Governor Similanayi Fubara of Rivers State has vowed to teach his opponents political arithmetics, indicating the total collapse of the peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu.
The Rivers helmsman issued the threat on Saturday at a thanksgiving service held at Western County High School in Ahoada East local government area of the state.
“We are going to teach them a lesson of political arithmetrics. What that small boy will do to you, you’ll know that khaki no be leather (sic),” the governor who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Ehie Edison, was quoted to have said.
He said the crisis rocking the state had to do with resources control and not the dismantling of political structures as alleged by Mr Wike.
Background Mr Fubara is at loggerheads with his predecessor and now Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister Nyesom Wike, a rift that has factionalised members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
President Bola Tinubu waded in persuading the warring parties to accept the political solutions which TODAY POLITICS learnt were unconstitutional.
Part of the peace deal involved the recognition of defected members of the assembly who dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC) who by virtue of their defections lost their seats in the assembly.
The aggrieved lawmakers, who are loyal to Mr Wike returned, overrode the governor’s assent and passed several bills while threatening to resume impeachment proceedings should Mr Fubara fail to re-present this year’s budget to the assembly for considerations.
The governor appears to have implemented most of the conditions but is yet to re-present the budget.
On Wednesday, a faction of the assembly members loyal to the governor elected Victor Jumbo as its speaker. The faction also approached a state high court and secured an order prohibiting the Martin Amaewhule camp from parading themselves as state lawmakers on Friday.
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the last general elections, has reacted to the reduction in the size of entourage for local and foreign trips by President Bola Tinubu.
Mr Tinubu on Tuesday announced a slash in the size of entourage of federal government officials during local and foreign trips.
Reacting in a statement posted on his X handle on Wednesday night, the former Anambra governor commended the Tinubu administration but said the pronouncement is bereft of sufficient details which will aid accountability.
He also suggested the reduction in numbers of foreign trips while reiterating his earlier call for the depletion in the total cost of governance in the nation.
“The just announced 60% cut in the size of federal official entourages on travels is one positive step towards the reduction of cost of governance and a way of halting wastage,” Mr Obi acknowledged. “But this measure is just scratching the surface as it is limited in scope and can only lead to a very negligible saving.
“We are yet to be told how much savings this will amount to. While this modest step may be somewhat commendable, what is desirable should be both a 60% reduction in federal official overseas trips as well as a 60% reduction in the size of delegations.
“Most importantly, what our current economic reality demands is a 60% reduction in the total cost of governance at the Federal level. This implies that the recently passed federal budget needs to be revised to cut all wasteful and unnecessary items. This is the level of cost-cutting and savings that can meaningfully impact the present state of the economy. This level of cut in the cost of government should lead to substantial savings.
“Such savings should be used to fund the productive sectors of the economy and the much-needed social investments, especially in three key areas: education, healthcare, and the migration of millions of Nigerians from poverty.
“Most importantly, it is not enough to announce arbitrary cuts in the size of federal official entourages. The nation needs to be informed of how much the measure will save and where such savings will be applied.
“Our problem as a nation has gone beyond token populist gestures and announcements. We must be informed of the real details of the measures being implemented on our behalf. For a government that has made a hobby of indiscriminate borrowing, the only way to salvage the economy is to drastically cut the cost of government by reducing wasteful expenses and spending on inessential luxury items,” he added.
The five aggrieved then-governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared support for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in the next general election.
Last year, five governors of the PDP led by current Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, supported Mr Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to trounced the opposition candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who came second in the three-horse race that included Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
Mr Wike (Rivers), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo) refused to support their party’s presidential candidate over squabbles within, including the demand for the resignation of the national party chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, who is equally from the North as Atiku.
They argue that it was unfair for the presidential candidate and national chairman of the party to come from the same region.
Except for Mr Makinde who is now on his second term, the other state helmsmen were outgoing governors who opted for power shift to the South, choosing the APC candidate over Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra state.
Mr Tinubu won, took over power and made the leader of the former governors known as G5, the minister of the nation’s capital.
At a banquet in Port Harcourt at the weekend, Mr Wike and his camp declared support for the re-election president who is 8 months in office and yet to declare his intention for another term of four years.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Mr Ortom said if former President Muhammadu Buhari, which according to him, did not rule well was allowed a second term in office, then the Nigerian leader he described as an administrator should also be re-elected.
“If we work to ensure Bola Ahmed succeeds, there will be tomorrow for anybody to even contest the election at all,” the former Benue governor said. “Our leader, Nyesom Wike, has already made a declaration that in 2027, we are supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We have nowhere to go because that is what Nigerians believe. Even the past administration that took Nigeria from top to bottom, we allowed them to work for eight years. So, why can’t a seasoned administrator in the person President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rule us for eight years?” he queried.
Someone should tell this man to tell his president that the only way to get genuine support is through good governance that his principal is not administering.
I should support increasing insecurity, worsening exchange rate and higher inflation? You no well.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers has said the resignation of Ehie Edison as the factional speaker of the state house of assembly was part of the peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu.
Mr Fubara and his predecessor and current Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Nyesom Wike, are locked up in a fierce political battle that has battered the state assembly and factionalised lawmakers after the failed impeachment plot against the governor.
Mr Edison also resigned last weekend as a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly despite a court order authenticating his faction as lawful and restraining others from parading themselves as state lawmakers.
The seats of other aggrieved lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC) were declared vacant and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was called upon to conduct a fresh election to fill the vacant seats.
But part of the peace deal brokered by the president was the restoration of rights and privileges of the defected lawmakers.
Confirming the development, Mr Fubara while addressing dignitaries at the first state banquet he hosted at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Monday night, said the stepping aside of the state lawmaker was for peace, though not captured in the singed pact in the public domain.
“Most of you were worried why the Speaker resigned. It is to tell you what we can do for peace,” the governor said. “It is not about what we want to gain. It is not about the power we want to exercise. But at the end of the day, ask what are we leaving for our people.
“So, we took those decisions, not out of fear, but because at the end of the day when we leave here, we want you to remember us not as leaders with fear but remember us for our simplicity, our care, that we are prepared to give in anything for the interest of our dear state.”
He said though everyone would not like the content of the peace agreement, it was in his place as a leader to enforce it.
Rivers will lose if we fight dirty
Mr Fubara, whose speech intermittently drew applause from the crowd, also said he does not intends to fight dirty because of its negative implications for peace and development in the state.
“I want to leave you with only this message. We will not disappoint you. We, also, will not be involved in any dirty fighting because we know that we are going to be the losers.
“The year 2024 is for all of us. If I could survive, you that don’t have any problems, you’ll survive better than me."
Senator Orji Kalu has told Nigerians who are suffering to endure for more two to three years while the All Progressive Congress (APC) administration continues to fix the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Abia North lawmaker made the comments on Tuesday during his visit to the chairperson of the ruling party in Ebonyi State, Stanley Okoro-Emegha.
Although he acknowledged that Nigerians were suffering due to the battering of the economy, Mr Kalu urged the citizens to give President Bola Tinubu more two to three years to fix the country and restore its lost glory.
The senator said the APC that has been in power for over eight years was still righting the wrongs inherited from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“The APC government is cutting the cloth into pieces. Before you sew a cloth you will first cut it into pieces; so, Tinubu is busy cutting the cloth into pieces,” he said. “So, give us another three years or two years; people are suffering. We understand that, give us more two years for the cloth we want to sew to be sewn very well.”
The APC chieftain also revealed why the National Assembly increased the estimates of the 2024 budget.
“We said that we are going to do a census and Nigeria has put several billions of naira in planning for the national census in 2023, and if we did not vote money for the conduct of the exercise, Nigeria will be losing about N289 billion,” he said.
The senator urged Nigerian youths to be agents of positive change, by shunning social vices and any act that is capable of breaching the peace and security of the country.
The 27 lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly who defected to the All Progressive Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have said there were all shocked at the demolition of the legislative building.
The lawmakers, loyal to Nyesom Wike, a former governor and current minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), defected to the APC after their sitting on Monday, citing division in the PDP.
The feud that has now factionalised the state lawmakers began late October after a failed attempt to impeach Governor Simi Fubara who fell out with his predecessor Mr Wike.
On Tuesday, a high court in the state ordered the faction loyal to the former governor to stop parading themselves as state lawmakers, authenticating the 5-member assembly led by Edison Ehie.
On Wednesday morning, bulldozers arrived the assembly complex, demolishing the structure which experts reportedly claimed was no longer habitable due to the fire outbreak that damaged parts of the building.
While the demolition was ongoing, Governor Fubara was at the state government house presenting the 2024 appropriation bill to the 5-member assembly loyal to him.
Reacting, the Pro-Wike lawmakers, speaking through its spokesperson, George Alabo, said they were shocked at the developments, particularly the destructions.
Mr Alabo, whose seat alongside those of his colleague-defectors have been declared vacant, vowed to petition the National Judicial Council (NJC) over the Tuesday court order by Justice Monina Danagogo which according to them was “fraudulent.”
“In the coming days, we will be meeting, everybody is in shock, everybody is overwhelmed so we haven’t taken a decision yet,” he told Channels TV. “What I know is that we are dispatching our petition to the NJC about the fraudulent court order issued by justice Danagogo.
“It is sad but we are not worried, we are unbothered but what has happened is a rape on the history, history has just been murdered but it is fine, we will not be deterred.
“We woke up this morning and we were told that the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex which has housed the activities of the House of Assembly for many years is being brought down alongside all our documents, alongside all our archives, alongside, alongside all our belongings, alongside the entire records of the Rivers State House of Assembly to date, everything is being brought down.
“No notice, no warning, people on ground were kicked away, there was no opportunity to rescue anything. The history of the house of assembly from inception has just been brought down, that is what we are talking about now.
“Our archives, our legislative department, our legal department, our library, all our records, the entire history of the house of assembly has just been brought down in one fell swoop, that is the sorry state we have found ourselves.”
The 28th edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, widely known as COP28, kicked off in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on November 30.
The annual conference is the world’s only multilateral decision-making forum on climate change with almost complete membership of every country worldwide.
It provides a forum for decisions on how to address the climate crisis, such as limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C, helping vulnerable communities adapt to the effects of climate change, net-zero emissions and climate financing.
A total of 81,027 delegates registered to attend COP28 in person, including political and business leaders, climate scientists, journalists, and other stakeholders.
Nigeria, which is among the member states, was represented at the event with a delegation led by President Bola Tinubu.
However, there have been criticisms over the number of registered delegates from Nigeria at the conference.
In a series of tweets on Sunday, Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, criticised the size of Nigeria’s delegation, describing it as a “waste of scarce resources”.
Obi made several claims in his tweets. TheCable compared the politician’s statements to available data and this is what we found.
CLAIM 1: NIGERIA HAS SAME NUMBER OF DELEGATES AS CHINA
Verdict: Correct
In his tweets, Obi “congratulated” Nigeria for equalling China in the number of delegates at the conference.
“In a twist of sad irony, let me congratulate the giant of Africa, Nigeria, for matching the great China, with the same number of contingents at the ongoing COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,” the LP presidential candidate tweeted.
“Nigeria’s contingent to COP28 totalled 1,411, the same number as the Chinese contingents.”
A list of delegates published by the organisers showed that 1,411 participants registered from Nigeria.
Thus, Nigeria had the third-highest overall number of delegates at the conference — alongside China.
The participants’ list also showed that Nigeria has the highest number of registered delegates from Africa.
The host, UAE, occupied the overall top spot with 4,409 delegates, followed by Brazil with 3,081.
CLAIM 2: CHINA’S BUDGET FOR 2024 IS ABOUT $4 TRILLION
Verdict: Partly incorrect
Arguing that the number of delegates is a needless expense of lean resources, Obi said Nigeria’s 2024 budget is about $33 billion compared to China’s which he claimed had budgeted $4 trillion.
“While China’s budget for 2024 is about $4 trillion, about $2,860 per head; Nigeria’s budget is about $33 billion, about $165 per head,” he said.
China’s budget is usually announced during the country’s annual parliamentary sessions. The 2023 budget figures were announced in March. As such, China does not yet have a 2024 budget.
For its 2023 budget, China projected a revenue of RMB 23.6 trillion ($3.4 trillion) and set spending at RMB 27.5 trillion ($4 trillion), resulting in an official deficit of nearly RMB 3.9 trillion ($564.1 billion).
However, Obi is right in his claim about Nigeria’s budget’s size of about $33 trillion. President Bola Tinubu has presented a budget proposal of N27.5 trillion for the 2024 fiscal year. This translated to $36 billion at the budget benchmark exchange rate of N750/$ or $33.5 billion at the average exchange rate of N820/$ on November 29.
CLAIM 3: CHINA’S HDI IS 79/191 WHILE NIGERIA IS 163/191
Verdict: Correct
“China has a high Human Development Index, HDI, with a ranking of 79 out of 191 countries measured, and Nigeria has a low HDI, with a ranking of 163 out of 191 countries measured,” Obi said.
The United Nations defines human development as a measure of the richness of human life i.e. improving lives rather than assuming that economic growth will automatically translate to better wellbeing. It focuses on people, their opportunities, and their choices.
One of the purposes of the index is to show that monetary measures, such as GDP per capita, are inadequate proxies of development.
In the latest HDI ranking, China ranked 79 out of 191 countries, while Nigeria ranked 163.
Switzerland placed first while South Sudan was at the bottom.
CLAIM 4: NIGERIA HAS MORE PEOPLE LIVING IN MULTI-DIMENSIONAL POVERTY THAN CHINA
Verdict: Correct
“Nigeria has more people living in ‘Multi-Dimensional’ poverty than China, despite China having seven times our population,” Obi added.
Multidimensional poverty encompasses deprivations experienced by poor people — such as poor health, lack of education, inadequate living standards, and living in environmentally hazardous areas, according to the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.
The latest UN report said 3.9% of China’s population lives in multi-dimensional poverty and pegged the rate of multi-dimensional poverty in Nigeria at 33.0%.
These figures were based on the organisation’s most recent data in 2021.
Population data from the World Bank estimates China’s population at 1.4 billion compared to 218 million in Nigeria.
According to the UN estimates, China has 54.6 million people living in multidimensional poverty compared to Nigeria’s 71.9 million.
In November 2022, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said 133 million Nigerian citizens (about 63%) are multi-dimensionally poor.
Both sources confirm Obi’s statements that more people in Nigeria live in multidimensional poverty than in China, despite the variance in population.
The House of Representatives says one of its members who accused President Bola Tinubu of presenting empty boxes of 2024 budget proposals knows nothing about what is going on at the green chamber.
The lower chamber stated this on Saturday while debunking the allegation of Yusuf Galambi of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) representing Gwaram federal constituency of Jigawa State, had, in an interview with BBC Hausa, claimed that the president submitted an empty budget boxes without details during the presentation ceremony.
The allegation
Mr Galambi said the alleged act of Mr Tinubu smacks of deceit.
“We’ve checked but there was nothing inside. We checked it. In the history of the National Assembly, this was the first time such a thing happened,” the lawmaker claimed.
“The constitution has made it clear (that a document must be presented) but this time, it was only a reading on paper. They didn’t provide the document for us to go through and see what is proposed for each sector. Maybe they’ll bring it later.
“If he (Mr Tinubu) was not ready, if the budget proposal was not ready to be presented, he shouldn’t have come and said he was done. We could have given him more time, why the haste? Why would he come and read something and even say he has kept it (document) when it’s empty?” he queried.
Cover up
He did not spear the leadership of the national assembly co-chaired by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, accusing it of covering up the alleged act of Mr Tinubu.
“They (leaders of the National Assembly) don’t want anyone to talk about it. Maybe they were not informed or were possibly aware of what was planned and they decided not to inform us,” he said.
Absenteeism
Knocking the accuser, the spokesperson of the green chamber, Akin Rotimi (APC, Ekiti), said the Jigawa lawmaker who has been in the house since 2007 was always absent during plenary hence does not know what is happening therein.
Mr Rotimi, in a telephone interview with Premium Times, stated that Mr Galambi is not in a position to speak on legislative matters because “he is never in the chamber for plenary activities.”
“This is someone (Galambi)—it has been proven—has not met up to 10 per cent of plenary since we resumed. Go and verify. He does not even know what’s happening in parliament. Does he attend anything? When somebody comes and just says what he knows nothing about. Does he even attend plenary sessions to now make grievous accusations against the House and the presidency as well? the Ekiti lawmaker queried.
Penalty
The House spokesperson claimed that his colleague-lawmaker could face the committee on House Ethnic and Privilege for his “grievous claim” and non-attendance of plenary sessions.
A member of the National Assembly risks losing his/her seat for not attending a number of plenary sessions.
“68. (1) A member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if –
“Without just cause he is absent from meetings of the House of which he is a member for a period amounting in the aggregate to more than one-third of the total number of days during which the House meets in any one year.”
Meanwhile, the presidency has reacted to the allegation, describing it as nonsensical aimed at misleading the public.
Dennisochampa: .... Mention one thing he has done wrong that obi or atiku would have done differently
He removed subsidy without providing palliatives to cushion the effects only to do it after pushing Nigerians into unimaginable suffering with his lousy pronouncements, an act akin to acting before thinking.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has denied media reports of it aiming to bring back the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) disbanded last year.
The report said Usman Baba, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) released new terms and guidelines that will govern the notorious unit of the force known for abusing human rights and extrajudicial killings.
The brutal police unit was finally scrapped last year October after Nigerians staged historic global protests calling for its dissolution.
But in a statement by police spokesman, Frank Mba on Thursday, the force described the report as untrue.
“The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a false news report making the rounds online and offline suggesting that the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), NPM, fdc has ordered the re-establishment of the defunct Special Anti – Robbery Squad (SARS),” reads the statement. “The Force wishes to categorically emphasize that there is no plan whatsoever to bring back the disbanded SARS. SARS is gone for good and will not resurrect under any guise whatsoever.
“The IGP notes that the Force has since reorganized its operational structure to fill the vacuum created by the disbandment of SARS.
“Baba said the leadership of the Force is focused on efforts at deepening reforms within the Police and bequeathing Nigerians a Police Force that will be more effective, efficient, technology-driven, humane and Rule of Law-compliant.
“The IGP therefore calls on members of the public to disregard the report which is absolutely false and deliberately intended to misinform and misinform members of the public,” the police added.
Lawmakers fell asleep while President Muhammadu Buhari was presenting the country’s budget for next year to members of the National Assembly.
Members of the two chambers at the national assembly traditionally gather while the president reels out his administration’s plans for the country the following year.
A live video session of the presentation by Channels Television showed at least three lawmakers dozing off while Mr Buhari was addressing the house.
The president submitted a N16.39 trillion 2022 budget proposal to the joint session of the Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives for consideration on Thursday.
President Muhammadu Buhari has finalised plans to sack at least 15 members of his cabinet, including the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami before the end of 2021, SaharaReporters has gathered.
A top source in government, however, told the newspaper that Malami has begun moves to truncate the plans.
The Chief Law Officer of the country was said to have met with top members of the Aso Rock cabal to prevail on the President not to sack him.
“President Buhari is planning to sack 15 Ministers with Malami topping the list. Someone gave him the hint and he has started fighting back so bad. He doesn’t want to be sacked.
“Moreover, he is enjoying the support of lots of corrupt politicians, including senior members of the cabal because he is assisting them to sabotage corruption cases,” a presidential source told SaharaReporters.
Buhari had on September 1 sacked Saleh Mamman, the Minister of Power; and Sabo Nanono, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The President in a statement after their sacking said changes in his cabinet will be “a continuous process”.
“Two years and some months into the second term, the tradition of subjecting our projects and programmes' implementation to independent and critical self-review has taken firm roots through sector reporting during Cabinet meetings and at retreats,” the statement signed by Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman had read.
“These significant review steps have helped to identify and strengthen weak areas, close gaps, build cohesion and synergy in governance, manage the economy and improve the delivery of public good to Nigerians.
“I must commend this cabinet for demonstrating unparalleled resilience that helped the government to navigate the disruption to global systems and governance occasioned by the emergence of COVID-19 shortly after inauguration. The weekly Federal Executive Council meeting was not spared because the traditional mode was altered.
“As we are all aware, change is the only factor that is constant in every human endeavour and as this administration approaches its critical phase in the second term, I have found it essential to re-invigorate this cabinet in a manner that will deepen its capacity to consolidate legacy achievements.”
SaharaReporters had in a series of detailed investigations exposed how Malami acquired several properties whose value runs into billions of naira since being appointed by Buhari.
For example, the AGF has an underground hotel in Sokoto, three houses at Peace Estate, Abuja, a brand new state-of-the-art school in Kebbi, two houses for his sons worth N100 million each, and a new hotel under construction in the Jabi area of Abuja.
Malami also bought a house in 2020 worth N150 million in the Gwarimpa area of Abuja.
A newly constructed school located at the back of NITEL in Gesse Phase 1, Birnin-Kebbi, and a new house worth N600 million on Ahmadu Bello Way, Nasarawa GRA, Kano, are among properties acquired by Malami since he became a minister under President Buhari.
That is not all, Malami also built a N3 billion multipurpose event centre in Kebbi state named Azbir Arena for his son in Kebbi.
This is apart from Rayhaan Hotel located on Zaria Road, opposite Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, which the AGF massively upgraded.
Ever since SaharaReporters published a series of detailed reports exposing these illicit acquisitions, the online news medium has been a target of the AGF’s camp.
Apart from claiming to have sued SaharaReporters over the expository reports he said had damaged his reputation before the world, Malami also issued a petition to the former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, seeking the arrest of the Publisher of the online newspaper, Omoyele Sowore.
Despite the open display of unexplained wealth by the AGF and members of his family in recent times, President Buhari, who rode to power in 2015 on the back of a promise to crush corruption, especially in the government circle, has yet to offer any statement on the development.
Observers say Buhari’s silence is an endorsement of the atrocities of one of his most trusted lieutenants, Malami.
Governor Willie Obiano says President Muhammadu Buhari is unaware of the threat to impose state of emergency in Anambra State.
Briefing journalists after the federal executive council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, the attorney-general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, threatened that the government was not averse to imposing state of emergency in the Igbo predominant domain to ensure the forthcoming gubernatorial election held.
Mr Malami, who also doubles as the Justice Minister, said should the spike in violence increase again in the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) controlled state, the federal government won’t hesitate to choose the option.
The threat drew condemnation nationwide, including from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which alleged that the All Progressive Congress (APC) administration was oiling its rigging machinery for the November 6 guber poll by nursing such thought.
The state government had asserted that the threat was a confirmation that ongoing killings in the state were politically motivated.
ALSO READ: FG threatens to declare state of emergency in Anambra
After meeting with President Buhari at the presidential villa on Thursday, the Anambra helmsman said the president was not aware of the threat.
Addressing State House Correspondents, he said the president was also opposed to the adoption such option.
“That’s a very unfortunate comment by the Attorney-General. Malami. Very unfortunate,” Mr Obiano posited. “I also reported that to the President and this is not in the books of the President because he knows that Anambra has been the safest state in Nigeria for seven years plus.”
The Anambra State Government has rejected the planned imposition of state of emergency by the federal government in its domain.
The President Muhammadu Buhari administration through its attorney-general on Wednesday threatened to impose emergency rule should killings in the state continue.
While the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) has been fingered in the killings, the secessionist group has repeatedly denied involvement.
But reacting in an interview on Channels Television, the state commissioner for information, Don Adinuba, said the killings which is politically motivated is less than what is obtainable in states controlled by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and wondered why that was not applicable in those states.
“Nigerians are outraged by the threat of the honourable attorney-general and minister of justice of the federation, a senior advocate of Nigeria,” Mr Adinuba said. “Since the renewed violence in Anambra state, which we believe is politically motivated, not more than 15 persons have been killed.
“How many persons have died in Borno, Niger, Kaduna, Yobe, Zamfara? Even Imo, which is APC-controlled, and Ebonyi, [also] APC controlled, has anybody threatened emergency rule in any of these states?
“For the past seven years, Anambra state has remained the safest state, most stable in Nigeria. We remained the only state in the country that for the past seven years, we have not experienced a single bank robbery.
“What is going on here is politically motivated and the declaration by the attorney-general of the federation is a confirmation.
“I don’t want us to live in denial. What prompted the attorney-general of the federation to make that declaration is pure politics. There is no point being in denial.
“I have asked a very simple question: What is the situation in Borno, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Adamawa and Taraba? Elections were held in all these states, free and fair, declared by INEC.
“What is so special that the federal government of Nigeria should be contemplating a state of emergency. It is all about politics. There is nothing that has not been done to ensure that the right candidates do not participate in the election, including going as far as Birnin Kudu,” the commissioner added.
Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State has described the defunct Biafra Republic which the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) seeks to restore as madness.
The former Eastern Region, which comprises of present-day South-East and South-South geo-political zones, under the leadership of its then military governor, Odumegwu Ojukwu, had in 1967 announced the breakaway from Nigeria.
The breakaway announcement, rejected by the then led military junta of General Yakubu Gowon, led to the civil war which ended 30 months after – January 1970.
After the war, the seceding region was merged back to the nation until IPOB renewed the agitations for self-determination which heightened during the first term of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
Mr Buhari, unlike his predecessor, former president Goodluck Jonathan who ignored Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the separatist group, arrested the secessionist leader at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos State and arraigned him on treasonable charges.
Mr Kanu was granted bail and was released in April 2017 but fled on September of same year after military personnel raided his Afaraukwu home killing dozens in the process.
The IPOB leader later resurfaced in Israel years after and return to London from where he continued his propaganda until in June when he was intercepted and brought back from Kenya to continue his trial.
In December 2020, Kanu launched a paramilitary arm of his group codenamed Eastern Security Network (ESN) which he said was to drive away violent Fulani herdsmen rampaging farmlands in Igbo predominant areas.
ALSO READ: Group charges s'east Governors to show leadership, secure their people
Since the security outfit was launched, violent attacks has increased in the South-East region with security agencies hastily accusing IPOB which has continued to distanced itself from the endless killings that has forced the federal government to threaten to declare state of emergency in Anambra State where the state guber election is scheduled for next month.
Speaking on Channels Television on Wednesday, Mr Umahi said elites from the geo-political zone have rejected the plan to secede from Nigeria.
He said should the country be dissolved, the Igbo people, like what was obtained during the civil war, stand to lose more unlike other secessionist agitators in the South-West region.
“Every elite in the South-East is not desirous of Biafra,” the governor claimed. “We don’t want Biafra. We want to be treated equally like other regions in Nigeria. So this idea of Biafra is madness – we have said we don’t want Biafra.
“We have invested a lot and we can’t leave our investments and walk away. Those people (agitating in other regions) are at an advantage because we have invested heavily in their areas and the tendency is that if this happens, we are going to leave our investments and walk away. We did that during the civil war and we do not intend to do that again,” he added.
The chairman of the South-East Governors Forum also said intelligence report at their disposal suggests that the heightened killings in Anambra are politically motivated while regretting the absence of the state governor, Willie Obiano, who would have verified the report at the forum’s emergency meeting on Tuesday.
ALSO READ: FG threatens to declare state of emergency in Anambra
He also said IPOB positioned itself to be blamed for the increasing killings by saying the guber elections should not hold, despite the group denying ever issuing such directive.
“We (South-East governors) spoke about the election in Anambra State yesterday but, unfortunately, our brother, the governor of Anambra State, was not able to attend. We would have been able to evaluate the stories we are hearing that the killings in Anambra State are politically motivated,” Umahi said.
“But on the other hand, you look at what IPOB is saying that there should not be election in Anambra State. If we don’t have elections and there is constitutional crisis, the National Assembly and Mr. President are going to sort out that one.
“There are unconfirmed reports that some political parties that have seen they are not going to win are importing people to do the killings. These were some of the reports we got yesterday (October 5). Unconfirmed reports.
“But IPOB is positioning themselves as the killing agents because they are the ones saying there will be no elections; they are the ones saying if you come out we kill you. So even if they are not the ones killing, they have taken responsibility for the killings,” the governor added.
Joe Igbokwe, a Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has deleted a Facebook allegation he made against members of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) claiming they razed down his Nnewi home in Anambra State.
“IPOB invaded my house in Nnewi about now,” the Lagos-based henchman of the ruling party alleged. “I am sure they raised (sic) down my house giving the jerrycans of petrol being offloaded from their sienna via CCTV. To God be the glory I am still alive.”
Mr Igbokwe, the Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made the allegation Sunday afternoon.
When his page on the social media network was rechecked Sunday evening probably for more updates and evidences on his claims against the secessionist group, TODAY POLITICS observed that the post has been deleted.
He had attached a photograph of the assailants offloading jerry cans of alleged flammable substances from a Toyota Sienna vehicle which he said was captured by the CCTV.
ALSO READ: SSS, FRSC offices in Anambra set ablaze
He also uploaded a video clip of the destructions done at his abode which is still circulating on various online platforms.
“Video unavailable. This video may no longer exist, or you don’t have permission to view it,” the link of the video he posted read when revisited, a situation which occurs when a video clip is deleted on Facebook.
Mr Igbokwe did not return requests seeking his reason for deleting the multimedia contents.
Emma Powerful, spokesman of the secessionist group demanding the restoration of the defunct Biafra Republic was also not reachable as at press time.
Mr Powerful has severally distanced his group from the increasing violent attacks that has heightened as the governorship election in the state draws near.
Last week, a prominent medical doctor, Chike Akunyili, husband of former NAFDAC boss, Dora, was assassinated. IPOB said the killing had political undertones.
Meanwhile, the operational base of the State Security Service (SSS) in Nnewi was set ablaze by unidentified gunmen Sunday morning.
Violent herdsmen in Northern Nigeria who have resorted to banditry should be given one-third of $1 billion before killings and kidnappings which they spearhead will stop, Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi, has demanded.
“For three year’s you have spent $1 billion, and now you need another $1 billion. But, I said one-third of that will enlighten them, and they will stop killing. Have you tried it? Nobody tried it,” Mr Gumi suggested on Thursday at a peace conference by the Center for the Advancement of Human Dignity and Value held at Arewa House in Kaduna State.
The self-appointed negotiator of the criminals who has in the past demanded amnesty for them also said bandits and their families ought to be respected and accorded human rights privileges other Nigerians enjoy.
“The bandits also have empathy as we have; they have families, children. The first step is to use psychology on them. They aired their grievances and are ready to change.
“They should be respected and should be given all the human rights everybody has,” he added.
ALSO READ: Why Northern govs are afraid of power shift to South: Political Analyst
His stance that the criminals will turn over a new leaf when pardoned differs from those of Katsina, Niger and Zamfara State governments who have partnered with the criminals and regretted their actions.
The governors of the afro-mentioned states have all publicly lamented how bandits they granted amnesty with financial and material support reneged thereafter and continued their nefarious activities.
President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to deal with Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe representing Abia South at the Senate for bankrolling Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB).
Mr Buhari made the vow in his independence day speech while addressing Nigerians on the occasion of the country’s 61st independence celebration.
Mr Abaribe, one of the staunch critics of the president, was one of the three sureties who signed the bail bond of Mr Kanu when he was first granted bail. He deposited N100 million to be forfeited should he fail to produce the secessionist released from prison in April 2017.
One of the bail conditions given to Mr Kanu was for him not to be seen in a gathering of more than 10 people let alone be seen in a rally. He flouted the condition but rather than wait for the next adjourned sitting to notify the court of its orders defied, the President Muhammadu Buhari regime in September 2017 sent soldiers to invade the Afaraukwu home of the separatist leader.
Mr Kanu managed to escape and thereafter resurfaced in Israel a year after from where he began touring nations around the world, propagating his demands which includes the restoration of the defunct Biafra Republic, until he was intercepted, nabbed and brought back to the country from Kenya.
In his independence day speech, Mr Buhari who did not mention names said he has identified a lawmaker at the national assembly who is bankrolling Mr Kanu.
He promised to move against the lawmaker which TODAY POLITICS learnt was no other person than Mr Abaribe, owing to his criticism of the president who recently described the South-East region as a dot in a circle.
The Abia South lawmaker rather than been disparaged by the description adorned a T-shirt with the inscription ‘The Dot Nation,’ a conduct most Northern youths lambasted him for.
The president also promised to deal with individuals he said were high-profile financiers of Kanu and another separatist leader, Sunday Igboho, who is on the run.
“The recent arrests of Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Adeyemo, and the ongoing investigations being conducted have revealed certain high-profile financiers behind these individuals,” Mr Buhari posited. “We are vigorously pursuing these financiers including one identified as a serving member of the national assembly.
“This is a clear example of how people abandon their national leadership positions for their selfish gains. Instead of preaching unity, they are funding and misleading our youth to conduct criminal acts that sometimes lead to unfortunate and unnecessary loss of lives and property.
“As the so-called leaders run abroad to hide, our innocent youths are misled and left in the streets to fight for their senseless and destructive causes.
“Government will continue, with greater level of peoples’ participation and in collaboration with our international partners, to improve the security architecture, reduce enabling environment for criminality to thrive and eliminate opportunities for terrorism financing,” he said.
Despite opposition by elements demanding the restructuring of the country, the president said the unity of the nation remains unnegotiable.
He noted that rather than resort to violence, dialogue should be adopted by aggrieved parties to resolve issues.
“Nigeria is for all of us. Its unity is not negotiable. And its ultimate success can only be achieved if we all come together with a common goal of having peace and prosperity for our nation.
“We shall continue to work on dialogue based solutions to address legitimate grievances. But we remain ready to take decisive actions against secessionist agitators and their sponsors who threaten our national security,” he added.
INDEPENDENCE DAY ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE OCCASION OF NIGERIA’S SIXTY FIRST INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY, FRIDAY 1ST OCTOBER, 2021.
Citizens of Nigeria.
It is with full gratitude to God that today, we celebrate Nigeria’s sixty first Independence Anniversary.
2.For 1st of October 1960 to happen, all hands were on deck. East, West, North all came together to celebrate freedom. Today should not only serve as a reminder of the day the British handed over the reins of power to Nigerians, but also unified Nigerians from all ethnic groups, religions and regions.
3.Today, despite the challenges we face, most Nigerians still maintain the spirit of 1st October. That positive outlook and determination to make Nigeria a peaceful and prosperous nation. It is due to this collective attitude that Nigeria doggedly continues to remain a united and indivisible nation.
4.Fellow Nigerians, the past eighteen months have been some of the most difficult periods in the history of Nigeria. Since the civil war, I doubt whether we have seen a period of more heightened challenges than what we have witnessed in this period.
5.Our original priorities for 2020 were to continue stabilising our economy following the deep recession while restoring peace in areas confronted with security challenges. But the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating impact on all nations meant we needed to shift gears and re-strategise.
6.Nigerians came together as one to fight against COVID-19. It is this attitude and by the special grace of God, we continue to survive the pandemic as a nation and indeed, provide leadership and example at regional and international levels.
7.The doomsday scenario predicted for our country never came. Even as the Delta variant continues to spread, we have built the capacity we need to respond now and into the future.
8.I will therefore appeal to Nigerians not to take COVID lightly, adhere to public health and social measures, put your mask on and get vaccinated. We can control this pandemic, but it requires effort on everybody’s part. The investments we made in response to COVID-19 will also serve our country to tackle any future disease outbreaks or pandemics.
9.Despite the global inequity in access to vaccines, the Government of Nigeria has continued to explore all available options to ensure Nigerians have free access to safe and effective vaccines.
10.Some five million vaccine doses have been administered to Nigerians through efforts led by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and we will continue to explore options for purchase or acquisition of vaccines such as through COVAX and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust.
11.I will take this opportunity to remind the global community that the current state of access to COVID-19 vaccines is unacceptable. We cannot afford a situation where a handful of countries keep the global vaccine supply to themselves at the expense of other nations.
12.We must act now to accelerate equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. This is the message I conveyed to the international community in New York last week.
13.As we push to source vaccines for our immediate needs, we shall invest more to support our pharmaceutical and research agencies to come up with ideas for locally developed vaccines. Should another pandemic arise in the future, Our question is simple; will Nigeria be ready?
14.Accordingly, I have directed the Ministries of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Health, Education and Science and Technology to work with Nigerian and International pharmaceutical companies and research organisations to enhance Nigeria’s domestic pharmaceutical capacity.
15.Already, the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority is raising a $200 million fund for this initiative that will complement the Central Bank of Nigeria’s ongoing N85 billion Healthcare Sector Research and Development Intervention Scheme to support local researchers in the development of vaccines and drugs to combat communicable and non-communicable diseases, including COVID-19.
Fellow Nigerians, this is just the beginning. 16.Similarly, on our approach to food security, I am proud to announce Nigeria has commenced its journey to pharmaceutical independence. 17.This journey, which will take years to achieve but will ultimately result in Nigerian based companies developing the Active Pharmaceutical substances and competence needed for us to make our own drugs and vaccines.
Fellow Nigerians,
18.As our economy continues to open after the COVID-19 related lockdowns, we have also seen the resurgence of insecurity in certain parts of the country.
19.In the last four months, the gallant men and women of the Military and Security Agencies have made tremendous progress in addressing these new security challenges. We are taking the fight to our enemies from all angles and we are winning.
20.Earlier this year, I launched the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, the Deep Blue Project, which is designed to secure Nigerian waters up to the Gulf of Guinea. I am happy to inform Nigerians that we have taken delivery of key assets for this project and very soon, its impact will be felt.
21.In the North East region alone, over eight thousand Boko Haram terrorists have surrendered.
22.To support our surge approach to fighting banditry, the Nigerian Armed Forces have recruited over 17,000 personnel across all ranks. Furthermore, I have also approved for the Nigerian Police Force to recruit 10,000 police officers annually over the next six years.
23.I am also pleased to note that most of the Air Force platforms we acquired over the past three years have started to arrive in Nigeria. These will positively impact our security operations in all parts of the country.
24.In line with section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the security and welfare of Nigerians continue to be the prime focus on which programmes and projects of our government revolves.
25.Therefore, as a Government, we are ready to arrest and prosecute all persons inciting violence through words or action. Our resolve for a peaceful, united and one Nigeria remains resolute and unwavering.
26.That said, our hope is not to fight for peace. We can always settle our grievances peacefully without spilling any blood.
27.I will therefore take this opportunity, on this special day that symbolises the unity and oneness of our great nation, to ask all Nigerians to embrace peace and dialogue, whatever your grievances.
28.The seeds of violence are planted in people’s heads through words. Reckless utterances of a few have led to losses of many innocent lives and destruction of properties.
29.Such unfiltered and unsubstantiated lies and hate speeches by a few evil persons must be stopped. Our media houses and commentators must move away from just reporting irresponsible remarks to investigating the truth behind all statements and presenting the facts to readers.
30.We must all come out and speak against the lies being peddled. At this point, I would want to sincerely appreciate the large number of our Traditional, Religious and Community leaders as well as other well-meaning Nigerians who, in their various fora are openly spreading the message of peaceful co-existence and conflict settlement through dialogue in their respective communities.
31.Nigeria is for all of us. Its unity is not negotiable. And its ultimate success can only be achieved if we all come together with a common goal of having peace and prosperity for our nation.
32.We shall continue to work on dialogue based solutions to address legitimate grievances. But we remain ready to take decisive actions against secessionist agitators and their sponsors who threaten our national security.
33.The recent arrests of Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Adeyemo, and the ongoing investigations being conducted have revealed certain high-profile financiers behind these individuals. We are vigorously pursuing these financiers including one identified as a serving member of the national assembly.
Fellow Nigerians, 34.This is a clear example of how people abandon their national leadership positions for their selfish gains. Instead of preaching unity, they are funding and misleading our youth to conduct criminal acts that sometimes lead to unfortunate and unnecessary loss of lives and property.
35.As the so-called leaders run abroad to hide, our innocent youths are misled and left in the streets to fight for their senseless and destructive causes.
36.Government will continue, with greater level of peoples’ participation and in collaboration with our international partners, to improve the security architecture, reduce enabling environment for criminality to thrive and eliminate opportunities for terrorism financing.
37.Fellow Nigerians, our unrelenting effort at resolving an almost two-decade stalling on the management of our Petroleum resources and ensuring equitable consideration to our host communities has resulted in the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021.
38.This Act not only overhauls the Institutional, regulatory and fiscal framework of the Petroleum Industry but also reduces the previous opacity associated with this sector.
39.This is the first step to the reforms as the process is a continuous one. Already, to further improve the governance framework, I have sought for an amendment of sections 11(2)(b) and 34(2)(b). We will also continue to review and amend as appropriate.
40.At this juncture, it is very appropriate that I salute the leadership and members of the Ninth Assembly for their patriotism, dedication to duty, candour and most importantly the dispatch with which they have enacted legacy legislations for this nation. I do not take such level of cooperation for granted and hope it continues for the overall efficiency of the Federal machinery.
41.Nigeria’s Roadmap on Local Refining is on track with the Commissioning of a Modular refinery in Imo State.
42.A second is scheduled for commissioning by the end of this year in Edo State and the third one in Bayelsa State by 2022.
43.In addition to the modular projects, we also have the two mega refinery projects coming up in Lagos and Akwa Ibom States.
44.As these refineries are commissioned, more employment opportunities are created and there would be increased petroleum products available for local consumption which will significantly reduce our reliance on importation.
45.In further demonstrating our plan to reduce our dependence on oil and tapping from our enormous gas resources, this administration remains committed to the “Decade of Gas” Initiative, which is aimed at bringing to focus the utilization of our huge gas resources.
46.Already, we are supporting and promoting various gas-based projects including NLNG Train 7 and the mega urea and ammonia projects in the South-South region.
47.As we continue to optimise and enhance our oil and gas sector, I am also proud and delighted to state that our economic diversification strategy remains on course with the persistent increase in Non-Oil Sector contribution to GDP.
48.We recovered from economic recession in quarter four of 2020 with a GDP growth rate of 0.11%, and grew by 0.51% and 5.01% in real terms in the first and second quarters of 2021.
49.The Agricultural sector remains key to our economic diversification efforts as the sector has been a consistent driver of the non-oil sector contributing 22.35% and 23.78% to the overall GDP in the first and second quarter of 2021.
50.We have seen significant private sector investments in almost all areas of the agricultural value chain. And these have continued even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
51.Unfortunately, as our food production capacity has increased, food prices have been going up due to artificial shortages created by middlemen who have been buying and hoarding these essential commodities for profiteering.
52.To address this, I am hereby directing the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to rehabilitate the National Food Reserve Agency and also work with security agencies, the Nigerian Commodity Exchange, and the National Assembly to find a lasting solution to these disruptive and unpatriotic hoarding activities.
53.To further enhance food production, we have completed several new dams and are in the process of rehabilitating several River Basin Development Authorities to enhance ground water supply for rainfed agriculture as well as surface water for irrigation agriculture.
54.The water projects we completed between 2015 to 2020 have improved Nigerian’s access to potable water to 71% between 2015 and 2020. This means 12.5 million additional Nigerians now have direct access to potable water.
Fellow Nigerians, 55.This Government remains concerned by the significant transportation infrastructure deficit we have. Addressing the challenges our commuters and lorry drivers face on the motorways is still a high priority to us.
56.To complement our budgetary allocations, the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund and the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, we recently established a N15trillion Infrastructural Corporation of Nigeria Limited (INFRACO), which is expected to begin operation by the fourth quarter of this year.
57.INFRACO will also focus on leveraging resources on a public-private sector basis for infrastructural development in Nigeria.
58.We hope through these innovative programs, the additional cost burden on individuals and businesses because of inefficient logistics operations will be reduced and ultimately, eliminated.
59.We currently have over 13,000 kilometres of roads and bridges under construction all over the country of which a fair percentage have been completed.
60.As we fix our roads, we also continue to extend and upgrade Nigeria’s railway network with the notable opening of the Warri- Itakpe standard gauge rail line.
61.To increase capacity, we have introduced more locomotives, coaches and wagons including the establishment of a Wagon Assembly in Kajola, Ogun State.
62.The sea ports however still remain problematic. The effect of our various interventions to reduce the gridlocks and inefficiencies have been slower than expected.
63.However, the implementation of the Electronic Call-Up System as well as the conversion of the Lillypond Container Terminal to a Vehicle Transit Area will further enhance the ease of cargo evacuation.
64.Our prioritisation of developing Nigeria’s Digital Economy has positively impacted the contribution of the ICT sector to our GDP.
65.We hope our present efforts to ensure all Nigerians use a National Identification Number as well as our planned roll-out of the fifth generation (5G) network technology will ensure we stay in line with the global innovation curve as a Nation.
66.As we embrace the digital economy in Nigeria, we are fully aware of the prospects and the perils. Our policies have been developed to enable Nigerians to take advantage of the prospects and avoid the perils of digital technologies.
67.Social media is a very useful platform that has enabled millions of Nigerians to connect with loved ones, promote their businesses, socialise, and access news and other information.
68.However, recent events have shown that the platform is not just an innocuous platform for information dissemination.
69.Rather some users have misused the platform to organise, coordinate, and execute criminal activities, propagate fake news, and promote ethnic and religious sentiments.
70.To address these negative trends, the Federal Government of Nigeria suspended the operations of Twitter in Nigeria on June 5, 2021 to allow the Government put measures in place to address these challenges.
71.Following the suspension of Twitter operations, Twitter Inc. reached out to the Federal Government of Nigeria to resolve the impasse. Subsequently, I constituted a Presidential Committee to engage Twitter to explore the possibility of resolving the issue.
72.The Committee, along with its Technical Team, has engaged with Twitter and have addressed a number of key issues. These are:
a. National Security and Cohesion; b. Registration, Physical presence and Representation; c. Fair Taxation; d. Dispute Resolution; and e. Local Content.
73.Following the extensive engagements, the issues are being addressed and I have directed that the suspension be lifted but only if the conditions are met to allow our citizens continue the use of the platform for business and positive engagements.
74.As a country, we are committed to ensuring that digital companies use their platform to enhance the lives of our citizens, respect Nigeria's sovereignty, cultural values and promote online safety.
75.Nigeria's progressive diplomacy continues to manifest through growing numbers of highly placed Nigerians in positions of regional and global influences. Very recently, Nigeria won election for the position of Commissioner for the expanded Political, Peace and Security Affairs of the African Union.
76.Our persistent calls for a reorganized and reformed ECOWAS, to make the organization citizens-sensitive, paid off with the acceptance by the Authority of Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS to commence the agreed reforms in the organization ahead of the next elections of the organization’s principal officers in December this year.
77.At the African Development Bank, World Trade Organization and indeed, the United Nations, footprints of Nigeria's Diplomacy are clearly evident.
78.We remain confident that our goal of lifting 100million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years is achievable.
79.Considering the positive impact of our Social Investment Programs, I recently approved an increase in the number of N-Power program beneficiaries from 500,000 to 1,000,000.
80.Out of this, 510,000 have started the programme while the competitive selection process for onboarding the outstanding 490,000 beneficiaries is in progress.
Yorubas need 2023 presidency to bring the necessary reforms and economic harmony which Igbos aren't capable of from all indices available.
When Igbos took over GEJ's govt. and marginalized Yorubas a major tribe in Nigeria, they didn't think of tomorrow, now they are busy writing jargons upandan to deceive themselves not us.
It's only stupid fellows believe every attack on security personnel are coming from ESN.
This attacks on police and other security personnel have always been on before the birth of the militia arm of IPOB. It's just that it has increased like banditry increased in Northern Nigeria.
If Nigeria Police that takes forever to investigate a robbery incident with no success report will hastily blame ESN for killing their personnel then they must tell us when they started being effective with investigations.
Politics / I Will Teach My Opponents Political Arithmetrics – Fubara by deantimes(m): 9:53pm On May 11