elder statesman and former governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, believes that the senators and members of the House of Representatives elected their leaders according to the law, saying it would be unfortunate if anyone would want to disagree with the lawmakers’ decisions.

He said, “One thing I want to point out is that the way the Senate President and the Speaker were elected justified the need for the government of national unity because the APC-led government will need the support of the PDP senators to carry out its responsibilities. This definitely justifies the call for the government of national unity.

“The APC senators could not alone elect the Senate President and the APC members in the House of Representatives could not elect the Speaker without the support of their PDP colleagues. So, they should all work together for the development of the country. “The election of the Speaker and the Senate President followed democratic process and that should be understood by the APC. I know the party did not like the fact that its preferred candidates did not emerge as the leaders of the National Assembly, but the party has to accept the reality on the ground. The party should toe the path of the President who had indicated interest in working with the two men. That should be the guideline for the APC and its chieftains.”

The elder statesman, however, decried moves by the APC to sanction the National Assembly leaders, adding that such moves would not promote the interest of the country.

Musa said, “APC should rescind its decision to sanction Saraki and Dogara. Already the situation is tense; the party should desist from what will make the situation become worse.”

A social commentator, Mr. Taiwo Akinlami, was not surprised about the outcome of the inauguration and the emergence of the leaders of the 8th Assembly. He said the APC, which is the amalgamation of different political parties, was characterised by various groups which wanted their interests protected.

Akinlami said, “When there are a lot of interests within a political party, it becomes difficult to aggregate them. Everybody will want his or her interest protected.”

He, however, demanded effective performance from the lawmakers, especially in the areas of assisting the executive to provide security for the citizens.

Buhari plans military shake-up, angry with DSS.

2015-06-13T15:04:00.002-07:00

Buhari plans military shake-up, angry with DSS.

June 13, 2015

President Muhammadu Buhari

There are indications that President Muhammadu Buhari may carry out a major shake-up in the top echelons of the military.

It was learnt that service chiefs and other senior officers across the various arms of the military might be relieved of their posts to pave way for new hands.

Findings showed that Buhari would replace the service chiefs with equally experienced officers.

It was gathered that all but one of the military chiefs would be disengaged by the President, while appointing new officers who would be expected to implement the new phase of the war against the Boko Haram sect in the North-East.

Sources said that there was anxiety in the military over the looming change of guard which is expected to affect all the services, including the Army, Navy, and the Air Force.

It was gathered that the military chiefs were acutely aware of the fate that might befall them, having reached the pinnacle of their career.

A source said that the President may be considering one of the service chiefs to ensure smooth transition between the present military chiefs and their successors.

But another source said this was not likely, noting that the only service chief that might be retained is the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, who was appointed a few months ago by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

One of our correspondents gathered that Buhari would likely appoint his “loyalists” and those he had worked with into top positions.

It was also gathered that Buhari might have made up his mind to use policemen and soldiers as presidential security, while whittling down the influence and presence of the Department of State Services at the Presidential Villa.

It was also learnt that Buhari indicated his preference for policemen and soldiers trained in body guard protection instead of the usual teams of DSS personnel used by his predecessor.

A source said that the President is unhappy with the agency over the “various negative security reports it wrote against him during his struggle to become the President, including the report on the recent certificate saga.”

Security sources said the rejection of 253 DSS operatives by Villa authorities last week was informed by the President’s directive that he did not want the agency’s personnel around him.

One of the sources said, “The President has yet to forgive the DSS for what he sees as its antagonism against him before the last general elections. So, the President has decided to keep the agency at arm’s length and for his security, he will be using policemen and soldiers.”

The source added that though a DSS operative would still occupy the post of the Chief Security Officer of the villa, “the CSO will be a mere figure-head because he would have no control over the security at the villa.”

Further findings showed that since Buhari was sworn in, information about his itinerary and schedules were no longer passed to the DSS as is the tradition under the former President.

Our correspondents learnt that under the last administration, the CSO would always be informed about the President’s movement and daily itinerary, but this was said to have changed since Buhari assumed office. Presently, it was gathered, it is only the President’s Aide-de-Camp that knows Buhari’s daily schedule and the CSO had to rely on his contacts within the villa to know the President’s movement.

When contacted, the DSS Deputy Director, Public Relations, Marilyn Ogar, had told one of our correspondents earlier in the week that she could not comment on the issue of posting of the service officers at the villa.

“I don’t have such information and I cannot comment on it,” she said.

Also, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Sheu, declined to comment on the issues of appointment.

He said Buhari could not make any pronouncement on appointments or any other issue until he received the report of his transition committee.

Shehu recalled that Jonathan submitted its handover note to Buhari on the eve of his (Jonathan) exit from office.

He said the President thereafter handed over the note to a committee led by Ahmed Joda to study and make recommendations.

He added, “The Joda committee was given two weeks to study Jonathan’s handover note and make recommendations.

“This committee just finished its assignment on Wednesday evening and may present its recommendations to the President on Friday.”

Atiku, Tinubu fight to control APC.

2015-06-13T15:00:00.001-07:00

Atiku, Tinubu fight to control APC.

June 13, 2015

Atiku, Tinubu

There are strong indications that two power blocs within the All Progressives Congress are now engaged in a fierce battle for the soul of the party.

Saturday PUNCH’s investigations on Friday revealed that the battle between the two power blocs to control the party: one led by Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and the other led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, played out during Tuesday’s National Assembly leadership elections.

The ruling party’s preferred candidates in both the Senate and the House of Representatives were defeated by party members who contested the elections against the wishes of the party.

The battle for supremacy between the two power blocs led to the emergence of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Ike Ekweremadu, as the Deputy Senate President.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that both Atiku and Tinubu were desperate to have maximum control over the party structure so that party decisions could favour them at all times.

It was learnt that the two blocs wanted their candidates to emerge principal officers of the National Assembly since that would automatically qualify their candidates to become members of the party’s National Executive Committee, which is the highest decision arm of the party.

Senator Bukola Saraki emerged the President of the Senate at a time when leading figures of the party including Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande and APC Senators as well as members of the House of Representatives were waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari at the International Conference Centre for a crucial meeting.

The party’s NWC earlier held a shadow election in which Senators Ahmad Lawan and George Akume emerged as the party’s candidates for Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively.

But, Atiku, Saturday PUNCH learnt that Atiku was never in support of the mock election believed to be spearheaded by the APC national leader as the former Vice President was bent on breaking Tinubu’s influence on the party’s NWC.

As things stand, most of the current members of the APC’s National Working Committee are Tinubu’s loyalists.

With the outcome of the National Assembly leadership elections, there are strong indications that the Tinubu camp, which many agree, boasts of the likes of Lawan and Akume are not prepared to let the matter rest.

Sources said the Tinubu camp, though still jolted by its initial ‘defeat’ would likely spring a surprise in the days ahead.

It was gathered that members of the Senators Unity Forum, who supported the party’s candidates are queuing behind Tinubu and are likely to continue to do so in the days to come.

It was learnt that in supporting the aspirations of Saraki and Dogara, Atiku had argued that democracy could better be served when the principle of internal democracy is respected.

It was further learnt that Saraki’s publicised visit to Atiku’s residence a few hours after his emergence, was part of the power play.

By virtue of their new positions as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Saraki and Dogara, have become automatic members of the National Executive Committee, the highest decision making body of the party.

Their positions also confer on them automatic membership of the party’s Board of Trustees and National Executive Committee.

A leading member of the party’s NWC, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, explained that the unfolding scenario is likely to open up new frontiers in the power struggle within the party.

According to him, decisions at NEC from now on will be keenly contested by the two power blocs.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that the outcome of the National Assembly elections would likely affect decisions to be taken on ministerial nominees as some of the candidates in Tinubu’s camp may be rejected during screening by the Saraki/Atiku group.

He said, “It is obvious that with what happened on Tuesday at the National Assembly, two (dominant) power blocks have emerged in the party.

“We hope to heal the wounds created by the contests, but there is mutual suspicion between the two groups.”

When contacted, the Director-General of the Atiku Media Office, Mazi Paul Ibe, said, “Atiku did not orchestrate the emergence of the new leadership in the National Assembly and insinuating that amounts to nothing but political mischief, as he had refused to leave the party or work for the PDP even when the then President Jonathan was desperate for Atiku’s support.

“The visits of politicians and APC leaders including that of the Senate President are common political rituals in Atiku’s Asokoro residence. For the purposes of emphasis, the President has confidence in him and that explains why he had drafted him as an envoy of sorts in the race leading up to the emergence of a Nigerian President of African Development Bank.

“It is baseless and unfounded to suggest that Atiku conspired with the PDP or Saraki to ‘sabotage’ the APC. He would have congratulated Senator Ahmed Lawan (or any other leader) if he had won. It is simplistic to attribute conspiratorial agenda to an innocuous congratulatory visit.

“Atiku’s loyalty to his party is indisputable. He remains a loyal party member. He, in fact, threw his political assets behind the Buhari presidential campaign. Any suggestion that he conspired with Saraki or anybody is the figment of someone’s imagination.”

Attempts to get a reaction from Tinubu’s Spokesperson, Mr. Sunday Dare, were unsuccessful.

Calls to his mobile phone at 5:21pm and at 7:14pm were neither picked nor returned. A response to a text message was still being awaited as of the time of filing this report at 7:24pm.

But, a member of Saraki’s Like Minds group of Senators, Rafiu Ibrahim (Kwara South), said Saraki’s emergence, has no negative implication for party cohesion.

He said, “We are already reaching out to everyone. At the leadership level, we are reaching out to individuals.

“The Senate President is a very generous Nigerian with a very large heart. He has already extended his hands of fellowship to every senator and he has assured us all that he would carry everybody along. It is not going to be a case of winner-takes-all.”

Also, a member of the Senate Unity Forum, Senator Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central), said the party leadership is currently working tirelessly to ensure that the party remains a formidable and united entity.

The South East Zonal Spokesperson for the APC, Osita Okechukwu, said the party was seeking ways of moving forward.

According to him, it will be futile to begin to apportion blame and look for scapegoats because doing so will provide an avenue for those who do not wish the APC well to cash in.

He said party leaders deserve the respect of all party members, adding that if the wise counsel of President Muhammadu Buhari for non-interference in National Assembly issues was adhered to, the party would not have found itself in this situation. He, however, said it was time to move on.

Okechukwu said, “It is the desire of our opponents for there to be a rift but there is no rift. As a party, the only thing we need now, more than ever before, is unity.

“We need to unite especially in the National Assembly to be able to deliver on our promises to the Nigerian people. I dare say, we also need bi-partisan support if we are to get things done because we need each other.”

Boko Haram: Buhari and burden of political hypocrisy.

2015-06-13T14:56:00.004-07:00

Boko Haram: Buhari and burden of political hypocrisy.

June 13, 2015

Jonathan, Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Niger Republic and Chad to seek regional collaboration against Boko Haram is considered laudable. Analysts in this report by FISAYO FALODI, however, describe his action as political hypocrisy

One of the key issues Nigerians expect President Muhammadu Buhari to deal with post-May 29 inauguration is the total defeat of the Boko Haram sect that has killed thousands of innocent people and destroyed property – private and public- worth several billions of Naira in the last six years.

This is because the President and the All Progressives Congress, during the campaigns, vowed to totally eradicate Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East of the country if elected into power. The APC therefore launched its full arsenal against the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party with promises of change which climaxed in the March 28 presidential election won by Buhari. With Buhari elected as President, Nigerians no doubt expect a quick end to the Boko Haram insurgency.

Not a few Nigerians would recall that the APC, which had on various occasions described the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan as clueless, callous, incompetent and corrupt for its failure to fight the terror group to a standstill, turned itself and Buhari to apostles of change that the citizens were waiting for.

On every available occasion, the party and Buhari had also rubbished all the initiatives carried out by Jonathan to tackle the dangerous sect. To them, attempts by the former President to seek regional cooperation to find solution to the insurgency were senseless.

“The government has also failed in any effort towards a multi-dimensional response to this problem leading to a situation in which we have now become dependent on our neighbours to come to our rescue,” Buhari had said at the Chatham House, London, the United Kingdom.

Buhari also reiterated his ability to bring the insecurity to its knees in his Chatham House speech, where he painted the gloomy damage the Boko Haram insurgency had done to Nigeria. He particularly blamed Jonathan for failing to take a multi-dimensional response to the country’s security challenge, culminating in Nigeria’s dependence on Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroon for anti-Boko Haram war.

He had said, “There are other reasons why Nigerians and the whole world are intensely focused on this year’s elections, chief of which is that the elections are holding in the shadow of huge security, economic and social uncertainties in Africa’s most populous country and largest economy. On insecurity, there is a genuine cause for worry, both within and outside Nigeria. Apart from the civil war era, at no other time in our history has Nigeria been this insecure.”

He added, “Boko Haram has sadly put Nigeria on the terrorism map, killing more than 13,000 of our nationals, displacing millions internally and externally, and at a time holding on to portions of our territory the size of Belgium. What has been consistently lacking is the required leadership in our battle against insurgency.”

No doubt, Buhari’s speech at the Chatham House boosted his popularity with voters desperate to see implementation of decisive and tough policies to wipe out the Boko Haram insurgents and other challenges such as corruption among public officials and revitalisation of the economy.

In whispering and open campaigns, Buhari and the APC continued to blame Jonathan for his proclivity for minimum use of force to tackle the sect and his patience with some people in the country suspected to be close to the insurgent group. They therefore raised the hope of Nigerians that once the party was able to form the government at the centre, the persistent killings and destructions by the violent sect would become a thing of the past.

Even while inaugurating his campaign team in Port Harcourt before the election, Buhari stressed that the insecurity posed by the sect had reached a level that could no longer be tolerated thus assuring that effective strategies would be taken to fight the menace.

The highlight of the President’s determination to end the insurgency came early in the week when the command centre of the military relocated to Maiduguri, the epicentre of the Boko Haram activities.

But barely four days after the inauguration of his administration, Buhari realised that the promise to tackle the insurgent group had become a big burden on him. To the amazement of many Nigerians, the President took his anti-terrorism campaign to Niger Republic and Chad to seek collaboration on how to curb the Boko Haram insurgency. The move, according to some observers, leaves Nigerians wondering if the President is not engaging in double standard and hypocrisy for toeing the same path he and his party had initially condemned. They said though nothing stopped the President from seeking regional collaboration to end the sect’s activities, his decision to rehash a method he had once chastised raised moral questions.

The observers recalled that Buhari and the APC tagged Jonathan’s administration various derogatory names for seeking regional collaboration against the sect. They said the President, apart from relocating the command centre to Maiduguri as promised, should devised more effective and practical strategies to combat the terror gang. They also asked him to focus on some of the initiatives adopted by Jonathan to combat the insurgency, which they said had already started yielding results even before Buhari was elected as the President.

The observers said though Boko Haram insurgency pre-dated Buhari’s administration, they pointed out that the sect had carried out no fewer than five attacks in the North since he assumed office in the last two weeks.

The National Conscience Party presidential candidate in the last general elections, Mr. Martin Onovo, who did not see anything new in the President’s visit to the neighbouring countries to seek regional cooperation against the sect, flayed Buhari and his party for engaging in “hypocritical politics” over their earlier criticism of Jonathan’s administration for adopting same approach.

He said now that Buhari had seen some atoms of senses in the strategy; he should improve upon it in the interest of national development and security.

Onovo said, “We must focus on our objective, which is to tackle insurgency and other related activities. Now, based on the military report, some of the terrorists are operating across borders. Like Dr. Jonathan did, Buhari will need the cooperation of neighbouring countries to achieve success in his anti-terrorism battle.

“What I see President Buhari doing is not new; he is only trying to improve on Jonathan’s approach. So, we must focus on our objective. Whatever we need to do to contain the insurgency and terrorism must be promoted. Therefore, I don’t see anything wrong or new in Buhari’s initiative to hold talk with the neighbouring countries.

“Nigeria needs to focus on the right thing to get the right result. One of the right things to do is to get the cooperation of our neighbours, which the former President has started anyway. So, Buhari should improve on what Jonathan has started.”

An Abuja-based social commentator, Mr. Malachi Ugwummadu, believes that Buhari and the APC might have made the statement based on the reality on ground at that time; it nevertheless undermined the capacity of Nigeria’s government to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency.

He said as the President himself is aware, the fight against the sect required collaboration, support and concerted effort with relevant stakeholders.

Ugwummadu said there was no deliberate effort to improve the capacity of Nigerian military in terms of sophisticated weapons until the country was compelled to do so by the circumstances of her weakness.

He, however, urged Buhari to stop at nothing in fulfilling his avowed pledge to tackle insecurity in the country.

“There is an end to politics. Politics must end where governance must begin. Buhari must now direct his energy in the direction that will benefit all Nigerians,” Ugwummadu said, asking the President to lead by example.

Like Onovo, a rights activist, Mr. Olufemi Aduwo, said it was unfortunate that the insecurity posed by the sect was politicised by those who should know better. He said no doubt, the fight against terrorism anywhere in the world required collaboration of relevant stakeholders, but added that it was regrettable that the APC played to the gallery by deceiving and misinforming Nigerians over the initial regional collaboration the administration of former President Jonathan sought to curb the sect’s activities.

Aduwo said, “What they accused Jonathan of is what they are now doing. Nobody said they should not seek foreign collaboration, but they ought to have understood before now that anywhere there is anti-terrorism war, the people and the government there must be serious to fight it.

“The President must realise that the Boko Haram sect has been existing in Nigeria since 2002. Its activities were only pronounced a few years ago. Relocating the military’s command centre to Maiduguri may not be enough to tackle the sect’s activities; the President may need to review and improve on some of the approaches taken by his immediate predecessor.”

While stressing that it was not always easy to tackle terrorism, Aduwo said the militants in Colombia celebrated their 60 years of existence last year. Despite the over $7bn the United States had spent to fight terrorism in Colombia, he said the militants’ activities had yet to subside.

He said, “Terrorism across the world has become a cultural evolution. What the people are trying to do across the world is to make sure that they reduce activities of the terrorist to the barest minimum.

“So, for Buhari to record success in his anti-terrorism war, he needs collaboration and improvement upon what the previous government had done.”

Though the APC has risen in defence of Buhari, saying the President should be praised rather than pilloried for the move, adding that the decision showed that he understood the regional dimension that the insurgency had assumed, the PDP asked Buhari to apologise to Jonathan and Nigerians for toeing the path he and his party had once chastised.

Buhari orders military to conduct internal probe on Amnesty International report.

2015-06-12T14:30:00.002-07:00

Buhari orders military to conduct internal probe on Amnesty International report.

June 12, 2015. Article by a Citizen.

President Muhammadu Buhari.

President Muhammadu Buhari has once again given assurance that his government will closely study the report released recently by Amnesty International, in which top ranking officers of the Nigerian military were accused of gross abuse of human rights.
“The president is quite disturbed by the allegations contained in the report,” Garba Shehu, his spokesperson said Friday. “The next step is to look into the allegations and confirm or disprove the disturbing details.”
He added that President Buhari has already determined that one of the first assignments of the incoming Attorney General of the Federation would be to look into the Amnesty International report and advise the government on an appropriate course of action.
“This is in addition to the internal inquiry he asked the armed services to undertake by themselves,” he said.
He also emphasised President Buhari’s commitment to human rights, and his promise that there would be no human rights abuses under his government.
“Any allegation of human rights abuse that takes place during the tenure of President Buhari’s government will be swiftly investigated and dealt with,” he said.
The report by Amnesty International, published June 3, accused the military of being responsible for the deaths of 8,000 prisoners.
The report listed senior military commanders, including serving and past service chiefs, it suggested should be investigated for possible war crimes.

Buhari appoints new Accountant General.

2015-06-12T14:26:00.001-07:00

Buhari appoints new Accountant General.

June 12, 2015. Article by a Citizen.

President Muhammadu Buhari.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday made his first senior cadre appointment, naming Mohammed Dikwa as Nigeria’s new acting Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF).
The appointment, which takes immediate effect from June 12, 2015, followed the retirement from service of Jonas Otunla.
Until his appointment, Mr. Dikwa was the Director, Funds Department in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Mr. Dikwa would hold the office until a substantive Accountant-General is appointed by the president.
Mr. Dikwa, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy and a Masters in Business Administration and Finance, attended the Senior Executive Course 34, 2014 at the National Institute of for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru.
He was awarded Certificates in Public Finance Management Reforms, Leadership and Governance, High Performance Leadership Programme and Treasury Management at the Harvard University, USA; University of Cambridge, Oxford University in the UK, and Thames Valley University UK respectively.
A professional Accountant and Member of many Professional Bodies, Mr. Dikwa is a Fellow Certified National Accountant; Fellow Charted Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, among others.
Apart from serving as a facilitator in many courses, workshops, seminars and conferences he attended both within and outside Nigeria, Mr. Dikwa served as Borno State Accountant-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance between1999 and 2004 and Chairman, Technical Board Bank of Industries (BOI), Bank of Agriculture (BOA).
He also served on the Board of Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Defence Industry Corporation; Distribution Company of Nigeria (DISCO), Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), Royal Swaziland Sugar Company, etc.
He was also the Director in-charge of Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) and later Revenue and Investment. He is happily married with children.

Summit on Boko Haram holds in Abuja.

2015-06-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

Summit on Boko Haram holds in Abuja.

June 10, 2015. Article by a Citizen.

Muhammadu Buhari with Chadian president, Idris Deby.

Three African Heads of State in the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari will on Thursday in Abuja hold a summit on Boko Haram.
Presidents of Chad, Idriss Deby, Niger, Mahamadou_Issoufou and Republic of Benin, Boni Yayai, are expected to attend the summit, while Cameroon’s Minister of Defence is expected to represent the President, Paul Biya.
At the meeting, the African leaders are expected to discuss the security challenges affecting the four countries that share boundaries with each other.
The countries, majorly affected by the Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram will take significant steps toward establishing a joint task force when they meet on Thursday at the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producing country, has been besieged by terror attacks perpetrated by the jihadist Boko Haram sect, mostly in its North Eastern region.
Boko Haram has killed thousands and displaced about 1.5 million people during a six-year insurgency. Its aim has been to establish an Islamic caliphate. It has extended its reach to neighbouring Chad and Cameroon.
Upon resumption of office, President Muhammadu Buhari had taken a tour of Chad and Niger to discuss the fight against the Boko Haram. Chad, Cameroon and Niger are part of the Multinational Joint Task force waging war against the Boko Haram insurgents.

Buhari rejects proposal for Chad, Niger, others to head central force against Boko Haram.

2015-06-12T14:16:00.002-07:00

Buhari rejects proposal for Chad, Niger, others to head central force against Boko Haram.

June 11, 2015 Article by a Citizen.

President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected a proposal for an alternate leadership between Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroun and Benin, of a joint military force against Boko Haram.
At a meeting with leaders of the Lake Chad nations Thursday in Abuja, Mr. Buhari insisted Nigeria must be the sole leader of the joint military operation.
He said a proposal that such leadership alternate amongst the participating nations after every six months, may ultimately undermine the joint operations.
The president said his argument should be adopted since Nigeria remains at the centre of the Boko Haram crisis, and will provide the bulk of troops for the operation.
“While I agree that this is a joint operation with shared responsibilities, I am, however, of the opinion that military operations that are subjected to a rapid turnover of command and control structures, six months duration, as it is being proposed in the documents before us, do not augur well for effectiveness and efficiency,” Mr. Buhari said.
“Such a process will undermine, even if it is not intended, the military capacity to sustain the push against the insurgents, who also have the uncanny ability to adapt and rejig their operational strategies.

He continued, “I am inclined, on account of the above, to suggest for Your Excellencies’ consideration that Nigeria retains the position of the Force Commander of the MNJTF for the period of the war effort. This command will be to the effectiveness of military strategy, since Nigeria will be providing the bulk of the troops and the main theatre of the war is on Nigerian soil.”
The president’s remarks were disclosed in a press statement released by his office.
It was not immediately clear whether the suggestions were adopted by the other leaders.
The Extra Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin, was attended by the president of Chad, Idris Deby; Niger, Issoufou Mahamadu; Benin, Boni Yayi; and the Defence Minister of Cameroun, Mebe Ngo’o Edgard Alain.
The coalition considered new measures against Boko Haram, responsible for thousands of deaths in Nigeria, and neighbouring countries.
Mr. Buhari thanked the foreign leaders for their help in the fight against the insurgents.
“Nothing has emphasized our common humanity and destinies more than the dastardly crimes against our people by the insurgents, who have maimed and raped our women and children and held our nations in a vicious strangle hold,” he said.
“Our campaign against insurgency must therefore, be directed on all fronts, starting from limiting their capacity to access funds and weapons. We must, therefore, strengthen our cross border patrols and increase our capacity to gather and share intelligence. In this regard, I urge that all necessary steps be immediately taken to reinvigorate the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU).”
He thanked the Ministers of Defence of all the countries for coming up with a proposal for the joint military force.
He said Nigeria had promised $100 million for the take-off of the multinational force, and assured the funds will be provided.
He said notwithstanding the pledge, funding still remains a major issue of the campaign.
“I had raised this issue at my meeting with the G7 leaders. While I am encouraged by their support, I also urge you to garner the support of your international friends and partners to sustain this campaign,” he urged the leaders.
“Our campaign against Boko Haram must be seen within the wider context of the global war against terror. Terrorism has no frontiers and they must, because of the great implication for regional and global peace and security, be defeated.”

Boko Haram kills 37 women in Borno villages.

2015-06-12T14:08:00.003-07:00

Boko Haram kills 37 women in Borno villages.

June 11, 2015. Article by Citizen.

Terror group, Boko Haram, has killed 37 people in separate attacks on six villages in Borno State, a youth vigilance member told journalists in Maiduguri on Thursday.
He revealed that the notorious group drove in a convoy of vehicles to Koshifa, Matangle, Buraltuma, Darmanti, Almeri and Burmari villages, all in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State, on Wednesday night.
The source said the insurgents opened fire indiscriminately on the villagers while setting houses on fire.
A top member of the youth vigilance group in Biu, a neighbouring local government area of Damboa, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said some of the villagers, who fled from the attack villages, narrated their ordeal.

He said those who escaped were mostly women, who alleged that the insurgents killed their husbands and burnt down their houses leaving them with nothing.
The women, the youth added, were equally afraid that the insurgents might come back to finish off the villages, forcing them to flee.
He said, “At least, 37 persons were killed in coordinated attacks on the six villages, and the victims were mostly men and youths and their homes razed down completely.
‎”The women said many people were still missing but they believed that they will still come to Damboa or Biu town so that they can reunite with their families. I must say Boko haram has almost wiped out this generation.”

(UPDATED)Boko Haram: National contingents to be deployed on July 30.

2015-06-12T14:05:00.001-07:00

(UPDATED)Boko Haram: National contingents to be deployed on July 30.

June 11, 2015. Article by a citizen.

President Muhammadu Buhari

The Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin rose from their extraordinary summit in Abuja on Thursday approving the deployment of national contingents to the Multinational Joint Task Force by July 30.
The MNJTF was set up and saddled with the responsibility of fighting the Boko Haram terrorist group.
The approval was contained in a communique released at the end of the summit held at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and presided over by President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic.
The heads of government, including President Muhammadu Buhari, resolved that the national contingents be deployed under the operational command of the MNJTF Commander assisted by his Joint Headquarters.
A Nigerian, Maj.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, was recently appointed the Force Commander.
According to the communique, the summit also approved three key positions of responsibility of the MNJTF headquarters.
The position of the Force Commander would be held by Nigeria, the Deputy Force Commander was zoned to Cameroon while the post of the Chief of Staff would be occupied by Chad.
While Nigeria will hold the office of the Force Commander until the end of the mission,the two remaining positions would be rotational every 12 months.
The summit also approved the immediate deployment of the MNJTF headquarters at N’Djamena (Chad) by implementing its human, logistic and financial requirements.
Participants also approved $30m for the funding and equipping of the headquarters.
They also requested the African Union’s logistics and financial supports to the MNJTF in its operations.
They also resolved to seek the support of strategic partners, notably, European Union, France, United Kingdom and the United States of America.
The heads of governments also requested the President of the United Nations Security Council to make a declarative statement in support of MNJTF operations against the Boko Haram terrorist group.
In the course of their deliberation, the Heads of State acknowledged with satisfaction the successes recorded on military operations jointly conducted in the field by the coalition of the troops from Cameroun, Niger, Nigeria and Chad which have significantly broken down the military capability of the Boko Haram terrorist group.
However, they agreed on the need to be continually active by taking decisive measures in order to totally curb Boko Haram insurgency.

Buhari faults joint task force commander’s six-month tenure

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday kicked against a proposed guideline of the Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin that recommended six months duration for change of the command and control structure of the Multinational Joint Task Force.
He urged his colleagues to allow Nigeria retain the position of the Force Commander of the MJTF throughout the period of the war against insurgency.
Buhari made the appeal in his opening remarks at an extra-ordinary meeting of the commission’s Heads of State and Government held at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
A Nigerian, Maj.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, was recently appointed the Force Commander.
The President argued that military operations that are subjected to rapid change of command and control structures would not be efficient.
He said Nigeria should be allowed to retain the position of the commander since the country would be providing the bulk of the troops and the main theatre of the war is on Nigerian soil.
He said, “While I agree that this is a joint operation with shared responsibilities, I am, however, of the opinion that military operations that are subjected to rapid turnover of command and control structures, six months duration, as it is being proposed in the documents before us, do not augur well for effectiveness and efficiency.
“Such a process will undermine, even if it not intended, the military capacity to sustain the push against the insurgents, who also have the uncanny ability to adapt and rejig their operational strategies.”
“I am inclined, on account of the above, to suggest for your excellencies’ consideration that Nigeria retains the position of the Force Commander of the MNJTF for the period of the war effort.
“This command will be to the effectiveness of military strategy, since Nigeria will be providing the bulk of the troops and the main theatre of the war is on Nigerian soil.”
Buhari also promised to redeem the pledge made by Nigeria to contribute $100m to the force.
“Nigeria has already pledged the sum of $100m for the smooth takeoff of the MJTF. I hereby reassure you that my government will keep faith with this promise,” he declared.
Buhari also stressed the need to strengthen cross border patrol and intelligence sharing, adding that efforts must be targeted at limiting the insurgents’ capacity to access funds and weapons
Setting the tone for the meeting, the President said the parley was premised on common resolve and commitment of member states to maintain the momentum in degrading the capacity of the insurgents until they are completely defeated.
He said it was also meant to mitigate the suffering which had been imposed on the civilian population by the nefarious activities of the insurgents and the terrorists.
He added that the meeting also afforded them an opportunity to finalise the instruments of the operations of force in order to give life to the joint military campaign to decisively defeat the insurgents.
He added, “You will recall in my inaugural address on May 29, 2015, I affirmed that I will consult regularly with heads of government of our immediate neighborhood and I have within four days of my assumption of duty as President embarked on a thank you visits to the Presidents of Niger and Chad.
“This important assignment was however interrupted because I had to honour the invitation extended to me by the G-7 member states to attend their meeting in Germany.
“I intend to continue his thank you visits to the remaining Lake Chad Basin Commission member states very shortly.”
The meeting was attended by President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic; President Idriss Deby Itno of Chad Republic and President Boni Yayi of Benin Republic.
Cameroonian President was represented by his Minister of Defence.

Church camps 900 Boko Haram victims in Edo.

2015-06-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

Church camps 900 Boko Haram victims in Edo.

June 6, 2015. Article by a Citizen.

An Internally Displaced Persons camp with over 900 victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the North Eastern part of the country has been uncovered in Edo‎ State.

It was gathered that most of the IDPs in the camp, located in a remote community in Edo South senatorial district of the state, were children between the ages of four months and 20 years.

It was ‎learnt that the camp, which originally serves as a centre for the needy and founded by the International Christian Centre for Mission, had provided food and shelter for the IDPs since 2013.

The camp covers a large expanse of land and has several blocks of rooms and halls, most of which were made of wood, serving as classrooms and bedrooms for the displaced persons.

It was gathered that the refugees included men, women and children whose families were killed and homes burnt by the insurgents.

The ‎camp, it was also learnt, depends on a generator to provide its own electricity and water.

When our correspondent visited the camp on Friday, most of the children seen receiving lessons from the makeshift classrooms, while some the them, who had been infected with chicken pox, were quarantined according to gender.

Some of the victims, who recounted their ordeal, said they lost all they had to the insurgents, who also attacked them in caves where they had initially sought refuge.

‎One them, Tani Philemon, stated that she had been abducted by the insurgent from her home, in Gwoza Local Government Area of Bornu State, but escaped miraculously after several day of fasting.

She said, “Boko Haram attacked us in our village and we ran to the mountains. But they followed us and killed some people, including my husband. At the mountain, there was no food; we were just eating leaves.

“I search for my dead husband and buried him by just putting some sand on his corpse.‎ After two days at the mountain, they (Boko Haram) came and abducted me and my children and took us to Gwoza where we spent about three weeks.

“After three days, we fasted and prayed. Suddenly, God made them (insurgents) fall asleep and we managed to escape by climbing a wall; we ran to Cameroon. We spent three days without food and water

“But God sent some people to us who took us to Yola (Adamawa State) and when we got there, we heard of a man of God who helps people in need. He was the one who paid for our transportation to this place (camp).‎”

‎The Overseer of the ICC, Solomon Folorunsho, told journalists, during a visit to the camp, that the IDPs were brought to the facility from Borno and Adamawa states, through Jos, the Plateau State capital.

‎Folorunsho said the displaced persons depended on donations from faith-based organisations, institutions and individuals.

APC makes a U-turn, accepts Saraki as Senate President.

2015-06-12T12:13:00.001-07:00

APC makes a U-turn, accepts Saraki as Senate President.

June 12, 2015. Article by a Citizen.

National Chairman, All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Friday said the party has accepted Senator Bukola Saraki as the President of the Senate.

He said the reality was that Saraki’s colleagues had duly elected him and the party was ready to live with the reality.
Odigie-Oyegun spoke with State House correspondents shortly after joining members of the transition committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to present their report to the President at the Defence House, Abuja.
Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, both of the APC, emerged as leaders of the National Assembly on Tuesday against the directives of the party which had earlier asked its members to vote for Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila.
Since their emergence, the party had insisted that Saraki, Dogara and their supporters would be sanctioned.
When asked specifically whether the party would accept Saraki as the President of the Senate, Odigie-Oyegun said, “Of course! He has been duly elected by his colleagues. We have a reality and we must live with it.”
On Saraki’s aborted visit to the APC secretariat on Thursday, the party chairman said there were a lot of consultations going on at that time and he could not have been in two places at the same time.
He however said party chiefs were already talking with Saraki and would not want to make noise about it.

“Nothing went wrong (on Saraki’s aborted visit), there were a lot of consultations and you can’t be in two places at the same time.
“So, it was not comfortable for us, but we have been talking. We don’t want to make a song and dance of it, everything is being put in proper perspective,” he said.
On the crisis that erupted in the party after the elections in the National Assembly, Odigie-Oyegun said the APC had faced greater challenges before and the latest one too would pass away.
“It is not the first or second time we have passed through this kind of scenario and we came out strong. This may not even be the last time, we come out every time stronger and more determined,” he said.
The party chairman said what happened was within the APC family and they were sorting it out within the family.
He added that aggrieved persons who threatened to go to court were doing so within their rights.
“People say they are going to court which is their right, but as a party, we are looking at everything and we are coming out strong,” he concluded.

Fashola counsels girl pupils on decency.

2015-06-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

Fashola counsels girl pupils on decency.

June 12, 2015. Article by a Citizen.

Abimbola Fashola

Wife of a former governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, has advised female pupils to imbibe good virtues as they transit from adolescence to adulthood.
She also urged the girls to be good citizens by placing high values on morals.
Fashola said this recently as a guest speaker at the Guidance and Counselling Day organised by the Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls in Lagos.
Mrs. Fashola, who was chosen for her exemplary comportment and achievements as first lady, counseled the pupils to focus on their academics and shun distractions.
“There is the need to nurture girls to grow, live and function as unique and respectable wives, mothers and professionals of tomorrow. The school has not only been focusing on academics alone but also on moral, leadership and home management training,” she said.

In her address, the founder of the school, Mrs. Leila Fowler, said the annual career and counselling fair was more than a platform to guide the pupils on career path.
“The school places high premium on guidance and counselling in view of the sensitive nature of girls as they plough through the adventurous world of adolescence into adulthood. The school engages professional counselors to speak to the pupils in order to achieve a balanced moral and academic growth,” she said
Fowler added that the college has the mission to offer the girl-child qualitative and functional secondary school education.
“The mission of the college in bringing out the best in the girl child has been yielding enormous result with the performance of the pupils academically. We want to raise a generation of young women who will respect and uphold the dignity of labour,’’ she said.

Joda transition committee submits 800-page report to Buhari.

2015-06-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

Joda transition committee submits 800-page report to Buhari.

June 12, 2015. Article by a Citizen.

After about five weeks of scrutiny, the Alhaji Ahmed Joda Transition Committee of the All Progressives Congress on Friday submitted an 800-page final report of its findings to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The event, which took place at the Defence House, Abuja, saw the committee submitting the compressed report from the over 18,000 pages it received from the Goodluck Jonathan administration to President Buhari.
Briefing State House correspondents after submitting the report, Joda said the committee got the cooperation of several groups to arrive at its recommendations.
“We have concluded our assignment which was given to us on the 29th of April.
“We spent about five weeks going through memorandum, listening to presentations from all over the country and sometimes from Nigerians living in different parts of the world.
“And I must say that we received wonderful cooperation from everybody in Nigeria, the business community, the professional people, the non-governmental organisations, society people.
“Everybody contributed to the success of our work. And today, we submitted about 800 pages of report and recommendations to the President.
“This is now his property and I think in due course he will begin to act on them.”
Joda denied that the submission of the report had delayed the action of the president in administration and appointments but said the president had to wait for the report.

He said it took time to sort the report out, analyse, get experts to interview on it and make recommendations.
He also said that political appointments were at the discretion of the president, adding that with the paper work given to him he would make up his mind on what to do which required some time to do.

Tears as Buhari, wife meet Chibok girls’ mothers.

2015-06-12T12:02:00.001-07:00

Tears as Buhari, wife meet Chibok girls’ mothers.

June 12, 2015. Article by a citizen

Tears flowed freely on Friday as President Muhammadu Buhari; his wife, Aisha; and the wife of the Vice President, Dolapo Osinbajo, met with two women whose daughters are among the over 200 missing Chibok girls.

The emotional-laden encounter took place inside the Defence House, Abuja, where Buhari currently operates from.

Mrs. Osinbajo had earlier led the two women to a meeting with Hajia Buhari.

The President’s wife later led them into another round of meeting with Buhari.

By the time they emerged from the meeting and posed for photographs, the two women again broke down in tears while Mrs. Buhari held them tightly.

Mrs. Osinbajo also joined in the weeping.

The Vice President’s wife, with misty eyes, later told State House correspondents what transpired during the two separate meetings.

She said, “Hajia Aisha Buhari had, for many months, wanted to visit Chibok. She also wanted to meet with the mothers.

“Today, we had an opportunity for them to meet face-to-face. We had two of the mothers who still have their daughters missing after a year.

“Hajia, being a mother, met with them, held them and they cried, everybody cried. What only a mother will do is to say ‘wait, I want you to see your father and see what your father will do.’

“We were all extremely overwhelmed that at this time when the President is so busy, he had time to meet with the women from Chibok.

“He spoke to them in English and Hausa. He explained to them how he keeps telling everybody to put themselves in their place.

“So, today, we have had the opportunity for the President and Hajia to show that they are our father and mother, for that we are glad.”

Shortly after the photo session, security men quickly whisked the weeping mothers away.

Over 200 schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok last year.

All efforts to rescue them have yet to yield any positive result.

Confusion at ports as FG increases import tariff.

2015-06-12T11:57:00.001-07:00

Confusion at ports as FG increases import tariff.

June 12, 2015. Article by a Citizen.

There was confusion at the Lagos ports on Wednesday as importers and clearing agents had difficulties clearing their goods following the implementation of the Economic Community of West African States’ Common External Tariff.
All the 16 members of the ECOWAS, including Nigeria, had agreed to introduce a uniform import tariff, pegged at 35 per cent maximum, from January this year, to facilitate trade within the region.
Although the Nigeria Customs Service said the policy had taken effect on April 11, it was not enforced until Monday.
But the importers, who claimed not to be aware of this development, said many of them were asked to pay double what they use to pay as tariff on imported materials.
They also said the tension generated by the rate adjustment was heightened on Monday and Tuesday when they could not assess the Customs online portal.
They expressed fears that the development could result in another port congestion as many might be unable to immediately pay the new tariff.
An importer, whose consignment of electronic metal detector apparatus had just arrived at the port, complained to one of our correspondents that there was no prior notice about the adjustment in tariff, adding that she discovered on Tuesday that what she needed to pay on her goods had doubled.
The importer said she had already obtained the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report from the Customs stating the tariff she had to pay on her goods but that when she attempted to log on to the Customs portal, she could not, only for bank officials to inform her that the tariff she had to pay had doubled.
A clearing agent, who spoke with one of our correspondents on the condition of anonymity, said, “They (Customs) adjusted the rates. Ours was increased from five to 30 per cent, although we learnt that some had theirs reduced from 40 to 30 per cent, but these category of importers were in the minority.
“We could not access the Customs portal on Tuesday. My client’s assessment jumped up by N2.5m. And if you pay anything less, the system will raise an alert because it is automated, and you are likely to be interrogated as if you want to circumvent the system.”
But the Public Relations Officer, NCS, Tin Can Island Port Command, Mr. Chris Osunkwo, said the ECOWAS CET was a two-way tariff, adding that while some importers would have to pay more on certain goods, others would pay less.
Details of the new tariff show that a zero per cent duty is payable on goods imported under social and necessary items category; five per cent on raw materials; 10 per cent on intermediate goods; and 20 per cent on finished goods not produced locally.
Osunkwo also said in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents that while 35 per cent rate would be paid on imported used vehicles, 70 per cent had been imposed on new vehicles to encourage auto industries to assemble vehicles locally.
According to a statement by the Public Relations Officer, NCS, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, the new tariff comprises an Import Adjustment Tax list, which involves additional taxes on 177 tariff lines of the ECOWAS CET; and a national list consisting of items whose import duty rates have been reviewed to encourage more development in strategic sectors of the economy.
It stated that the Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko, had directed the immediate enforcement of the tariff provisions by all Customs area commands and urged all stakeholders to comply.
He also allayed fears about fresh port congestion resulting from the ECOWAS CET implementation, noting that there were usually initial teething problems at the start of any policy.

Mbu denies torture allegation by fraud suspects.

2015-06-12T00:49:00.002-07:00

Mbu denies torture allegation by fraud suspects.

June 12, 2015. Article by a citizen.

River State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu

The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2 Police Command, Joseph Mbu, has denied the allegation of torture made against him by a foreign exchange dealer, Alhaji Suleiman Yerima.
Mbu said the allegation was an attempt by the suspect to divert attention from his group’s alleged fraudulent activities.
Yerima had alleged that Mbu instructed a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Ibrahim Dantoro, to dip his face into a bucket of water-a form of torture known as “water-boarding” used to extract confessions from terrorists.
The businessman, in a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari, had alleged that he was detained for 80 days by the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, along with his friend, Uwem Antia, who he said was blindfolded and beaten.
Mbu on Thursday, during a press briefing, which was attended by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, and his Ogun State counterpart, Valentine Ntomchukwu, said that Yerima’s allegation was diversionary.
He said the command had received three separate petitions against the syndicate consisting Yerima, Antia and Chief Reagan Edet and that investigations by the command showed that the three were fraudsters who also had cases in court.
The AIG revealed that two of the syndicate’s latest victims, who worked in banks, had lost their jobs due to the incident.

Mbu said, “I read in the papers about some people saying I ordered their torture. These are people who specialised in defrauding people. Somebody gave you N300m and asked for dollars, and the next day you disappeared. Those who borrowed from businesses have lost their capital, while those who worked in banks have lost their jobs.
“They failed to tell the press how they offered Dantoro N50m so that the matter would be swept under the carpet. We will not allow injustice.”
The Operation Commander of Legal in the Zone 2 Police Command, Chukwu Agwu, explained that the command had released the suspects to the EFCC since April, saying their allegation of torture was an afterthought.
He said, “Yerima and his group fraudulently obtained N424m from two victims with a promise to give them its dollar equivalent in February 2015. Contrary to their promise, they disappeared into thin air with the money.
“The matter was reported to the AIG Zone 2 Police Command, Lagos, where the victims revealed that the group had duped another victim of over N200m the same day, but the victim reported the case to the EFCC.”
The suspects were said to have been arrested by the EFCC due to one of the victims’ petition.
Agwu said the command, having received two petitions as well, requested their release for interrogation.
“After police interrogation, the suspects were returned to the EFCC on April 7, 2015 within the period of court order for their detention. There was no torture or infringement of the suspects’ rights or allegation of such while in our detention,” he added.
It was learnt that the police received another petition from a legal practitioner, Ayo Olubo and Co, against Yerima and members of his group, for alleged conspiracy and fraudulently obtaining $2.5m.
Agwu said the command was still investigating the case.
“Our investigation revealed that Yerima, Antia, Edet and their cohorts, are not foreign exchange dealers and do not own or operate any Bureau-de-Change. The same Yerima is being prosecuted for a similar crime at the Federal High Court since 2009. He is equally being investigated by the EFCC as an unrepentant and hardened fraudster,” he added.
Two of the alleged victims of Yerima’s group, who spoke with The PUNCH, said they had lost their jobs due to the incident.
They, however, declined to identify themselves or speak on the record “because we don’t want our chances of getting another job affected.”
“We trusted Yerima because he took us to his house and showed us pictures he had taken with people in the Presidency and television interviews he had granted. We even checked his name on the internet but he absconded with our money and betrayed us,” one of them said.
Mbu also denied reports of extra-judicial killings in the Nigeria Police Force, saying the allegations were unfounded.
Our correspondent had asked the AIG at the end of the briefing to react to the issues of extra-judicial killing in the NPF and the challenge of underfunding confronting many of the police stations in the zone.
He said in most cases, family members of suspects did not usually tell the world the whole truth.

We’ll follow due process to punish Saraki, others –APC.

2015-06-12T00:46:00.000-07:00

We’ll follow due process to punish Saraki, others –APC.

June 12, 2015. Article, by a citizen.

National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Lai Mohammed

the All Progressives Congress has said that whatever disciplinary action it will take against the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and its members for defying its directive on the election of the National Assembly leadership will follow due process.

It said this just as The PUNCH learnt that the Presidency had intervened in the crisis the election of Saraki and Dogara on Tuesday had generated.

The party had conducted mock elections in which Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila emerged as its consensus candidates for the Senate Presidency and House speakership.

After the mock polls, the APC directed its other lawmakers not to contest the positions but ensure that Lawan and Gbajabiamila became the National Assembly leaders.

But this was not to be as Saraki and Dogara did not only contest but won with the support of opposition Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers.

In the Senate, an opposition member, Ike Ekweremadu, surprisingly retained his post as Deputy Senate President.

Ekweremadu defeated an APC Senator, Ali Ndume, who also defied the party’s directive by contesting. The APC anointed candidate for the post is Mohammed Mungono.

The APC spokesman, Lai Mohammed, who spoke with journalists after an emergency National Working Committee meeting of the APC in Abuja, insisted that the party had not made a U-turn on its earlier position that the errant lawmakers would be sanctioned.

The APC spokesman had in a statement on Tuesday said, that the election of Saraki and Dogara was unacceptable.

He had said, ‘‘The APC leadership is meeting in a bid to reestablish discipline in the party and to mete out the necessary sanctions to all those involved in what is nothing but a monumental act of indiscipline and betrayal to subject the party to ridicule and create obstacles for the new administration.’’

When asked on Thursday if the party would still go ahead with plans to punish Saraki,Dogara and others, he replied, that the “sanctions would follow due process.”

He added that the errant lawmakers would be notified about their alleged offences and given an opportunity to respond.

When asked why the members of the SUF were at the NWC meeting, he said, “They are our senators that wanted to confer with the party leadership; they came to confer on the crisis in the National Assembly.”

On the threat by the SUF to contest Saraki’s election in court, the APC spokesman said, “I think the party made its expression clear on the matter, that it is unhappy with the outcome of the election and I think we won’t say anything beyond that.

“What the senators will do is within their capability and rights.”

It was also gathered that Saraki, who was due to pay a courtesy visit on the party leadership had a rethink on learning that the SUF members were meeting with the NWC.

However, Mohammed said he was unaware of the planned visit by Saraki.

“I’m not aware, probably if you wait you will see him,” he told the journalists, who also informed him that an advance team of security details from the Senate President’s office were sighted earlier in the day at the party’s secretariat.

APC NWC meets Gbajabiamila, other Reps

The APC leadership also met on Thursday with some of its House of Representatives members as part of efforts to douse the tension in the National Assembly.

The members were led by Gbajabiamila and Mungono.

A member of the team, Sani Zoro, said the meeting was essentially to look for a way forward out of the situation the party had found itself.

Zoro said the APC had commenced the process of deescalating the crisis with an approach which would involve the Presidency, the National Assembly and the party’s leadership.

According to him, what is uppermost in the minds of party leaders now is how best to leave the past and forge ahead.

He said, “The solutions that are being worked out by the party, the Presidency and the National Assembly are being triangulated.

“I can assure you that it will accommodate all the concerns and fears and at the end of it, it will provide a single template that all will key into. All that has happened is in the past because we have to defend the government that we have put in place, war cannot be the solution.”

“Measures have been agreed upon that will deescalate the crisis. I assure you that those who are the masterminds of the crisis who thought they are going to benefit politically from it will be surprised.”

Zorro added that it would not be out of place if the APC took appropriate actions against all its National Assembly members who entered into an “unholy alliance” with members of the opposition PDP.

I won’t go to court, says Gbajabiamila

Gbajabiamila told journalists after the meeting that they were prepared to work in the interest of the party and the Federal Government.

He said that members of the APC in the House decided to visit the national leadership of the party on how to unite and strengthen the party for service delivery.

Asked if he would challenge the election of Dogara in court, he said, “Go to court for what? But I don’t k know about the Senate. I can only speak about the House. Nothing happened in the House; we had an election so it is different from the Senate. In the Senate, people were deprived of their fundamental rights to express themselves by voting.”

Mungono, in his comments, said it was normal in political settings for more than one person to show interest in a position.

He however said when a political party chooses to organise an in-house election where candidates emerge, all loyal members must respect it.

Mongono said, “As it is now, that (the election of Saraki and Dogara) is a reality on the ground. And we have to deal with it. We are loyal members of a party that is in control of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as such, we will not take any step that will affect the interest, the peace and order and good governance of this country.”

It was also learnt in Abuja on Thursday that Presidency might have intervened in the crisis generated by the election of Saraki, Dogara and Ike Ekweremadu, a PDP lawmaker.

A high ranking member of the APC made this known to The PUNCH on Thursday shortly after the NWC also met with some of the SUF members.

The SUF comprises 27 senators solidly backing Ahmed Lawan, the anointed candidate for the Senate Presidency.

They and Lawan were also among the 51 senators that were waiting for a scheduled meeting with Buhari at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, when 57 of their colleagues elected Saraki, a former Governor of Kwara State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, as Senate President.

Shortly after the NWC meeting started, the APC National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, allegedly received a message that his attention was needed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa.

The high ranking party source,who did not want his name in print, also said that Saraki and Dogara might only be cautioned by the APC for defying its directive not to contest the two highest positions in the National Assembly.

He said, “Our leaders at the highest level have waded into the matter As I speak to you, the general feeling is that, we cannot afford to allow the National Assembly issue to further polarise our party.

“Saraki, Dogara and their supporters are most likely to get away with words of caution because the deed has been done.”

The party source however said the Presidency was disturbed about the emergence of Ekweremadu as deputy president of the Senate.

When one of our correspondents contacted the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, and Mohammed on the Presidency’s alleged intervention, they said they were unaware of it.

Don’t harass N’Assembly Clerk, PDP warns APC

The PDP has asked the Presidency and the APC not to intimidate or harass the Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, and the National Assembly Service Commission for their roles in the controversial elections of the leadership of the National Assembly.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, in a statement on Thursday, said that any attempt by the APC to transfer its frustration to Maikasuwa and the commission would amount to victimisation.

He said the undertone of the statement by Buhari’s spokesman, Shehu, that the Clerk was notified of a meeting between the President and the APC lawmakers “amounts to putting undue pressure on civil servants in the National Assembly for performing their legitimate duties and sends a serious signal which should not be ignored.”

Metuh described as unfortunate, the fact that the APC displayed its “arrogance and disrespect for the dictates of the constitution” by attempting to adjust the President’s promulgation order on the National Assembly and seeking to put their interest over and above the supreme law of the land.

He added, “It is a clear mark of disrespect to the constitution for the President and his party to fix a meeting for him to address their legislators the same time he had directed the Assembly to be inaugurated in line with the constitution.

“For 16 years that PDP nurtured democracy in this country, there was never a day it attempted to arm-twist or intimidate the bureaucracy of the National Assembly to do its bidding given our recognition and respect for the independence and sanctity of the legislative arm.

“The National Assembly is the citadel of democracy and represents the collective voice of all Nigerians. The PDP, even in opposition will continue to protect its sanctity and will therefore resist any attempt by the APC to undermine its independence and those of other democratic institutions in our country.”

Metuh noted that the position of the APC and the Presidency clearly negated Buhari’s well-received and praised assertion in his inaugural speech that he belonged to everybody and not to anybody.

He said, “By the last minute attempt to shift the inauguration time for party interest, the President violates his Presidential oath to defend the constitution and serve the nation without fear or favour and irrespective of party, religion and tribe, as he did not consider the interests of other political parties and the generality of Nigerians.”

Metuh added that emerging events have continued to justify PDP’s position that the APC was ill-equipped and unprepared for the challenge of ruling the country.

According to him, these became glaring in the way and manner the APC handled a very vital issue like the inauguration of the National Assembly.

He said, “From March 28, 2015 to June 9, the APC had about 74 days within which it was expected to put its house in order and present its leaders for the 8th National Assembly, but it could not because of the greed and selfishness of its so-called godfathers who instead chose to fix their party meeting the same time the President was scheduled to inaugurate the National Assembly.”

Metuh advised that rather than vilify the Clerk, the APC should commend him for his patriotic and courageous stand that had helped minimise the embarrassment the shifting the inauguration would have brought to the country internationally.

He therefore charged the Presidency and APC to apologise to Nigerians for the embarrassment their ineptitude and inexperience had been causing the nation since they came into office.

Osinbajo: From scholarship to leadership.

2015-06-12T00:39:00.003-07:00

Osinbajo: From scholarship to leadership.

May 30, 2015. Article By a citizen.

Prof. Oluyemi Osinbajo

Before emerging as the running mate of President Muhammadu Buhari last December after the primary election of the All Progressives Congress, Oluyemi Osinbajo, professor of law and Vice President of Nigeria was known as an erudite law teacher. Even though he had served in various capacities and even rose to the position of Attorney General of Lagos State, he remained relatively unknown to many of his country men and women. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Senior Partner in leading law firm – Simmons Cooper Partners – Osinbajo knows his onions when it comes to the business. He became a professor at only 33 – a rare feat especially in the legal path.

Born on March 8, 1957 in Lagos, Nigeria’s new Vice President had excellence built in him even as a young school boy. Starting out from Corona Primary School, Lagos, before moving to the prestigious all-boys institution – Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos, between 1969-1975, his academic prowess led the way for him through these stages. Adeoba Prize for English Oratory, Elias Prize for Best Performance in History in the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination in 1973, School Prize for Literature, and African Statesman Intercollegiate Best Speaker’s Prize were some of the academic awards he racked up while still in secondary school.

Higher education would come for him at the University of Lagos shortly where he continued the tradition of academic excellence and earned a degree in law. Though finishing in Second Class Upper division, Osinbajo won the Graham-Douglas Prize for Commercial Law at graduation from his department. He would later bag a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics in 1981.

Osinbajo’s journey into fulltime academic and law practice began shortly afterwards when he was hired as a legal lecturer at his alma mater several years back. By 1983, he had risen to the position of senior legal lecturer at the institution. There was more on the way for the soft-spoken scholar. Five years later he was appointed an Adviser to the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Bola Ajibola under whom he served for many years.

For his hardwork and commitment to promoting the law practice, Osinbajo was made the Head of Department of Public Law, University of Lagos, after serving under Ajibola. In 1999, he became a member of cabinet, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, remaining in the system before finally climbing to the topmost position in the ministry.

While still in public service, Osinbajo enacted a number of reforms in the Lagos State justice system which has today brought about ease for many ordinary citizens who could not easily afford legal services or seek redress against injustices meted to them. The establishment of the Directorate for Citizens’ Rights which provides free legal services and legal representation to persons in this category, is a huge testament to how effective those reforms were.

Osinbajo did not stop there. He went on to bring more critical issues like the hiring of judges, their wages, training and discipline to light. These changed the face of the justice system in Lagos completely. Today, there is the Office of the Public Defender and the Citizens Mediation Centre – a refuge where ordinary citizens in Lagos regardless of tongue and religion can seek legal help.

Upon completing his assignment at the Lagos Ministry of Justice in 2007, the love for the classroom took Osinbajo back to the Department of Public Law of his alma mater where he continued to impart knowledge into practising and aspiring lawyers in the institution.

In total, Nigeria’s new Vice President has over 31 years of litigation experience, taking on and turning around some of the toughest cases in favour of his clients. He has conducted very important constitutional and precedential cases before many courts in the country including the Supreme Court.

Osinbajo has received several awards for his selfless contribution to the development of the law practice and entrenchment of justice in the country. He belongs to a host of notable professional bodies including the Nigerian Bar Association, International Bar Association, Nigerian Body of Benchers, and Council of Legal Education in Nigeria.

A devoted Christian and promoter of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Vice President was until his latest elevation the resident pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Olive Tree Parish, Banana Island, Lagos. He is married to Dolapo, a leader of women and granddaughter of Obafemi Awolowo, former Premier of the Western region. Their union is blessed with three children.

Politics and Governance in Nigeria.

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