₦airaland Forum

PRESIDENT BUHARI CONGRATULATES OYEBANJI, EKITI STATE GOV-ELECT; SAYS VICTORY AFFIRMS APC’S ACCEPTANCE

President Muhammadu Buhari congratulates Biodun Oyebanji, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as he is declared Governor-elect in Saturday’s Ekiti State Gubernatorial election.

The President said the victory is well deserved considering Oyebanji’s contributions to the development of the State and the party, before his nomination as the standard bearer, urging him, however, to be magnanimous in victory in the interest of the people of the State.

President Buhari also rejoices with the APC chairman, Abdulahi Adamu, and the National Working Committee for the victory, the first under the tenure of the newly elected executives of the party.

“This is a good beginning for you and your team. The APC is getting stronger and more united. The victory of our party in Ekiti is an indication of the confidence of Nigerians in the ability of our great party to deliver quality governance to all,” said the President.

He charged all APC members across and outside the country to see this as a good omen for the 2023 general elections and work assiduously to ensure the party’s victory, continuing the trend with Osun State next month July.

President Buhari also felicitates with the people of Ekiti State for the smooth conduct of the election, affirming that they are the real victors as they have been able to freely choose their leader for the next four years.

He lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission and the law enforcement agencies for the preparations put in place, urging them to keep the momentum for upcoming elections.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
June 19, 2022

duro4chang:
I think I understand what Tinubu is saying. He is talking in parable as regards the just concluded APC primary.

TINUBU TO BUHARI: YOU TRULY BELONG TO EVERYBODY, AND BELONG TO NOBODY

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has described President Muhammadu Buhari as a “true leader, brother and friend” who demonstrated a “sense of purpose, composure, and maturity” in the weeks leading to the Special Convention of the Party.

In a letter to the President, which he personally signed, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu expressed gratitude for the President’s congratulatory letter to him, adding that while all the contestants expected President Buhari to “choose” his successor, he simply allowed a level playing field.

According to him, “You belonged to everybody in the party and you belonged to none of the individual candidates of the party.”
He congratulated the President for the successful conclusion of the Convention and assured him of an issue focused campaign leading to the 2023 general elections.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
June 18, 2022

The full text of the letter is reproduced below:

Dear Mr President,

DEEP APPRECIATION

I bring you sincere fraternal greetings and congratulations on the successful conclusion of the special Presidential Convention of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

On behalf of my wife, Oluremi, and my entire family, I want to express my sincere gratitude for the very special and personal congratulatory letter you sent to me. I am deeply honored. Your words in that letter were reassuring, reenergizing, and reinvigorating.

Your Excellency, one must admire the sense of purpose, composure, and maturity you demonstrated in the weeks and months preceding the primary elections of our great party. As aspirants and party leaders, we all pleaded with you to “choose” your successor.

Naturally, this is expected especially in African democracy. Up until the 6th of June, 2022, the day of the APC Presidential primaries, the whole of Nigeria, including myself, was waiting for you to announce your preferred candidate. All of us thought and believed this was a very simple matter.

However, it was only as the primary went into the night and as the candidates walked up to the podium and spoke that I fully and truly appreciated your position and stance to be neutral and non-aligned to any of us. As the first person to speak, I also had the special vantage point to carefully hear, without any distraction, what the other candidates had to say.

As the hours rolled by that evening, it became clear to me that all of us were your preferred candidates. As you captured it aptly in your letter to me, the “spirit” of 2013 and 2014 when we created and built APC was there for all to see.

In your letter and in our many meetings over the years, you fondly reminisced on fraternal attitude in the days and months before and after formation of the APC, when we all worked day and night to create, sustain and nurture our nascent movements into a credible opposition party and ultimately, become the ruling party. That time, no one spoke about tribe; no one spoke about religion. That was not what drove us. We were driven by a common desire to save and transform Nigeria.

One by one, I saw my colleagues and partners stand on the podium, full of the same passion and patriotic zeal they had in 2013/2014, presenting their ideas on how to build on your successful legacy. Back then, as it is now, we were from all parts of the country, all tribes, and all religions. We all had deep personal and strong bonds with you. We were together back then and our bonds remained strong up till now.

Mr. President, as the night of 6 June turned to morning of 7 June, I fully understood and appreciated your stance. “You belonged to everybody in the party and you belonged to none of the individual candidates of the party.” A true leader, brother and friend.

Mr. President, the delegates from all over the country nominated my humble self to be their candidate. I must acknowledge that my nomination would not have become a reality without your support and that of the party leaders across the country. Indeed, as I reflect on my political journey, most of the 2022 APC presidential aspirants, members of the Progressive Governors Forum and National Assembly leaders and members all had a role to play in my successes and achievements thus far.

I will forever be grateful to them for shaping my political journey over the decades. I want to assure you that I will continue to work with them going forward. My emergence as a candidate is also a victory for them.

I have met most of them in the past few days and will continue these engagements as we plan for the general elections. Mr. President, APC is united and will remain united as we move towards the general elections.

I have taken note of the message you sent to all Presidential Candidates in your Democracy Day speech to the nation on the 12th June, 2022. Our country is going through a very sensitive period and no one should put their personal desires above and beyond the nation’s peace and prosperity. As you said, the “message we set at the top will be replicated in our followers.” At this point, I will take this opportunity to assure Your Excellency of my commitment to running an issue focused campaign as we move into the general elections. I will personally engage the candidates from other political parties to urge them to do same. Voters should elect us based on our policies, programmes, and projects. By the grace of God, we as candidates will avoid having divisive, destructive and disruptive campaigns.

I will conclude by once again thanking you for being there for all of us. By the grace of God and with your leadership, guidance and support, I am confident that we will lead our great party, the APC, to victory in the February 2023 general elections. We will ride on the back of your successes. We will build on the foundations of transparency and integrity which you have laid.

Mr President, together, side by side, in the spirit of 2014, we will win and Nigeria will move forward to a progressive, peaceful and prosperous future.

Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu

APC Presidential Candidate

blackpanda:
Atiku

Parachoko:
If their connect no sure, body go tell them when them reach army barrack. They will be use as an example.

See the one with white beards, at his age he still dey snatch ballot box.

Afamed:
Same way they will forget Obi after the 2023. It's not new

STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE MAJOR ECONOMIES FORUM ON ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE (MEF), HOSTED BY THE US PRESIDENT, FRIDAY, 17 JUNE 2022.

Let me begin by thanking Your Excellency, the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, for convening this important event which is crucial to the wellbeing of our national economies as well as our continued existence on the planet.

2.​Permit me to also thank other members of the Major Economies Forum for Energy and Climate Change for their commitment to climate action, particularly the consensus on the deployment of clean energy technologies at the lowest possible cost; and establishment of the Global Partnership to drive transformational progress across the globe.

3.​It is our fervent hope and expectation that the partnership will be vigorously pursued in order to mitigate the consequential adversities of climate change on our environment.

Excellencies,

4.​The bad effects of climate change are disastrous to humanity, considering the magnitude of environmental destruction and its negative impacts on our respective countries.

5.​In Nigeria, we have witnessed several environmental challenges including creeping land degradation, desertification and drought in the northern part, wanton deforestation, land encroachment, invasion of coastal lines, biodiversity loss, flooding and coastal erosion in the Southern region of our country.

6.​These developments reinforce Nigeria’s commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change geared towards the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic consequences and to the rules of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

7.​ In fulfillment of our commitment to the Glasgow Climate Pact, I signed the Nigerian Climate Change Bill on 18 November 2021. The Climate Change Act provides a legal framework for achieving low Greenhouse Gas emissions while ensuring green and sustainable economic growth.

8.​The Act will support and enable the implementation of national climate actions, including accessing climate finance and carbon trading that will enable reduction in greenhouse gases that are contributory factors to climate change and its attendant effects.

9.​We have submitted an updated Nationally Determined Contribution to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change which replaced the interim NDC that was submitted on 27 May 2021.

10.​Our updated NDC includes the waste sector which is expected to contribute to the reduction of Nigeria’s Greenhouse Gas emissions. This development raised an additional two per cent to the Nationally Determined Contribution from 45 per cent to 47 per cent conditionally and 20 per cent unconditionally below business-as-usual.

11.​Other action plans that are inherent in our NDC include;

a) elimination of kerosene lighting by 2030,

b) increase in the use of bus rapid transit as a means of transportation for the general public,

c) a 50 per cent reduction in the fraction of crop residues burnt by 2030,

d) implementation of forest programmes

e) initiatives to deliver 20 per cent Green House Gas emission reductions and enhanced removals equivalent to approximately 74.2 Metric tons of Carbon Dioxide by 2030, and

f) Ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase out Hydro-fluoro-carbon emissions.

12.​Furthermore, Nigeria is developing National Frameworks for Article 6 and for carbon pricing. We have finalized the Sectoral Action Plan for the implementation of the revised NDC in the key priority sectors, namely Energy, Oil & Gas, Agriculture & Land use, Power, Transport and Water and Waste.

Your Excellencies,

13.​Let me now address the issues at hand regarding the endorsement of the Global Methane Pledge; publication of methane regulations for the oil and gas sector by COP27 and Inclusion in other joint initiatives to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission vehicles; demonstration of high-priority clean energy technologies; and de-carbonization of ocean-based shipping.

14.​Nigeria joined the Global Methane Alliance in 2019 with commitment to methane reduction targets of at least 45 per cent by 2025 and a 60-75 per cent reduction by 2030.

15.​Nigeria’s 2019 National Plan to Reduce has started through the required voluntary actions, with an initial focus on elimination of Short-Lived Pollutants methane in the Oil and Gas sector.

16.​Our plan aims to improve air quality and reduce Nigeria’s contribution to climate change through 22 specific mitigation measures in 8 source sectors (transportation, cooking and lighting in households, industry, waste, oil and gas, agriculture, power and Hydro-Floro-Carbon), as well as adoption and ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol aimed at phasing out Hydro- fluoro-carbon emissions.

17.​The full implementation of these measures would be effective in reducing Short-Lived Pollutants, with an 83 per cent reduction in black carbon emissions by 2030 compared to a business-as-usual scenario, and 61 per cent reduction in methane emissions.

18.​These measures are also effective in reducing other air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, and also reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions.

19.​This means that the implementation of these measures could reduce exposure to air pollution across Nigeria by 22 per cent in 2030, while reducing Nigeria’s contribution to climate change.

20.​My administration approved Nigeria’s Sustainable Energy for All Action Agenda in 2016, which has a target of almost tripling generation capacity in the next decade, to reach a total of 30 Gigawatt by 2030.

21.​Of this, 30 per cent will be generated from renewable resources, with almost half of this provided by medium and large hydro. The Clean Energy Transport Scheme in major Nigerian cities involves the introduction of compressed natural gas for buses in public transport.

22.​ Nigeria is aware that its heavy dependence on fossil fuel makes the country especially vulnerable in a world that has a target to reduce or even eliminate fossil fuel as a key driver of the global economy.

23.​A number of countries are already setting bans on the sale of oil consuming Internal Combustion Engine vehicles. However, Nigeria is also aware that short term response to transition from fossil fuel to clean energy may jeopardize our economic growth. As a result, we intend to use the Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy as our transition process.

24. ​The Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy provides Nigeria the pathway to carefully assess the opportunities that might arise in terms of a cleaner, more dynamic, and more sustainable growth model.

25.​It will also provide the options for the country to implement a less carbon-intensive model of economic development in the face of decreasing global reliance on fossil fuel energy.

Mr. President,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

16.​Achieving a climate-neutral economy by 2050 will require progressively phasing out or profoundly changing the country’s carbon-intensive industries. This will be particularly challenging and will require a well-managed transition through effective visioning and full financial support from partners.

17.​Nigeria is ready to partner with countries and relevant stakeholders to achieve the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and objectives of the Paris Agreement, while combining both local and international solutions in its quest to mitigate the challenges of climate change and adapting to the realities of the catastrophic environmental destruction facing our world.

18.​I thank you all.

PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI VIRTUALLY ATTENDS MEF ON CLIMATE CHANGE HOSTED BY PRES BIDEN. JUNE 17TH 2022

President Muhammadu Buhari virtually participates at the leader-level meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climates (MEF) hosted by the United States President Joe Biden.

World Leaders at the virtual meeting among others are Chile President, H E Borc, Norway, Prime Minister France Minister Agnes, Republic of Korea Prime Minister H E Han, Saudi Arabia leader, Turkey President Edangan, Vietnam Tran Hong HA, China, Germany H E Olaf Scholz, Mexico President Lopez, President of Indonesia, H E Joko Widodo

Egypt President HE Abdelk Faattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi virtually participates at the leader-level meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climates (MEF) hosted by the United States President Joe Biden JUNE 17TH 2022. PHOTO; SUNDAY AGHAEZE

ChangedMan1999:
Relax, the man isnt Igbo.

Again, try to mention your tribe, lets see if you guys are saints.

WE’VE MADE IMPACT ON SECURITY, ECONOMY, CORRUPTION, SAYS PRESIDENT BUHARI, URGES POLICE TO DEPLOY MORE TECHNOLOGY

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Kano said three priorities of the administration, security, economy and corruption, have received significant attention, with measurable results, following his vision of making Nigeria more peaceful, prosperous and reliable, among nations.

At the Passing Out Parade of the Regular Course 4/2016 Cadets of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, the President noted that policies and actions of the government made impact on the tripod vision, in spite of challenges, assuring that more will still be done to safeguard lives and property, enhance livelihood and ensure probity.

“As you are all aware, this administration came to office determined to make impact in three main areas: security, building a sustainable economy and fight against corruption. We can say that recent positive developments in these areas have shown that despite the challenges on ground, we can see general improvement in all three areas.

“In the area of corruption, as you are all aware, I am determined to ensure that we do not have a repeat of what has gone on in previous administrations and we have taken a strong stand against pervasive corruption.

“This administration has also focused on security by repositioning our national security to perform their duties effectively. We have equally embarked on some crucial changes in their funding, structure, and modes of operation. With the launching/empowerment of the Police Trust Fund, this administration swung into action after taking the assessment of needs for possible interventions in the provision of logistics and infrastructural needs of the Force,’’ he said.

In a fast changing world, driven by digital technology, President Buhari said the Nigeria Police must continually evolve on its structure and operations to make greater impact in checking crime, particularly in the virtual space.

"In a world where insecurity is constantly evolving; law enforcement responses have to equally evolve not just to keep up but to stay ahead. Also, as part of efforts to modernize the Nigeria Police Force, this Administration has intensified both international and local training and retraining of our officers and men in addition to providing new platforms and other resources.

"These approaches have yielded positive results as it is glaring that Nigeria’s ranking has improved on the world Counter-Terrorism global index from 4th to 6th position on the list of the most terrorized nations.

"This administration has signed into law the new Police Act to ensure an improvement in the welfare of service delivery to meet best international practices. As I said earlier, with the take-off of The Police Trust Fund, there has been an upgrade of infrastructure such as the construction of new barracks across the country, renovation of existing ones, construction of medical facilities, as well as procurement of modern operational vehicles."

According to the President, the Boko Haram insurgency, the Indigenous People of Biafra, Eastern Security Network, and banditry in some parts of the country over time, which posed a potent threat to the country, had been significantly degraded and relative normalcy had returned to most towns and villages.

He said more efforts would go into ensuring that normalcy returns to all the areas suffering banditry.

"I must specially commend the efforts and resilience of members of the Nigeria Police Force and sister agencies for the giant strides recorded so far in the fight against the prevailing security challenges.

"Across the North Central and North West of the country, we have made progress with regards to stemming the tide of communal violence, farmer-herdsmen clashes, cattle rustling, and kidnapping.

"We will continue to demonstrate zero tolerance for crime and criminality. Those who take laws into their hands, who bear arms illegally and who seek to profit from a climate of fear and insecurity will be decisively dealt with.

"That remains our promise to the people of Nigeria, who elected us to keep them safe and secured. The peace and stability of our dear country will continue to be of utmost importance. You, the Police are our points men and you must rise to the occasion, " the President told the graduating cadets.

President Buhari also noted that security transcends law enforcement to include building the right relationships that underpin the development of secured societies.

"This is why the present administration has been fully committed from the start to strengthening existing relations between Nigeria and her neighbouring countries. It has always been clear to us that there is no way we can achieve the security we seek without the cooperation and support of our neighbours.

"And we have implemented at home the most far reaching social support programme ever in the country to tackle poverty at the roots: one of the drivers of insecurity.

"The graduating cadets will be taking their place in Nigeria Police Force that is destined and determined to take its place amongst the most efficient security organizations in the world. This is apparent in the excellent and fruitful contributions of the Nigeria Police force in foreign peacekeeping missions," he said.

President Buhari noted that today’s landscape extends well beyond the land, sea, and air, into the vast territories of cyberspace, noting that the internet and new digital technologies have provided a platform for the emerging offences to reach unprecedented levels.

"Many of the enemies you will confront," according to the President, "will be permanently faceless or concealed, leveraging technology to wage warfare that has the potential to be even more destructive than anything the world has ever known."

"We must develop a policy on cyber warfare that has as its strategic focus on the prevention of cyber-attacks against critical national infrastructure, minimizing national vulnerability to cyber-attacks and minimizing damage and recovery time from cyber-attacks."

President Buhari assured that the government would do everything possible to address the challenges facing the Academy by calling on the interventions of the relevant agencies/parastatals to facilitate the developmental plans.

"Adequate budgetary provision will be made to accommodate capital and recurrent expenditure as the welfare of staff and cadets remains among my government’s priorities.

"The successful completion of a rigorous and demanding course of this nature, no doubt, imbues today’s graduating cadets, with a sense of self-esteem and accomplishment," he added.

While congratulating the cadets for successful completion of their training, President Buhari directed them to maintain the spirit of accomplishment, as they prepare to face the tasks ahead.

"We are doomed if the reverse is the case. It is by your courage, loyalty and integrity that you can truly deserve the trust and confidence of the nation, " he said.

The President added that, "I am delighted to be here today on this occasion of the Passing Out Parade of the Cadets of the fourth Regular Course of the Nigeria Police Academy. I was here in September 2018 and 2019 respectively, for the passing out parades of the first and second regular courses and was represented during the passing out of the third regular course by the Minister of Police Affairs.

"May I congratulate the cadets of the 4th Regular Course on this historic occasion of your passing out. This day marks your commendable success after a period of rigorous and intensive academic and professional training in the Police Academy that has tested your intellect, stamina and resilience. Congratulations to you all."

President Buhari commended the Commandant and the entire Academy community, for the excellent work, raising new generations of Police officers who will tirelessly secure the nation 24/7.

In his remarks, the Commandant of Nigeria Police Academy, Assistant Inspector General (AIG), Ahmad AbdurRahama, thanked President Buhari for honouring the invitation, explaining that the institution was upgraded from professional training to degree awarding in 2012.

The Commandant said the institution had graduated 1,748 cadets, Assistant Superintendent of Police, over the years, including the 205 who just graduated.

AbdurRahaman said all the Assistant Superintendents of Police will be immediately deployed as "pervasive actors in securing the country, most especially as the country is confronted with multifarious challenges."

President Buhari presented awards to the best graduating cadet, Rachel Oluwatosin Babarinde and the second best,
Isa Abdulateef.

Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
June 16, 2022

President Muhammadu Buhari presides over Federal Executive Council Meeting (FEC) in State House on 15th June 2022