₦airaland Forum

Former Lagos State governor, Senator Bola Tinubu, on Monday branded former Edo State governor, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, as a valiant fighter for the masses and a strong grassroots mobiliser.

Tinubu said this while celebrating Oshiomhole on his 70th birthday today.

In a statement issued in Lagos today, Tinubu congratulated Oshiomhole for his immense contributions to democracy and the development of an egalitarian society through his fabled advocacy of workers’ rights.

“Warm congratulations to a former Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on his 70th birthday,” Tinubu’s statement read in part.

“On this occasion, we pay a special tribute to Oshiomhole for his unwavering commitment to democracy and good governance.

“A valiant fighter for the masses and strong grassroots mobiliser, Oshiomhole has always worked in the interest of an average person.”

Tinubu also prayed to God to grant Oshiomhole, who he described as an ‘intelligent and energetic man’, many more years and increased wisdom.

It is time for the Federal Government to wage a total war on bandits and terrorists, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) said yesterday.

The North has been reeling under serious terrorism and bandit attacks which took a turn for the worse in recent weeks.


There have been daily attacks, including kidnapping for ransom, insurgency, killings and incessant farmer-herder clashes, among others.


In a renewed wave of terror, the gunmen on March 26 attacked facilities at the Kaduna Airport where they killed an airport worker.


Last week, terrorists blew up rail tracks on the Abuja-Kaduna route.

Eight passengers were killed on the Kaduna-bound train; 41 people were injured, while 21 others are believed to have been abducted.

In the Southeast, killings and arson have become almost a daily occurrence across the five states.


Yesterday, two officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) were shot dead at their duty post in Anambra.

In Imo State, a local government secretariat was burnt down.


The governors are struggling to end the Monday sit-at-home, which paralyses the entire geo-political zone.

The ACF, however, rejected the call for mercenaries to be brought into the country to fight the battle against terrorists.

Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai threatened to rally the Northwest states to bring in mercenaries.

The military has consistently reiterated that it is capable of ending terrorism and banditry.

The ACF urged the government to employ whatever is available to secure lives and properties and make every inch of the land peaceful and habitable.

ACF Secretary-General Murtala Aliyu, who spoke for the organisation, enjoined the military to deploy men and arms to attack terrorists’ enclaves, instead of providing security escorts for trains across the country.

The ACF urged the Federal Government to strengthen the anti-terror war with the utilisation of volunteers, such as ex-servicemen and women, civilian task forces and hunters.
The ACF said: “The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) calls on the entire Muslims, Christians and all religions, to embark on prayers towards the sustenance of peace and tranquillity in the North and the country in general.
And
“The Forum wishes the various religions utilise the entire holy month of Ramadan and the Easter period, in addition to, at least all Sundays and Fridays of the months of April and May, as a sober period to atone for our sins and pray for mercy from our creator.

“Nigeria, most especially the northern states, could not be said to be in the state of tranquillity that warrants development. The entire country cries for peace. This calls for sober reflection and absolute return to our creator for repentance.

“The ACF calls on the leadership of our political parties to structure their manifestos to address our challenges and refocus our psyche towards the peaceful growth and development of the country and not the current race for the sake of power or material gains.

“The holistic submission on the failure of governance, as attested by our governors, is an indication that all is not well in the nooks and corners of the territory called Nigeria. We have no other territory than this, so also a country but Nigeria.

“The survival of the country therefore must be paramount and lives and property of citizens, law and order and freedom of expression must be protected.

“The Arewa Consultative Forum appreciate the frustration of leaders at the sub-national level. However, we call on the governments, governors and citizens alike, to avoid any fire brigade approach on any pressing issue bedevilling the country.

“The security of the country rests on the central government and calls for a cursory, calm, implementable and lasting solution.”

It emphasised that invitation of foreign forces or mercenaries to fight our course must be treated with utmost caution.

ACF said: “On the proposition to escort trains from Abuja to Kaduna, Ibadan to Lagos or the Itakpe routes, by the Nigerian Airforce, the Forum calls on the security agency to redesign their operations and instead deploy their machinery and manpower in launching attacks on the bandits and terrorist enclaves.

“Dedicating such operations to only railway lines shall make air and road users more vulnerable to such attacks. The new dimension of the terror attacks, in the country, both on humans and infrastructure calls for total war.

“The authorities may look at the possibility of utilising volunteers, such as the ex-servicemen and women, the civilian task forces, hunters and whatever is available to make every inch of Nigeria habitable and peaceful.

“We must appreciate the responsibility bestowed on us by providence as the largest black nation and as a leader on our continent must do everything within our powers to keep Nigeria stable and strong.”

Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, said the Federal Government has spent over N157 billion on the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge out of the initial cost of N206 billion.

The Federal Government had reviewed the initial cost up to about N400 billion because of rising inflation.

Mrs Ahmed disclosed this on Saturday when she inspected the ongoing construction of the 1.6km bridge.

The minister was received by the Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, represented by the Deputy Governor, Onyeka Ibezim.

The Managing Director, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Uche Orji, and the representatives of the construction firm, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, were also on ground to welcome the minister.

The Ministry of Finance oversees disbursement of funds for the project.

Mrs Ahmed said her visit was to gain an insight into how the funds released for the construction of the bridge are being utilised.

“For me, I can report to Mr President and say I have seen where all the N157 billion has gone to,” she said.

She described the bridge as “one of the iconic projects in the country”.

She said the 2nd Niger Bridge would “uplift the lives and livelihoods” of the people of South-east and South-south parts of the country, when completed.

“People working here are from within the surroundings. So, up to about 20,000 jobs have been created in this project, “she said.

The minister expressed delight that two ends of the bridge had been linked. She lauded the construction firm for “introducing some unique innovations” in the construction.

How the project is being funded
The minister said the project is being funded through the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) created by President Muhammadu Buhari and managed by the NSIA.

PIDF is also used to fund the construction of Lagos-Ibadan expressway and the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano-Road, the minister said.

Mrs Ahmed said looted funds recovered from Nigeria’s former military dictator, Sani Abacha, were part of the PIDF.


The Nigerian government established the PIDF in 2018 as a response to the insufficiency of national annual appropriation to meet the capital and infrastructure commitments of the Nigerian government.

It sped up the execution of certain strategic infrastructure projects essential to the growth of Nigeria’s economy.

The Managing Director of NSIA, Uche Orji, said the Federal Government and the NSIA fund the project. He said other investors might still come in later.

“The NSIA brought some of its own capital and there was also added capital that was provided by the Federal Government and some of the capital (was) from returned loot of General Sani Abacha. That is the funding structure.

“So, as it stands today, it is purely the NSIA and the Federal Government that is the face of the project,” he said.

Mr Orji said compensation is paid as the work progresses, to residents whose properties are affected by the construction.

The construction of the new bridge began on September 1, 2018.

The bridge spans from Asaba in Delta State to Ozubulu, Ogbaru and other communities in Anambra State.

The first Niger Bridge, linking Onitsha and Asaba, was completed in 1965 and built by the French construction company, Dumez.

Olam09:
You don't have to use the word monumental again since you used colossal.. that's what we call tautology.

Donshegxy10:
Masari is a fool.

The Presidency has listed some mistakes allegedly committed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government and concluded that Nigerians cannot trust them again with the running of the country.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said this in reaction to the communique issued by the PDP Governors’ Forum.

The PDP governors had in a communique issued on March 23 stated that life was better under the PDP administrations from 1999 to 2015 than it is currently under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP governors, in the communiqué signed by 13 of them and read by Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Aminu Tambuwal, expressed shock that in the face of statistics of complete failure in all ramifications, APC was still desirous of getting on the ballot in 2023.

They said Nigerians were undergoing terrible pain and hardship in all aspects of life and urged the citizens to reject the APC in the 2023 polls.

However, in a delayed reaction, the Presidency, in a statement titled “Issues from the PDP Fantasy Communique from Umuahia”, said the governors of the former ruling party were trying to cover up “the serial and criminal failures of the PDP’s long and damaging period in office.”

The statement read in part, “The rejected Peoples Democratic Party fantasy communiqué is a work of fiction by those who truly believe black is white and one plus one equals three. We cannot forget under PDP, the nation had an army full of phantom soldiers whose pay went to PDP politicians’ pockets while our under-resourced real soldiers died in the fight against terrorist insurgents and our international allies refused to supply Nigeria kit and military aid.

“We cannot ignore how PDP politicians sought – and continue to seek – to inflame ethnic and religious tensions by refusing to even proffer a solution to the herder-farmer clashes which became most prevalent under their misrule.”

The Presidency further accused the PDP of intentionally encouraging and exploiting the black market in currency exchange to convert ill-gotten gains to foreign currency and undermine the national currency,

It added that under the current administration, the national currency was more stable; the country had also achieved self-sufficiency in rice and fertilizer production as “greedy politicians and businessmen” have been prevented from hiding their money overseas, but building an economy here in Nigeria for all.

“We will always know how PDP politicians raided the NNPC, consistently failed to pay into the Federation Account and, in the last year of PDP misrule, $20bn dollars was simply found ‘missing’,” the statement added.

“Today with APC, funds from NNPC are directly and transparently used to fund social and health programmes – such as COVID-19 response, the construction of roads, bridges and rail, and equipping of hospitals to cope with new and existing challenges.

“And then there are those PDP leaders in attendance who signed the Communique. Who would trust such people with the running of our country? Who can believe a word these people say, as they looked outwardly stylish but harrowed by power-sharing and other troubles inwardly?

“These people, who play politics of division and hate, create communal disturbances, need to change. The Governors reeled out numbers on the economy, pretending as if the once-in-a-life COVID-19 pandemic, with its huge and devastating effect, disrupting global supply chains, uniformly battering the world economy, never happened.

“Covid-19 brought suffering and hardship to the doorstep of the entire global community-less maybe, of the affluent and pretentious PDP Governors-and to the credit of this administration, Nigeria’s economy recovered faster and stronger than the entire world ever imagined.

“Check the facts and leave the politics: What does the country get with this kind of gimmick?”

Donshegxy10:
the man was emphasizing his words so that you people will not quote him wrongly.

You said he exonerate osinbajo, which is a lie because throughout the sermon he did not even mention buhari not to talk of osinbajo.

What he said is that "GOVERNMENT THIS OR THAT", which osinbajo is part of.

Stop painting the old man bad as if he is supporting mr A and talking against mr B.

Check the video for yourself on youtube instead of reading what people want you to think.

aribisala0:
Eboes brought themselves. Always talking about 2015 . Buhari won an election that means MAJORITY of Nigerians voted for him so no one is to blame for bringing him to power.

Only Eboes continue this churlish nonsense

ablejesus26:
You are actually wrong.
Helping Him into power doesn't mean He should not criticize Him.

aribisala0:
Buhari won an election which means majority of Nigerians in their millions have no moral justification to criticize?

Eboes need to calm down and stop taking things personally.

Donshegxy10:
.

It is obvious you did not listen to the message, he basically repeated himself several times because of people like you.

He did not mentioned buhari, he said THIS GOVERNMENT, which includes osinbajo.

luwiizy:
He should be a contestant on Ghana got talent

Such a skillful magician

another1:
You are wrong.
Helping him into power doesn't mean he can not criticise him.

Iyaebe:
I can cook all these within five minutes

Praktikals:
Nigerians are not more corrupt than citizens from other countries. Its just the yiiibos that are giving us a bad name.

jmoore:
Ogbunike is my hometown!! Soludo is my governor. I will not take panadol for northern people!!!

It is obvious the Wike treatment pain you very very well.

jmoore:
Southeast governors should go and learn from Wike on how to deal with IPOB terrorists.

Totilopussylick:
just as all the preaching from "Imam" within northern and southern Nigeria has no effect on the kidnappers, terrorist and bandits

They still come out to have sex on top person taxi .

Fahdiga:
Buhari has destroyed Nigeria beyond redemption

"You Can Read To Be Intelligent But, Wisdom Comes From GOD". Gov. Charles Chukwuma Soludo Is A Wise Man

God bless Charlie Nwa Mgbafor.

God Bless Ndi Anambra.

God bless Ndi IGBO.

GOD BLESS LOVERS OF FREEDOM.

There are so many examples Buhari should be used for. E.g

1. A man who gat no joy in him, i mean, 'a sadist'.

2. A man who was born and destined to fail.

3. A man who talks, drinks, eats, baths and wears failure like an agbada.

4. A man who finds joy in soaking the blood of his fellow citizens in the sand.

5. The world major shareholder of suffering, hardship and gnashing of teeth.

6. A man whose love for terrorists, bandits and killer herdsmen can not be over emphasized.

7. A man recognized both locally and internationally as a failure