GOOD GOVERNANCE IS... Without Power minister: - Electricity supply has greatly improved Without Petroleum minister: - refineries are almost fully revamped, to commence production within a month. Without Finance minister: - External reserves increased by $3b in a month. - Bailout to states to clear 8 months salary arrears. - Closure of all secret govt accounts. - Maintenance of a single Federation Account for all FG revenues. Without External Affairs minister: - Secured multilateral cooperation of all neighbouring countries for a MJTF against Boko Haram. - G7 cooperation and support in fight against insurgents. Without Commerce & Trade minister: - Concluded package to revamp local industries. All in barely a month! l'm delighted about the prospect, when PMB would have touched all sectors of our national life
Seyi Omoloye

She found Islam at 81 – Philomena I long cherish the day I met this woman as a redefining moment in my life. It was a cold morning in North London with nothing to look forward to besides the Friday sermon. It very quickly turned into a series of divinely orchestrated happenings that nobody could so perfectly organise besides the Lord of that day! Okay, slightly dramatic, but keep reading… Having only recently returned from abroad, I found myself in North London staying over at my Gran’s house, which has never lost its thrill since childhood. Gran’s sleepovers were awesome – the only snag growing up was that we all knew a ‘Gran sleepover’ meant we would relentlessly be woken up for Fajr! But, given the amount of sweets she would stuff our mouths with, it seemed like a profitable trade off. I remember vividly the morning of the 11th of March. My Gran, ever full of life, and I playfully raced each other to wake the house up for Fajr. I woke up and carefully made my way downstairs in the dark to turn on the hot water and spare us a torturous cold ablution. I hear her whispering from the top of the stairs, “Son, the hot water still isn’t working.” The boiler man had not come yet, much to our frustration. We brave the cold water, pray Fajr and jump back in our warm cozy beds, rescued from the biting cold. I was in the habit of leaving the house after Fajr at the time, but that morning was lethally glacial. My senses convinced me to stay put. I stealthily snuck up next to my Gran in her much warmer bed, nestling against her like a spoilt child. A few deep inhales and I was sleeping beauty. It was 11.10am, oh my God, I was late! I hurriedly left the house with my whitest dressing and newly bought Muslim hat, and briskly made my way to the bus stop. I got on the painfully crowded 29 bus. Fortunate enough to fight my way to a seat, I open my Qur’ān and begin reading Sūrah Kahf. A couple of stops further I notice an old fragile woman get on the humid bus with enough shopping bags to agitate passengers as they shamelessly barge her side to side. My heart warmed to her. I called her over from the other side to take my seat, and that is where it all started. She returned my gesture with overwhelming gratitude. She left an impression on me whilst struggling to mount herself on the seat. “Poor woman,” I thought to myself. “Thank you very, very much,” she finally panted with laboured breath. Mounting the chair exhausted her. “That’s very kind of you to get up for me,” she added in a soft, just about audible, Italian accent. “My pleasure, you are like a mother to me, your right is far greater than my gesture,” I politely replied, directly translating an expression from Arabic in my head. It quickly occurred to me how terribly awkward it sounds in English. We just do not speak like that over here. Yet, it seemed to resonate deeply with her. She stared at me while her affectionate smile grew wider and wider, complimenting the reddening blushes on her face. I was humbled. I mean, apart from how adorable this old woman was, I was moved by how refreshingly human she was. “What’s that you’re reading in your hand?” she asked me. “Is it the Qur’ān?” she said with a smile, beating me to the answer. “Yes!” I jumped, impressed, increasingly marvelling at this woman. My sympathy for her quickly grew into admiration. A welcome distraction as I close my Qur’ān leaving my index finger as a bookmark; she had stolen my attention. She had something about her; I couldn’t put my finger on it just yet. “I have always wanted to read the Qur’ān,” she said. The passenger next to her calmly got up for his stop. I rushed to fill the now empty seat and learn more about her. “This book is from God to raise our conscience and guide us towards happiness and prosperity,” I said excitedly in a trained, slightly awkward, evangelical tone! “Yes I have come across many Muslims in my life, they are very nice and courteous to me,” she said. “That’s very kind of you to say,” I replied. A barrage of questions flooded into my mind, but she seemed to tell her own story much better, to my attentive ear, so I preferred to listen for now. “Did you see the news today,” she said in shock holding her wrinkled hands to her mouth… “What happened in Japan, the earthquakes and tsunami?! It’s just terrible. God is fed up with us,” she remarked. “We have made a mess of everything,” she added. I had assumed she was Roman Catholic given her Italian background, which she later confirmed. She drew me into a lengthy social commentary of the moral degradation she has had to painfully witness unfolding around her over the years. Our conversation was educational. I felt like I was talking to an older friend, she met my inquisitive questions with deep insight. “I am 81 years old,” she confessed with a nervous smile. My jaw dropped. This woman was older than my Gran. I had never met somebody so old, yet so alive. “How do you spend your time?” I rashly ask her. “I spend a lot of time in the bookshop downstairs,” she replied, which explained a lot. She was well read. “The catholic church has lost it,” she abruptly added harking the conversation back to religion. “Only the Muslims have really held on to their teachings and values,” she claimed. Butterflies wrestled in my stomach. I was overwhelmed. Could it be that Allāh will save this beautiful woman, merely hours before her appointment? ‘Dawah’, I roused myself! She continued to sing Islām’s praises to me. She was particularly impressed with the Muslim tenacity to their religious teachings, despite living in an unforgiving culture of ‘anti-God’. She stared at me until we made awkward eye contact. “I am so happy that I met you,” she said affectionately touching her chest. Her eyes slowly welled up behind her thick glasses. Strange I thought, but I could see sincerity glowing on this woman’s face. The whole bus was fixed on our story as it slowly climaxed. My stop was fast approaching; I quickly turned the topic of conversation to what really mattered – Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā). I regurgitated anything I could recall from Aqīdah classes 101. “Islām is a beautiful religion,” I preached, “it hasn’t left anything out for the guidance of man, the most important of them is His (God’s) service and worship and to get to know Him… “He created us and was too compassionate to leave us without a messenger to guide us to the straight path – Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Everything between the Heavens and Earth celebrate His praises. He has no partners.” I struggled to think; I tried my best to keep going. I noticed her leaning more and more towards me. Her shoulders now pressed against mine as she struggled to hear. Her eyes squinted as she gently pushed her glasses back into position. She was concentrating; I continued. “In this world, the believer is travelling to her Lord until she reaches Him, those who do not know the path to their Lord, nor do they strive to know it, are truly in loss.” “I am so happy,” she exclaimed in her very soft tone, with highly emotional break ups in her voice. By this time I was praying in my heart that Allāh guides this woman, she seemed deeply sincere. The water in her eyes slowly amassed while I described Allāh to her, until one stream managed to escape and run down her cheek. She interrupted me as she reached for my hand. “You know… I was in a coma when I was 79,” she said with a nervous chuckle. “Subḥanallāh…” I whispered under my breath as I came closer, exploring deeper and deeper the story told by her face. It was now my eyes that were squinting. The more I navigated around the ridges of her beautiful wrinkles the more I was fascinated by this woman; her face, etched with beauty, told an encyclopaedia of life I wanted to know more of. “Yes…” she continued, “I am lucky to be alive the doctors tell me, I am so happy that I’ve met you, God has saved me for a moment like this. “I read that five thousand people in the UK became Muslim last year?” she said semi-inquiring. She was intrigued. “Oh how I’d love to read the Qur’ān, can you get one for me please…I’ll give you the money?!” she insisted reaching for her bag. “No, no, of course not, I will not accept your money, it’s honestly my pleasure,” I courteously offered. She smiled in gratitude. “Let me give you my address,” she said as she wrote it down. “Here, please send it to this address.” “Sure,” I replied, “I will drop it off personally.” “Oh, but do get me a large print,” she requested. “My eyesight isn’t what it used to be you see.” She put the pen back in her bag and smiled to herself. I sat there rattling my brain about this woman in awkward silence. I mean she is worryingly old, what happens if she dies before I get to her with the Qur’ān? What if she dies before saying the testimony of faith?! She interrupts my trail of thought with an inquiry. “So where is the nearest mosque, I know there’s a very big one in Regents Park?” I’m still not sure what her exact intent was by that question but this was my chance and I would never forgive myself if I didn’t take it. I suspected she wants to take her shahadah, but thinks the conversion is as complicated as a baptism, carried out a certain way, in a certain place. It was my chance; I went for it… “No Ma’am,” I replied. “You can meet God as a Muslim by saying something on your tongue; a testimony that He is one, and that’s all.” Her face lit up as she ushered me to keep going… “Repeat after me!” I instructed. “Ash-hadu….”, “Ash-hadu”….. all the way to the end. Slowly we completed the testimony of faith in Arabic and began to pronounce it in English. She struggled heavily and we giggled several times in between, but she showed determination to pronounce every letter. Given that she was from a Catholic background, pertinent to add to the testimony was that ‘Jesus is the prophet of God and that God is above having any offspring’. Oh no! She didn’t repeat after me, she paused and withdrew her closeness. She looked down as I watched her smile slowly fade away and her wrinkles take position. My shoulders dropped, I was heartbroken. ‘Lā ilāha illa allāh’ I sighed under my breath woefully. I really wanted her to say it, oh how it anti-climaxed. I watched her as she took deep breaths, a pause; slowly she seemed to come back to life. She struggled to speak as she looked in my direction again. “What…what a… beautiful thing to say,” she stammers as her voice emotionally breaks up again. Her heavenly smile now restored! She gathered her strength. “Yes, yes…” she said clenching her small fists as she energetically shuffles herself in her seat. “Yes,” she insisted. “ Jesus is the Prophet of God, of course he is. You know I have felt like that my whole life and didn’t know… and… I’m just happy, so happy,” she celebrated. She began wiping her eyes now. I couldn’t help but fight back my own tears as my hairs stood on end. “Please write that down for me,” she requested. I was puzzled. “That testimony, that testimony we just said, it’s so beautiful,” she added. I happily obliged taking my pen out of my chest pocket. “And also please, I have a son, he’s not Muslim, please can you speak to him. He’s 45 years old,” she pleaded. I was speechless and so much in awe of what was unfolding before me that I could only nod. “Of course,” I eventually clarified, secretly hoping Allāh disciplines me to honour that promise. She smiled unforgettably. “My name is Philomena,” she said clutching my hand. I grinned back at her trying to match the warm gesture. “And my name is Ismael.” “That’s a lovely name,’ she politely complimented, releasing my hand. I smiled at her in warm admiration. I kissed her forehead gently, promising her that I would stay in touch. My stop came. I pressed the bell, heaved my heavy bag onto my back, offered a polite smile and briskly walked to pray the Friday prayer. I met my friends and shared with them the delightful story of Philomena – now the Italian Muslimah, Allāh had touched. We have been visiting her ever since that day years ago, and although it was a challenge, we did manage to find a Qur’ān translation that was big enough for her to read! With all the negative propaganda Islām is targeted with in our times, we sometimes overlook the simple, overwhelming appeal that it has with every human being who is connected to their natural disposition—regardless of age, ethnicity or culture. The sad thing is, that there are potentially millions of Philomenas who we all pass everyday without realising that they are eagerly searching for their Lord. Allāh will hold us to account based on the opportunities and abilities that He gave us to call people to Him. Any Muslim would agree that their īmān is the most precious gift they have been granted; how would we face Him not having shared this gift with others? My meeting Philomena was a riveting reminder of the prophetic instruction to never overlook a small deed, even if it be offering a smile [1] – or in this case, a seat. Source: www.islam21c.com

StOla:
Shame to the heartless PDP.

N1Billion for presidential feeding. Fleet of presidential jets. Even plans to buy 5 new bullet proof vehicles in this austere period was already in the priority list of the irresponsible Jonathan.

A shoeless childhood is the recipe for an irresponsible adulthood.

Chai!!

StOla:
Shame to the heartless PDP.

N1Billion for presidential feeding. Fleet of presidential jets. Even plans to buy 5 new bullet proof vehicles in this austere period was already in the priority list of the irresponsible Jonathan.

A shoeless childhood is the recipe for an irresponsible adulthood.

Chai!!

StOla:
Shame to the heartless PDP.

N1Billion for presidential feeding. Fleet of presidential jets. Even plans to buy 5 new bullet proof vehicles in this austere period was already in the priority list of the irresponsible Jonathan.

A shoeless childhood is the recipe for an irresponsible adulthood.

Chai!! o boi i don laff tire

Aniebo Nwamu
Do Nigerians hate one another? Are Nigerians
deeply divided by tongues? Anonymous
commentators in the social media suggest that
Nigeria is too far gone to be integrated. These
contributors to the various Nigerian Internet forums
are ceaselessly engaged in abuse and name-
calling as well as hate messaging. A foreigner who
sees Nigeria through the comments splashed on
the Internet would think there is deep-rooted
hatred of members of one tribe by members of
another.
Trained media people know that press freedom
also comes with responsibility. In the Internet Age,
unfortunately, untrained “citizen journalists” and
commentators in Nigeria are courting Decree 4 of
1984 by their comments.
Online publishers seem to be fanning the embers
of hatred by failing in their duty to block
comments considered rude or abusive. Yet, each
medium warns contributors to desist from these or
have their posts not published. Some of Nigeria’s
major newspapers are most guilty of negligence in
the management of their sites. Under one post, for
instance, there could be 500 published comments,
a third of them containing abusive words.
If, for instance, a story is on arrested armed
robbers, you would often read “Yo-robbers” if the
hoodlums were Yoruba people. If the robbers bore
Igbo names, they became “forest people”. Some
are routinely labelled “Awusa nama” for no just
cause. Members of the PDP are often branded
“PDP”, just as APC has become the acronym for
“Asiwaju’s Personal Company”.
The monikers under which the culprits spread hate
messages are equally revealing. While reasonable
comments often come under genuine names, the
most vociferous posts are sent by “Gravedigger”,
“Sexy Truth”, “Utali Mmuo”, “Fisherman” or
“PloyGon2013”.
Because such posts come in torrents when a story
has to do with politics or politicians, it is obvious
these names are used mainly by the personal
assistants and special advisers hired by Nigerian
politicians. They are therefore like naked
masquerades: their faces are covered but other
uncovered parts are revealing.
Part of the briefs of SAs and PAs is to monitor the
social and mainstream media and attack
opponents or defend friends. When they see
stories or comments mentioning their bosses, they
come smoking under their funny monikers. Some
ministers in the past administration were known to
have bought cheap laptops for young graduates
hired to shield them from attacks in the media.
Below are a few examples of comments in some of
these media at different times. Never mind the
misspellings, bad logic and bad grammar!
Isi Agwo: The dead, rotten logic by an illiterate,
brain-dead serial fraudster – always concocting an
easy way out of his troubles.
Mustapha Shehu: @IsiAgwo. Would you describe
your father as dead and rotten? If yes ok I am not
suprise you call someone’s else father as one.
Colonel Mariama (rtd): Just shut up.
Wähala: “Go tell your mommy to shut her knees”…
remains my answer to your stuupidity.
Vincent Success: This is really confused and don’t
even know what to do . I think he’s considering
whether to … go back to sambisa n continue his
terrorist activities .
Olawuwo Success Abiodun: Dumb and
brainwashed fellow, I don’t know if you’re fed by
GEJ,#yeyepipu.
Supo Okubajo: @ Vincent Success.. you must be a
fool to think in this manner. And must be
shameless to ever think of Jonathan. In normal
society Jonathan suppose to be in Jail for life
StraightUp: After careful due diligence, I found out
that the writer is masquerading as Igbo. He’s a
bastard son of an Igbo who comes from former
Osu family; former because that caste system was
abolished decades ago. His lineage continues to
live outside their homeland out of hatred for their
origin and past societal rejection. Please disregard
his vituperations. I’m sure adversaries will have a
field day with his ill-conceived message of hate
and disrespect for high placed public servants.
UOU: These moles and agents of darkness deserve
to be stoned to death, nothing less… What a
confused bunch of harlots, fraud, scam and failures
that went about deceiving gullible ones that they
are progressives, devilish change. This is a call for
revolution, bloody revolution and all of these
imbeciles must pay with their blood.
Otile: Imam Ibrahim Okorocha should be banished
to Daura, far North. He does not not belong to
Biafraland at all. He is always taking nonsense and
making empty promises. I sorry for the good
people of Imo state whom this Islamist has coned
to re-elect him. Barawo.
Facebook is one sure channel that people hide
behind. It however has a way of policing content
like blocking further posts by an offending “friend”.
Google and others have similar checks.
The mass media were once considered capable of
causing wars; in the Internet age, they seem to
have become even more dangerous. Should
Decree No. 4 be resurrected then? Perhaps that
will make media managers become more
responsible.
Though the Internet offers anonymity, security
agents in western countries have a way of tracking
those who breach security on the web. A user
could be traced and arrested instantly. Violators
from Nigeria might be having a field day now, but
the web policemen could start looking in their
direction anytime soon.
Please note: This is an adaptation of my
contribution to an article in the current print edition
of Eyeway.ng bearing the same title.

Source: Leadership.ng

aminho:
buhari just did 1 month in power how cn he cancel 2 months salary?

Ask them just pained they lost election

And some dudes will shout America is a Christian country. America is epicenter of anything but religion in the world

Jonathan will be like how can i be secretary to Baba Iyabo at least to shuttle round the World

Lai Mohammed, national publicity secretary of the
All Progressives Congress (APC), believes that the
performance of President Muhammadu Buhari in
tackling insecurity outweighs that of former
President Goodluck Jonathan throughout his five
years in office.
Appealing to Nigerians to exercise patience with
the current administration, Mohammed blamed the
delay in appointing a cabinet on the lack of
cooperation of the past administration.
He was speaking at a press conference in Abuja on
Tuesday.
“It’s been about one month now since President
Buhari assumed office, and I can tell you that there
has been motion, and there has been movement,
contrary to what is being peddled in some
quarters,” he said.
“Justifiably, the expectations are high and urgent,
and the Buhari administration has started
addressing them, despite the enormous challenges
that it faces, including an empty treasury and an
economy that has virtually collapsed.
“The Buhari administration got the handover notes
from the former government just four days before
the inauguration, hampering its efforts to have a
clear understanding of the situation on the ground
before taking the necessary measures to address
it.
“If any disease is not appropriately diagnosed, it
cannot be effectively treated. Any government that
is truly desirous of bringing about real change will
not act hastily and without the necessary
understanding of what is on ground. coupled with
the delay in getting the much-needed information,
that takes time.
“The Buhari administration has hit the ground
running in the area of security. The president had
hardly been sworn into office than he embarked on
a shuttle diplomacy to rally Nigeria’s neighbours
to act as a common front against the terror group
Boko Haram.
“The President travelled to Chad and Niger, and
then hosted a summit of the Lake Chad Basin
Commission that comprised Cameroon, Chad and
Niger, with Benin also invited. President Buhari has
also rallied the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic
Community of Central African States (ECCAS) to
work with Nigeria in battling the Boko Haram
insurgency. A joint summit of leaders of both
economic blocs is to be held shortly to concretise
these efforts that will complement the one by
Nigeria and its neighbours.
“The result is the decision to deploy the Multi
National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), with
headquarters in N’Djamena, Chad, on July 30th to
pep up the fight against Boko Haram! This is the
same force that the past administration could not
get off the ground in six years!”
Jonathan was president for five years – from 2010
to 2015.
http://www.thecable.ng/buharis-four-weeks-officer-better-jonathans-5-years-says-lai-mohammed

I pray i get telecom company one of this days....

Breez don blow we don see foul..... Nigeria i hail thee

I welcome you all with humility and gratitude to
the very first Town Hall meeting we are hosting as
a government. It is not yet one month since we
were sworn-in, but to the extent that it has pleased
Allah to bestow His grace upon us, we have set
about doing the work of change that you mandated
us to do.
During the campaign, we promised that we shall
be engaging and interacting with the public
regularly. We pledged that we will provide you
regular updates and listen to your feedback,
including criticisms and suggestions. Here we are
before you today to do as we pledged. As we have
started, so we intend to continue, always striving
to get better at achieving results.
Immediately after we were sworn-in on 29 May
2015, we reported for duty with the sense of
urgency that you demanded. As we expected, we
met a state that is broke, and whose schools,
hospitals and roads are in poor shape. We knew
that a lot of sacrifice will be required to restore the
state to good health. This government’s priority is
actually growth and development in a safe and
secure environment; because we understand that
the things that matter are the public goods of
quality schools, decent hospitals and good roads;
we know that leaders must pursue the creation of a
climate that promotes security, social harmony and
is therefore conducive to bringing jobs and
economic opportunity. Thus our first step was to
announce that the deputy-governor and I will be
taking a 50% pay cut.
As we took briefings from the ministries,
departments and agencies in our very first week,
the depth of the financial problem became clearer
to us as well as the impact the decades of
impunity have had on the mental attitudes of the
institutions that constitute the public service. As
one astute observer of the situation commented
recently, the public service does not serve the
public; rather it considers itself as the public and
thus serves only itself.
We emphatically reject this mentality. The new
government of Kaduna State has therefore declared
that the resources of the state will be devoted to
serving the public, with schools, hospitals and
roads; aiding our farmers and doing our utmost to
create jobs. To do that, we must cut the cost of
running government. Ours will no longer be the
state that has too little left for the needs of the
majority of the people.
That is our guiding principle as we reduce costs.
And we have taken concrete action in this regard.
We have restructured our ministries from 19 to 13.
We have also decided that we will have only 13
commissioners, ten special advisers and 12
special assistants. You all remember that the
previous government had 24 commissioners, 41
special advisers and about 400 special assistants.
But good governance is not about recruiting vast
numbers of political appointees. It is about the
smallest number that can provide the quality of
service that is required.
We are saddened by the condition in which we
found the state. But we shall never use that as an
excuse for non-performance. It is our duty to do
our best always. That is why we are finding
creative even if difficult ways to deliver on our
promises.
What we have done
In our first month, we have done the following
things:
Governance Reforms
Prioritising the People: We have made clear our
intention to devote a larger chunk of the state’s
resources to providing public services. We have
signalled that a government elected by majority
vote should serve the majority.
Pay cut: the governor and the deputy governor
have taken a voluntary pay cut of 50%, and we
have urged other political official holders, elected
or appointed, to follow this example.
Cost-cutting: ministries have been reduced from
19 to 13; while your government has committed to
appointing only 13 commissioners and the handful
of needed special advisers and special assistants.
The selection of the Commissioners, Advisers and
Assistants will be based on merit, capacity and
experience because what is priority to us is getting
the necessary skill sets that will facilitate moving
the State forward.
Biometric verification: Our government is already
conducting biometric verification of its employees
in order to update the payroll and provide reliable
data as to the precise number of personnel in the
public service. Two of Nigeria’s leading banks,
UBA and Zenith, are working with us on this
project.
Tax Reform Committee: We have set up a
committee chaired by Ifueko Omogui, former
chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, to
review our internal revenue generation structures,
systems and laws. The committee will recommend
ways by which we can improve our internally
generated revenue. This will reduce our
dependency on the federal government. We will be
masters of our own fate.
Transparency: We have signed up to Open Budget,
a tool that enables you to track what we are doing
with your money.
Health
Your government has already convened a summit
of Kaduna State Healthcare partners to set out the
state’s priorities in the Health Sector, and to also
ensure that all funds in the health sector are
streamlined to ensure an effective coordinated
service delivery. The donor community and
multilateral agencies attended, along with
businesses that are active in the state’s health
sector.
Kaduna State has signed an Memorandum of
Understanding with General Electric Healthcare to
modernise our primary health centers and public
hospitals. Both parties have committed to
identifying the specific needs of the centers and
hospitals, so that modern equipment can be
installed to improve the diagnosis and
management of patients.
We have signed the 2015 Kaduna State-UNICEF
2015 workplan. The state government is ready with
its counterpart funding for the agreed initiatives in
healthcare, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, water, sanitation
and child protection.
Installation of two dialysis machines and the repair
of three dialysis equipment at Barau Dikko
Hospital. Arrangements are being made to
purchase consumables for the next 12 months so
that dialysis will be affordable to Kaduna citizens.
Security
Peace Committee: A committee, chaired by the
respected General Martin Agwai, is working to
identify the causes of conflict and insecurity in
Southern Kaduna and thereafter recommend ways
of tackling the problem.
Interstate cooperation: Kaduna State is working
with Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi and Niger States to
design a collective approach to common security
challenges in the forest ranges that strides our
respective States. A meeting is being held today
with the respective State Governors and Security
Agencies to advance the implementation of this
initiative.
Presidential support: Kaduna State has briefed and
updated the president on the security challenges,
and the president has pledged FG support for the
comprehensive security plan.
Relief: We have conducted multiple aerial surveys
of the Birnin-Gwari area and have visited affected
communities there and in Southern Kaduna,
offering medical assistance and condolences.
Prisons: we have visited prisons in Kaduna and
Zaria, pursuing rehabilitation of facilities and
decongestion. As a result of these efforts, 98
persons awaiting trial for minor offenses were
released by the Chief Judge of Kaduna State.
Infrastructure
Zaria Water Project: We have ordered accelerated
work to complete this project as a priority item for
our government. We have visited the site of the
project and reviewed it with the contractors. A firm
decision has been taken to commit funds monthly
so that the project can be completed by early
2018.
The African Development Bank and Islamic
Development Bank, the major funders of the
project, have been consulted and they share our
desire to speed-up completion. In addition, we are
working on a project to upgrade the capacity to
supply water to Kaduna residents through a new
Kaduna Water Project.
Job creation
Kaduna Cabs: We have initiated a scheme to revive
taxi services in our major urban centres. The aim
is to create jobs for owner-drivers who will help
improve the commuting experience with their
comfortable cars and excellent customer service.
The scheme is starting with 200 vehicles in
Kaduna, and is being implemented in collaboration
with Peugeot. We have already placed adverts to
invite participation in the scheme.
Indorama: Our drive to attract new investors to the
state has attracted positive response from
Indorama, a leading player in petrochemicals. They
have selected Kaduna as their regional distribution
centre. They will be building warehouses, fertilizer
blending plant and a training centre in Kaduna.
Shopping Mall: Our main urban centres, including
the state capital Kaduna, are lacking modern
shopping malls. We have indicated our readiness
to partner with capable investors in this sector.
Agriculture
Fertilizer: One of our first actions in office was to
stop the unfair practice of allocating subsidized
fertilizer to prominent persons to the detriment of
ordinary farmers. We launched the 2015 fertilizer
sales season in Kachia with a clear structure that
sells fertilizers to interested persons from
designated sales point. We shall be reviewing and
improving the process of procuring and distributing
fertilizer to make access easier for the farmers.
A New Agricultural Policy is being prepared with
the aim of enhancing the capacity of the sector to
create viable jobs; improve farm productivity and
raise the involvement of Kaduna citizens in the
value chain.
Sanitation
Clean city agenda: We have met the sanitation
contractors and have expressed to them our
dissatisfaction at the squalid state of our urban
areas. We want our towns and cities to be clean,
and we shall do it.
Sports
Kaduna has, for the first time in a long while,
hosted an international football match when the
Super Eagles played a friendly match with Chad at
the Ahmadu Bello Stadium. Our people turned out
to see the game, showing that Kaduna is a sports
city. That impressive turnout has now placed us
on the radar to host many competitive matches
because the football authorities now know that our
great people will actually come to the stadium, fill
it up and cheer the players.
What we intend to do
In the following months, we shall be focused on
the following issues:
Education : we shall begin implementing our
comprehensive agenda to improve education.
School repairs, and the provision of facilities like
furniture, water and toilets will begin as we fulfill
our responsibility to provide a better learning
environment. Alongside this, we shall begin to
enhance the capacity and quality of the teachers
generally, and we shall pay extra attention to
getting more and better teachers in English, Maths
and Science.
Health: hospital upgrades, in terms of facilities and
equipment, will be accelerated as our MoU with GE
Healthcare is steadily implemented. We have a
commitment to properly equipping our hospitals
so that most of our people’s healthcare needs can
be met by our own public hospitals.
Township Roads : neighborhood and township
roads in our major urban centres will be upgraded
to the extent we can within this rainy season.
Transport: our multilayer transport architecture will
be executed. That includes preparations, studies
and projects to put in place:
– the new cab scheme and expanding to Zaria and
Kafanchan,
– a BRT system for mass transit starting with
Kaduna,
– a major project to establish Kaduna-Zaria light
rail system between Shika and through the Kaduna
Metropolis and up to the Refinery,
– new bus and truck terminals in Kaduna, Tafa,
Mararaban Jos and Zaria
Security
Comprehensive security plan for Southern Kaduna
and the Birnin-Gwari/Giwa axis
Forensic laboratory under the control of our State
Internal Security outfit – Operation Yaki – to
enhance the investigative capacity of law-
enforcement agencies
Clean Cities : We would not allow our urban centres
to continue to be defaced by waste. We shall be
improving waste collection, then we would
introduce sanitary inspectors and engage the
public in a voluntary commitment to make our
cities clean.
Rural and community development: Under the
leadership of our Deputy Governor, we shall be
mainstreaming the Millennium Village Pampaida
programme as a viable model across our rural
communities. It will have components to improve
education, healthcare, rural roads and the farming
activities that engage most of our rural residents.
Job Creation : your government will undertake
direct recruitment of qualified doctors, nurses and
teachers to urgently raise the quality of service in
our hospitals and schools. We shall also employ at
least 50 youths per ward over the next four years,
in our initial efforts for traffic control and
environmental enforcement. But try as it might,
government can only employ a minority of youths
who need jobs. Thus we remain focused on
creating a favourable climate for the private sector
to create jobs.
Textile Revival: We have the support of Mr.
President to work on policies and schemes that
will revive this sector as viable and sustainable
employer of labour. We are cooperating with
current and potential textile investors on a package
that stimulates the value-chain from cotton
farming to garmenting.
There is so much to do, with fewer resources. But
we have no option than to deliver quality
performance for the people who have invested so
much hope in us. We need your understanding
and support for the difficult decisions that we must
take if we are to serve you to the best of our
ability. We will need committed people in and out
of government to contribute to achieving the goals
we have set out.
We are not shrinking government for its own sake.
We are making government leaner so that it can
work better for you. Let us all make sacrifices for
change.
Above is the Keynote address by Nasir El-Rufai,
Governor of Kaduna State, at the first Town Hall
meeting of the APC Kaduna State Government, at
the Hassan Katsina House, Kawo, Kaduna, on
Saturday, 27 June

http://blogs.premiumtimesng.com/?p=167964

I should not laugh alone. Buhari Dame Jonathan!

“Baba, let’s go straight to the issues trending in
the media. Nigerians are worried about your
frequent junkets, saying there are important
matters needing your attention at home.”
“First of all, let me say that I was in Niger Republic
to discuss with President Mohammed Yusuf issues
of regional cooperation towards fighting
insurgency. These ragtag criminals called Boko
Haram will soon be eliminated. I was in Chad also,
where I met with President Idris Baby and
discussed issues of regional alliance towards
having a secure border and ending insurgency.”
“But why don’t you send your deputy to represent
you, so that you can attend to important matters at
home?”
“I have no problem sending Osunbade to represent
me anywhere in the world if the need arises. But
for now, my presence is needed in those countries
I visited. You can recall that I sent Osunbade to
Sudan. My visit to West Germany was on the
invitation of President Michelle. Very soon I will be
in Dahomey and Gold Coast on a working visit. In
Gold Coast, I will meet with Coffee Annan to thank
him for ensuring the peaceful conduct of election in
Nigeria. Next month it will be Senegambia and
Zaire. So if President Mussolini of Italy extends
invitation to me on how to end Boko Haram, I will
honour the invitation. You see, it is not for my
pleasure that I travel frequently, it is for Nigeria.
The terrorism in the Northern Protectorate can
spread to Southern Protectorate if we did not seek
alliance with our neighbours.”
“You are now going to South Africa, may we know
the purpose of this visit?”
“Well I am going to Johanes-vogue to first thank
President Zuma Yakubu for supporting Mr Ade-
sinner to be the MD of African Development Board.
Second issue is xenophobia. Third issue is how to
improve our electoral system. You know
Independent Nigerian Electoral Commission (Eye-
Neck) has done well by introduction of card reader
in the last general elections.”
“Sir, you mentioned West Germany… I am sure you
meant to say Germany. You may be aware that
Berlin Wall is no longer there, and West and East
Germany are now one nation…”
“When did President Michelle do that? If Berlin Wall
is demolished, Nasir el-Rufai would have told me…
(laughs)”
“Ok Sir. Rumours are making the rounds that
former minister of Petroleum Resources has
returned huge sums of money to the nation’s
coffers. And that you negotiated that when you had
in-flight meeting with her on your way to the UK.”
“It was just a mere coincidence that I met Diezani
Ojo-Madueke aboard British Caledonia flight to
London. I have no any business with her except
that her husband was a military governor under
my regime as military head of state more than 30
years ago.”
“Sir you are still not in the Villa, and you still did
not make key appointments.”
“There are some renovation works taking place in
the Villa. Security agents are also sweeping the
vicinity – and all the nooks and crannies. The
marabous are also doing their work. When they
finish, we will go in. On appointments, I was
initially waiting for Joda report so that I would see
who they recommend for me to appoint SGF, Chief
of Staff, PPS, etc. Now that they submitted the
report, I will find time to read it all before making a
decision. Nigerians should exercise some
patience.”
“But it is 800-page report… Isn’t it too much?”
“I will read it all before I make decision.”
“Baba, are you happy with the emergence of Saraki
and Dogara as Senate President and Speaker of the
House of Representatives respectively?”
“Well, Senator Bankole Saraki and Yakubu Dogari
are not legitimate members of our party. Defying
the order of our party shows that they were doing
the bidding of another party. They shunned
meeting with me and one of them called Osunbade
mere commissioner. This is the highest form of
indiscipline.”
“Some people argue that your trip to UK few days
to inauguration was uncalled for…”
“But I was called for the meeting. Sir Windson
Churchill invited me to see him at No.10 Down
Street… (cut in).”
“But sir Churchill died long a go…”
“Sorry, Premier David Cameroon. So there is no
problem since we discussed ways of fighting
corruption and insurgency.”
“Sir, what is your plan for power generation.
Previous government’s deregulation policy brought
into existence different distribution companies…(cut
in)”
“Wait please! What we know is NEPA, and nothing
more. We have plans to generate power through
new-clear energy. You know some people when
new-clear is mentioned, their mind goes to new-
clear we-phones. Well, when NEPA is available,
Nigeria’s economy will certainly grow.
“What are your plans towards persuading OPEC to
lower oil production bar so that Nigeria can
benefit?”
“Even yesterday I spoke with President Salman of
Mecca to see ways they can help Nigeria.
Nigerians should give us a space”.
“Are you removing petroleum subsidy once and for
all?”
“What is subsidy?”
–Jaafar sent in this piece from Abuja

leadership.ng/opinions/440762/conversation-with-baba

oladele97:
northerners and there mentality when they are rich shariah do not affect there daughters and son but this same rich politician make law against the poor once

My thought exactly. Hypocrisy!

Yakubu Dogara (born 26 December 1967) is the
Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives of
Nigeria , representing Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa
Federal constituency of Bauchi State. He is a
member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Early Life and Education
Hon. Yakubu Dogara was born to Yakubu Ganawuri
and Saratu Yakubu on 26 December 1967. He
began his education in 1976 at Gwarangah Primary
School in Bauchi. Upon graduation in 1982, he
proceeded to the Bauchi Teachers’ College for his
secondary education, and obtained a Grade II
Teachers’ Certificate in 1987. In 1988, he went on
to the University of Jos, Plateau State, from where
he obtained a Bachelor of Law (LLB Hons.) degree
in 1992.
From 1992 – 1993, Dogara was a student at the
Lagos campus of the Nigerian Law School and was
called to the bar in 1993. He later obtained a
Masters (LLM) in International Commercial Law at
Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland. [1]
Dogara also attended a course on Managing and
Leading Strategic Change in 2006, the Oxford
University Course on Negotiation in 2013, and a
course on Leadership in Crisis at the Harvard
Kennedy School in 2014.
Professional career
He first took up employment in April 1988 as a
teacher at the ATBU Staff School in Bauchi. In
1993, during the mandatory National Youth Service
Corps, he served at NCCF, Akwa Ibom state. Upon
completion of the NYSC programme in 1994, he
went into private legal practice until 2005 when he
was appointed Special Assistant to the Minister of
State for Transport.
He held this position until 2006, when he decided
to contest to represent the Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-
Balewa constituency at the Federal House of
Representatives. His bid proved successful and he
has been a member of the House since 2007.

For Baba: matafiya adawo lafiyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

Udmaster:
He has lost some weight.

He kept some in Otuoke inside his fedora cap.

Where dat soldier for him back? life is so so ephemeral. Youngest Ex. Presido!

Justification!

How time flies.... May her soul rest in peace!

xavier0327:
I work in AIT abuja and salaries have not been paid for 11months...port Harcourt staff up to 8months unpaid salaries!!! Seriously looking for another job! God will help us.

Felt your pain!!!
I was also in Raypower i had to quite cos of same reason i wish u all the best!

Indeed the religion with Allah is Islam!

President Muhammadu Buhari will take
his agenda for the country to the Group of 7 of the
world’s most industrialised countries Summit
scheduled to Berlin, Germany on June 6 and 7.A
statement signed by the Head of the President’s
Media team, Malam Garba Shehu, a copy of which
was made available to Daily Trust on Sunday
quoted the president as planning to discuss his
agenda with G-7 countries, among them Germany,
United Kingdom, United States, France, Italy, Japan
and Canada.
The international community has responded
positively to the new administration of President
Muhammadu Buhari which was sworn in Friday in
Abuja with many world leaders expressing
optimism and a willingness to assist Nigeria tackle
some of its challenges.
Delivering his message to President Buhari at a
meeting on Friday shortly after the inauguration,
British Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth
Affairs, Philip Hammond, who represented the
British Prime Minister, said the PM had requested
for a list of what Nigeria needs to help it succeed,
asking Buhari to attend the summit with his wish-
list.
“We are waiting for your own list,” Mr Hammond
said during the meeting with the president.
The weekend’s meeting was a follow-up to the one
held last weekend in London between then
President-elect Buhari and Prime Minister
Cameron, at which commitments were given to the
in-coming administration on several areas
including the fight against terrorism, power and
energy and such matters of common concerns of
migration challenges facing the continent as well
as what he called “intelligence fusion” to secure
Africa from global terror.
In an article titled “A New Beginning for a Long-
Standing Partnership” Mr Hammond elaborated on
some of the areas that his government is willing to
offer assistance.
“As we have been increasingly doing over the last
year, we look forward to working closely with the
Nigerian government and security forces to help
tackle Boko Haram and bring lasting stability to the
North East. We will share our experience in
building strong security architecture accountable to
an informed political system,” he wrote.
On his part, President Buhari promised to prepare
the government’s aspirations for the June 7-9
summit, which he said he will attend.
Meanwhile, other world leaders have continued to
express optimism following the inauguration of the
president.
The Special Envoy of the Republic of Korea to the
presidential inauguration, Mr Lee Ju Young
expressed his country’s confidence that Nigeria
will overcome its challenges, many of which he
said South Korea experienced on the paths to its
development.
“The international community has high hopes for
him (Buhari) to lead the way toward ‘a new kind of
Nigeria’ and I am here to convince Nigeria that the
Republic of Korea stands ready to be Nigeria’s
invaluable partner in its new journey,” the envoy
said during a visit to the Korean Cultural Centre in
Abuja yesterday.
Mr. Young, who is a fourth-term parliamentarian
and President of the Korean National Assembly’s
‘Forum for a New Era with Africa’ said his
country’s experience as a powerhouse in ICT,
energy, heavy industries, construction and many
others “places Korea in a unique position to
contribute to Nigeria’s future.”
“This is the key message I tried to convey to
President Buhari, Vice President Osinbanjo and
other high-level officials of the Nigerian
government with whom I met during my stay.
Through the meetings, I became all the more
confident in the bright future of Nigeria,” he said.
Similarly, the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, Mr Hammond also shared this optimism
after his meeting with Buhari and wrote in his
article; “It is heartening, too, to watch President
Buhari’s positive efforts to discuss regional
stability with Nigeria’s neighbours.”
The need for international support for the new
administration is emphasised by the former US
Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, and former
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs,
Johnnie Carson, in their article titled “Why Change
in Nigeria Matters to the World” published in Time
magazine.
“After campaigning as the anti-corruption, pro-
security candidate, Buhari now has a big job to do
if he is to capitalize on the new momentum for
change. To succeed, he will need the support of
the international community-which must stay
engaged in helping Nigeria along the path of
progress,” they wrote.
This, they argued, is important due to Nigeria’s
strategic importance to the international
community and its potential.

Source: Daily Trust

That short man looks like Jack Buer @24

Muhammadu Buhari is the 15th head of the
Nigerian government since 1960, the fifth
democratically elected president, the first
opposition candidate to win the presidential
election and the second president of Katsina
origin. What else do you know about him?
1. KATSINA PRODUCES ANOTHER PRESIDENT
Buhari ran against his fellow Katsina man,
Yar’Adua, in 2007
Katsina state has again produced a Nigerian head
of state — the third since 1983. Buhari, from Daura,
then in Kaduna state, was the first. Katsina state
was carved out of Kaduna state in 1987 by Ibrahim
Babangida. Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, former
governor of Katsina state, became the second
president from Katsina in 2007. Buhari’s return in
2015 means the state has produced yet another
president. It could have been more. Shehu Musa
Yar’Adua, elder brother of Umaru, made a bid in
1992 and after getting the presidential ticket of the
Social Democratic Party (SDP), the process was
cancelled. He was still hoping to contest when he
was arrested and jailed for allegedly plotting a
coup in 1995. He did not come out of the prison
alive.
2. THIRD EX-GOVERNOR TO BE PRESIDENT
Jonathan was the second ex-governor to be
president
There is yet another interesting fact about Buhari
— he has joined the league of former governors to
be elected president. Having served as the military
governor of the old north-eastern state from 1975
to 1976, he has equalled the record of Umaru
Musa Yar’Adua, who became president in 2007
after serving as Katsina governor from 1999-2007,
and Goodluck Jonathan, who was Bayelsa governor
from 2005-2007. The major difference, though, is
that Buhari was a military, not an elected,
governor. The north-eastern state governed by him
is now broken into six: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno,
Gombe, Taraba and Yobe.
3. ANOTHER EX-MINISTER AS PRESIDENT
Shagari was a three-time minister before he
became president
Murtala Muhammed. Olusegun Obasanjo. Shehu
Shagari. Sani Abacha. Muhammadu Buhari. They
all have something in common — they are all
former ministers who went on to become heads of
state. Muhammed was federal commissioner
(minister) for communications under Gowon until
the 1975 coup when he became head of state.
Obasanjo, head of state from 1976 after
Muhammed’s death, was federal commissioner for
works. Obasanjo appointed Buhari federal
commissioner for petroleum and natural resources
in 1976. Shagari, who was elected president in
1979, was minister of economic development in
1960, minister of internal affairs in 1962 and
minister of works and survey in 1965. Abacha was
appointed minister of defence by Babangida in
1990.
4. OLDEST PRESIDENT
Gowon was youngest head of state at 31. Buhari
at 72 is oldest
Buhari is the oldest person to assume the office of
president in Nigeria. He is 72 years and five
months old. He broke the record set by Obasanjo
in 1999 who became the oldest Nigerian president
at 62. The youngest remains Gowon, who was
made head of state a few months shy of his 32nd
birthday in 1966. Two other heads of state
assumed office in their thirties: Muhammed (37) in
1975 and Obasanjo (38) in 1976. Abubakar Tafawa
Balewa (47), Ironsi (41), Buhari (41) and Babangida
(41) all ruled in their forties. Shagari (54),
Shonekan (57), Abacha (50), Abdulsalami Abubakar
(55), Yar’Adua (55) and Jonathan (52) assumed
office in their fifties. The most common age is 41.

5. CHILD NO. 23
Buhari is married to Aisha
Buhari is not short of elder brothers and sisters.
He was born Child No. 23 to the family of Adamu
Buhari in Daura, Katsina state, on December 17,
1942. His mother’s name was Zulaihat — the name
he gave to his first daughter. He is a monogamist,
like all previous Nigerian leaders (apart from
Obasanjo and Shagari). Buhari divorced his first
wife in 1988 and remarried in 1989.
6. ADDICT OF BBC HAUSA SERVICE
Radio before breakfast
Buhari listens to BBC Hausa service religiously. He
told TheCable in an interview last year: “I am an
avid listener of the Voice of America and the BBC,
Hausa service. This is because over the years I
have discovered that they have been very, very
helpful in educating the mostly illiterate Hausa-
speaking populace. From Agadez or even from
Tripoli down almost to South Africa, and from
Senegal to Central Africa Republic, there is large
body of Hausa-speaking communities, not
necessarily Nigerian or Hausa, but those who
speak the language because of trading over the
centuries. I found out VOA and BBC commentaries
on politics and economics very good. They help to
educate people. And they allow people to discuss,
express different opinions and they interpret it, and
I find that very helpful.”
7. PRO-AUSTERITY
In his military days
For those who may be wondering about his
economic direction, Buhari does not run away from
adopting austerity policies in the face of economic
crunch. In his first budget in 1984, he announced
a range of belt-tightening measures to combat the
crisis. These measures included: a temporary ban
on recruitment, raising of interest rates, suspension
of capital projects, and embargo on borrowing by
states, among others.
8. RIDING HORSES
Little Buhari’s favourite horse
In the absence of real horses, he enjoyed playing
with straw horses as a kid. Sani Abubakar Dan
Kurma, one of his elementary school classmates,
recently told Daily Trust: “We played with sand
together and rode straw horses… There was this
time when we were children and we went to the
outskirts of town to play our version of polo with
straw horses and sticks, hitting a ball made from
Goruba. It was our favourite game then. As we
played, I hit him with the dum-palm seed which
served as a ball and he fell down. I consoled him
fervently, assuring him it was a mistake, so much
so that he also began to console me. That’s his
character: he was the wronged party, yet he was
telling me sorry.
@thecableng

Shekau.... surrender now a new sheriff is in town!

In pursuance of the primary objective of saving our
great nation from total collapse, I, Major-General
Muhammadu Buhari of the Nigerian army have,
after due consultation amongst the services of the
armed forces, been formally invested with the
authority of the Head of the Federal Military
Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the
armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It
is with humility and a deep sense of responsibility
that I accept this challenge and call to national
duty.
As you must have heard in the previous
announcement, the constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria (1979) has been suspended,
except those sections of it which are exempted in
the constitution. The change became necessary in
order to put an end to the serious economic
predicament and the crisis of confidence now
afflicting our nation.
Consequently, the Nigerian armed forces have
constituted themselves into a Federal Military
Government comprising of a Supreme Military
Council, a National Council of States, a Federal
Executive Council at the centre and State Executive
Councils to be presided over by military governors
in each of the states of the federation. Members of
these councils will be announced soon.
The last Federal Military Government drew up a
programme with the aim of handing over political
power to the civilians in 1979. This programme as
you all know, was implemented to the letter. The
1979 constitution was promulgated.
However, little did the military realise that the
political leadership of the second republic will
circumvent most of the checks and balances in the
constitution and bring the present state of general
insecurity. The premium on political power became
so exceedingly high that political contestants
regarded victory at elections as a matter of life and
death struggle and were determined to capture or
retain power by all means. It is true that there is a
worldwide economic recession.
However, in the case of Nigeria, its impact was
aggravated by mismanagement. We believe the
appropriate government agencies have good advice
but the leadership disregarded their advice. The
situation could have been avoided if the legislators
were alive to their constitutional responsibilities.
Instead, the legislators were preoccupied with
determining their salary scales, fringe benefit and
unnecessary foreign travels, et al, which took no
account of the state of the economy and the
welfare of the people they represented.
As a result of our inability to cultivate financial
discipline and prudent management of the
economy, we have come to depend largely on
internal and external borrowing to execute
government projects with attendant domestic
pressure and soaring external debts, thus
aggravating the propensity of the outgoing civilian
administration to mismanage our financial
resources. Nigeria was already condemned
perpetually with the twin problem of heavy budget
deficits and weak balance of payments position,
with the prospect of building a virile and viable
economy.
The last general election was anything but free and
fair. The only political parties that could complain
of election rigging are those parties that lacked the
resources to rig. There is ample evidence that
rigging and thuggery were relative to the resources
available to the parties. This conclusively proved
to us that the parties have not developed
confidence in the presidential system of
government on which the nation invested so much
material and human resources. While corruption
and indiscipline have been associated with our
state of under-development, these two evils in our
body politics have attained unprecedented height
in the past few years. The corrupt, inept and
insensitive leadership in the last four years has
been the source of immorality and impropriety in
our society.
Since what happens in any society is largely a
reflection of the leadership of that society, we
deplore corruption in all its facets. This
government will not tolerate kick-backs, inflation of
contracts and over-invoicing of imports etc. Nor
will it condone forgery, fraud, embezzlement,
misuse and abuse of office and illegal dealings in
foreign exchange and smuggling. Arson has been
used to cover up fraudulent acts in public
institutions. I am referring to the fire incidents that
gutted the P&T buildings in Lagos, the Anambra
State Broadcasting Corporation, the Republic
Building at Marina, the Federal Ministry of
Education, the Federal Capital Development
Authority Accounts at Abuja and the NET Building.
Most of these fire incidents occurred at a time
when Nigerians were being apprehensive of the
frequency of fraud scandals and the government
incapacity to deal with them. Corruption has
become so pervasive and intractable that a whole
ministry has been created to stem it.
Fellow Nigerians, this indeed is the moment of
truth. My colleagues and I – the Supreme Military
Council, must be frank enough to acknowledge the
fact that at the moment, an accurate picture of the
financial position is yet to be determined. We have
no doubt that the situation is bad enough. In spite
of all this, every effort will be made to ensure that
the difficult and degrading conditions under which
we are living are eliminated.
Let no one however be deceived that workers who
have not received their salaries in the past eight or
so months will receive such salaries within today
or tomorrow or that hospitals which have been
without drugs for months will be provided with
enough immediately. We are determined that with
the help of God we shall do our best to settle
genuine payments to which government is
committed, including backlog of workers’ salaries
after scrutiny.
We are confident and we assure you that even in
the face of the global recession, and the seemingly
gloomy financial future, given prudent management
of Nigeria’s existing financial resources and our
determination to substantially reduce and
eventually nail down rises in budgetary deficits and
weak balance of payments position. The Federal
Military Government will reappraise policies with a
view to paying greater attention to the following
areas: The economy will be given a new impetus
and better sense of direction. Corrupt officials and
their agents will be brought to book.
In view of the drought that affected most parts of
the country, the federal government will, with the
available resources, import food stuffs to
supplement the shortfalls suffered in the last
harvest.
Our foreign policy will both be dynamic and
realistic. Africa will of course continue to be the
centre piece of our foreign policy. The morale and
combat readiness of the armed forces will be given
high priority. Officers and men with high personal
and professional integrity will have nothing to fear.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria and all other holders of
judiciary appointments within the federation can
continue in their appointments and the judiciary
shall continue to function under existing laws
subject to such exceptions as may be decreed
from time to time by the Federal Military
Government. All holders of appointments in the
civil service, the police and the National Security
Organisation shall continue to exercise their
functions in the normal way subject to changes
that may be introduced by the Federal Military
Government.
All those chairmen and members of statutory
corporations, parastatals and other executive
departments are hereby relieved of their
appointments with immediate effect.
The Federal Military Government will maintain and
strengthen existing diplomatic relations with other
states and with international organisations and
institutions such as the Organisation of African
Unity, the United Nations and its organs,
Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries,
ECOWAS and the Commonwealth etc. The Federal
Military Government will honour and respect all
treaties and obligations entered into by the
previous government and we hope that such
nations and bodies will reciprocate this gesture by
respecting our country’s territorial integrity and
sovereignty.
Fellow Nigerians, finally, we have dutifully
intervened to save this nation from imminent
collapse. We therefore expect all Nigerians,
including those who participated directly or
indirectly in bringing the nation to this present
predicament, to cooperate with us. This generation
of Nigerians, and indeed future generations, have
no country other than Nigeria. We shall remain
here and salvage it together. May God bless us all.
Good morning.

1. I welcome you all to this occasion of the
formal presentation of the Hand-over notes
of my Administration to the in-coming
Administration of the President-Elect, General
Muhammadu Buhari.
2. This event and tomorrow’s inauguration of a
new administration are truly historic as it is
the first time in the history of our nation that
we are witnessing the democratic and orderly
transfer of power at the Federal level from
one political party to another.
3. The Hand-over notes which we now present,
contain the governance philosophy,
strategies, policies, programmes and
activities of my Administration for the period
– 2011-2015. Also to be found in the notes
are the objectives, targets and
implementation strategies, achievements and
challenges of our key policies, schemes,
initiatives as well as the status of
commitments and liabilities of the various
MDAs.
4. As we hand over the affairs of the nation, it is
appropriate to recall that at inception, in May
2011, we committed ourselves to
consolidating national unity through
democratization and good governance. Our
assessment then, and our firm belief ever
since, is that the unity of Nigeria, the
security, well-being, greater freedoms and
opportunities for all citizens must remain the
primary objectives of government.
5. The Agenda for National Transformation
which we did our best to implement
consisted of clear and consistent governance
strategies, policies, plans, programmes and
projects, in all facets of our national life.
Emphasis was placed on human and state
security, democratization, sound economic
management, as well as structural and
institutional reforms.
6. Our foremost concern was the unity of
Nigeria.In keeping with that concern, we
engineered a process that began with a
review of issues outstanding from previous
Constitutional Conferences by the Belgore
Committee. After that, we widened political
consultations through a National Dialogue
that was orchestrated through the
Okurounmu Committee. These culminated in
the all-inclusive National Conference which
unanimously reaffirmed that Nigeria must
remain united and indivisible.
7. The Conference also made resolutions and
recommendations for serious constitutional,
political and governance reforms, which we
have forwarded to the National Assembly for
appropriate legislative action. It is our hope
that the incoming Government will accord
the Report of the National Conference the
very high priority that it deserves, as a
genuine expression of the will of our people.
8. The recognition that the starting point for
good governance is the legitimacy of the
government itself informed our commitment
to promoting free and fair elections.
9. It also motivated innovations in the
management and conduct of elections which
we undertook. Hopefully, in the years ahead,
those innovations will be properly and fully
implemented so that Nigerians will be even
more assured of the integrity of the electoral
system and the legitimacy of any government
that it produces.
10. To strengthen the social contract between
the government and the governed, we
institutionalized the rule of law as well as the
independence of the legislature and the
judiciary. We also promoted group and
individual freedoms. As a result, there is vast
expansion in democratic, social and
economic space for all citizens.
11.Our nation and citizens faced many new
challenges over the past four years but the
greatest was the vastly increased menace of Boko
Haram with their mindless terror, mass killings,
utter ruthlessness, kidnapping of innocent children
and other unspeakable acts of brutality.
12. We should all remember that Boko Haram’s
emergence predated our administration
going as far back as 2002. The group
however became extremely malignant with
the killing of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf in
July 2009.
13. It therefore became an urgent task for us to
effectively confront the great threat Boko
Haram posed to the security and well-being
of our people. To do so, we overhauled and
virtually reinvented our security architecture
to confront Boko Haram and its insurgency.
We re-organized our security apparatus. We
re-equipped and fully motivated our forces.
14. Victory is now in sight and within our reach.
However, the cost in blood of citizens and
heroes; and the diversion of national treasure
from urgent needs for development have
been very high. While more than 500 women
and children have been rescued from the
clutches of Boko Haram thus far by our
security forces, it remains my sincere hope
and prayer that our beloved daughters from
Chibok will soon be reunited with us.
15. I wish to thank the Nigerian people for their
resilience and patience. I also wish to pay
very special and personal tribute to all the
men and women of our valiant armed forces
and security agencies. Their sacrifice and
dedication have brought us thus far.
16. While striving to overcome our national
security challenges, we still gave necessary
attention to economic development. Our goal
was to achieve long-term economic growth
and stability, improve the quality and
quantum of infrastructure and enhance
human capital development.
17. Our financial system reforms included the
Treasury Single Account [TSA] that unified
the structure of government accounts for all
MDAs and thereby brought order to cash flow
management; and Government Integrated
Financial Management Information System
[GIFMIS] was introduced to plug leakages
and waste of resources. The Integrated
Payroll and Personnel Information System
[IPPIS] weeded out 60,450 ghost workers in
359 out of 425 MDAs, yielding N185.4 billion
in savings to the Federal government.
18. Improved Revenue Mobilization was
achieved through improvements in the laws
and compliance measures. In 2013 alone,
these measures resulted in a 69% rise in
Federal tax revenues from N2.8 trillion to
N4.8 trillion. Also, Waiver Policy and Trade
Facilitation were reformed to create a more
rational regime. Our emphasis shifted to
granting waivers to specific sectors instead
of individual companies and the Sovereign
Wealth Fund was established to provide
stabilization from external shocks, provide
funding for critical infrastructure and savings
for future generations.
19. Our Financial Sector reforms addressed the
issues of inefficiencies in the coordination
and monitoring of the financial system. Our
policies promoted transparency, better risk
management, new banking models and
payment systems. We established the Assets
Management Corporation of Nigeria as a
resolution mechanism for toxic banking
assets. We strengthened banking supervision
and enhanced public confidence in Nigerian
Banks.
20. Similarly, we undertook innovative reforms
for job creation and repositioned the
manufacturing, agriculture and housing
sectors. Specifically, it was observed that
over the years, job creation did not keep
pace with economic growth. Thus
unemployment, especially amongst the youth
was assuming alarming dimensions.
21. To address this, my administration made job
creation a key consideration for all
programmes in the Transformation Agenda.
Emphasis was also shifted towards
empowering youths to become entrepreneurs
rather than job seekers, through such
initiatives as Youth Enterprise with Innovation
in Nigeria (YOU-WIN), Graduate Internship
Scheme (GIS), the SURE-P Technical
Vocational Education and Training
Programme (TVET) and the Youth
Employment in Agriculture Programme
(YEAP).
22. Manufacturing in Nigeria faces many
challenges, including poor power supply,
high cost of input, high cost of doing
business, multiple taxation, poor
infrastructure and lack of synergy with the
labour market. To address these problems,
we launched several programmes and
initiatives including the National Industrial
Revolution Plan and a new National
Automobile Policy designed to boost
domestic car production and expand existing
capacity. Since then, five new private vehicle
assembly plants have been established.
23. Agriculture is critical to national survival and
yet the sector was besieged with many
problems. By year 2010, Nigeria was the
second largest importer of food in the world,
spending about N 1.3 trillion on the
importation of fish, rice and sugar alone.
24. The reforms we introduced in agriculture
dramatically increased local production of
staple food and saved us vast amounts of
money that we would have spent on the
importation of food items.
25. To address the glaring inadequacy of critical
national infrastructure, we focused on the
Power Sector, Roads, Railways, Aviation,
Ports and Harbours as well as on Water and
Sanitation, Information and Communication
Technology.
26. My government introduced the Power Sector
Roadmap in 2010.Since then, we have
privatized the generation and distribution
aspects in a most transparent process.
Obstacles to the private sector investments
in power supply were removed and we
developed cost effective electricity tariff to
make the sector more attractive. It remains
our hope that the successor companies to
PHCN and also the private sector will step
forward with the necessary investment to
make the power reform work.
27. The major challenge in the road sector in
Nigeria is the high cost of building roads and
it continues to rise. The other challenge is
the fact that because of regular use, roads
are one of the fastest depreciating assets in
developing countries.
28. To address this, Government has developed
the required legal and regulatory framework
and created opportunities for Private Public
Partnership (PPP) in road construction and
maintenance.
29. From Ore/Benin Road, Lagos/Ibadan
Expressway to the Kano/Maiduguri
dualisation projects, we made concerted
efforts to address age-long problems of
delays in construction, design defect, neglect
and ineffective maintenance. The
construction of the historic Second Niger
Bridge has also commenced, and on
completion, it will open new and far-reaching
opportunities for greater trade and interaction
among our people.
30. In the Aviation Sector, our government
developed a Master Plan to institutionalise
safety and security, and to develop
infrastructure at the airports and local
airlines. We embarked on the reconstruction
and rehabilitation of 22 airports nationwide.
Construction work on five new international
terminals in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt,
Kano and Enugu are also on-going.
31. There has been a revolution in rail
transportation. We rehabilitated the old
narrow gauge network and ensured that it
has served our people steadily for three
years running with new coaches and
improved expanded services nationwide.
32. We are in the construction stages of a new
national network for standard gauge speed-
train services, with the new rail line segment,
from Abuja to Kaduna, successfully
completed. In addition, we have initiated the
process for the construction of an
ultramodern coastal rail line that will run
from Lagos to Calabar, with a link to Onitsha.
33. We have also successfully completed the
dredging of River Niger, from Warri in Delta
State to Baro in Niger State, and completed
construction works for the Onitsha River
Port. Other River Ports at Baro, Lokoja and
Oguta, are at advanced construction stages.
Working with the states and development
partners, we have facilitated the process
towards the development of two new deep
sea ports at Lekki in Lagos, and Ibaka in
Akwa Ibom. We have also implemented
reforms to streamline the clearing regime in
existing ports, increasing cargo turnover
time and easing business for all users.
34. In the oil and gas sector, our local content
policy has continued to empower Nigerian
companies, particularly in technical and
engineering projects. The Gas Revolution
Industrial Park in Delta State is
unprecedented in the subsector, and will not
only deliver Africa’s biggest industrial park,
but all the accompanying benefits to local
industry and job creation.
35. We recognized Human Capital as the most
important agent for transformational
development. Our reforms in this sector
focused on Health, Education and Social
Development and also on Women and Youth
Empowerment and Social Safety Nets.
36. In the Health sector, the comprehensive
National Strategic Health Development Plan
(NSHDP) of 2011 laid the foundation for
widening access and improving the quality of
healthcare with lower infant mortality rates
and higher life expectancy for the
populace.Our effective curtailment of the
Ebola epidemic has continued to receive
worldwide acclaim as an example in prompt
and effective national disease management.
On our watch, guinea-worm has been
eradicated from Nigeria and we are on the
verge of wiping out polio entirely.
37. In the Education sector, our objectives are
clear and precise. They emphasise
expansion of access and the upgrade of
quality. I am proud that we have widened
access by establishing 18 more Federal
Universities and other specialized
polytechnics. We strengthened TETFUND and
used it to boldly address the problems of
inadequate infrastructure in the existing
institutions.
38. I am particularly proud of our efforts with
regards to Early Childhood Education and
Out-of-School Children. We provided modern
hybrid Almajiri Education Programme in the
North, attended to schooling needs of boys
in the South-East and ensured the
construction of special girls’ schools in 13
States of the Federation to improve girl-child
education. We expanded opportunities for
open and distance learning and provided
scholarships at all levels to help improve
access to quality education for bright and
promising Nigerians.
39. We have promoted gender-mainstreaming
with commensurate priority and opportunities
for our womenfolk, beginning with ensuring
that not less than 30 per cent of key Federal
appointments go to women. Other initiatives
that we have taken include: the National
Gender Policy, Establishment of Gender Units
in Federal MDAs, Women Empowerment
Training Programmes, Micro-Credit for
Women, Social Safety Net Programmes and
the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Scheme.
40. My Administration has emphasized giving a
free hand to our Anti-corruption agencies
such as the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) and the Independent
Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC). We
preferred that they mature into strong
institutions instead of being the images, the
hammer and the anvil of a strong man. We
must encourage them to abide by the rule of
law and due process instead of resorting to
dramatic or illegal actions orchestrated for
cheap applause.
41. Beyond the very impressive records of
enhanced convictions by statutory anti-
corruption agencies like the EFCC and ICPC,
our other strategy has been to fashion
economic policies that deliver higher
deterrence and frustrate concealment. In this
regard, the Bureau of Public Procurement has
played a central role and impacted strongly
on the fight against corruption.
42. In Sports, we have improved our national
performance in team and individual events.
The disappointment of not qualifying to
defend our African Football Championship
was cushioned by a decent FIFA World Cup
appearance, an Under-17 World Cup win in
addition to other victories in other
international football tournaments and the
Paralympics. We have also encouraged
excellence in other sports, apart from
football, resulting in exceptional performance
in international sporting events, especially in
athletics.
43. Our foreign policy position remains strong.
In October 2013, Nigeria was elected as a
non-permanent member of the United
Nations Security Council for the second time
on our watch. Our country had only served
in that capacity thrice before 2011, since
independence in 1960. Our Administration
also played a leading role in the resolution of
security and political challenges in our sub-
region, particularly in Niger, Cote D’Ivoire,
Mali, Guinea-Bissau and Burkina Faso.
44. In addition, we increased engagement with
Nigerians in the diaspora who contribute so
much in remittances to their fatherland. Our
Administration successfully encouraged more
of them to invest in Nigeria and others to
return home and join in the task of nation-
building.
45. In summary, Your Excellency, distinguished
ladies and gentlemen, our administration has
done its best to intervene robustly and
impact positively on key aspects of our
national life.
46. There is no doubt that challenges still
abound, but they are surmountable and
overwhelming national transformation
remains realisable, with continuity,
commitment and consistency.
47. Nigeria is blessed with citizens that will
always remain faithful, firmly committed to
national unity, accelerated political, social
and economic development.
48. As we hand over the reins of government, I
believe that our nation is secure, our
democracy is stable, and the future is bright.
Let us all work together, and with greater
resolve, continue to build a stronger and
more prosperous nation.
49. May God Almighty continue to bless our
dear country, Nigeria.
50. I thank you all.

Stealing is not corruption.... yam and the goat dictum

This may be the best kept secret in Nigeria if,
according to report from insiders, it turns out that
Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has
a second wife beside the only known and very
popular Dame Patience Jonathan.
According to very reliable sources, there is actually
a second wife who goes by the name Mrs. Lott
Jonathan, popularly called Mrs. Lott J.
The insiders squeal that Lott J is not just President
Jonathan’s second wife, but she is also the mother
of his children – two boys.
Lott J, a Law graduate of Rivers State University of
Science and Technology, (RSUST), is the daughter
of Chief F.D. Lott, a renowned lawyer and former
Attorney General of Bayelsa State, and is the
cousin of the Petroleum Minister, Deziani Allison-
Madueke.
It is also reported that the two of them are as close
as blood sisters and that could be the reason GEJ
cannot do away with the controversy ridden
minister.
Sources disclose that Lott J has been married to
the president even before he made his foray into
politics. It was gathered that after Jonathan
became the Deputy-Governor of Bayelsa State, Lott
J tried to muscle her way into his heart by using
her two sons as bargaining chips to tie his hand.
However, she met a stiff resistance in Dame
Patience, who foiled all her attempts. By the time
Jonathan became the governor of Bayelsa State, he
decided to relocate his second wife and two sons
to the United States of America.
Shortly after President Jonathan became president,
Lott J came back to Nigeria with her two sons, and
made Abuja her place of abode.
She is said to be living in one of the most high
brow areas of Maitama district, Abuja, and runs a
private school called Aduvie Montessori
International, where children of the high and mighty attend.

www.naij.com/62795.html

worthytalk:
From clueless president to brainless president. Only in the zoo called Nigeria. It is not by force to stay in the same country with amajiri Hausa/Fulani and neither here nor there Yoruba cowards. God give us Biafra.

Chai!!!! e pain am hahahahahahah!