₦airaland Forum

Prof Niyi Osundare wrote on CJN and it is very shameful

My Lord, Tell Me Where To Keep Your Bribe?
By Niyi Osundare

A poem by the renowned Nigerian poet


My Lord

Please tell me where to keep your bribe?

Do I drop it in your venerable chambers

Or carry the heavy booty to your immaculate mansion


Shall I bury it in the capacious water tank

In your well laundered backyard

Or will it breathe better in the septic tank

Since money can deodorize the smelliest crime


Shall I haul it up the attic

Between the ceiling and your lofty roof

Or shall I conjure the walls to open up

And swallow this sudden bounty from your honest labour


Shall I give a billion to each of your paramours

The black, the light, the Fanta-yellow

They will surely know how to keep the loot

In places too remote for the sniffing dog


Or shall I use the particulars

Of your anonymous maidservants and manservants

With their names on overflowing bank accounts

While they famish like ownerless dogs


Shall I haul it all to your village

In the valley behind seven mountains

Where potholes swallow up the hugest jeep

And Penury leaves a scar on every house


My Lord

It will take the fastest machine

Many, many days to count this booty; and lucky bank bosses

May help themselves to a fraction of the loot


My Lord

Tell me where to keep your bribe?


My Lord

Tell me where to keep your bribe?


The “last hope of the common man”

Has become the last bastion of the criminally rich

A terrible plague bestrides the land

Besieged by rapacious judges and venal lawyers


Behind the antiquated wig

And the slavish glove

The penguin gown and the obfuscating jargon

Is a rot and riot whose stench is choking the land


Behind the rituals and roted rigmaroles

Old antics connive with new tricks

Behind the prim-and-proper costumes of masquerades

Corruption stands, naked, in its insolent impunity


For sale to the highest bidder

Interlocutory and perpetual injunctions

Opulent criminals shop for pliant judges

Protect the criminal, enshrine the crime


And Election Petition Tribunals

Ah, bless those goldmines and bottomless booties!

Scoundrel vote-riggers romp to electoral victory

All hail our buyable Bench and conniving Bar


A million dollars in Their Lordship’s bedroom

A million euros in the parlor closet

Countless naira beneath the kitchen sink

Our courts are fast running out of Ghana-must-go’s*


The “Temple of Justice”

Is broken in every brick

The roof is roundly perforated

By termites of graft


My Lord

Tell me where to keep your bribe?


Judges doze in the courtroom

Having spent all night, counting money and various “gifts”

And the Chief Justice looks on with tired eyes

As Corruption usurps his gavel.


Crime pays in this country

Corruption has its handsome rewards

Just one judgement sold to the richest bidder

Will catapult Judge & Lawyer to the Billionaires’ Club


The Law, they say, is an ass

Sometimes fast, sometimes slow

But the Law in Nigeria is a vulture

Fat on the cash-and-carry carrion of murdered Conscience


Won gb’ebi f’alare

Won gb’are f’elebi**

They kill our trust in the common good

These Monsters of Mammon in their garish gowns


Unhappy the land

Where jobbers are judges

Where Impunity walks the streets

Like a large, invincible Demon


Come Sunday, they troop to the church

Friday, they mouth their mantra in pious mosques

But they pervert Justice all week long

And dig us deeper into the hellish hole


Nigeria is a huge corpse

With milling maggots on its wretched hulk

They prey every day, they prey every night

For the endless decomposition of our common soul


My Most Honourable Lord

Just tell me where to keep your bribe.


* Large, extremely tough bags used for carrying heavy cash in Nigeria


** They declare the innocent guilty

They pronounce the guilty innocent

Prof. Niyi Osundare

ATIKU BREAKING PEACE ACCORD...INCITING ANARCHY - BMO

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has been accused of inciting his followers to anarchy in the run up to the election.

Making this accusation in a press statement in Abuja yesteday, the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) also accused Atiku Abubakar of contravening the terms of the peace accord signed by all Presidential candidates at the instance of the National Peace Committee.

In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO said Atiku Abubakar’s recent posturing “is a blantant exhibition of bad faith.

“When the former Vice President and his party failed to show up for the agreement signing ceremony on a flimsy excuse, we raised an alarm that it was because they were not prepared to commit themselves to terms of the accord.

“Rather than focus attention on convincing Nigerians that Atiku Abubakar could do better than what President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have done in only three and half years, they have resorted to character assassination and inflammatory comments.

“It all started with pushing lies and false news to paint the President and his family in bad light. Now the PDP Presidential candidate is subtly instigating his supporters to anarchy having realised that majority of Nigerians are favourably disposed to re-electing the President".

“So for us at BMO, it is not surprising because this is what they had in mind when they initially refused to endorse the agreement”

The group also noted that Atiku, who few months ago, said he would focus on issues, has in recent times been launching personal attacks on the President and government institutions.

This, it says, is with a view to discrediting all institutions that would be involved in the forthcoming elections.

“With about a month to the Presidential polls, the opposition candidate has, directly and through proxies, been attacking President Buhari, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Police.

“The plan is clearly to discredit the President and relevant institutions in the run up to the election as well as instigate opposition supporters to resort to violence even before the first ballot is cast.

“Or how can anyone describe a situation where a former Vice President would boldly, without facts, tell PDP social media influencers that President Buhari is bent on stealing votes on February 16.

“He also alleged that the President was out to manipulate the electoral process by ensuring that ‘his relative’ collates the results even after INEC had cleared the air on Amina Zakari and her role at the National Collation Centre.

“Does it not amount to paving way for violence once it is clear that the outcome of the election does not favour him, as it is obvious from the manner the PDP is losing key members and its campaign losing steam?

“What is more shocking is that the PDP Presidential candidate through his supporters few days ago warned Anambra state governor Willie Obiano to stop campaigning for President Buhari.

“If this is not a call to violence by the militant arm of the opposition against a political leader for expressing his democratic right, we wonder what it is”, BMO said.

The group consequently urged former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar and other members of the National Peace Committee to call PDP and its Presidential candidate to order.

FEBRUARY 16, 2019: WHY NIGERIANS WILL NOT LOOK BACK



*There is no way Nigeria is returning to its past



By Laolu Akande



In this past three and a half years of the Buhari presidency, one, thankfully, has learnt, experienced and been part of quite a number of things. One of those things is the amount of dedication, the depth of patriotic zeal and sheer hard-work that is going on in this administration.



I know the President’s determination to end grand corruption, not only by his exemplary personal example, but by insisting on the proper processes and by empowering institutions. I know the level of intellectual exertions and sheer human rigour that the Vice President daily brings to his work. Even most, if not all Nigerians and close watchers of Nigerian events, have settled on the notion that not only are both gentlemen, honest people of integrity, but that they are also truly united in taking Nigeria to where this country truly belongs. We have seen the direction of the Change promised, it is a right direction, and direction is destiny.



Today, in the early days of a new year in which elections are due in a matter of weeks, there is simply no match for this team, be it in vision or political probability and other forms of readiness to take Nigeria forward. The choice can’t be more stark: between Buhari and Osinbajo on the one hand and Atiku and Obi on the other. Whichever way you dice it, this is a black and white, open and close case.



So, we have an opposition that is led by a politician that represents the failure of the past, backed by a running mate who seem determined to simply bamboozle the Nigerian people with any imaginable talking point regardless of veracity, who himself have openly conceded to being part of the problem.



Let us start from there. Former Governor Peter Obi concedes in a Channels TV video of August 2018 (which has actually gone viral) that he was part of the decision not to save for the rainy day; his own admission before he joined this race. His principal, former Vice President Abubakar Atiku admitted that he was in charge when the electricity power reforms were being bungled and, by his own admission, money simply went down the drain while he was VP and similarly in all the other PDP presidencies that followed. So, we have about $16B thrown out the window by the opposition and their flag-bearer indeed owned up to that confounding profligacy, and incredible acts of corruption, waste and mismanagement.



Just so we don’t leave matters to conjecture, or hearsay, here are the words of the former VP in a May 25, 2014 Channels TV interview: “We collected money from local governments, States and others. Five sets of contracts were given. Some contractors were paid 100%. We left, nothing was achieved. Then President Yar’Adua came, he also made available money and it went down the drain. President Jonathan came, he also made money available and it went down the drain.”



Now add to that, the matter of grand corruption. If you are in my job environment in the media and communication arena, you could even think this matter has been over-flogged. We have been told by some that we should stop talking about it and rather focus on what we have succeeded in achieving.



Yes, we have succeeded in relaunching a massive infrastructural era in the history of this country, spendingan unprecedented N2.7 Trillion in two budget cycles on capital expenditure, even when our revenues are at times 60% lower than previous administration. And we have the projects in practically every State and geopolitical zone. Yes, it is true that the World Bank endorsed the economic direction of the administration when it ranked Nigeria among the top ten reforming economies in 2017, the same year we moved up 24 places in the bank’s global Ease of Doing Business ranking.



Yes, we have put in place an Anchor Borrowers Programme for farmers, where close to 800,000 farmers have benefited from soft loans to help in the agricultural diversification of the economy. This explains in good part what The Punch Newspaper editorial of December 31, 2018 described as “Nigeria’s Rice Revolution,” praising the quest for self- sufficiency.



Yes, we have been paying pensioners (in different public sectors) their claims that had backlogged for years and which were not paid when oil was selling at over $100. Yes, we have hired half a million otherwise unemployed graduates across the country and are feeding about 9.3m primary school pupils in 26 States one free nutritiousmeal a day.



Yes, almost 2 million petty traders are collecting a N10,000 initial loan - a collateral and interest free micro-credit scheme called TraderMoni - to support their bottom of the ladder trading; traders who otherwise have no access to any form of credit. This is besides MarketMoni, where traders and artisans are getting between N50,000 to as much as N300,000 soft loans to enlarge their business. We have done about 400,000 of such loans. And yes, we have a Conditional Cash Transfer of N5,000 monthly to the poorest and most vulnerable among us, with almost 300,000 Nigerians benefiting, although we are targeting one million.



Now, the point is we were able do all these even when we are earning less, at times 60% less, simply because President Buhari has ended grand corruption! So, there is no such thing as ‘stop talking about grand corruption.’ My Principal has in fact come under some orchestrated media onslaught on account of the anti- grand corruption narratives. But we have to talk about it! We should not and would not relent because honest leadership is very central today for Nigeria’s leadership.



Nigerians are now comparing those highlights with the opposition party’s 16 years of grand corruption, lies and visionlessness. Certainly, the people are wiser and will not be given to the comprehensive display of grand deceit that is now hallmarking the campaign of the other party.



Besides, how can you set aside the several instances - at home and abroad - of settled facts regarding corrupt PDP leaders including its current presidential flag-bearer? In many of such cases these are open secret and theprosecution of these cases would certainly have to be taken to their logical conclusions sooner or later, both at home and abroad.



One example that readily comes to mind is the February 2010 report of the US Senate Permanent Investigations Subcommittee that implicated the PDP flagbearer. This is what the Chairman of that committee, Senator Carl Levin, had to say then:



“Our third case history examines Jennifer Douglas, a U.S. citizen and a wife of Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and former presidential candidate in Nigeria. From 2000 to 2008, she helped her husband bring more than $40 million in suspect money into the United States through wire transfers from offshore corporations. Ms. Douglas is alleged in a 2008 civil complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission to have received $2.8 million in bribe payments from a German conglomerate, Siemens AG. Siemens has pleaded guilty to criminal charges and settled civil charges related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and told the Subcommittee that it sent payments to her account at Citibank. The Subcommittee located three wire transfers, substantiating $1.7 million in payments from Siemens to Ms. Douglas in 2001 and 2002. Of the $40 million, the Subcommittee traced nearly $25 million in offshore wire transfers into U.S. accounts controlled by Ms. Douglas, provided primarily by three offshore corporations called LetsGo, Sima Holdings, and Guernsey Trust Company.”



Continuing, the report added that, “Ms Douglas indicated that all of the funds came from her husband and professed little familiarity with the offshore corporations actually sending her the money. In addition, two of the offshore corporations wire transferred about $14 million over five years to American University in Washington DC to pay for consulting services related to the development of a Nigerian university founded by Mr. Abubakar.”



According to Levin in that report, this kind of corruption “is a cancer that corrodes the rule of law, undermines economic development and eats away at the fabric of civil society. Corruption can destabilize communities, and lead to failed states, lawlessness and terrorism.” In fact, the accomplices in some of the criminal cases that developed out of this are cooling their heels in jails, including a former US Congressman. Whoever thinks Nigerians will fall for the grand scale deceit that attempts to ignore this reality will learn a telling lesson next month!



Which is why I am confident that there is no way Nigeria is going backwards. It just won’t happen. The days of politics and governance based on outrightly raw personal aggrandizement have not quite disappeared, but you bet those days are now numbered.



Nigerians are now paying attention to the undeniable fact that a federal administration which earned less resources in a little over three years has more to show for it than all previous administrations in the 16 years before it, including several years when oil was selling in the international market for over $100.



That does not take rocket science to figure out. According to OPEC statistics between 2010 and 2014, Nigeria earned over $383B from oil sales. Yet at the end of 2014 and into 2015, the nation’s foreign reserves was as low as below $30B. Fast forward to 2015 to 2018, even when oil prices dropped, Nigeria’s foreign reserves has increased significantly. As at January 4, 2019, Nigeria’s foreign reserves stood at $43B, the highest in the last six years.



Let me conclude on a slightly personal note. I believe with all my heart that President Buhari & Vice President Osinbajo are on a restoration mission and it is divine. There are many like me who had prayed and hoped for a dutiful government that will reform the Federal Government. The truth is: that prayer has been answered. And while there is still so much left to be done, we as a people must ensure that we stay the course and give our nation a true opportunity to fulfill what I believe is a manifest destiny already. What use is their in going back to Egypt?

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

PRESS RELEASE

WE WILL NOT FORGET OUR MILITARY HEROES, VP OSINBAJO SAYS AT ARMED FORCES REMEMBRANCE SERVICE

REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, VICE PRESIDENT FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, AT THE INTERDENOMINATIONAL CHURCH SERVICE FOR 2019 ARMED FORCES REMEMBRANCE DAY CELEBRATION HELD AT THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN CENTRE, ABUJA ON SUNDAY 13, JANUARY 2019

Today, again we participate in an annual tradition of remembering and honoring our departed military heroes. This particular Remembrance Day is perhaps more poignant than any other. In the past few weeks, we have buried 13 soldiers and one officer, and just last week, 2 Air force pilots and 3 airmen; all these men died in battle fending off Boko Haram and Isis West Africa terrorists in the Northeast of Nigeria.



In the past few years we have seen patriotism at its highest; our valiant men and women of the Armed Forces have destroyed the backbone of Boko Haram who once attacked Abuja, Kano and Kaduna, with impunity and hoisted their tattered flags over 17 Local Governments in the North East of Nigeria.



Today, both Boko Haram and Isis West Africa operate as small, even if deadly guerilla bands, in parts of Borno State. But in these battles, we have been sharply reminded that indeed “freedom is not free”. That peace is often paid for with blood and gore. And that no Nation can secure its territory without the selflessness and the supreme sacrifices of many.



And truly as someone said: "Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it, it flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it."



So as we celebrate this Remembrance Day, we solemnly thank the Almighty God for giving us men and women ready to obey the call to fight and if need be, die for the fatherland.



We are grateful that they were faithful to the cause, that they did not betray the trust of millions, that they gave up all the comforts of life and the love and affection of family that we may enjoy the same.



Our posthumous thanks to them and their families, who not only bore the fearful apprehension of their going to war, but also the heartbreak of their deaths. But our gratitude must also mean a commitment to ensuring that their families are cared for, that their children do not ask why the sacrifices they made were made at all.



As important is to ensure that they did not die in vain, this unity and territorial integrity of the nation, for which they died, must not be jeopardized by the reckless utterances and actions, which play on the religious and ethnic fault lines of our Nation.



The ordinary people of Nigeria have demonstrated time and time again, that they share common problems and that they have a common destiny. The desire for food, shelter, clothing and decent jobs is not blinkered by tribe, tongue or faith. Our unity and peaceful coexistence is the best tribute to our fallen heroes.



Your Excellencies, my Lords, today on behalf of a grateful nation, I honour the bold and brave departed and pay heartfelt tribute to their families, indeed the families daily pay the supreme sacrifice by their loss, and I thank the Almighty God for our Nation, and for the men and women of honour and courage that gave all for it.



God bless the Armed Forces of Nigeria.



God bless Nigeria.



Released by:

Laolu Akande

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity

Office of the Vice President

January 13, 2019

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF POWER, WORKS AND HOUSING

Office of the Special Adviser on Communications

Headquarter, Mabushi P.M.B. 111, Garki - Abuja, Nigeria

PRESS STATEMENT

MAMBILA POWER PROJECT : THE FICTIONAL ALLEGATIONS OF LENO ADESANYA CONTRADICT LOGIC

The attention of the Hon. Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN has been drawn to the spurious and unfounded allegations of Leno Adesanya with regards to the ongoing Mambilla Power Project.

It has therefore become necessary to debunk the lies and resist the unjustified and malicious attack on the person of the Hon. Minister, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN and save the innocent members of the public from the rather misleading and offensive publication widely circulating in various media platforms, authored and sponsored by Mr Adesanya in order to damage good name and reputation of the Minister to claim undue credit and attract unwarranted attention and sympathy.

Nothing is more further away from the truth than the claim that the loan negotiations have stalled since 2017 because of an attempt to utilize $600 Million (equivalent of N219 Billion) from the 3,050MW hydropower project for a “pet project” not hitherto considered by the Federal Executive Council.

There is currently no budgetary provision or cash provision of $600 million or the N219 Billion in any budget of the Federal Government for the Mambila Project.

Therefore you cannot attempt to divert what does not exist.

For the avoidance of doubt, the China Exim Bank disburse money to specific projects and on conclusion of negotiations, the loan will be devoted to the construction of the Mambila Power Project, which has been on the drawing board for close to 40 years before the advent of the Buhari administration which is now working assiduously to get the project off the ground.

The latest publication of fictional claims by Mr. Leno Adesanya in a national daily and the social media is the desperate attempt by him and his political sympathisers to destabilize a project that they could not bring to fruition.

The antics of Leno Adesanya and his ilk would readily explain why the project has taken so many years without lift-off.

Since Mr. Adesanya has chosen to go to court, he would be required to prove his baseless allegation in court.

The Federal Executive Council which is the highest decision making organ of the Executive Arm of Government never awarded a contract for the project to Mr Adesanya.

The allegation with regard to stalling the Mambilla project is untrue , baseless and a figment of Adesanya's imagination . The events and relevant facts will show that because Mr. Fashola first presented a memo on the Mambilla Power Project to the Federal Executive Council in August 2017; which was the first ever Federal Executive Council approval given to the Mambilla project in favour of a Chinese Joint venture.

The Minister has also accompanied the President twice to China on trips that had the project as one of the headline agenda.

The Hon. Minister in June 2018 attended, alongside officials of the Ministry of Finance, a meeting of the China Exim Bank to negotiate the terms of the loan for the project further.

And only this week, after the Federal Executive Council meeting, he briefed Nigerians about the approval of contracts for surveyors to demarcate the areas for the project.

These are the first contracts to start preparatory work on the project after 40 years delay.

These actions are not consistent with delay falsely being alleged against the Minister by Mr Adesanya.

Indeed, available evidence does not support the claims of Leno Adesanya and well-meaning Nigerians will be well advised to ignore him.

We hereby state, that no amount of negative effort to distract, intimidate or threaten the Hon. Minister in the performance of his duties in line with the pledge of the present Government to the Nigerian people on the provision of adequate infrastructure in all relevant sectors of the economy will succeed.


HAKEEM BELLO

SPECIAL ADVISER,

COMMUNICATIONS

TO THE HON. MINISTER

13TH JANUARY, 2019

BMO HAILS BUHARI’S DIRECTIVE ON CAMPAIGN FUNDS, UPBRAIDS ATIKU FOR CORRUPT ENRICHMENT

President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to his ministers not to use public funds for his re-election campaign is a novel act of patriotism and altruism in the history of electioneering in Nigeria.

Reviewing the outcome of the last federal executive council meeting in Abuja, the Buhari Media Organisation(BMO) noted that the presidential directive signified the unmatched integrity of President Muhammadu Buhari on the use of public funds, as against past leaders who looked the other way while public funds were used to fund political campaigns.

In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, the group said it is happy that President Muhammadu Buhari advised his cabinet members to use text messages and multimedia messages to canvass for votes. “This shows his implicit faith in the ability of Nigerians to vote according to their conscience.

“His directive further proves that his administration’s commitment to the war against corruption is unequivocal and aimed at setting new standards in electioneering campaigns in Nigeria.

“President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision not to dip his hands in the public treasury to fund his campaign or share money to potential voters is a clear indication that things are turning around for better in Nigeria under his administration.

“We applaud President Muhammadu Buhari for leading by example and urge Nigerians to identify with his administration in its quest to set new standards and bequeath a country where corruption in elections is abhorred. This will not only strengthen our democracy but save the country from the usual practice of governments in power using public funds for partisan purposes”.

Also reacting to the allegation by the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar that the Buhari administration is using public funds for his presidential campaigns, the Buhari Media Organisation described the allegation as a lie from the pit of hell reiterating that “President Buhari remains unscathed as far as utilisation of public funds is concerned. On the contrary, Nigerians cannot forget in a hurry how Atiku took advantage of his office of vice president to set up the American University of Nigeria and gave a licence to them. As a Customs officer, he used his position to accumulate wealth by using proxy companies.

“We therefore insist that President Muhammadu Buhari is above board and cannot be compared with Atiku Abubakar whose tenure as vice president was used to accumulate wealth for himself, to the detriment of Nigerians”, the group added.

DEFECTION OF TOP NOTCHERS, BMO ADVISES ATIKU TO GIVE UP

“…EVEN HIS IN-LAW HAS DESERTED HIM”

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has advised the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar to consider throwing in the towel in order to avoid a shattering defeat at the polls on February 16.

The Buhari group gave this advice in reaction to the defection of four top notchers of the PDP to All Progressive Congress (APC). Confirming the defection earlier Bauchi State PDP publicity secretary Yayanuwa Zainabari described it as “shocking and a big slap to the party ahead of the 2019 polls.”

The group says the way and manner Atiku Abubakar, as well as his party PDP, is daily losing support from prominent members of the party to the opposition is absolutely unbecoming.

In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO said that even the party cannot deny that the loss of its Deputy Chairman Babayo Garba Gamawa, amongst others, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is quite massive.

“We have nothing but sympathy for Atiku at this time that he has lost some of his trusted supporters who have abandoned him to team up with President Buhari.

“Nothing could be more demoralising than losing the number two man of your party with few days to what is almost certain to be his last attempt to clinch a seat that he had coveted since the 1990s.

“Babayo Gamawa is not only PDP’s deputy National Chairman but also a member of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council from the same North-East geo-political zone as the former Vice President.

“So we at BMO believe that it may be ideal for the PDP candidate to pull out of the Presidential race to save himself from what is almost certain to be a crushing defeat that would end up demystifying him as a political force”, it said.

The group also noted the defection of the former PDP National Chairman Adamu Muazu who is known in the opposition ranks as the ‘game changer’.

“If there is any defection that is bound to hit Atiku hard it is that of the former Bauchi governor whose election as the PDP chairman just before the 2015 election was a popular choice.

“Here is a man whose daughter is married to the former Vice President’s son but opted to ignore family ties to support President Buhari’s re-election bid because he clearly knows the difference between the two.

“If there are people who know Atiku well, Muazu certainly would be numbered among them and now that he has joined the governing party, there is no clearer message to undecided voters across the country that President Buhari is the better choice.

“With Muazu’s decision to dump PDP, it is safe to say that the little chance the PDP has to improve on the 86,085 votes it had in 2015 when APC polled 931,598 votes in one of the President’s traditional strongholds has virtually disappeared.”

BMO added that contrary to the impression created by PDP elements to water down their loss, none of the politicians who may have joined the ruling party to escape the glare of anti graft agencies would be spared if found to have pending corruption cases.

This it says is in line with what President Buhari said in a recent interview with This Day’s Board of Editors that defection to the governing APC is not a blank amnesty from prosecution for anyone found to have breached public trust.

PRESS RELEASE

BUHARI ADMINISTRATION'S ACHIEVEMENTS HAVE RATTLED ATIKU, PDP - MINISTER

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the
massive achievements of the Buhari Administration have rattled the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji
Atiku Abubakar.

Reacting to the statement from Abubakar's media aide, over the
widely-circulated testimony series of the Federal Ministry of
Information and Culture to showcase the Administration's achievements,
the Minister said the action of the PDP candidate amounts to an
acknowledgement of the Administration's impressive achievements.

He dismissed as 'acute paranoia' the allegation by the former Vice
President that the APC-led federal government is using state resources
for electioneering campaign.

Alhaji Mohammed however said, in a statement issued in Ilorin on
Friday, that it is up to those who made the accusation on the use of
state resources for electioneering campaign to prove it, in line with
the maxim that he who alleges must prove.

''In publicising the activities and achievements of the federal
government, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture is only
carrying out its statutory role. Long before the elections, the
Ministry has used various platforms, including Town Hall Meetings, to
showcase the activities and achievements of the Administration.

''We understand that the PDP and the Atiku Campaign Organization have
been rattled by the achievements as well as the effectiveness of the
campaign to showcase them. We are sorry we can't help them,'' Alhaji
Mohammed said.

He however expressed surprise that the PDP that said the Buhari
Administration has not achieved anything has now turned around to
admit that the media is awash with video testimonies from Nigerians on
the Administration's achievements.

Segun Adeyemi
SA To Hon Minister of Information and Culture
Ilorin
11 Jan 2019

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT



PRESS RELEASE



VP OSINBAJO ADVOCATES INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION TO CONTROL FAKE NEWS



*Adds - How Fake News damages public information, causing fear and alarm



“One of the great worries should be, for us, what harm is done to public information. I think that a time may come, if nothing is done, when nothing would be believed or nothing would be believable because as technology improves in its capacity to manipulate and its capacity to dissemble, after a while, there would be perfect videos using artificial intelligence and all of the other tools of digital technology” – VP Osinbajo



REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE NIGERIA 2019: COUNTERING FAKE NEWS EVENT ORGANISED BY BBC NEWS AFRICA SERVICE, IN ABUJA ON THE 9TH OF JANUARY, 2019



May I just say, how deeply honoured I am to be here and thankful that I got an invitation to be here. Because just as Adesuwa has said, I am one of the very many targets of fake news, and it is not just about money and sometimes, it may also cost you marital peace. About 3/4 weeks ago, I got a call in the office from my wife, and she said: “Yemi what are you doing with strippers?” I said, “What do you mean strippers?” So there had been a story on a famous blog that said “Osinbajo caught with strippers” and there was a photograph of me standing in between two perfectly clothed ladies, but just underneath the photo, was another photo of both ladies not wearing much.



As it turns out, I had in fact taken photographs with these two ladies at an entertainment event, where they were perfectly clothed, but by the time the story was put out, it was as though I had taken the photographs with them at the time they were not perfectly clothed. Of course, I was not in the photograph of them not being clothed, but just the caption and the story gave the impression that I was in the company of these ladies at a point where they were obviously doing their business.



The capacity of Fake News to cause great harm is not in doubt. Time and time, practically every day, I see news that affects my work in a way or the other, which is fake. I think the mass publication of deliberate falsehood has been with us for as long as people have spoken to each other, for as long as men and women have exchanged words. There has been the realization that it is also a falsehood to manipulate words in a way that will dissemble or mislead.



I think it was Winston Churchill who said famously that “a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth gets a chance to get its pants on.” This was more than half a century ago. But today, with the Internet and social media, that lie would already be halfway to the moon also before the truth even realizes what is going on or where its pants are!



But why Fake News is now news is obviously because of the greater dimensions of content of the harm it can do and then the scope. A lot of these are on account of the advancement in technology, especially in the past two decades or so. But aside the damage done to the credibility and integrity of public information, the capacity of Fake News to cause alarm and fear, or even future violence, has been demonstrated again and again.



One of the great worries should be, for us, what harm is done to public information. I think that a time may come if nothing is done, when nothing would be believed or nothing would be believable because as technology improves in its capacity to manipulate and its capacity to dissemble, after a while, there would be perfect videos using artificial intelligence and all of the other tools of digital technology. There would be perfect videos of somebody making a speech that he never made, of events that never happened. And of course, it becomes more and more difficult to distinguish between what is true and what is untrue. If we discredit public information in that way, it’s a massive danger for society itself, aside from the capacity of Fake News to cause physical harm and all that.



I think that once we destroy the believability of public information, then really, the means of communicating with each have been soiled forever.



So, today, I think there are three important issues for us to look at. The first is to what extent can we hold local players, especially local media owners, to account. I think that with what we have at the moment, it has been pointed out already, that a lot of the disinformation, obviously, is from social media. The traditional press is, obviously, more responsible. And the simple reason why they are more responsible is that there are consequences. It is easier to sue the traditional media. Local laws bind them and it is much easier to hold them to account.



But social media is under multi-jurisdictional regulation if there is any such thing. I think there is an opportunity here for more collaboration, more multi-jurisdictional collaboration. In other words, shouldn’t we be looking at some kinds of conventions, some kind of agreements between countries, between nations that help us to regulate social media much more effectively?



The second point, for me, is how to deal with consequence without infringing on freedom of information and also freedom of the press because just as Prof Soyinka pointed out, everybody is the press now. So, freedom of the press means my freedom to own a blog, my freedom to disseminate information. But the question is, how do we regulate that without infringing on these fundamental freedoms?



I think that at the end of the day, it would come to some kind of a balance because, really, it would be impossible to regulate social media without substantially infringing on fundamental rights, especially freedom of expression. There is no way that you can leave that power in the hands of government or the hands of the legislature without your finding some level of overbearing activity on the path of the government or the legislature.



So, how do we create that balance? I hope that the conversations that we have here today will help at least in clarifying some of that.



One final thought from me is really to what extent should we hold even traditional media to account for the kinds of information from them? Because today you find a lot of the kind of information on social media also going into the traditional media and to print. What I find is that there is often really no attempt to interrogate these things. And by that I mean, not just fact-checking, but also some investigation on the part of the traditional media.



So, for example, you expect that if somebody says this is fact and presents it as fact, you’d expect the newspaper itself to express some opinion based on its own investigation. But what you tend to find now is that if somebody says, I said this, I’ll be quoted as “Yemi Osinbajo said.” Then, the other fellow countered and that is it. So, the purveyor of the information doesn’t do anything but just presents these two facts. So, these arguments continue forever. Nobody is often able to say, okay, we’ve checked this up, especially the traditional media, nobody says we’ve checked this up and this is what we found.



I think it is important that there is a bit more of that so that the public, at least, is helped to make its mind about different opinions.



The same goes for facts, even verifiable facts. So, somebody says the level of poverty in Nigeria is X%, but there is a source of information. Even the newspapers would not say what the National Bureau of Statistics or the World Bank says is X. Everything becomes a controversy because those who are responsible, the interlocutors and those who are responsible, are often not doing their bits, by at least presenting what the real facts are.



So, I think going beyond fact-checking, a bit more interrogation of some of these issues by offering some independent opinion might be quite helpful.



I’d just like to say that this conversation is long overdue and I hope we are able to provide some direction for the way in which we should handle this big problem and I hope that our deliberations here will eventually, at least, give us some light. As Prof Soyinka has said, very often, it is not just a matter of there being a lot of smoke without fire, sometimes there is even no flicker whatsoever. It’s just a creation of fertile imaginations of so many people. I hope that we will be able to find a way of resolving some of these issues. I will, of course, be happy to be a part of the conversations and ways to advance the issues in whatever we put down.



Thank you all very much.



Released by:

Laolu Akande

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity

Office of the Vice President

January 9, 2019

NEXT MONTH PRESIDENTIAL POLLS NIGERIA’S DATE WITH DESTINY - OSINBAJO

*VP Osinbajo intensifies interactions with Nigerians

The February 16, 2019 Presidential election will be Nigeria’s date with destiny as it will determine whether the country will make progress or go back to the days of corruption and impunity, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

The Vice President stated this in Abuja on Tuesday when he addressed a cross-section of Nigerians at the “Drive 4 Buhari/Osinbajo Rally” - an initiative of the “I am Ready Campaign Group”, organized to mobilize support for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, “February 16, 2019 is our date! It is the date of our country with destiny; that is the date we will decide whether we want to go forward or we want to go backwards.



“All that President Buhari has tried to do in these past four years, is first of all, clean up the big mess that we met. The major problem of our country has always been corruption; stealing of the resources of the people. I have never heard it before, where a person after stealing your money says: “I am the one who can come back and help you”.



The “Drive 4 Buhari Osinbajo” Rally – one of the highpoints of Prof. Osinbajo’s Tuesday outings, started as early as 9 a.m. with thousands of volunteers within and around the FCT converging on the Eagle Square arena to register their support for the Buhari presidency.

The drive-through rally involved thousands of volunteers many of whom drove their cars and tricycles adorned with President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s posters from satellite towns of Gwagwalada, Zuba, Nyanya, Kuje and other suburbs of the FCT, through the various parts of the city to the Eagle Square, all indicating their support for Buhari’s re-election.

At the Eagle Square, thousands of admirers and supporters of Buhari and Osinbajo chanted victory songs to welcome the Vice President as he made a grand entrance into the arena for the final phase of the programme.

Also on ground to spice up the event were entertainers who danced and sang popular songs to the admiration of all.

Continuing, Prof. Osinbajo said the choice of whom to vote for in the coming elections should not be very difficult as President Buhari is renowned for his integrity, “even Buhari’s worst enemies know that he is an honest man, even the thieves know that he is an honest man.”



Speaking specifically about the programmes and projects executed by the Buhari-led Federal Government, the Vice President said the achievements recorded so far were as a result of prudent and transparent management of resources.



He said: “for the first time, our country is spending money on roads and railways. They have been talking about railways since, for the past 16 years, but we have just started building the Lagos – Kano railway now.



“We are earning less money but we are doing far more. We are also building the Itakpe - Warri railway and even the 2nd Niger Bridge. They commissioned the 2nd Niger Bridge before, but when they commissioned it, there was no design. Today, we have started to build the 2nd Niger Bridge.



“In every State in Nigeria, we are building a major road; we are going to complete the Lagos – Calabar railway, by the grace of God, Port Harcourt – Maiduguri is also going to be completed.”



In the Power Sector, Prof. Osinbajo said “after 16 years, 3000MW of power is all that we had, but today we are at 7000MW. But we have not even started yet, because we know that power is still a problem, so we are trying to solve the problem.”



He said the Federal Government in its determination to address the challenge had adopted measures to address issues of both generation and transmission.



“In Sabon Gari market, we have a separate solar power plant and many of the shops have power now. In Ariaria market in Abia, we have also done the same thing, we also did the same thing in Sura market in Lagos, and we also put power in Edaiken market in Benin.



“Very soon, our country will have enough power with the plan that we have, to provide power separately, only through the National Grid, but to provide power to the different parts of our country so that our country will have power”, the Vice President added.



Prof. Osinbajo assured Nigerians that “President Buhari has a plan, and he is an honest man, and he is making sure that he executes that plan”.



In a related development, the Vice President on Tuesday inaugurated the Buhari Media Centre; continued the Family Chat series, all in Gwarimpa and also interacted with artisans and traders at the UTC complex and the Tipper Garage market, all in the FCT.

At the UTC Plaza in Area 10 - a popular printing hub in the FCT, the Vice President paid a visit to artisans and traders, interacting with them on the activities and programmes of the Federal Government.



On arrival at the plaza, the Vice President was welcomed amidst cheers and dancing by the mammoth crowd.



Prof. Osinbajo interacted with some artisans and traders at the plaza, assuring them of a better Nigeria with President Buhari on the saddle beyond 2019.



Earlier in Gwarimpa, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo inaugurated the Buahri Media Centre in Abuja and had a brief interaction with Nigerians via a live Facebook interview on the activities and programmes of the Buhari administration.



He said: “there is no reason why young Nigerians can't be trained and equipped for outsourced jobs from big technology firms around the world to troubleshoot and handle customer care questions and be paid by those global tech firms. This explains the Federal Government's push towards technology.”





The Vice President emphasized that the business of improving Nigeria's economy is not just by talking and wondered why “those trying to come back did nothing, for example, to fix the Lagos-Ibadan expressway or the Second Niger Bridge for which there was not even a design until the Buhari presidency did it”.



He also made an unscheduled stop at the Tipper Garage Market in Gwarimpa where he interacted briefly with traders, shoppers and people in the market, many of whom received him with cheers and singing in what was an exciting atmosphere.

RE: THE NORTH IS SUFFERING AND SMILING

By Balkisu Saidu



“O you who believe! Fear God, and stand with those who are truthful (in words and deeds).” These are the directives of Almighty Allah (Quran 9:119).



I was shocked by the content of an article titled ‘The North is Suffering and Smiling’ by Abu Shekara, Special Adviser on Media to Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State, published online by thisdaylive.com on 5 January 2019. My shock stems from the personal knowledge I have of the author, having worked with him at various times, since the 90s. Abu was known to me as a person who paid great attention to details and was interested in accuracy of facts. The flowery and superficial article in the publication bears little resemblance to the quality I expected from the Abu Shekara I knew.

It is, however, a political season. And as Albert Einstein reflected “all of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field.” Political agenda can becloud good judgment!

It is therefore not surprising that Abu Shekara will publish such scathing attack on the person and administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. What is surprising is his failure to point to the economic policies of the Government that were designed, as he claimed, to “adversely target” the Northern economic activities and have “ravaging impact on the livelihoods of the Northern masses.”

What I know, as a Northerner, is that going into the 2015 elections, our major concerns in the North were:

1. Insecurity, majorly in the North East, where insurgents were in full control of 17 Local Government Areas with frequent abductions; recurring ethno-religious and communal conflicts; and farmers/herders clashes;

2. Inadequate and dilapidated infrastructure, which had crippled economic activities with devastating implications on standard of living; and

3. Growing population of out-of-school children and fallen standard of education.

In the three-plus years of the Buhari administration, all the areas under the control of the insurgents in the North East have been recovered; hundreds of abducted persons have been rescued; deliberate and decisive steps have been taken to address the farmer/herders clashes and communal conflicts, with verifiable accomplishments. Admittedly, there are still pockets of asymmetric attacks by insurgents and criminal activities by hoodlums and bandits, who are on the run and being rounded up.

These three-plus years have also recorded numerous achievements in the execution of projects in the North. Some of these projects include:

1. The completed 135km Sokoto–Tambuwal–Jega Road, in Sokoto and Kebbi States.

2. The completed Shagari Irrigation Project, in Sokoto State.

3. The provision of power supply to Federal Universities including Usmanu Danfodiyo University – Main Campus, Sokoto; Bayero University – New Campus, Kano; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University – Gubi Campus, Bauchi; and Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue.

4. Provision of 60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformers in Sokoto, Sokoto State.

5. Construction of Yauri-Koko-Jega Road, in Kebbi State.

6. Provision of 60MVA Transformer in Dan Agundi Substation, Kano, Kano State.

7. Provision of 2X60MVA Transformer in Kakuri Substation, Kaduna, Kaduna State.

8. Provision of 60MVA Transformer in Katsina Substation, Katsina, Katsina State.

9. Provision of 40MVA Mobile Substation at Zaria, Kaduna State.

10. Provision of 2x40MVA 132/33KV Power Transformer at Daura, Katsina State.

11. Provision of 60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformers at Hadejia, Jigawa State.

12. Provision of 60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformers at Funtua, Katsina State.

13. Completion of Galma Dam, Kaduna State.

14. Construction of 3,050MW Mambilla Power Plant, Taraba State.

15. Completion of 330/132KV Molai Transmission Substation in Maiduguri, Borno State.

16. Completion of 330/132KV Damaturu Transmission Substation, Yobe State

17. Provision of 60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformers at Bauchi, Bauchi State.

18. Provision of 40MVA Mobile Substation at Damboa, Borno State.

19. Provision of 28/40MVA Mobile Substation at Mayo Belwa, Adamawa State.

20. Provision of 30/40MVA Mobile Substation at Gombe, Gombe State.

21. Sabon Gari and Kantin Kwari Market Electrification Projects, Kano State.

22. Construction of 215MW Kaduna Power Plant, Kaduna State.

23. Construction of 10MW Katsina Wind Power Plant, Katsina State.

24. Construction of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway.

25. Dualisation of Kano–Wudil–Shuari section of Kano–Maiduguri Road, linking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe–Borno States.

26. Dualisation of Kano–Katsina Road.

27. Construction of Kano Western Bypass.

28. Construction of Kaduna Eastern Bypass, Kaduna State.

29. Construction of Modern Medical Diagnostic Centre at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Kaduna State.

30. Completion of Sabke Water Supply Project, Katsina State.

31. Dualisation of Shuarin-Azare section of Kano–Maiduguri Road linking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe.

32. Dualisation of Azare–Potiskum section of Kano–Maiduguri Roadlinking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe–Borno States.

33. Dualisation of Potiskum–Damaturu section of Kano–Maiduguri Roadlinking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe–Borno States.

34. Dualisation of Damaturu–Maiduguri section of Kano–Maiduguri Road linking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe–Borno States.

35. Reconstruction of Gombe-Numan-Yola Road.

36. Reconstruction of 122km Mayo Belwa-Jada-Ganye-Toungo Road.

37. Construction of 40MW Kashimbila Dam & Hydro Power Plant, Taraba State.

38. Construction of 29MW Dadin Kowa Hydro Power Plant, Gombe State.

39. Completion of Takum Water Supply Project, Taraba State.

40. Construction of Oju/Loko–Oweto bridge over River Benue to link Loko (Nasarawa State) and Oweto (Benue State).

41. Dualisation of Abuja–Abaji–Lokoja Road.

42. Dualisation of Suleja–Minna Road in Niger State.

43. Dualisation of Abuja–Abaji–Lokoja Road, Koton Karfe–Lokoja in Kogi State.

44. Dualisation of Lokoja-Benin Road: Obajana–Okene in Kogi State.

45. Rehabilitation of Enugu–Makurdi Road.

46. Construction of Otukpo-Oweto Road.

47. Completion of construction of 93km Ilorin-Jebba Road.

48. Dualisation of Abuja–Keffi–Lafia–Makurdi Road.

49. Rehabilitation of Suleja-Minna Road.

50. Construction of Nigeria’s Central Rail Line (Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri Standard Gauge Line), spanning Kogi, Edo and Delta States.

51. Rehabilitation of the Abuja International Airport Runway, and construction of new Abuja International Airport Terminal.

52. Completion of the Bill Clinton Drive Interchange Bridge along the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Road (Airport Road), in the FCT.

53. Construction of Apo–Wasa–Karshi Dual Carriageway, in the FCT.

54. Construction of the Inner Southern Expressway (Goodluck Jonathan Way) in the FCT.

55. Completion of Mangu Regional Water Supply Scheme, in Plateau State.

56. Completion of Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi Water Supply Project, Benue State.

57. Construction of 30MW Gurara Power Plant, Niger State.

58. Construction of 700MW Zungeru Hydro Power Plant, Niger State.

59. Provision of 150MVA 330/132//33KV Power Transformers at Kanji (Fakun), Niger State.

60. Provision of 2x60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformer at Lokoja, Kogi State.

61. Provision of 1460MVA 132/33KV Power Transformers at Kontagora, Niger State.

62. Provision of 60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformers at Okene, Kogi State.

63. Provision of 2x40MVA 132/33KV Power Transformer at Kainji (Dogon Gari), Niger State.

64. Provision of 2x60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformer at Kukwaba, FCT.

65. Provision of 60MVA Transformer in Karu Substation, FCT.

66. Construction of Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway.

67. $12.4 million project funded by the Japanese Government for the upgrading (installation of power capacitor banks) of two Transmission Sub-Stations, in Apo, FCT and Keffi, Nasarawa to stabilise power supply to 7,000 households.

The N-Power Scheme of the Social Investment Programme (SIP) has recruited beneficiaries in each Local Government Area of the 19 Northern States, who are providing support in teaching, healthcare, agriculture, etc. The Home-Grown School Feeding Programme of the SIP has resulted in increase in enrolment and retention of pupils in Public Primary Schools, while providing employment to hundreds of cooks and farmers. The TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni have been disbursed in all the 19 States of the North, supporting small and medium traders with cash flow; while MSME Clinics provide technical support to entrepreneurs. The Anchor Borrowers Programme’s support to smallholder famers and millers has brought about unprecedented boost in agricultural production in the North; and the Conditional Cash Transfer to the poorest of the poor is providing succour to the hitherto forgotten underprivileged members of our communities.

I ask Abu, please which of the above economic policies of the administration of Muhammadu Buhari has ravaged the livelihoods of the Northern masses?

Perhaps Abu Shekara would like to refocus his attention home. Perhaps he would like to assist the people of our State, Sokoto, with a list of achievements recorded by our State Government from May 2015 to date. Even with what Abu Shakara has described as “failures” of President Muhammadu Buhari, the fact remains that, from May 2015 to December 2019, a total of ₦207,032,768,396.67 has been released by the Federal Government to the Government of Sokoto State.

These releases include:

1. Share of Federation Account ₦158,159,883,659.42 (May 2015 to December 2018);

2. Budget Support ₦17,569,000,000.00 (June 2016 to January 2018);

3. Paris Club Refund ₦31,303,884,737.25


Abu may wish to inform Sakkwatawa of the projects executed in Sokoto State that are commiserate with over Two Hundred and Seven Billion Naira. After all, governance is the shared responsibility of the three tiers – Federal, States and Local Government Councils.
As the record of President Muhammadu Buhari in the area of development in the North is examined, let us look inwards to also examine, in a similar dispassionate manner, the records and achievements of our State. Sokoto, the Seat of the Caliphate; the cradle of just governance; the exalted home of revered Sheikh Usmanu Bn Fodiyo and Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto.

The big difference here is: while President Muhammadu Buhari is open to, and actually invites scrutiny of his record, others find any enquiry about their records as “political witch-hunt”, “attempt to embarrass”, or “act of disrespect.” It is understandable that the overwhelming acceptance of President Muhammadu Buhari by the Northerners will be disconcerting to the opposition, however, the blatant attempt to manipulate the Northerners into thinking that their brothers and sisters from other parts of the country are now their enemies or that their capable and over-achieving President is being controlled into “abandoning” their cause is not going to work. Northerners are not gullible. Northerners crave facts not fiction; and they can certainly discern the motives behind outlandish and concocted allegations, mischief and misrepresentations.

My counsel to Abu Shekara: please do not allow political agenda to cloud your judgment.



Saidu is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Research, Legal and Compliance Matters, Office of the Vice President

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

PRESS RELEASE

WHY NIGERIANS SHOULD VOTE FOR PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI - VP OSINBAJO


*VP receives rousing reception from huge crowds in Oke-Ogun towns, Oyo State

The forthrightness and sincerity of the Buhari government is not in doubt and Nigerians should stand with this administration in the coming elections, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo stated this over the weekend during his visits to Igbeti, Igboho, Kisi, and Saki, in the Oke-Ogun areas of Oyo State, where he was given rousing receptions by huge crowds at different stops.

The Vice President further said that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is a government for the poor and common man who lives in every local government area of the country.

According to him, "all the Social Investment Programmes of the Buhari administration is to empower the common man and the poor."

Speaking to the excited crowd at Igbeti town during a campaign rally/street chats on Friday, Prof. Osinbajo said the TraderMoni, MarketMoni and the N-Power programmes are designed to take the common people out of poverty."

"The TraderMoni is to empower the small, small traders, it is not for big business. Those in big businesses have their own, which is called the MarketMoni. We want to reach every village so that the people here will also benefit from this government, all of us will be going up, up, up," the VP emphasized.


He assured that hardworking people like artisans e.g tailors will be assisted with money to enhance their businesses, adding, "even those who are not graduates, but can read and write will be given a stipend monthly like those in the N-Power programme."

Singing a campaign song which he composed in Yoruba, "Up, up, we are going, up, up we are going," the VP enjoined the people to join hands with the government whose leaders will use the money meant for the masses to work for them and should not allow those leaders who will be stealing people's money to return.

“We have been able to do more with less resources,” Prof. Osinbajo added.

On his courtesy visit to the Paramount ruler (Onigbeti) of Igbeti Land, Oba Emmanuel Oyekan Oyebisi, Ofasegbejo III of Igbetiland, Prof. Osinbajo, commended the Oba and thanked him for a warm welcome.

Earlier, the Oba commended the Social Investment Programmes of the Buhari administration, describing it as the people's programmes, and requested for the development of natural resources such as different types of marbles available in the town for the betterment of not only the indigenes but the country at large.

While assuring the Oba that his requests would be looked into, the VP said, "Kabiyesi, this coming election is for progress, we have already seen it but if we are not cautious we may be drawn back, but God forbid it."

Following his visit to Igbeti town, Vice President Osinbajo also went to Kisi, the headquarters of Irepo Local Government Area of Oyo State, where he was received by a mammoth and excited crowd.

Prof. Osinbajo urged them to stand with the government in the coming elections.

On Saturday, on his visit to Saki Local Government Area, the Vice President also received a rousing welcome by huge crowds at different stops.

On arrival, Prof. Osinbajo paid a courtesy call to the Bagii of Saki, High Chief Abdrasheed Gazali Adegoke, where he met with traditional rulers in the area, who commended him for being “a great Vice President.” They noted that the Buhari administration deserves a second term for its efforts in improving the welfare of Nigerians.

Also, in continuation of the Family Chats, Prof. Osinbajo on Saturday visited the families of Alhaji Ganiyu Akere and Mr. & Mrs Sunday Kolajo, in Saki, Oyo State.

At Saki, the Vice President addressed rallies where he emphasized the Social Investment Programme and the Next Level plan of the Buhari administration. He noted that one of the plans include the establishment of the People’s Moni Bank that would give soft loans to Nigerians.

Prof. Osinbajo added that the people of Oke-Ogun have seen the good thing that has happened to them within this short time. He noted that the Minister of Communication, Barr. Adebayo Shitu who accompanied him on the visits was from Oke-Ogun.

Continuing, he also assured the Saki people that their request for potable water, road infrastructure and power would be looked into, as the Buhari government would continue in its efforts to improve the lives of all Nigerians.

He assured that the people would benefit from the Trans-border International Market since Saki shares border with Republic of Benin and Togo.

At the Sango area, also in Saki, the Vice President addressed a huge crowd of people in the predominantly Hausa community, where he, again, assured them of President Buhari's concern for the poor.

He said, "the next level of change is to lift everyone from poverty and provide more infrastructural development."

The people of Saki pledge their unalloyed support for the re-election of President Buhari in the forthcoming presidential election, noted Barr. Abdulwaheed Lawal who spoke on behalf of APC, in Saki. Lawal added that the people would support the Buhari administration's Next Level agenda.

Earlier in the day, Prof. Osinbajo had attended the wedding ceremony of the son of the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, in Ibadan, while he also interacted with the League of Imams and Alfas, also in Ibadan, before he proceeded to Saki Local Government, wrapping up a two-day focus on the Oke-Ogun areas of Oyo State.



Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity
Office of the Vice President
6th January 2019

RE: TALK OF SOUTH WEST PRESIDENCY IS ABSURD AND UNPATRIOTIC- by Yemi Ola

I stumbled on an opinion piece by a columnist, Dele Sobowale titled *TALK OF SOUTH WEST PRESIDENCY IS ABSURD AND UNPATRIOTIC.*
The piece was an apparent reaction to a statement purportedly made by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN regarding the possibility of a South West Presidency in 2023, as an aftermath of a South West aided Buhari win in 2019.

First and foremost, reading through the verified reports, it is clear that certain elements have decided to play mischief with the Vice President's visit and closed door discussion with the revered Alaafin of Oyo.

It is disturbing that the same mischievous elements dreg up falsehood and then generate a debate around it using their media collaborators.

Regardless however, Sobowale’s piece does stand history on its head on many of the issues raised.

*The Zoning Issue*

Nigeria has at least 250 major tribes, all now agglomerated to 36 States and more than 700 local government areas. This is contrary to the 6 geo-political zone fiction that has been fed to us over time. The PDP instituted an unwritten rotation of the Presidency between the North and the South commencing from 1999. Accordingly, once President Obasanjo rounded up his 2nd term, the serious PDP presidential nominations in 2007 were almost unanimously from the North. Does this however make the zoning arrangement binding on every party or every possible contestant? My answer is NO!

As a pointer, there were several Southern contestants for the Presidency in the 2007 elections. This was notwithstanding the fact that the South just completed 8 years in the presidency.

In fact, the *South East presented 5 candidates for the 2007 Presidential elections!*
It would be disrespectful to argue that high caliber personalities such as *Dim Emeka Ojukwu (who contested as flag bearer for APGA) and Chief Orji Uzor Kalu (who contested under PPA) were unserious contestants.*

Assuming without conceding that zoning the Presidency is binding, it has *never* been tribal. To argue the contrary would mean each of the 250 tribes in Nigeria must serially occupy the office, perhaps in alphabetic order. If it was tribal, how come the Northern occupants of the office in this 4th Republic have all come from Katsina State in the North West and how come all South-West occupants from 1960 till date have come from Ogun State, Abeokuta to be precise?

Even if we are to tow the geo-political zone line, it is important to note that while the Igbos produced 2 leaders in the 60s – Nnamdi Azikiwe (albeit ceremonial) and General Aguiyi-Ironsi (1963-1966), there are many other equally important and illustrous ethnic groups yet to produce any president/head of state till date and are therefore more deserving of any so-called zoning preferential treatment.

*Numbers & Candidature*

The truth of the matter is that in a democracy, parties would most likely always choose a candidate from its largest support base. No party would choose a candidate from a zone where it is not supported.
Conversely, for a geo-political zone to stand a good chance during a presidential election, it should either align behind one serious contender (as did the North in 2015) or trade-off with other zones to be the only serious front runners (as did the SW in 1999).

This perspective on candidature exposes the fallacy in Sobowale’s allegation that late Dr. Ekwueme would have been elected as President in 1999 to heal the wound of the civil war. First, the unanimous concession to the SW in 1999 was compensation for the June 12 debacle and the demise of Chief MKO Abiola. Except Sobowale is attempting to rewrite history, he would remember that the 1979 choice of a SE Vice President was partly to bring the SE back to the mainstream after the civil war. *Even at that, the NPN lost massively in the 2 SE States of Anambra and Imo.* The respected Ekwueme (who earlier lost governorship nomination to C. C. Onoh) could not even deliver the minimum 25% in those States. How can anybody posit that he could have won in 1999?

Secondly, nobody serves power a la carte. Many dispassionate observers contend that the South East would still lose the election even if all main stream political parties decide to zone the Presidency to the South East.

*In this regard, the experience at the last NBA elections represents a good pointer* .

All zones had an unwritten agreement to zone the NBA presidency to the South East. Unfortunately, the South Eastern bar associations could not agree to work together and present a single candidate.

The aftermath was the emergence of *Paul Usoro from the South-South.* The new President was rumoured to be a reluctant candidate who took advantage of the division in the ranks of the South East lawyers. *He scored 4,509 to emerge winner after defeating Mr Arthur Obi Okafor (SAN) who scored 4,423 votes and Prof Ernest Ojukwu (SAN) who scored 3,313. Imagine if one SE candidate had stepped down for the other!*

It is also a wrong and irresponsible tactic to threaten *Civil War 2 if the Presidency is not zoned to the South East* . Or is Sobowale suggesting that the boko haram insurgents would be assuaged by zoning the Presidency to the North East? Dissemination of information, thoughts and opinion through the media deserves a bit of discretion. It is a trust that must not be abused in such a cavalier manner. It is very insensitive to wish civil war on a country battling insurgency if voters do not elect a South Easterner as President.

*Who Bells the Cat?*

Either by freak of nature or by collusion, no 4th Republic mainstream party has ever nominated a presidential flagbearer from the South East.
This is undesirable as the South East has eminently qualified individuals. The followership is however an issue. Beyond the late Nnamdi Azikwe, the South East has not trusted any of its men with pan- Igbo leadership. In 2007, we had an array of stars from the SE putting their names on the ballot. *If the South East could only give 5 illustrious sons a total of a paltry 813,000 votes, why should voters from other zones give them more?* If the SE voters do not trust presidential candidates from their region, why should others? Why would an Atiku step down after one term for an Igbo Presidency when the touted candidate as APGA governor of Anambra State could only command 155,947 votes for APGA in the 2007 Presidential elections? This is even with his deep pockets, the source of which is shrouded in shady rumours. Let us not forget that the 2007 elections held when Obi was at the peak of his powers as Anambra governor. That he could not deliver 25% votes in Anambra State to APGA tells a lot about the scam he perpetrated on Anambra while he was governor. It was indeed a latent defect that started unraveling when the governor he installed to cover his tracts turned against him.

Why would the South West, with proven leaders like Tinubu, Fashola, Fayemi, Amosun, Osinbajo, Ajimobi, Amosun etc jettison a chance to be president to favour a South East zone that spurned the chance to produce a Senate President when it did not produce a single APC Senator from the SE?

According to a Yoruba saying, (at least before the days of photoshop), there is no cheating in photography, you would see yourself exactly the way you positioned yourself. The South East has a golden chance to play profitable politics for once. A massive support for the APC can convince other stakeholders that the APC can win the 2023 Presidency with a candidate from the South East. It can be argued that the SE stands a chance in the PDP if Atiku serves only one term. However, Atiku has refused to commit any such promise to paper, opening the door of deniability. Secondly, would anybody in his right senses rely on Atiku’s word? This is especially as there are more verifiable facts of his public lies than truths.

So, as we all prepare for the 2019 elections, I strongly advise the so called Mr Sobowale to avoid rewriting history right before our eyes!

Fayose’s Mischief on TraderMoni Scheme is not out of Character - Presidency

It is mischievous, but not entirely out of character, for former Governor Ayo Fayose to mindlessly attack TraderMoni, the interest-free N10,000 loans given to petty traders.



For the records, the issue of TraderMoni has been addressed several times in the public space. It is infantile for the PDP and Fayose to keep rehashing outright falsehood. It is clear from their actions that Fayose and his cronies are bereft of workable ideas and do not have any clear-cut agenda for their campaigns, so they have no choice but to resort to regurgitating spurious allegations like this. Their resort to the unending generation of fake news as a campaign strategy is not shocking, coming especially from Fayose, but it is nonetheless pitiful.



But Nigeria can see through the deception. It doesn’t matter how long they keep trying, the truth would stand. The TraderMoni scheme is not just helping the lives and businesses of ordinary Nigerians like petty traders at the bottom of the economic ladder, it is, again, proof that the Buhari administration is irretrievably focused on improving the lives of the common man.



In case Fayose has forgotten, or better still pretends not to remember, under the Buhari administration, N2.7 trillion has been spent in two budget cycles on capital, the highest in the nation’s history. This would not have been possible if not for the prudent management of resources and the absence of grand corruption for which his party PDP is well known. This government has been able to do far more with less resources, than what was obtained under past administrations, where profligacy & gross mismanagement of the country’s resources were rife.



Thus, Fayose’s feeble attempt to lump the Vice President or the Buhari administration into the sordid happenings under the PDP in past administration through spreading falsehood is not only mischievous, but a disrespect to hardworking Nigerians in their millions who are now enjoying the impact of the Social Investment Programmes of this administration.



It must be emphasized that, for the records, the repatriated $322m is now currently being applied to support the Buhari administration’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme under the Social Investment Programmes. Part of the conditions under which the looted funds were restored to Nigeria is that the World Bank would be involved in over-sighting its disbursements, which is what is being done now.

Thus, any claim of re-looting of any kind is totally false and must be ignored by Nigerians. Fayose and his ilk merely cry wolf where none exists; a shameless habit for which he is now well known.



Currently, almost 300,000 Nigerians in 21 states are benefitting from the CCT, where they receive a monthly stipend of N5,000. The beneficiaries are registered in the National Social Register across these states and the process of selecting beneficiaries is transparent; it is based on the World Bank’s Community Based Targeting whereby the different communities themselves identify the beneficiaries in a transparent process that is open to review and public auditing, even by Fayose, if he chosen to be that reasonable.



That the Vice President is championing the scheme across the states is because of the commitment of the administration to the common man and to ensure effective implementation.



It obviously appears that the PDP are riled by the impact of the TraderMoni scheme, where over 1.2 million petty traders are beneficiaries at the last count. The disbursement process of the TraderMoni loans is transparent and direct, while the enumeration is technology-driven, whereby enumerators meet traders at their business locations to get their data, which includes names, phone number and account number. This process is largely tied to a phone number which also doubles as a mobile money wallet. The registered phone numbers are then credited with the loan via a mobile money platform, from which the agents transfer the money to the beneficiary’s bank account or give physical cash of N10,000 in cases where no account exists. The Bank of Industry facilitates the loan disbursements in partnership with third-party agents to ensure transparency, accountability and efficiency of the process.

What is reassuring is that Nigerians are aware of the desperation of people like Fayose, who are rehashing old, baseless and worn-out allegations because they really have nothing to offer Nigerians, nor any shard of honour left to their names.



Signed by:

SIP Response Team, Presidency

Are you a lawmaker or lawbreaker-BMO to Dino Melaye

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has advised Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial district Dino Melaye to end the police siege on his home by turning himself in to the operatives.

This is in the aftermath of a four-day police blockade of his Maitama, Abuja home by a police team out to effect a warrant of arrest for what Police Spokesman Jimoh Moshood says is a case of “Criminal Conspiracy and Attempted Culpable Homicide against the federal lawmaker.

BMO said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, that this would be the best way to end a siege that is capable of sending wrong signals about the Nigerian political elite to the local and international observers.

“For starters, as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dino Melaye swore to an oath to uphold the laws of the land, but for more than five months, he has failed to honour an invitation over the alleged shooting of an on-duty Police officer Sergeant Danjuma Saliu by some armed men in his convoy on July 19 2018 in Kogi State.

“This is inspite of pledging on national television few days after the incident that he would show up at the state police command to show that their account was ‘false and illogical’.

“In that interview, the Senator insisted that the police account was wrong and infact accused the police of shooting at his convoy of 20 vehicles on his way to a scheduled event.”

BMO is concerned that rather than allow the law to take its course, the Senator is resorting to pontificating.

“It is sad that at a time that Nigerians expect Senator Melaye to show a good example, he has opted to play up religious sentiment by quoting a passage in the Holy Bible that has nothing to do with the situation at hand.

“The issue at stake is the near-fatal shooting of a Police operative by men who were said to be in his convoy, so there is enough reason for him to clear his name as a federal lawmaker.”

The group wondered why the Senator failed to honour the police invitation to at least clear his name even when he had between July and December been involved in legislative duties and other activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“There was ample time for the Senator to clear his name especially after the Police sent a formal letter of invitation to the Clerk of the National Assembly dated July 23 and which was duly acknowledged and is now in the public domain as proof that due process was followed.

“Infact three months later, the Senator joined some leaders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stage a protest at the Force Headquarters.

“Pictures from the protest showed Senator Melaye, shirt unbuttoned, in a virtual confrontation with mobile police men right in front of the national police headquarters in what could be interpreted as a subtle message to the Kogi Police command.

“The other subliminal message is that members of the political elite can get away with what an average Nigerian dares not do,” it said.

BMO also hailed the police for their patience, professionalism and maturity in handling a situation that could have been tagged as a clamp down on the government critic.

The group added that “It is instructive that it took the police several months to make a serious attempt to arrest the Senator, and even at that, they ensured they had a valid warrant of arrest before making a move.

“Now these operatives have in the last few days been obstructed from performing their duties under the guise that the Senator is not in his Abuja residence while the PDP and its leaders are using the opportunity to play to the gallery by seeking to ridicule one of the nation’s critical institutions.

"It would be imperative for the Senator to hand himself in for investigation and for PDP elements to allow the Police to do their job inspite of Dino Melaye's profile in the opposition ranks".

LYING, FAKE NEWS; ATIKU’S CAMPAIGN MANTRA- BMO
The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has alleged that the slew of fake news, especially on social media, targeted at the Nigerian Military is the handiwork of Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar and his media organisation.
The group stated that recent untrue claims of terrorists’ attacks on our military, desertion by Police personnel, allegations of corruption scandals in the military hierarchy and the resurfacing of a 2014 claim by soldiers of lack of weaponry are sponsored fake news by the opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement signed by Niyi Akinsiju and Cassidy Madueke, Chairman and Secretary respectively, BMO stated that the Atiku Abubakar campaign, having no issues to bring forward, has resorted to sponsoring fake news items aimed at tarnishing the image of Nigeria’s Armed Forces and security personnel.
“Atiku Abubakar’s desperation knows no bounds; his recent moves to sponsor narrative through fake news that paint Nigeria’s security personnel as weak and incapable of carrying out their duties, is an example of the PDP candidate’s desperation and lack of patriotism.”
it noted that “the PDP campaign, finding no fault in the current leadership of the Nigerian Army, had began sponsoring old videos from 2014 with the aim of selling a narrative that suggests that the military under President Buhari has not been well-taken care of like it was during their 16 year rule of malfeasance.”
The group highlighted that a recent report by an American firm making unbacked claims that the recently slain former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshal Alex Badeh, was killed to hide corruption under the current Defence leadership was fake news and the handiwork of Mr Brian Ballard, the United States lobbyist Atiku procured at $90,000 a month.
“It is shameful that a former Vice President of Nigeria would procure the service of an American lobby firm to sponsor fake news aimed at attacking the morale and credibility of Nigeria’s Armed Forces.
"in addition to this is the hiring of foreign trolls to man their online handles in a way that is against National interest.
"The whole aim is to destroy national institutions including INEC and cause confusion after realising that they have lost the contest even before the votes are cast.

“This goes to emphasise the fact that Mr Abubakar does not have Nigeria’s interest at heart and must be kept far away from the seat of power.

“The PDP has nothing to sell to Nigerians; it has a candidate who is notorious for corruption allegations and is distrusted across the globe; asides being the candidate of a party responsible for the pillage of Nigeria’s treasury.”
The group called on Nigerians to be wary of Atiku and his party as they would begin promoting fake news items in attempts to compare the Buhari administration to their horrid past.
BMO also accused the PDP Presidential candidate's media handlers of lying when they claimed that President Buhari has a record of trafficking illicit funds.
“It is a blatant lie that Atiku Abubakar, as head of Customs at the Lagos airport in 1984 stopped the ADC of the then Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari, from smuggling in 53 suitcases of looted money.
“This is a matter that was settled back then. The suitcases were the personal belonging of the then Nigerian Ambassador to Libya who was returning to the country after his tour of duty with his three wives and sixteen children.
“The late Ambassador was coming into the country at the same time as the Emir of Gwandu whose son was General Buhari’s ADC and his suitcases were falsely presented to the public as those of the Emir.
"So from all indications, the suitcases which were cleared through Customs by soldiers had nothing to do with Buhari and there was nothing to suggest that illicit funds were being brought into the country.”
It consequently urged Nigerians to be cautious of the opposition party in the run up to the 2019 Presidential elections.
“Nigerians must be wary in the coming weeks. The party which has no agenda to sell would continue promoting lies on the media.
"It would, like one of its recent converts, begin to trivialise the impact of corruption and even attempt to normalise it, Nigerians must fight and reject this.”

Achi-Okpagha giving Ohanaeze Ndigbo a bad name - Group

A political group in Nigeria says Prince Uche Achi-Okpagha is tarnishing the image and acceptability of apex Igbo socio-political organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

Oganiru-Igbo Union (OIU) said statements credited to Achi-Okpagha does not represent what Igbos stand for, stressing that, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has been hijacked by some self-seeking individuals.

President of OIU, Chief Christian U. Amadi explained that Igbos and indeed Nigerians can see through the likes of Achi-Okpagha who have added no value to Nigeria and even Igbos.

“It is not Ohanaeze Ndigbo that is the problem, it is people like Achi-Okpagha (National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze) who is led by his belly. People like him add no value to our country, they only seek to divide us.

Amadi said only last month, the group’s youth council was praising President Muhammadu Buhari for all the road construction in the region.

In November, National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro praised President Buhari in Abakaliki and said the Igbos were happy with him.

Quoting Isiguzoro, Amadi said, “I must tell you that the people of South East region are happy with President Buhari’s ingenuity particularly in the area of road rehabilitation, like the Enugu-Onitsha, Enugu-Okigwe and Port Harcourt highways.”

Amadi noted that groups like Ohanaeze Ndigbo should unite Nigerians and not divide the country. “Achi-Okpagha is causing people to believe that Ohanaeze Ndigbo is a divisive group that is not serving the interests of Igbos.

He added that South East governors have openly commended President Buhari and those are the people who lead the South East.

“The Home Grown School Feeding Programme has been endorsed and lauded by South East governors. The infrastructural achievements by this administration is there for all to see,” he said.

“N-Power, TraderMoni, FarmerMoni and other Social Investment Programmes have positively affected all Nigerians including Igbos.

OIU also rebuked Achi-Okpagha for saying Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is allowing President Buhari use him like toilet tissue.

“This group has no moral justification for such as statement, Amadi said, “The combination of Buhari and Osinbajo is the best Nigeria has had, they are two people with integrity, credibility and dignity.

“The chemistry between them is beyond the understanding of opposition groups like Ohanaeze,” he argued.

Amadi added that Buhari and Osinbajo will be re-elected based on the good job they have done in the last three and half years.

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

APC ANNOUNCES MEMBERS OF PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN COUNCIL 2019



The All Progressives Congress, APC, has released the names of members of its Presidential Campaign Council for the 2019 elections. They are as follows:





CHAIRMAN

President Muhammadu Buhari



CO-CHAIRMAN

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu



DEPUTY CHAIRMEN

1. The Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.

2. The APC National Chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomole



VICE CHAIRMAN NORTH

Senator George Akume



VICE CHAIRMAN SOUTH

Senator Ken Nnamani



DIRECTOR GENERAL

His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi



DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL (OPERATIONS)

Senator A.O. Mamora



DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL (COORDINATION)

Arch. Waziri Bulama





SECRETARY

1. Adamu Adamu

2. Dele Alake





ZONAL DIRECTORS

a. North West: Senator Aliyu M. Wamakko

b. North East: Senator Muh’d Ali Ndume

c. North Central: Senator Abdullahi Adamu

d. South West: Sola Oke, SAN

e. South East: Sharon Ikeazor

f. South South: Senator Godswill Akpabio

DIRECTORATES



a. Director, Buhari Support Groups - Dr. Mahmoud Mohammed

b. Director, Strategic Communications - Festus Keyamo, SAN

a. Deputy Director- Abike Dabiri- Erewa

c. Director, Contact & Mobilization - Hadiza Bala Usman

a. Deputy Director South -Victor Eboigre

b. Deputy Director North- Senator Bashir Nalado

d. Director, Election Planning & Monitoring - Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN

a. Deputy Director I- Baba Kura Abba Jato

b. Deputy Director II-Chief Emani Ayiri

e. Director, Logistics – Dr. Pius Odubu

a. Deputy Director- Senator Umanah Umanah

b. Deputy Director II- Nasiru Danu

f. Director, Policy Research & Strategy- Prof Abdulrahman Oba

a. Deputy Director- Prof. A.K. Usman

g. Director, Youth Mobilization- Hon. Tony Nwoye assisted by the APC Youth Leader sadiq

a. Deputy Director North- Barrister Ismaeel Ahmed

b. Deputy Director South - Jasper Azuatalam

h. Director, Admin- Onari Brown

a. Deputy Director I- Chris Hassan

b. Deputy Director II- Abubakar Magaji Gasau

i. Director, Women Mobilization- Woman Leader Salamatu Baiwa

a. Deputy Director North – Binta Mu’azu

b. Deputy Director South - Adejoke Orelope Adefulire



j. Director Security – Gen. A. . Dambazzau

a. Deputy Directors - Brigadier General Gambo and Mr. U. Ukoma



k. Director Legal – Emeka Ngige, SAN

a. Deputy Director- Prof. Maman Lawan Yusufari

l. Director Field Opertaions- Mallam Nuhu Ribadu

M. Director Finance- Wale Edun

Deputy Director ….Alhaji Adamu Fadan

















SPECIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO MR. PRESIDENT

1. Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

2. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

3. Senator Ahmed Lawan (Senate Leader)

4. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila( Leader of the House )

5. APC Party National Chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomole

6. Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

7. Mr. Femi Otedola





COUNCIL MEMBERS

1. Chief Bisi Akande

2. Chief John Oyegun

3. Senator Ita Enang

4. All APC serving Senators

5. All APC serving and former Governors

6. All APC Members of the House of Representatives

7. All members of the National Working Committee of the APC

8. All Zonal Women Leaders







STATE COORDINATORS

1. Governors are to serve as State Coordinators in their respective states

2. Gubernatorial Candidates in non- APC States will serve as State Coordinators in their respective states





Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media and Publicity)

December 28, 2018

Thursday, December 27, 2018

PRESS RELEASE BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI CAMPAIGN ORGANIZATION

ETISALAT AND KEYSTONE BANK SHARES: PUBLIC ALERT ON PLANS BY PDP AND ATIKU TEAM TO RELEASE A SERIES OF WILD, UNSUBSTANTIATED ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT.

With the latest refrain of the PDP linking some phantom shares in Etisalat and Keystone bank to the ‘family’ of the President, we have it on good authority that the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and his party are set to release a series of wild, unsubstantiated allegations against the President and Vice President including their friends and family members, in the next few weeks. With the latest revelation that the said shares are rather linked to relatives of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, it has became a case of the thief calling the farm owner the thief, as the Yorubas would say in a popular proverb. These impending wild allegations would naturally border on corrupt practices without any evidential basis. The purpose is to attempt to dent the greatest forte of the President and Vice President going into 2019 elections, which is their personal integrity. The latest tactics of the main opposition is premised on the following grounds:

a) Since their stuttering campaigns started, they have felt the pulse of Nigerians and realized Nigerians have not forgotten their misdeeds of 16 years whilst in office.

b) They have decided to run a campaign of “we-are-all-corrupt” rather than defend their sordid records of merciless looting of the public purse, which has brought us to where we are today.

c) The aim is to push Nigerians to equate an Alhaji Atiku Abubakar with President Muhammadu Buhari on matters of corruption. They want to deceive Nigerians to think that the 2019 elections is really a choice between two “corrupt” persons

d) By repeating the lies a million times, they aim to get Nigerians to begin to give some serious thought to the lies. This is how the “Jubrin from Sudan” story started, before even some well-exposed and educated Nigerians were nearly converted on that issue.

e) Their latest desperate diversionary tactics is because even the most uneducated Nigerian has now understood that all the issues upon which the main opposition is campaigning are self-indicting issues, especially on the Economy and Security. The foundation for the challenges in these sectors, are firmly rooted in their 16 years of disastrous governance. President Buhari has just started a re-building process.

Nigerians should therefore brace up for six weeks of despicable lies from the pit of hell against the President and Vice President, to try to suggest to Nigerians that the President and his deputy are part of the league of looters to which they belong. But Nigerians should understand that the choices before them have never been this clear: It is between a fugitive from the law in America and a President who has never been accused of stealing anything in his entire life and is respected both locally and internationally; It is between a man who claims he wants to ‘get Nigeria working again’ yet has always refused to pay his taxes AS AT WHEN DUE and a man who has NEVER cheated the Nigerian State. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has since kept an ominous silence over this damaging allegation of irresponsible and deliberate tax evasion that is now before a court of law.

Whilst the President and Vice President are prepared and willing to answer any genuine inquiry raised about their stewardship, Nigerians should always ask the critical questions as to “where”, “when”, “how”, names, dates, addresses, etc in respect of any allegation raised by the opposition before giving any credence to it. This is because as the Atiku Campaign continues to fall apart on a daily basis, we may hear such desperate allegation from them that President Buhari has sold the buildings in Aso Rock to the Israelis or Americans!!!

Nigerians should tell Alhaji Atiku Abubakar that it is too late in the day to impugn the integrity of Mr. President, or to “package” himself before Nigerians as a honest man. Nigerians only need to read the book by his former boss, ex President, Olusegun Obasanjo titled, “MY WATCH”.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar must bear the cross and tar of corruption alone (as pronounced by the Congress in America and his former boss). He should not drag President Muhammadu Buhari into that room of moral debauchery with him.

Thank you.

FESTUS KEYAMO, SAN, FCIArb (UK)
Director of Strategic Communications (Official Spokesperson)
President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organization.

Wednesday, December 26, 2018.

PRESS RELEASE BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI
CAMPAIGN ORGANIZATION

IF THE SYSTEM WERE TO BE WORKING BEFORE PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI TOOK OVER IN 2015, ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR WOULD BE IN JAIL BY NOW INSTEAD OF CONTESTING FOR THE PRESIDENCY.

Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to the Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar disputing the assertion by President Muhammadu Buhari that the system in Nigeria allows corruption to thrive because the system is slow in tackling corruption. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar further blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for perceived failure in addressing some instances of ‘corrupt practices’ under his watch.

Let us remind Alhaji Atiku Abubakar that he is one of the greatest beneficiaries of the failed system in tackling corruption that was in place before President Muhammadu Buhari took over in 2015. We know he is aware of this, hence his latest diatribe against President Muhammadu Buhari amounts to nothing but disgusting grandstanding and an attempt to mock the system.

If the system in Nigeria was indeed working, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would not have acquired substantial shares in INTELS in clear conflict of his duties as a Customs Officer whilst in office. Those shares would have belonged to the Nigerian people by now.

If the system in Nigeria was indeed working, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would not have run a monopolistic company called INTELS all these years, ripping off the Nigerian people and the Nigerian State before Muhammadu Buhari came and broke that monopoly.

If the system was working, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would have been prosecuted and jailed for various acts of corruption and abuse of office after he left office as Vice President, some of which are:

(a) For himself and his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, granting themselves licenses to build universities as President and Vice President whilst in office in clear breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers. Those Universities would have been probed, seized and transferred to the Nigeria State and the Nigerian people by now.

(b) Laundering slush funds to the United States of America using phony companies, part of which was used to fund his present American University in Adamawa State through which he is also extorting Nigerians through exorbitant fees. It is public knowledge that this indictment is contained in a US Congressional Report that has led to the prosecution and conviction of his accomplices in the US, which are William Jefferson and Siemens. They were convicted under a system that works, whilst he has been walking free in Nigeria and even aspiring to the highest office in the land. It is also public knowledge that his ban from entering the United States was as a result of these indictments.

(c) His indictment and recommendation for prosecution by the Report of the EFCC over the PTDF scandal whilst he was Vice President.

We have also read with keen interest the case filed against Alhaji Atiku Abubakar by some public spirited Nigerians alleging that he never paid his Personal Income Taxes as at when due, yet he wants to ‘get Nigeria working again’. In this regard, we are also challenging Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to publicly display his Personal Income Tax receipts for the 3 years preceding 2018 to show that he did not just run to FIRS in 2018 to pay his backlog of Personal Income Taxes.

For the information of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, President Muhammadu Buhari’s gallant efforts in tackling corruption headlong has led to the conviction of the President’s own party men and ex Governors who served under PDP and for acts they committed whilst in PDP. 703 persons and institutions have been convicted by the EFCC under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari since 2015. The biggest recoveries of stolen public funds in the history of Nigeria is being carried out by President Muhammadu Buhari. These recoveries were made from principally his party men who now wish to lead Nigeria with him. Some of these recoveries/seizures/forfeitures (interim and final) are:

(a) 407 Mansions since 2015.
(b) N794 Billion, over $261 Million Dollars, 1.1 Million Pounds Sterling, 8.1 Million Euros,
(c) 259 Automobiles.
(d) A fully functional hospital, St. Solomon Health Care Centre at 24, Adeniyi Jones Street, Ikeja Lagos e.t.c.

There are so many other instances too numerous to mention. These are a world apart from the few instances of the reluctant fight against corruption that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar claimed happened under his watch as Vice President. During his time, there was a competition for corruption between himself, his boss and public officers.

We also urge the PDP to stop making wild, unsubstantiated allegations of corruption without a modicum of proof. We have no time to respond to any allegation by the PDP without the backing of some kind of document or proof. When we see some scintilla of proof, we shall respond appropriately. And that is how we have treated the recent allegation of acquisition of shares in Etisalat and Keystone Bank by some supposed ‘family members’ of the President. No name was mentioned and no document was shown.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar latest adventure in trying to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in matters of integrity with President Muhammadu Buhari is a political suicide mission from which we thought his handlers would have tried to steer him away. But alas! They have decided to test the waters. Locally and internationally President Muhammadu Buhari stands several miles away from Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in matters of integrity. When the President used all his life in public office building a reputation and a name, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar used all his life in public office to build mansions and acquire personal wealth. Now Judgment Day has come when the credential needed by the Nigerian people for the highest office are not the buildings and wealth but the simple quality of integrity.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar cannot eat his cake and have it.

Thank you.


FESTUS KEYAMO, SAN, FCIArb (UK)
Director of Strategic Communications (Official Spokesperson)
President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organization.

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT



PRESS RELEASE



HOW AFRICA, EUROPE CAN COLLABORATE TO TAP BENEFITS OF DIGITAL ECONOMY, BY VP OSINBAJO AT EUROPE-AFRICA FORUM



*Urges Nigerians to keep faith with nation in Vienna meeting with Diaspora community





Africa and Europe must work together to advance and harvest the economic benefits of digital economy, and at the same time prevent a counter-productive widening of the digital gap, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.



Prof. Osinbajo stated this today at the Africa-Europe High-Level Forum in Vienna, Austria, which had in attendance other African and European Heads of States or Government.



The meeting organized by the European Union and African Union, held in Vienna, Austria on Monday, December 17, and Tuesday, December 18.



Speaking on the forum’s theme ‘Taking cooperation to the digital age’, the Vice President noted that investments in digital technology can make important contribution to growth and development by fostering productivity gains from continuous innovation.



He said, “Given our fast-growing population in Africa, we are, of course, keen to work together to boost the job creation potential of new technologies rather than concentrating on jobs destined to disappear in the digital age. Faster growth, sustainable development and job creation are also vital for reducing irregular migration from Africa to Europe. In our globalized world, people can see disparities in standards of living across regions quite easily. This means there must be increasing openings for entrepreneurship and jobs in home countries for those who would otherwise embark on risk journeys in search of opportunities. In Nigeria we are taking urgent and practical steps to provide such opportunities for our rapidly increasing youth population.”



Prof. Osinbajo also highlighted the strides made by the Buhari administration in developing Nigeria’s technology sector through supporting public-private sector initiatives and the advisory group on technology and creativity.



Noting that the advisory group has been working to build an ecosystem for funding, training, infrastructure and intellectual property protection, the Vice President added that the country’s Social Investment Programme has been leveraging on technology tools to drive it in its bid to improve the economy and lives of Nigerians.



He said, “Under our social investment programme, 75,000 young people are being trained in coding, software development, hardware maintenance, animation and data management, and we’re set to train another 200,000 young men and women. Similarly, we have established 8 technology hubs to support tech startups across our six geopolitical zones and two major cities of Abuja and Lagos.



“We’ve encouraged partnership to establish venture funds to support innovation and are now engaged in talks to establish a $500 million innovation funds with bilateral and multilateral partners.



“We’ll be deploying digital methods and tools on a larger scale to expand learning opportunities for younger Nigerians, as conventional education through brick and mortar institution can no longer be viable given the huge numbers and limited resources. Already, 200,000 out of our 500,000 young graduates in our N-Power scheme have tablet devices, which we use for on-the-job training and further skills acquisition. This experience will guide our efforts as we seek to expand digital literacy at earlier stages of education.



“Similarly, our education curriculum is being reworked to emphasize Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. The Arts have been included because of the growing recognition of the strengths of our country, especially in the arts, music, film and literature.”



Prof. Osinbajo also highlighted the growth in e-commerce in Nigeria, with references to leading e-commerce platforms that have leveraged on technology to grow their businesses.



He said, “Financial technology is being used in our efforts to rapidly scale up financial inclusion. Working with our banks, TELCOs and FinTech companies, we’ve used digital tools and platforms to provide interest-free micro loans to up to 1.3 million Nigerians and about 300,000 received Conditional Cash Transfers by the same means. We hire, pay and train online 500,000 young men and women in the largest post-tertiary direct jobs programme in Africa. Through participation in this scheme, present and future beneficiaries would be brought into databases for unique biometric identification.



The Vice president also thanked European countries for their support, while calling on other EU member states to partner with Nigeria and Africa to impart skills, raise resources, promote investment and provide infrastructure to build a digital economy.



“I’m optimistic that our efforts would attract strong support and active engagement of our partners in the European Union. Indeed, already, we have some good examples of that in the African Digital leaders Training programme, which is a partnership between Ventures Platform of Nigeria and Enterprise Lithuania with funding from the European Union. This innovative programme would provide digital skills training for 50 young Nigerians in Lithuania, while at the same time, relieving temporary labour shortage in that country. A reintegration component is also built into the package.



“We have a moment in the history of Europe-Africa relations that can yield tremendous mutual benefits. Let us seize this moment,” he said.



Several African and European Heads of Government attended the High-Level forum. They include the Austrian Federal Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz; the Prime Ministers of Netherlands, Mark Rutte; Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki; Hungary, Viktor Orban; Czech Republic, Andrej Babis; and deputy Prime Minister of Ireland. African Heads of Government at the meeting include the President of Rwanda, who is also the Chairperson of the African Union, Paul Kagame; President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo; Egypt’s Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi; Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta; and Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar, among others.



Earlier on Monday night, Prof. Osinbajo had an interactive session with the Nigerian community in Austria during a town hall meeting.



At the meeting attended by leading members of the Nigerian community in Vienna, the Vice President commended the work of Nigerians in Diaspora, noting that that the Nigerian community was adding value to the country.



Prof Osinbajo said, “We very strongly believe that our country can do much better than where we are, we have practically everything that it takes to make the country work. In fact we have more than what it takes to make the country do exceedingly well; there is no question about that. But corruption has been the major problem in the country.



Adding that Nigeria must tackle "the monster of corruption,", the Vice President added, “there is no country in the world that can survive when its resources are stolen the way our resources were stolen. It doesn’t really matter how you slice it or describe it, so long as a few people can take government or public resources and do with it as they like, they are not likely to be able to do the basic.”



He also urged Nigerians to continue to support the work of the administration in making the country better through provision of more infrastructure and tackling grand corruption, among other development initiatives.



“Today our country earns 60 per cent less than it earned five years ago, but we have spent N2.7 trillion in two budget cycle in infrastructure, that is the highest in the history of our country,” he said.



In attendance at the town hall meeting were the Nigerian Ambassador to Austria, Amb. Vivian Okeke; the Nigerian Ambassador to Hungary, Dr. Eniola Ajayi; leaders of Nigerian communities in Austria, and other senior government officials.





Laolu Akande

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity

Office of the Vice President

18th December, 2018

BMO DISMISSES AMNESTY’S REPORT AS MISCHIEVOUS, HATCHET JOB

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has accused Amnesty International (AI) of carrying out a hatchet job for the opposition in the run up to the 2019 general elections.

This, it says, is obvious with the release of a report titled ‘Harvest of Deaths’ which focused on Herders-Farmers clash in the last three years, but which was tilted to make it look like the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari did little or nothing to stem the tide of violence.

BMO said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke that AI was out to send out subtle message to eligible voters in a report that was expertly made to appear balanced.

“It is also suspicious that Amnesty International went to great lengths to establish what we have always known- that herders’ communities had also been victims of a mindless orgy of violence over land and grazing routes.

“Could it have to do with the fact that the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is also a member of the same Fulani ethnic stock like the President?

“But it is mischievous to create the impression that the conflict is either a three-year old conflict or that it was worse in the last three years.”

BMO also questioned the real intention of Amnesty International in releasing its report barely two months to the election.

“If the rights’ watchdog meant well for Nigeria, it should have released the report at a time some Nigerians felt that it was a one-way attack by Fulani herdsmen on innocent farming communities because of the ethnic identity of President Buhari.

“This would have served to correct that impression, but not at a time of relative peace in virtually all the states listed in the report.

“Could it be that Amnesty is bent on stoking the dying embers of the conflict in those states?

“Or why has a group that is meant to be interested in peaceful co-existence not opted to focus on what the government had done right to manage the century-long conflicts between farmers and herdsmen.”

It added that the report is on one hand a continuation of Amnesty International’s gripe against Nigeria in recent times, and on the other hand an affirmation of what its management has always said in spite of information to the contrary.

“The report is a product of a pre-conceived notion which AI just used witnesses to back up. For instance AI’s country Director Osai Ojigho had in a February 2018 interview in 'The Cable' claimed that ‘despite the fact that this has been going on for a long time, can we point out one or two cases where people have been arrested, persecuted and fully went through the course of the law to ensure justice’.

“If it operated with an unbiased mindset, Amensty would have known that a 15-year-old Fulani herdsman, Haruna Usman was sentenced to death for killing a farmer in Kogi in 2017; just as another court in Adamawa handed down the death sentence to five young men for killing a herdsmen also in 2017.

“All these happened before Ms Ojigho’s interview where she was emphatic that there had been no arrests and prosecution of people on both sides of the conflict”.

“The report gave chilling account of how people including two catholic priests were killed in Benue state but was silent on the prosecution of the suspects in a report that painted a picture of little or no arrest or prosecution.

“More surprising is that the AI report conveniently left out the fact that security forces arrested and are prosecuting six suspects including the commander of the state Livestock Guard Tahaku Aliyu in connection with the April 24, 2018 killing.

“The Police made the arrests within a few weeks and as at May 31, the suspects were facing trial but Amnesty International conveniently omitted it from a report which concluded that security agencies and the government are not doing enough to prosecute suspects.

“In addition, the Police have recovered 9,657 illegal firearms and ammunition from suspected militias, armed herdsmen and farmers in a nationwide mop-up exercise.

“The Army, on its part, launched full scale military operations in Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kaduna and Niger states which led to the death of scores of militant herdsmen and several arrests.”

The Pro-Buhari group consequently urged well-meaning Nigerians to view the latest report with suspicion, especially as the government is not only taking steps to mop up illegal weapons, but is also putting in place confidence-building mechanisms that have significantly reduced tension in the affected states.

GROUP SAYS AMNESTY’S REPORT IS INCITING, INCHOATE AND MISLEADING

…Title of report is a mockery of the dead

A political group in Nigeria has described an Amnesty International(AI) report on the farmers - herders clashes in the country as inciting, inchoate and misleading, stressing that the agency was by its report rejoicing and glorifying violence in Nigeria.

The Initiative to Save Democracy (ISD) stated that the report failed to consider a broad and historical view of the crisis, but deliberately limited the scope of its report from January 2016 to 2018 to pull the wool over the eyes of unsuspecting readers.

President of the group, James Akinloye said that by considering only these two years the content of the report was inconclusive and thus misleading as the herders - farmers clashes predates the period under review and readers would be deliberately misled to think the crisis started only within the last three years.

The group went further to state that the title of the report HARVEST OF DEATHS was a clear indication that Amnesty International had ulterior motives and was seeking to incite violence in the country.

“To title a report Harvest of Deaths is not just insensitive but also wicked. It is an attempt by Amnesty International to push for unrest in the country at a time when the country is already enjoying relative peace. The content of the report only seeks to open healing wounds. No responsible agency fighting for human rights titles its report Harvest of Death. Such a nomenclature is a mockery of the dead to start with.

“It is also ill-timed. Two months to an election is not the time to put out a report on a very sensitive subject- matter except one has a motive that is egregiously wicked and prejudiced,” Akinloye said.

The ISD noted that the release of the report two months to an election suggests either sponsorship of its activities by members of the opposition party or an outright intention by the Amnesty International to influence the voting posture of Nigerians during the elections.

Akinloye argued that where a foreign body does a thing like this, it is investigated for election interference and a possible ban from the country.

He went further to note that: “the Amnesty report deliberately omitted a very significant arrest in the herders - farmers clashes; that is the arrest of Aliyu Tashaku who was the mastermind of most of the killings in Benue state which were masqueraded as clashes.

“The report falsely kept rehashing that government had not acted or arrested any persons, while failing to acknowledge the arrest of several Fulani herdsmen who were involved in killings and were being tried in courts in Benue, Taraba, Adamawa and Plateau States. This reveals the bias of Amnesty International and its agenda to plunge Nigeria into violence. It also failed to acknowledge the role of several militia groups in the region, many of whom had been arrested by government security agencies.”

Mr Akinloye stated that in the last 4 months most of the communities in the North Central had been experiencing relative peace due to the efforts of the government including the bringing to justice of perpetrators of the heinous killings.

He further noted that the killings fell by over 90% in Benue State after the arrest of Alhaji Aliyu Tashaku who was reported to have been behind most of the killings in the state.

ISD noted that the government had done a lot and Nigerians were not blind to their efforts, it further called on the security agencies to increase their efforts to ensure a more peaceful country.

Mr Akinloye also added that the security agencies should, while investigating the many claims of Amnesty International, also investigate the body itself as it may be financed by persons seeking to distabilise the country

7 BOGUS CLAIMS PETER OBI MADE AT THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE – The 7th Is The Most Hilarious

Peter Obi is not just intellectually deficient - all bombastic and no substance - he is also poor with figures.

Here are 7 notorious claims which he made during the Vice Presidential Debate which are outright FALSE!


1. CLAIM BY PETER OBI: There are about two million vehicles in Nigeria.

FACT: False. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria has a total vehicle population of about 11,547,236 as at the third quarter of 2017. The number of cars in the South West axis alone is far more than 2 Million.

2. CLAIM BY PETER OBI: African trade today is less than 9 percent.

FACT: False. According to Afriexim Bank, Intra-Africa trade is around 15 percent. In 2016, intra-African exports made up 18 percent of total exports according to Brookings Institution.

3. CLAIM BY PETER OBI: Oil gives you 80% of foreign exchange earnings.

FACT: False. As at 2017 NBS figures showed that Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings from oil the oil sector stood above 90%.

4. CLAIM BY PETER OBI: Total loans from the banks in Nigeria is N19trn and only 0.5% goes to SMEs

FACT: FALSE. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) money and credit statistics, banking sector credit to private increased to N22.72 trillion at the end of October 2018, compared with N22.56 trillion it stood at the end of September 2018.

5. CLAIM BY PETER OBI: Apple Inc’s market cap is bigger than the economies of Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt.

FACT: This is not true. Apple’s market cap today is $788.57 billion. The economies of these three countries are bigger than Apple.


6. CLAIM BY PETER OBI: Nigeria has fallen on the global competitive index from 124 to 127.

FACT: False. According to the latest (2018) World Economic Forum report, Nigeria rose on the index by 10 places. Obi’s claim was true in 2016.

7. CLAIM BY PETER OBI: The number of people living in poverty has grown by 6% every minute.

FACT: If this wild assertion were to be expounded, according to Peter Obi 6% of Nigeria’s population at 180 Million people, that is 10,800,000 people, become poor every minute. That means before the debate ended - an hour after he made that assertion - 648,000,000 persons had become poorer. (That is more than 3 times the population of Nigeria.) And by the next day, 15,552,000,000 - over 15 billion - people would have been poorer. That is about two times the world’s population.


Asides cooking up figures, Peter Obi must also be good at creating poverty.

VP OSINBAJO FLOORS PDP CANDIDATE IN VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE



NIGERIANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA MOCK OBI'S FALSE NARRATIVES



Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has shown a gulf of class between him and other Vice Presidential candidates when he blew his compatriots away with his insight on constitutional, economic, security and social development issues.



Osinbajo who is seeking reelection in office alongside incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari, riveted his class as the best Vice President in Nigeria’s history.



Osinbajo a proficient orator and inarguably Nigeria’s favourite Vice President proved that he was no fluke as he displayed his dexterity, aura and finesse at the Vice Presidential debate which held at the Transcorp Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.



The debate organized by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) had four other Vice Presidential candidates in attendance, Peter Obi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ganiyu Galadima of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN); Khadija Abdullahi-Iya of Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) and Umma Getso of Young Progressive Party (YPP).



Stating categorically how the ruling government will take Nigerians to the next level when re-elected, Osinbajo noted that the government will continue to build on infrastructure and human capital development.



“What we intend to do is to build on what we are doing and that is why we are talking of the Next Level. We have moved 24 places up on the Ease of Doing Business,” the Vice President said at the debate.



“We need to improve power transmission, we need to improve our rail and road infrastructure to boost our economy, the Vice President explained.



He also stated that, “foreign Investment will come when we create an environment for local industries. We are also looking at the taxation regime and will continue to ensure that small and medium businesses continue to thrive.”



He however drew the biggest cheer of the debate when he replied Peter Obi, the Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP insinuated that the ruling All Progressives Congress had left its shop and was chasing thieves.



In response, Prof Osinbajo said, “If you allow criminals to steal all the inventories in the shop, there will be no shop. That’s the problem and the World Bank said that corruption is the major impediment to Nigeria’s development.



Speaking on power, Osinbajo said, “I think the common denominator between the two countries you mentioned is the strong infrastructure,” the VP said referring to the mention of China and South Africa, adding that,



While under President Buhari, power generation capacity has climbed up to a high of 7,000 MW, the Vice President pointed out that “Our nation in the past 16 years has suffered a major infrastructure deficit. So, we don’t have rails, roads. When we came into power in 2015, power was 4,000MW in 16 years,”



“So, you need strong infrastructure. No one can argue about it. The second thing is you cannot have a strong economy if you allow the type of grand corruption that has taken place in Nigeria in the last 16 years.”



The Vice Presidential Candidate of the PDP was observed by many, especially on social media, to have been economical with some of the data he churned out. He had claimed that Nigeria had over 2 million cars, however checks from data released by the National Bureau of Statistics show that in the third quarter of 2017 alone, there were over 11.5 Million cars in the country.



Social media users took on this issue and have made posts calling out the Vice Presidential Candidate.



After the two hour, 30 minutes debate, the Vice Presidential candidates were awarded certificates of participation after which they took a group photograph.

ATIKU’S ASSENT TO PEACE PACT, AN AFTERTHOUGHT - BMO

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has described the belated signing of the Election Peace Pact by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as an afterthought.

Atiku had failed to honour the invitation earlier extended to him by the National Peace Committee led by the former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO noted that Atiku had no intention of signing the Peace Pact as he and members of his party intended to push out fake news and hate speeches, promote violence and ultimately disrupt the 2019 elections, threats the Peace Pact was being signed against.

“We recall that in September, Atiku had said that if he did not get the Presidential ticket of his party he would unleash crisis in the party. Before then, his party PDP had in July said that it would boycott the 2019 elections and would reject the results of the elections. This tells us that Atiku and his party already had a mindset of sponsoring chaos during the 2019 elections and were unwilling to have anything to do with peace, not to talk of signing a Peace Pact.”

The group noted that Atiku Abubakar had come under serious international pressure and chiding hence his signing of the Peace Pact, albeit reluctantly.

The group added that Atiku and the PDP’s excuses were flimsy and unbelievable, as, all over the media, the news of the signing of the Peace Pact was everywhere and his saying that he did not get any invitation was a lie that even a child would not believe.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has shown leadership by signing the peace pact despite the absence of Alhaji Abubakar. We observe that this example shown by the president is consistent with his approach in the previous presidential elections that he had participated, especially in 2015 when he also signed a peace accord with former President Goodluck Jonathan.”

“The president has by signing the peace accord demonstrated that he cherishes peace and that his government is committed to free and credible elections in 2019.”

“We also appeal to the Committee to further extend it good work to the various states as they are critical to the existence of peace in the country. We believe that if different contestants for political offices in states are brought into the peace accord, it will go a long way to promote peace and development in the whole country.”

The Buhari Media Organisation called on the political class to emulate the example of President Muhammadu Buhari who has through his actions demonstrated the need for all Nigerians to work for peaceful coexistence among all Nigerians, especially as we approach the 2019 general elections.

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
PRESS RELEASE

NIGERIA AN INVESTMENT DESTINATION OF CHOICE WITH INCREASING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, VP OSINBAJO TELLS GERMAN INVESTORS

*Says diversification of Nigeria's economy on course

*VP makes compelling pitch for investment in Nigeria, excites German investors at Business Dialogue

Nigeria is a leading investment destination for potential and serious investors, and the business opportunities are abundant and increasing, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, today at the first Nigeria-German Business Dialogue in Germany.

He made the disclosure today at the Adlon Kempinski Hotel in Berlin, where the Vice President spoke on the abundant investment opportunities available in Nigeria, as the special guest at the well attended forum with German investors, international business people and diplomats

According to him, "Given the economic and trading developments in other parts of the world, Nigeria has become an investment destination of choice."

Referencing a recent McKinsey report, the VP pointed out that, "consumer spending in Africa was $1.4 trillion by 2015, with Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa accounting for more than half of that total. There is also increasing economic opportunities in Nigeria because of deliberate actions by our government to diversify the economy and improve the business environment."

While applauding the existing relations between Nigeria and Germany, the Vice President noted that Nigeria is a natural partner of Germany, which is also the largest economy in the European Union, and also its most populous country.

He said, "Both countries are potential locomotives of growth, trade and investment between Africa and Europe, and this is undoubtedly why there have been a significant exchange of high-level visits between both countries, including, most recently, the visit to Nigeria by Chancellor Angela Merkel at the end of August earlier this year.

“It is encouraging that there are significant economic ties between Nigeria and Germany. Germany is a significant exporter to Nigeria, which is its second largest trading partner in Africa. Recent reports show that German investment in Nigeria contributes as much as $1 billion in turnover annually.

"This is good, but we must agree that there is scope for even deeper collaboration given that Nigeria’s GDP is close to $500bn.”

The Vice President told the gathering that the various investment opportunities strengthen the resolve of the Buhari presidency's strong commitment to the diversification policy; because of abundant untapped resources in some critical sectors of the economy such as agriculture, mining and technology.

Citing areas investors could tap into, Prof. Osinbajo remarked that, "agriculture perhaps presents one of the best investment opportunities in Nigeria. Only three years ago we were importing 5 million dollars worth of rice daily. Today we produce locally 10 million metric tonnes of paddy rice annually. And we are importing only two percent of our rice consumption now."

He pointed out that, "investments in milling capacity has risen astronomically since then, with one investor putting a million tonnes of milling capacity into the market. Carlos Farms, a Mexican fruit and vegetable investor, had initially planned to grow bananas and pineapples for export; until he discovered that he was making more money selling his bananas locally at $3 dollars a kilogramme, for what he would have been paid only a dollar per kg in Europe."

“With a substantial percentage of the world’s arable land and over half of that uncultivated, it is becoming clearer that the world will be looking to Africa, and Nigeria in particular, as its food basket. Just to take China’s demand alone, China has 27% of the world’s population, but only 7% of the worlds arable land for agriculture. China needs 2 million tonnes of hybrid Soya beans per annum for livestock feed and vegetable oil. But we have not met that demand."

The Vice President added, “Sesame seed is also in high demand; about 2m tonnes per annum is the demand from China, Vietnam, Japan and Arab countries (Sesame seed oil and the cake are used for confectionaries). That demand is largely unmet. China also requires over 2.3m tonnes of cassava chips and cassava products for industrial starch and ethanol."

Prof. Osinbajo also stressed that, "Africa has also not been able to meet China’s demand for cocoa. How about goat meat? 120,000 carcasses of goat meat are required weekly in different Arab countries. There is still a major gap in supply here as well. Most of Vietnam’s demand for over 2.5 million tons of cashew is unmet.”

“So, Nigeria’s role as food provider to the world and, especially in the next few decades, is clear. It is difficult not to be tremendously successful as an investor in agriculture in Nigeria. At the same time, major business groupings are making serious investments across the agricultural value chain; in rice milling, animal feeds and fertilizer production, amongst other things."

The Vice President also pointed out that diversification of the Nigerian economy is also reflected in the manufacturing sector, in mining and oil and gas. According to him, "Our plans for manufacturing are based on ensuring that the sector can source its inputs and materials locally where possible, but also through imports when necessary, including by ensuring that the sector has access to foreign exchange.”

“A number of Special Economic Zones are being built in Lekki (Lagos State), Aba (Abia State) and Kano, which will serve as hubs for manufacturing activity, while Small and Medium Enterprises will be linked to them through a deepening of the manufacturing value chain."

On the huge investment in the mining sector, Prof. Osinbajo observed that the sector, "which has suffered great neglect with the advent of the oil boom is being revived. One heart-warming development is that with the priority given to the revitalization of the mining sector, a nickel deposit was found in Kaduna State which has been described as ‘world class and highly unusual’.

He further stated that “we are also diversifying within oil”, while adding that Nigeria is already exporting urea since it is producing more than enough for its domestic needs and in the very near future.

“Thanks to the Dangote Group, we expect to have an additional petrol refining capacity of 650,000 barrels a day alongside one of the largest petrochemical facilities in the world,” Prof. Osinbajo noted.

The Vice President also availed investors of opportunities in the service sector, with particular reference to the hospitality sector and budding tourism industries. He stated that, "about 1.8 million international travellers spend two nights on average at Nigeria’s estimated 10,000 hotel rooms yearly. This generated about US$210 million in revenue for the industry in 2017, which barely reflects on Nigeria’s US$500 billion GDP size."

"Nigeria’s hotel industry alone is projected to grow by double digits by 2020, as the sector bounces back post-recession to one of the fastest growing in the world, and the possibilities for investors is significant," he stressed.

Investors who spoke earlier expressed delight and confidence in the growth capacity of the Nigerian economy and the ongoing impact of the economic blueprint of the Buhari administration. The Chairman of the German-African Business Association, Dr Stefan Liebing, acknowledged the huge investment potential of Nigeria and hoped for improved relations between the two countries.

Some of the German companies that attended the dialogue include Airbus Defence and Space; Mota Engil; Petkus Technologies GmbH; Mobisol GmbH; Deutsche Bank AG; KFW; Bundestag; Siemens Nigeria; Commerzbank AG; Deutsche Welle, etc

Present at the business dialogue were Nigeria's Ambassador to Germany, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; Ambassador to France, Amb. Mrs Modupe Irele; Ambassador to Italy, Amb. Yusuf Hinna; Ambassador to Switzerland, Amb. Baba Madugu; Ambassador to Belgium, Amb. Ahmed Yinusa; Deputy Ambassador to Germany, Amb. Shakirat Ogundero; Chairman of German-African Business Association, Dr Stefan Liebing; and a host of other German and Nigerian business leaders.


Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity)
Office of the Vice President
10th December, 2018

Saraki’s thugs disrupt TraderMoni scheme in Ilorin
 
NAN reports
Suspected thugs claiming to be supporters of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, invaded the mandate market and Ipata market in Ilorin, Kwara State, this morning, chasing away petty traders and TraderMoni agents from the markets, disturbing them from carrying on the business of disbursing money to beneficiaries of the TraderMoni scheme.
Eyewitness accounts said that as early as 9am, a small mob, some of them wearing PDP Atikulated T-shirts, stormed the market, led by Alhaja Gazali, insisting that the TraderMoni scheme cannot be conducted in the Mandate market, because the Senate President’s father was the one that donated the land on which the market was built to the government.
According to witnesses, including Bank of Industry (BOI) officials who were at the market to supervise the enumeration and disbursement of the N10,000 collateral free loans, the arrival of the mob caused an uproar in the Mandate market in Ilorin as many of the petty traders who were yet to receive their loans were annoyed that the thugs disrupted the process.
This led to chaos which forced the TraderMoni agents to escape as they were chased away by the thugs who were threatening, intimidating and harassing both the agents and the petty traders who had lined up to participate in the TraderMoni process.
Officials of the Bank of Industry also explained to newsmen that enumeration had been going on in two markets in Kwara State in the last few days and the vice president was expected in the markets on Friday, December 7 (today). 
Eyewitness accounts said the thugs said to have been instigated by the Senate President had invaded the market this morning, were boasting that neither the Federal Government nor the VP can come and operate the TraderMoni scheme in a market that "belonged" to the Senate President.
At the Ipata market, where enumeration and disbursement of the TraderMoni loans was also going on, market leaders also reported that a call came about noon today from similar quarters asking the leaders of the market not to cooperate with the enumerators of the TraderMoni scheme. But the market leaders in Ipata insisted and the process of enumeration and disbursement in Ipata market reportedly proceeded without incident.
 
TraderMoni, which is part of the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programme (N-SIP) under GEEP, is designed to assist petty traders across the country expand their trade through the provision of collateral and interest-free loans from N10,000. The loans are repayable over a period of six months at which point the traders on repayment will receive a fresh N15,000 loan, which rises to N20,000 when repaid.
 
The microcredit scheme, which has since been formally launched nationwide and the FCT, is expected to reach 2 million petty traders by the end of the year.

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
PRESS RELEASE

VP OSINBAJO LAUNCHES DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGN IN NYANYA, KARU, ROOTS FOR BUHARI’S RE-ELECTION
“Because of his honesty, zero tolerance for corruption, Nigeria’s future is secured

President Muhammadu Buhari’s honesty, integrity and performance in the past three years in office as evidenced in the ability of the administration to do more even when the country is earning less, set him apart from all other contenders for the exalted office.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, stated this today in Abuja when he commenced what seems an unusual approach to campaigns, adopting a door-to-door strategy in two Abuja suburbs of Karu and Nyanya.

The VP visited two homes: Alhaji S.K Ahmed’s family in Nyanya and the Jimiko compound in Karu.

No sooner the VP’s Coaster bus arrived in the communities than the people thronged out en-masse in both places, chanting praises of the President and singing party songs.

After meeting both families, Prof. Osinbajo addressed the mammoth crowd and spent time interacting with the excited people who thronged out in their numbers, often fascinated to see him unannounced in their neigbourhoods.

According to the Vice President “for the honest, decent and hardworking Nigerians, Mr President has devoted his life to ensuring that their lives are made better even when it is sometimes not easy to do so.

“All of us are going higher. I want you to believe that President Muhammadu Buhari is going to do even better. We have to create more jobs for all these young people. We have to give our market women credit so that they can do more business; our young people money so that they can do more business.”

Speaking on the President’s concern for the common man, Prof. Osinbajo said, “when he ask us to start the Trader Moni, he said, this is one way by which we can help people to start doing their own business.”

He said Nigeria’s future was brighter with President Buhari on the saddle, noting that no public funds would be stolen under his watch.

“So, I am here to say to you that the future of our country is great. All of you that are here, you are going to see a better Nigeria and that greater Nigeria can only come if the government is honest; If the government is not stealing our money.

“If the government is honest, it will build all the roads in Nigeria, for instance, like we are doing the Lagos-Kano rail and others, now. You can see that with little money we are doing much more because we will not agree to the stealing of our resources.

“We will go forward and we will move forward. It is a bit difficult now because we are building the foundation. When we came into office; We found no savings. Oil which was our biggest earnings, we had earned so much in four years but there was little to show for it. They didn’t build the railway, no roads. So, when we came we decided to first of all do the right thing,” he added.


Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
4th December, 2018

16,000 NPower beneficiaries back Buhari's re-election, as Akeredolu begins campaign for President.

It was a Carnival like rally in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Tuesday as over 16,000 members of the Federal Government N-power Volunteer Corps declared their total support for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The beneficiaries, decked in white shirts and black skirts and trousers, marched from Oba-Adesida road to Gani Fawehinmi Arcade Ground along Igbatoro-road in Akure campaigning for Buhari.

The youths, who are between age 18-35 years, said they will ever remain grateful to the Buhari's administration for initiating the N-Power programme, which according to them has helped in reducing unemployment through the creation of job opportunities.

Addressing the youths, the State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, said he is delighted that the beneficiaries of NPower in Ondo State are the first in Nigeria to openly declare and campaign for Buhari second term.

The governor urged the youths to take their campaign for Buhari's re-election to the nooks and crannies of the state.

According to him, that is the only way to say "Thank You" to the administration of President Buhari, who initiated this programme for the teeming youths in Nigeria.

Akeredolu said "President Buhari and his Vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo have fulfilled their promise. People who can keep promises are not many.

"We must be grateful to Mr. President for this great gesture and the only way to say "Thank You" to Buhari is to ensure we talk to our parents, friends and siblings to cast their votes for Buhari by February 14, 2019 so that the President will take us to the "Next Level".

"When you invest in the youths, you have invested in the nation. We won't be tired. We did it in 2014, so we are prepared for the another race ahead of us.

"The current beneficiaries of NPower should not think about themselves alone. Others must must come next year, others will come 2020. How will they come if there is no continuity?

"We are thanking the President and the Vice-president because one good turn, deserves another".

The event was attended by the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation and Youth Employment, Mr. Afolabi Imoukhuede, Special Adviser to the Governor on Public and Intergovernmental Relations, Mrs. Bunmi Ademosu and other members of the State Executive Council.

Group insists Fani-Kayode is threat to national unity

* Says fake news and hate messages must be taken seriously by security agencies

A political group in Nigeria has reiterated its call that former aviation minister Femi Fani-Kayode be arrested for divisive messages peddled on social media.

The President of the Initiative to Save Democracy, ISD, James Sunday Akinloye, noted that hate must be erased from Nigeria’s politics especially hate messages and fake news.

He explained that if Nigeria’s democracy must grow, then certain persons must be used as example to other that there are laws regulating social media in Nigeria and that people cannot just concoct fake stories.

He noted that it has been four days since ISD petitioned the Nigerian Police and DSS to arrest Fani-Kayode but that there is still no action.

“We read with interest the response by South-South Political Vanguard describing our petition to the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services as a ploy to gain cheap political ploy but this is not true.

“We are dedicated to ensuring that Nigeria’s democracy is preserved and that certain persons who have evil agenda are brought to book by the law. There should be a reaction to every action, Akinloye argued.

He pointed to some messages on Twitter written and published by Fani-Kayode. “For example, days before President Muhammadu Buhari visited the United States, he urged President Donald Trump to subject President Buhari to a DNA test because he is Jubril from Sudan. How can anyone say that? he quizzed.

He then pointed to yet another tweet by the former campaign spokesperson for Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. In Fani-Kayode’s own words, “The man that is there today is Jubril from Sudan and not Buhari. Buhari is dead and he never came back from London. Only his body did. They invoked the spirit of Jubril and placed it in Buhari’s body. It is a common ritual amongst Satanists. Many lives were sacrificed in the process,” he tweeted on 5 April 2018.

Akinloye argued that the group has made photocopies of the hate messages and fake news which were peddled by Fani-Kayode and have attached it to a petition that will be taken to the police and DSS this week.

“It is important that we do not allow ourselves to be carried away by a response from a group that does not understand the gravity of fake news and hates speeches.

“First we think the Nigerian Police should arrest him immediately and then charge him to court. We have evidences of his cybercrime and the hate it has sown amongst young Nigerians in their formative years.

“We have hundreds of responses to some of his post which shows how it was shaping the ideology and philosophy of some Nigerians towards hate and divisiveness and we will not stand and watch kids who are just joining social media to be swayed by this kind of messages.

Akinloye noted that if the DSS and police refuse to arrest Fani-Kayode then his group along with others will stage a peaceful protest both in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

“If we must embark on a peaceful protest, so be it. Enough of hate speeches and fake news. Mr Fani-Kayode must understand that there are cybercrime laws and if you err, then you should be punished.

BMO LAUDS CUSTOMS FOR HUGE DRUG SEIZURE

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has commended the Nigerian Customs Services (NCS) for its recent successes in the last few months, particularly its recent seizure of 40 x 40 feet containers laden with Tramadol and other dangerous drugs valued at N7.31 billion imported from India through the Lagos port complex, Apapa.

This latest seizure came less than a week after 23 containers laden with 581 million tablets of Tramadol were intercepted at the same port by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

BMO, in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, said there is no doubt that the commitment and determination of the Comptroller General (CG) Col. Hammed Ali (rtd) to confront smuggling activities headlong and repositioned the agency for upward growth is gradually yielding positive results.

The group also commended officials of Customs and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for acts of patriotism and heroism displayed during the exercise, particularly their rejection of huge bribes offered in local and foreign currencies by arrested suspects during the operation.


“We want to use this opportunity to call on other security agencies and other government departments to emulate what Nigerian Custom Service is doing under the leadership of Col. Hammed Ali (rtd). The CG is not only changing the rank and file of Customs, he has continued to demonstrate capacity for leadership, and determination to fight this ugly trend at our nation’s borders and for increasing growth in the agency’s revenues”.