Ex-president not properly briefed, says govt

‘Endorsement doesn’t win elections’

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was under attack yesterday for describing President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as “incompetent”.

Obasanjo is backing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar, who the government said “will be roundly and comprehensively” defeated.

The government said Obasanjo was “not properly briefed” in reaching his conclusion, even as it affirmed the ex-President’s right to endorse any candidate for the 2019 poll. However, endorsement alone does not win elections, it said.

Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed stated the government’s position at a briefing in Abuja against the backdrop of Obasanjo’s vitriolic attacks on Buhari’s administration.

Mohammed said the administration had fought corruption and introduced anti-graft institutional reforms more than any in the history of Nigeria.

He said: “With due respect to the former President Obasanjo, actually, it is his constitutional right to support any candidate of his choice and we urge him to go out and campaign vigorously for any candidate that he wants to support.

“I don’t think the former President has hidden his preference for the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and I think we all wish him the very best of luck. I want to assure you that his candidate would be defeated roundly and comprehensively.

“We welcome him. It is not about endorsement. Endorsement doesn’t win elections. We wish him the best of luck; nobody is asking him not to support anybody, but believe me, he will be defeated roundly and comprehensively.”



To Mohammed, Obasanjo has not been properly briefed about the administration’s achievements. He tabled some statistics and challenged any Nigerian to controvert the figures.

He said: “The facts are all there: On corruption, this government has done more than any government in the history of this country to fight corruption.

“Although it is endemic and global, but when you look at the kind of institutional reforms this government has put in place, you cannot doubt its sincerity and commitment to fighting corruption.

“Corruption is not just about prosecuting and jailing people; it is more about what you have put in place to prevent people from looting the treasury. This is what this government has done, I would say, more than any government in the history of this country.

“I will start with the Treasury Single Account (TSA). The TSA was not initiated by this government. It is only this government that has the political courage and will to implement it. Before we came in, there were over 22,000 various accounts of government in various banks in Nigeria.

“Since we came in, it has been reduced to one single Treasury Account. From 2015 to date, N8.9 trillion has passed through that TSA. So, at a glance, you know where every revenue and every receipt of government is going; it makes for transparency and accountability.

“This government put in place what is called National Anti-Corruption Strategy with a roadmap for all the anti-corruption agencies on how to tackle corruption.

“There is what is called the non-commission based strategy which helps government to recover looted funds without convicting the people.

“As of today, we have been able to recover (EFCC alone) N794 billion, $261 million, 8 million Euros, 1,115,000 pounds, about 4,295 vehicles, about 407 mansions in forfeiture to the Federal Government.

“In tackling corruption, this government has introduced what is called an Efficiency Unit within the Ministry of Finance. This unit examines every proposal to travel, estacode, date, and it is on record that this government has saved N17 billion from travel expenses, gifts and the likes.

“Under this government, starting with the TSA, more revenue is now coming to the government than before. For example, JAMB, between 2010 and 2015, paid to the federation account N51 million. In 2017 alone, under this administration, JAMB paid N7.8 billion to the federation account.

“Another thing this government has done to ensure that there is transparency and we fight corruption effectively is that today, as opposed from what used to happen in the past, N8.1 trillion was missing from the federation account between 2010 and 2015. This was supposed to be paid in by 15 revenue generating authorities.

“Then, of course, there is the Whistleblowers Policy, which has been hugely successful. Under the Whistle Blowers Policy, the government raked in N13.8 billion from whistle blowers alone, N7.8 billion from corrupt officials.

“When you look at what we have put on ground as institutional remedies, I believe with us that this government is more sincere and more committed to fighting corruption than any government in history.

“If the former president says that this government is not performing, I think he is not being properly briefed.”

Mohammed insisted that the government has records to prove that it has performed and lived up to the mandate given to it.

He added: “We promised Nigerians that we are going to diversify the economy. One area where we’ve had resounding success is in the area of food security. In the last three and half years, we’ve saved $21billion from food importation, according to the report recently released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“Not that alone, we have been able to grow the level of rice farmers from five million to over 11 million today.

“First, our food import base has gone down; when you look at the figures, in 2014, Nigeria imported 1.2 million metric tons of rice from Thailand alone. In 2015, it went down to about 680,000 metric tons. Last year, it went to about 22,000 metric tons.

“We have records to show or, like I keep saying, we are more successful in the SIP, and we touched every family with these and feed over nine million pupils one meal a day. For most of these children, that is the only meal they are assured of. There is no better investment in the future of the country on good infrastructure.”

Mohammed spoke also on power generation. He said: “I want to remind the former President that when he left, what was the total capacity of all our generating plants? I can quote the figure for 2015 when we came in, power has been privatised. When we came in; total power generated in Nigeria was just slightly above 4,000MW. That today has moved to about 7,000MW.

“Still talking about infrastructure, there is no state in the federation that we are not building one road or the other. Latest report from the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority(NSIA), said we have paid as of August this year about N33billion to make the second Niger bridge a reality.

“The latest report is that the pillars today are coming out and each pillar is 10-storey building down. Or are we going to speak about our roads? The 240km road between Enugu and Port Harcourt is progressing. Four major contractors are handling it. The East West road is going very well… “

News Credits: http://thenationonlineng.net/2019-knocks-obasanjo-anti-buhari-comment/

Dr. Pedro Obaseki, the President of Midwest Movement, says the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, should not use restructuring as a political gimmick to get votes.

Obaseki, a cousin to Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday that only a restructured Nigeria would engender peace, progress and prosperity for the country.

According to him, the country needs a presidential candidate that strongly believes in and committed to restructuring of the nation for Nigeria to join the comity of developed nations of the world.

He spoke against the backdrop of Abubakar’s promise to commence the processes of Nigeria’s restructuring within six months of his administration if he emerges the winner of the Feb. 16 Presidential Election.

NAN reports that Abubakar gave the pledge at the PDP rally in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday.

Obaseki said: “We will take any presidential candidate who promises restructuring to court if he or she reneges.

“Once you openly commit to restructuring, we will hold you in court if you don’t prosecute it having made an open commitment; an open commitment is a contract whether verbal or written.

“Atiku has come with “let’s keep Nigeria working again’’ as slogan, if Atiku is doing it as a gimmick to get campaign votes, he will regret it because we are going to hold them accountable to their promises unlike in the past,” he said.

Obaseki, who was the gubernatorial candidate of the Accord Party in Edo in 2016, said the only major drawback for Nigeria as a federal unit was the poor federal system in practice.

According to him, if Nigeria is properly restructured and properly “federalised”, the country will turn back to the progressive Nigeria of the 1960s.

He said that fear of the unknown of some people and sections in the country had inhibited the restructuring of the nation, saying Nigeria could not move forward except it was restructured.

“All the hallmarks of development that we see today are hallmarks that were planted in the 1960s based on the vision of those men who sat on the table and negotiated the interaction among the federating units.

“Nigeria is the only federation in the world where there is a unitary operation of the federal structure and every state goes to Abuja to collect what they produce ab-initio.

“There is the need for a re-negotiation of issues on the exclusive and the concurrent lists. Federal Government has no business in many of the burdens it bears.

” So many issues on the exclusive list cannot make the country grow,” Obaseki, a veteran movie director and broadcaster, added.

He said that restructuring would lead to the creation of state police to improve the security situation, saying “It will be a much more difficult job for a man who is not from an environment to police an environment.”

Obaseki, an academic, who said he helped in the writing the manifesto of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said that the party equally promised to restructure the country.

“I helped write in the APC manifesto, I feel pained because I know that in the preamble to the manifesto it is stated that “we shall restructure Nigeria right in the first page,” he said.

Speaking on the forthcoming “Midwest Summit,” Obaseki said that issues of restructuring and security would play a key role in determining the direction for the Midwestern region in 2019.

He said that the Midwest Summit, convened by Midwestern Movement, would hold on Dec. 12 in Asaba, the home town of the first Premier of the region, Chief Dennis Osadebe.

According to Obaseki, prominent politicians including presidential candidates of some political parties in the 2019 elections, will participate in the summit.

Credits: http://thenationonlineng.net/2019-atiku-must-not-use-restructuring-campaign-gimmick/

Frontline politician Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has advised Nigerians not to allow the nation return to the path of destruction on which he said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) put it for 16 years.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart who spoke at a National Consultative Forum organised by the National Committee of Buhari Support Groups in Abuja, accused the Atiku Campaign Organisation and the PDP of trying to blackmail the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Police with the accusation of plots to rig the 2019 elections because “they know that they will not win”.

He also accused Senate President Bukola Saraki of using the mandate of the APC to negotiate and give a lifeline to the opposition. “He left the PDP, joined us, got elected, got our mandate, our majority and sold it for a pot of pottage. God is honest, Saraki is not,” Tinubu said.

The former Lagos State governor recalled how the rigging machinery of the PDP almost denied him his re-election in 2003 when INEC published what he described as “fake results” on its website, adding that the then Resident Electoral Commissioner insisted that what was published was not the real results for his election to be validated.

He said it was a shame for the opposition party to be celebrating an American visa for its presidential candidate who, he said, has so many party membership cards enough to build a house. “That is why they are confused,” Tinubu said.

He went on: “Come February, we will re-elect Buhari. It is not easy to put together a National Committee, but we are in the same family. As free-minded people, you are all free to be doing other things this morning, but you are here because you have the vision and the determination that Nigeria must continue the foundation and the progress of the future.

“Working together to re-elect Buhari is a task that must be achieved. Why are they complaining? Buhari is too busy to exchange words with them because he building a foundation of a prosperous Nigeria that will magnify the economy and provide employment for everyone regardless of the status in the society.

“A fervent man like him will not have time for the nonsense being thrown at him. I give you one message for them and there will be many such messages. Their candidate who is supposed to beat Buhari, has been in our party and many other parties. He has more party membership cards to build a house.

“All you have to do is to go out there and tell him that a house built on cards will be collapsed with a single stroke of broom. He said they are reformed, but reformed what? Reformed PDP. No. Tell them as you go out that we accept the admission of guilt that they were vagabonds before and now being reformed.

“But they have not served enough probation. You can only be reformed if you are an ex-convict, a drug addict or a political prostitute. It is because Buhari has no temperament and no tolerance for corruption, he is vigorously ridding the nation of blemish and looting, bad reputation.

“I can see them celebrating the visa. What a shame? Yet you want to lead this country with the most vibrant economy in Africa? Why should we allow them?

“They ran this country from 1999 till 2015. They were planning for 60 years of doing nothing, lack of direction and concern for the citizens.

“Are we still in this nation where visionary leadership is required? If yes, then they are not competent and not qualified to be leading Nigeria again and say they want to come back to government. If they left our schools in such dilapidated condition, left out hospitals without medicare, they don’t deserve to come back.

“They say we should not talk about their past anymore because they are ashamed of it, but we cannot go forward without talking about it because a nation has no history if there are no references. If you give me an application for employment which is the application of Atiku Abubakar, I must look at what you have done before, your experience.

“We have to look at Halliburton and why they left Nigeria. Go and ask those questions. They spent $16 billion of NEPA money and what they gave us is darkness and when they knew that we were kicking them out, they shared the company through irregularities called privatisation, which I call personalisation of the wealth of Nigeria.

“We won’t allow that to happen again and I will recommend that we campaign on that. We should find a way to technically dissolve those companies they shared among themselves. There is no way you can industrialise a nation without providing electricity.

“So many industries in Kaduna, Ikeja and other parts of the country. What were they doing for 16 years? That is why we believe that President Buhari is the best person to lead us and got him elected in 2015.

“They said he will die, but he did not die and is back hale and hearty and when they saw seriousness on his part, they now said he was cloned. That is because they know so much about forgery. I am glad he told them he is real. They exist to lie.”

Tinubu also attacked former President Olusegun Obasanjo who he described as PDP’s “new found Jehovah Witness”. After they disgraced the office of the President, fighting in public and abusing each other, telling us how they stole money and dancing naked in the market square, Obasanjo said he has spoken to God never to allow Atiku to become President,” he said, adding:

“Which God is he now talking to, to say Atiku should be President? I believe he is not telling the truth and not to the God we know. He is just talking to himself.”

Tinubu went on: “We have sacrificed too much under the PDP and we cannot go back.

“People must ask you why you belong to this support group. Tell them that you are members of a very committed rescue mission that started in 2015. I remember how things were. So, remind them of what happened because they can’t shut us up.

“They had the best opportunity for prosperity, but they are now complaining. They were there for 16 years and never added one barrel capacity to the refineries in Nigeria. They didn’t even pay counterpart funding for our rail, electricity and we cannot industrialise a nation without the power source.

Read also: Looters ‘shun Dubai for Morocco, Jo’burg, Ghana’
“I stand before you as a very proud individual. When I introduced Independent power generation to fire the industries at Ikeja Industrial Estate, they killed it because there was bribe under the table.

“Imagine what Buhari is doing today in rail and in feeding our children which creates opportunity for the farmers; it creates small scale business for those cooking the food and a lot of people involved are doing better and we are battling poverty with the best weapon, which is education.

“They are busy changing parties and that is why they are confused. Atiku is now PDP Aladdin. He is going to create 14 million jobs and I say how? They will turn Atlantic into fuel to crash the prices without the refineries working and the population is expanding and people must move around. He just talk of crashing the prices of fuel. They are lying again because a leopard cannot change its skin.

“They had 16 billion of unprecedented resources and yet, they didn’t bring power to Nigeria. They invested that money in their personal industries. They bought turbines from General Electric and did not add one pipeline to bring gas to the plant.

“They can say anything now about Buhari. I agree with Okonjo-Iweala that it is difficult to fight corruption. The agents of destruction are there fighting us, but We will win with strong determination.

“Don’t let them weep things under the carpet – that when we came in as a government, before then they had too much resources in their hands, but Buhari funded states to pay salaries. In that period, 27 states were unable to pay salaries as at May 2015. The states and local economy would have collapsed long time ago.

“If PDP members truly love this country, they should humbly step aside and allow Buhari continue with the work of addressing the ills of our nation. However, since they seems to obstruct and remain focused as applicants, we say no job for them.

“No matter what they say, don’t listen to them, don’t kind them. What they want is to continue to distract with the talk of rigging because they know that they are losing. They want to blackmail INEC and the police. I remember my own election for my second term.

“On the website of INEC, they announced a funny result, but a woman of great character who was the State Resident Electoral Commissioner said, ‘no’, the result she got from the field are the valid results and not the fake ones published and upheld our election. They know they cannot win.

“That is why all the noise from either Saraki, a man who used our mandate to negotiate and give lifeline to the opposition. Leadership is about character. How can he now ask us to vote for PDP? He left the PDP, joined us, got elected, got our mandate, our majority and sold it for a pot of pottage. God is honest; Saraki is not.

The APC chief spoke also on the herdsmen/farmers clashes. He said: “They talk about farmers and herders clashes. If they are honest, they should know that it also happened during their time, but they have … no capacity to convert tragedy into economic prosperity. We have the capacity in this country to do irrigation and utilize our water resources, to create pastures and ranches so that we can convert that misery, that tragedy to opportunity for our people. Livestock is economy.

“It is not about intellectual talent alone. There are so many unrewarded talents across the world. It is about character, determination, the love of a country and our commitment to nation building. That is what PDP is opposed to and APC is determined to continue as a progressive entity and the man to lead the nation on that path is President Buhari. Tell Nigerians that after Moses crossed the Red Sea, he is not going to return to Egypt”.

Credit: http://thenationonlineng.net/tinubu-pdp-nigerians-will-never-return-egypt/

The police in Lagos have arrested popular musician Adekunle Temitope aka Small Doctor and three of his band members for alleged illegal possession of firearms.

They were nabbed around Oshodi after threatening to shoot traffic policemen, Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal said yesterday.

The commissioner, said to have paraded the suspects before few reporters who were at the command headquarters, frowned at the artiste’s conduct.

He said he had a pending case at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos.

Edgal alleged that the musician opened fire at his show in Agege, which left four persons injured

He said: “You would have thought the incident would have made him to be wiser, but surprisingly today (yesterday), I got a situation report from traffic monitors on Oshodi Expressway alleging that four gunmen in green unregistered Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) threatened to shoot them.

“He brought out a gun and threatened to shoot the policemen. Fortunately, the DPO and other policemen at Shogunle intercepted the suspects and arrested them.


•Small Doctor (second left) and members of his band … yesterday
“When they were brought here, it was discovered that one of them was the same Adekunle Temitope aka Small Doctor with three others. They were arrested with a functional rifle, a cartridge and personal items.

“I am concerned, as one will expect that a popular musician like him will be a role model, but his character is nothing to emulate.”

The police boss urged celebrities to stop involving in activities that do not portray them well.

Source: http://thenationonlineng.net/police-arrest-popular-musician-small-doctor/

What is your reaction to the allegation by a section of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that APC is harboring corrupt elements?

Naturally, CAN is the umbrella body for all Christians and they are there not only to protect the interest of Christians, but also to provide leadership when the affairs of the country is being threatened. CAN is a noble organisation, but I am afraid, one may not be able to say the same judging by it’s activities in the recent past. The way the organisation has been run and managed, the characters that have taken over the organisation has left some of us, Christians with so much to desire. It’s not a bad thing if a noble organisation like CAN raises concern on any issue that affects the common man on the street, but my worry is: where was this CAN was during the days of the locust, where was the CAN during the last administration? Where was this CAN when billions of Dollars was looted from the country? Where was CAN when humongous amount of money was shared by the elite, money meant for the prosecution of the war against Boko Haram in the North – East? If not for the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari, we would not have known how humongous amounts of money developed wings and flew out of our coffers. Where was this CAN?

CAN was not making any reference to the government. It looks to me that CAN will always come out to speak only when it is convenient for them to, not when it is necessary. I was taken aback when CAN made that wild allegation that the political party of the President was a safe haven for the corrupt politicians. I don’t think CAN, with recent developments still enjoys good support of the people they represent. A lot of Christians including myself have completely lost faith in CAN as an organisation because as clergy men, they are duty bound to say the truth to any government no matter who is there. I think Christians should watch and not be misled. We should know when people are representing our interest and when people are representing their personal interest.

Don’t you think the damning allegation may affect the President’s electoral fortunes in 2019?

I have said before that our democracy is growing and the country is dynamic and I have equally said we not running a democracy where people are called to the village square to share kola nut, and begin to apportion who takes what. The country is governed by rules and the people are discerning, especially during election periods. You will recall that around this time in 2014, it was reported that about 9 billion naira was released by that administration to some clergy under CAN umbrella, and that the money was shared somewhere in Lagos. I remember a renowned clergy warning those who collected the money to return same. I stand to be corrected. CAN never came out with any position on that issue, so the people know where to cast their votes, whether Christians, Muslims or Traditional worshippers. If CAN were mute under the last administration where corruption had developed legs and worn clothes, walking around the country, how come they are now talking under a president that has showed zero tolerance for corruption?

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed major economic policies of this administration as unworkable. What are your thoughts?

I have listened to Atiku Abubakar recently. I have also heard him propose what I will call voodoo economics. He said he is going to take the risk of allowing inflation in our economy to woo foreign investors. As funny as Atiku’s economic magic may look, I think Atiku is trying to take Nigeria back to Zimbabwe of the recent past, where a loaf of bread was sold for Ten Thousand Zimbabwean Dollars. Atiku should know that such an economy seriously affects the poor. From what he is proposing, it shows Atiku is only concerned about the elite. Atiku is trying to take us back to where the miracle of survival was only in the hands of a few. Buhari’s government has come in to break the walls between the rich and the poor, but what Atiku is proposing is to take Nigeria back to the era where we eat the crumbs from the master’s table, and the people will not allow that in 2019. I also heard him say he is going to allow the Niger – Delta take control of their resources. Atiku cannot deceive Nigerians with his ridiculous promises because it was under the watchful eyes of Atiku that the people of the South – South took the issue up to the level of the Supreme Court to fight for 13 percent derivation. He also talked about disobedience of court orders. Under the administration he was VP, the allocation of Lagos state was withheld for months even after the Supreme Court judgment ordering them to pay the money to Lagos State under Former Governor Tinubu. So, Atiku is not qualified morally to talk about disobedience to court orders because he was an active player in a government that relied more on the rule of the thumb. I think he is only showing desperation as a man desperate to come into power not for the benefit of the people but for themselves.

Don’t you see his recent endorsement in the Southeast as a plus for his aspiration?

If endorsement wins election, former President Goodluck Jonathan would have won re – election in 2015 because during that era, we saw how humongous amounts of money was used to acquire endorsements. Endorsement does not win votes; it’s the people, with their PVC’s who will determine the President of Nigeria in 2019. What happened in the South – East, the Enugu declaration is not unexpected. We are going to see more of it in the coming days, especially with the kick-off the campaigns. That endorsement will count for nothing because under this administration, the government has done so much for the people of the South – east. The people will not allow themselves to be used again by the so – called leaders. Development wise, this government has done more for the people of the South – East compared to the sixteen years of the PDP.

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THE Chairman of Arewa Professional Group, Malam Idris Mustapha, said President Muhammadu Buhari deserves second term, given his track record of performance.

Mustapha said the Buhari administration has been prudent with nation’s resources and that he has also embarked on projects across the country. Buhari started delivery of infrastructural facilities when the crude oil was as low as $28 per barrel.

Mustapha said: “This government has shown determination and the will to squeeze water from stone. At a point when they started taking this very critical infrastructure across the country – rail, roads and power-oil dropped to $28 per barrel. So, it shows that it is a government that is very prudent in the management of resources.”

In his view, the President has plans to deliver more dividends of democracy to Nigerians. He said the bane of Nigeria’s under-development has been the mismanagement of public funds.

But , the Director General of the Atiku Campaign Organisation Organisation, Chief Gbenga Daniel, said President Buhari has failed to deliver his contract of job creation to Nigerians. He recalled that the President, during 2015 campaigns, had promised to provide about three million jobs but failed to do so.

Daniel said Buhari at that time said if he failed to fulfil the promise, then, Nigerians were at liberty to choose another leader. He challenged the President to honour his pledge and resign from office to enable Nigerians to elect a new president.

The former Ogun State Governor believes the PDP candidate is best man for the job. He said the country is not working and Atiku has the capacity to get things working again. He said: “Nigeria is not working again and I want to start by quoting what the current president said in one of his tweets, specifically, I think this was sometime in March 2015 just before the election, he promised Nigerian jobs and he said and I quote : ‘If I don’t fulfil my promises, you have the power to decide who leads you and how they lead you’.

“Part of what is key for us is provision of jobs and my submission is if the contact that Buhari had with the people is that he will create jobs, then he has failed to deliver that contract. Going forward, in Atiku Abubakar, we clearly have a better person; we clearly have someone who has better exposure to all the facets of this country. We have someone who is very much at home everywhere.”

An economist, Dr Usman Aliyu, has dismissed Daniel’s submission that the Buhari administration has failed to fulfil promise of job creation

Aliyu observed that since Buhari took office in 2015, the unemployment rate has slowly edged down with millions of jobs created.

He said in agriculture, for example, this administration has created over seven million jobs. He said: “When it assumed office in 2015, about five million farmers were engaged in rice production. Through the introduction of the Buhari’s administration Anchor Borrowers Programme, the number of farmers engaged in rice production today stands at 12.2 million.”

Aliyu said 69,736 have been created in the Power, Works and Housing sectors. The National Social Investment Programme of the administration has created 200,000 jobs, in addition to empowering 500,000 others under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).

Quoting the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the economist said: “The Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has created 69,736 jobs (direct and indirect) across the country. The power sector projects created 1,740 jobs, the Works sector created 38,391 jobs while the Housing sector created 29,605 jobs.”

He explained that the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, through which 6.4 million school children in 33,981 schools across 20 states are being fed with one meal a day has created a job for 61,352 cooks.

Lawyer and human right activist, Mr Monday Ubani, has advised Nigerians not to take promises made by politicians hook, line and sinker. He said this is a season when politicians would promise heaven and earth to win people’s vote, adding that people should put them to task on how they would implement all promises and how they would fund projects, if elected.

Ubani recalled that the All Progressives Congress (APC) made many promises in 2015, but denied some of the promises on getting to power. He added: “For instance, the APC promised restructuring of the country for true federalism to prevail. But when the APC got into office they denied making such promise. However, the ruling party made a face-saving effort by setting up a panel headed by Governor Nasir El-Rufai to look into the issue of restructuring. We don’t know what has happened to the report of that committee.”

Ubani also expressed disappointment with the APC government that promised change. It was on the basis of that promise that many Nigerians voted out the PDP government. He noted that though the Buhari administration had performed in certain areas, but it has not brought radical change expected from it.

The right activist said the APC that accused the PDP of impunity in 2015 is also guilty of that offence. He said the APC primaries conducted at the state level lacked internal democracy. He said: “You can see some governors behaving like emperor, imposing candidates on the party and threatening to undermine the party’s success if they don’t have their way. We had thought APC would lay a good precedence in party management.”

Ubani also faulted Atiku’s promise to “make Nigeria working again”. He challenged the former vice president to tell Nigerians at what point did Nigeria stop working. As a major player, in the Obasanjo regime, what role did he play in ruing Nigerian economy? He said: “He should tell us as the person in charge of economy under Obasanjo how he managed the sale of government companies and enterprises before he can convince us that he has what it takes to make Nigeria work.

“I am surprised that Atiku didn’t mention anything about development of seaports in his campaign document. We have many ports that are idle in this country. Only Lagos ports are working. Those in Calabar, Warri and Port Harcourt are either abandoned or underutilised. Putting these ports into optimal use will reduce pressure on Lagos roads and improve the economic activities of the areas they are located.”

Ubani urged Nigerians not to vote for a presidential candidate that is not committed to restructuring. He said most of the socio-economic problems facing this country have to do with the present structure that is inimical to true federalism. He recalled that Nigeria got it right between 1960 and 1966 when true federalism was at play. The regions had control over resources under their jurisdiction; there was competition among the regions; unlike now that is everything is centralised.

A Kaduna-based lawyer, Mr Andrew Obaseki, lauded Buhari government for improving and intervening in some critical sectors such as power, housing, transportation and infrastructural development. He said rods rehabilitation is being pursued vigorously with work going on important roads such as Lagos- Ibadan; Bonny-Bodo; Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Birin Gwari-Kaduna and Kano-Maiduguri roads.

Obaseki said: “Even though, it is not yet uhuru , there is no doubt that Buhari administration has done well and deserves commendation. The anti-graft war reched its peak under the Buhari administration with N500,000 billion recovered from corrupt people. This is in addition to property worth billions of naira also recovered. The whistle blowing policy of the government has led to the recovery of billions of naira too.”

On security, he noted that Buhari within a very short period of coming to power decimated the dreaded Boko Haram, secured the release of 106 out of 276 Chibok school girls who were abducted by terrorists during the Goodluck Jonathan.

Public Affairs analyst, Malam Mohammed Aminu, scored Buhari low on security. To him, the state of security has not changed. He said Nigerians across the country are not safer today than they were during the Jonathan administration.

Aminu said: “Both the land and coastal borders are still poorly guarded, allowing for the high influx of arms.. Armed robberies, killing and kidnappings still happen in broad daylight, with the Abuja-Kaduna axis has been known for these.

“The Shiite crisis is still a fresh wound that has not healed since after the Zaria massacre carried out by the military. The herdsmen-farmer clashes though have reduced but still on in Benue, Taraba and Kaduna states where hundreds of lives had been lost.” A student activist, Mr Lanre Adesanya, said Nigeria has never had it so good. He argued that those who are opposed to re-election of Buhari are those who plundered the nation’s commonwealth under the previous administrations.

Adesanya said: “Buhari’s administration should be commended and not condemned. A ruin of 16 years under the PDP cannot be fixed in three and half years. So far it has been so good under Buhari.”

He said the administration has delivered on its key promises of anti-corruption fight, security and economy. He believed that the government has invested in people, ensured justice reform, improved diplomacy and international relations and enthroned new vision for the Niger Delta region. He said if re-elected Buhari would consolidate on the gains recorded in the first term and make Nigeria a great country. Nigeria is on course, we should not allow the looters to return to power in 2019, he pleaded.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has knocked President Muhammadu Buhari over what it described as “plagiarism” of the logo of the President’s presidential campaign document, “Next Level”.

The Buhari presidential campaign has come under severe attacks in the social media over similarities in the “Next Level” logo, which originally belonged to the Rex Institute in the United States.

Joining the fray, the PDP, in a statement yesterday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the Buhari Presidency has again disgraced the nation by stealing the Rex Institute’s logo and mantra as the President’s 2019 campaign mantra and presenting it to Nigerians as their idea and creation.

The party said the revelation has further confirmed that the Buhari Presidency lacked integrity as a “fraud syndicate” that thrives on deception, lies, false performance claims, certificate forgery, corruption while always trying to take credit for the achievements of others.

The statement said, “This shameful plagiarism by the Buhari Presidency has further sunk him into self-inflicted public opprobrium, from which he has not recovered since the demonstration by Nigerians, that he does not have his acclaimed WAEC certificate and had to procure an attestation, which Nigerians also discovered to be a forged document.

“The PDP is however not surprised that President Buhari, in his desperation, can go as low as patronising plagiarism and false credit claims, since it is clear that he lacks the competence to initiate and articulate an original blue print for leadership; the reason our nation has been in dire strait in the last three and half years.

“A perusal of President Buhari’s 2019 campaign document reveals that apart from the stolen logo and mantra, the document is replete with false claims, spurious projections and unsubstantiated figures in the bid to again beguile Nigerians ahead of the elections”

The main opposition party also said that President Buhari has over time shown that he cannot be trusted, adding that he leads the most corrupt administration in the history of the nation.

The PDP charged the President to immediately show remorse, apologise to Nigerians and prepare to accept defeat as the people are not ready to vote for any leader that has demonstrated a proclivity for falsehood, forgery and incompetence in governance”.

Source: http://thenationonlineng.net/pdp-knocks-buhari-alleged-plagiarism-next-level-logo/

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday urged politicians not to set Nigeria ablaze as the campaigns for the 2019 elections begin.

According to him, the next four years will be significant for Nigeria.

The choices Nigerians will make as the 2019 elections approaches, he said, will shape the economy, security and the future.

To Buhari, Nigeria needs a stable and people-focused government to move forward.

The President spoke at the old Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja while flagging off his campaign for a second term, launch of “Next Level – APC Road Map”.

He said: “The next four years will be quite significant for our country. Nigeria is faced with a choice to keep building a new Nigeria- making a break from its tainted past which favoured an opportunistic few. Our choices will shape us – our economic security and our future prosperity. Nigeria, more than ever before, needs a stable and people-focused government to move the agenda for our country forward.

“I am not unmindful that presidential and National Assembly campaigns start today. I implore candidates to go about peacefully and decently. We have no other country, let us not set it ablaze.”

He added: “Four years ago, we promised Nigerians real change – in what we do and how we do it. Nigerians sent a clear message in the last election, and our platform offered a new, ambitious plan for a secure, prosperous and corruption-free country.

“We have worked hard to fulfill our promises – and while the road may have been difficult, over the last three and a half years, we have laid the foundations for a strong, stable and prosperous country for the majority of our people.

“Foundational work is not often visible, neither is it glamorous – but it is vital to achieving the kind of country we desire. Judging by the prior depth of decay, deterioration and disrepair that Nigeria had sunken into, we are certain that these past few years have put us in good stead to trudge on the NEXT LEVEL of building an even stronger nation for our people.

“First things had to come first. We were a nation at war – but we delivered on our commitment to secure the territorial integrity of our nation in the face of a raging insurgency that devastated many parts of the Northeast. We liberated 17 Local Government Areas from the grip of insurgency. Brokering and sustaining peace in the Niger Delta has also been crucial to stabilising the polity.

“Despite the difficult circumstances presented by weak oil prices and reduced oil production, we delivered on our commitment to make public investments to spur economic growth, job creation, and broad-based prosperity. Agriculture continues to expand our economic base, as do our investments in our deficient infrastructure across the length and breadth of this nation.”



“We implemented a responsible and transparent fiscal plan for the challenging economic times that saw us doing more even with lesser oil revenues.

“The past history of grand-scale corruption perpetuated by the highest office in the land has been nipped in the bud just as the Treasury Single Account has made it more difficult for ministries, departments and agencies to exercise the unrestrained liberties that helped foster a climate conducive to corruption.

“Now, for the first time, investments in capital projects to expand infrastructure continue to connect people, goods and opportunities by rail, road and air,” Buhari said.

The Federal Government, he said, has supported state governments with bailout founds that enabled them to pay workers.

He also said that the administration took an unprecedented step towards creating a fairer and more equitable society by implementing Africa’s biggest social investment programme.

“Through the National Social Investments Programme, we are providing direct support to over 12 million Nigerians who need it by giving relief and assistance to unemployed youth, our children, the weak and vulnerable as well as small and medium businesses,” Buhari said.

He went on: “But even as we lay the foundation for a stable and prosperous nation, we acknowledge there is still much work to build on. The next level of effort has an immense focus on job creation

“From an enlargement of the N-Power programme to investing in technology and creative jobs to Agriculture and others, there is scope for 10 million new jobs.

“The march away from a mono-economy must continue with our focus on an industrialisation plan coming to fore. With specific plans underway to exploit the comparative advantage of the geo political zones and different states by developing six Industrial Parks and 109 Special Production and Processing Centres (SPPCs) across each senatorial district, our incremental move away from oil dependence is assured. In addition, our development of the Special Economic Zones will quickly concretise our Made in Nigeria for Export (MINE) plan.



“To sustain food production and value addition, our mechanisation policy for agriculture will make tractors and processors easily accessible and available for farmers across Nigeria. We will continue a wide scale skilling policy, prioritising technology to reach the demography of young people within the productive sector on a massive scale even as we create jobs and growth within our economy.

“We believe that our people who are still in poverty have a direct way out and up through our expanded National Social Investments Programme. We believe we can implement the painstaking and comprehensive work we have done to bring an end to the perennial conflict between farmers and herders – a conflict which is heightened by a struggle for land, water and pasture and the effects of climate change and every now and then, opportunistic and cynical manipulation by political actors.

“We are implementing a blend of measures that ensures that justice, order, modernisation and new economic paradigms emerge.”

In Buhari’s view, the overhaul of education is “perhaps our biggest ambition”. “Every child counts – and simply, whatever it takes to prepare our teachers, curriculum and classrooms to attain the right educational goals that grow our country, will be done.”

“We will remodel 10,000 schools every year and retrain our teachers to impart science,

technology, engineering, art and mathematics, using coding, animation, robotics to re-interpret our curriculum.

“We know that, to succeed, moral integrity and conscience must continue to form the dominant character of our nation and its leadership. Corruption is an existential threat to Nigeria.

“Despite the gains we have made in closing the gates, we know that there is still much ground to cover to stop systemic corruption. We are committed to deepening the work we started this first time such that the nation’s assets and resources continue to be organised and utilised to do good for the majority of our people,” he added.



“Join us on this journey to the NEXT LEVEL of a prosperous, strong and stable Nigeria!” he said

Speaking earlier at the occasion, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said the gathering offered a unique opportunity to receive first hand the success story of the administration.

He said: “We we came in when Nigerians clamored for change and the rest of the world look up to our nation for direction. We came in when hope was lost.

“A leader with distinct integrity was needed for our nation. The journey has been tortuous but we have weathered the storm. The administration has given good governance its proper meaning.

“On October 6, I sat all-night watching the event in Port Harcourt. I thought we might have a contest.. Your reelection next year has become more obvious,” he said

The SGF also said that results of the three House of Representatives bye-elections in three states were eloquent testimony of the achievements of the government.

He said the winnings yesterday (Saturday) show a pattern the 2019 will take.

“APC won House of Reps seats in Bauchi, Katsina, but the one that is sweetest is the one in Kwara,” Mustapha said.

Power, Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola, Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi and Special Adviser on Social Investment Programme Mariam Uwais took turn to list the achievements of the Buhari administration and what Nigerians should expect in the next for years if reelected.

At the ceremony were Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, wife of the President Aisha Buhari, Governors Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa state, Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos State), Yahaha Bello (Kogi), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), and Aminu Masari (Katsina).

Also there were Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan Senator John Owan Enoh and

Senator Aliyu Wamako and former Minister of Labour and Production Emeka Wogu.

Get more politics news here: http://thenationonlineng.net/buhari-politicians-dont-set-nigeria-ablaze/

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said he has directed Julius Berger, the contractor handling the repair of Ijora Bridge in the Apapa area of Lagos State to hasten work on the bridge and re-open it to traffic as soon as possible.

The Chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Princess Vicky Haastrup recently alerted the nation that closure of a section of the Ijora Bridge, outbound Apapa, is worsening the already chaotic traffic situation in the Lagos port community.

Speaking on a Lagos-based television station, Wazobia TV, on Thursday, Vice President Osinbajo explained that the reopening of the bridge is vital to the free flow of traffic in Apapa and its environ.

He said, “So while we are fixing the roads, if you stand in front of the port, the bridge Julius Berger is building, they opened one half of the bridge and closed the other half, so it is not being used. That bridge must be completed and opened. So one of the things we have done is telling Julius Berger about two weeks ago that they must complete and open up the bridge. Even when the construction of Wharf Road has been completed and the bridge has not been opened, we will still experience the same problem.”

The Vice President blamed congestion on the Lagos port access roads on bad roads and increased cargo volume. He accused past administrations in the country of abandoning the roads to deteriorate to their present state.

He said, “The Apapa port was built to handle 38 million metric tons of cargo and now it is handling 84 million metric tons. So it is too small for the volume that it is handling and has resulted in too many trucks going into the port.

“When we had the problem the first time and I came to Lagos, we noticed that all the roads around Apapa were bad and we agreed that we will fix the roads. We agreed to fix the Wharf Road down to Mile 2. We have almost completed the road around the port now; then move all the way to Mile 2. We must fix the roads, if those roads are not fixed, we will continue to have the problem.”

He however identified road repair, revival of the rail network, and revival of ports outside the Lagos area as long-term solutions to the Apapa gridlock.

“But for long term solution; three things must be done. The first is that now we are building Lagos-Kano Railway and the first phase is Lagos-Ibadan starting from Apapa Port. So many of the goods will be evacuated by rail. The Lagos-Ibadan phase should be completed by January 2019 and hoping to finish construction to Kano in about two and a half years.

“The second is that we have other ports. We have Calabar, which we are dredging to about 10 meters. So we have to make sure we can divert some traffic there. If we can divert some traffic away from Lagos ports it will help but it will not solve the problem completely because 60 percent of business is being transacted in Lagos. So when people import goods to Nigeria they will want to use it in Lagos, which is the problem we have.

“So we do the railway, we will finish the roads and then we fix the other ports; it will definitely make things much better. Once we have completed the railway across the country: Port Harcourt-Maiduguri, Lagos-Calabar, Lagos-Kano; once we fix the railway; railway is the best way to transport goods all around the country, inland port, dry port, that is what we should do.

“Once we fix the infrastructure, the Apapa issue is a small thing because it will boost business, manufacturing activities and people can easily move their goods from one part of the country to another,” Osinbajo added.

Source: http://thenationonlineng.net/osinbajo-directs-julius-berger-to-hasten-work-on-ijora-bridge/

The Lagos State senatorial contest is going to be a battle between some ranking senators and those who want to unseat them. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE examines their chances in next year’s elections.

CANDIDATES of the various parties seeking to represent Lagos State at the National Assembly are not leaving anything to chance in their bid to receive the endorsement of the electorate in next year’s general elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), through its Lagos State Public Relations Officer, Femi Akinbiyi, has indicated that 22 candidates are contesting for the Lagos West senatorial race, 15 candidates for Lagos Central and 13 for Lagos East.

It is likely to be a straight battle between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with the fringe parties merely making up the numbers. This position was underscored when some of the fringe parties threw their weight behind the Lagos State governorship candidate of the APC, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for the 2019 election.

Some of the fringe parties fielding candidates include: the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Labour Party (LP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Kowa Party, the United Progressive Party (UPP), the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Advance Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA).

The APC has an edge in the contest, because its candidates for Lagos Central and Lagos West, Senators Oluremi Tinubu and Adeola Solomon Olamilekan respectively are ranking senators, while the candidate for Lagos East, Bayo Oshinowo, is seeking to make his debut at the National Assembly. The electorate would be more comfortable with the candidates of the ruling party, because they are more familiar with the antecedents and performance of the party.

The PDP, on the other hand, has some points to prove; the main opposition party would try to show that it is no longer the underdog. The party will like to prove that its winning of some seats at the House of Representatives and the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2015 is not a fluke.

Those who the PDP are looking up to perform wonders at the 2019 polls include Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, Lagos Central Senatorial District; Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, Lagos West; and Princess Abiodun Oyefusi, Lagos East.

Analysts say the PDP performance will not be impressive beyond its present status, because most of those who won the 2015 election as lawmakers have defected to the APC, particularly at the Lagos assembly.



APC

Oluremi Tinubu is a ranking senator. Her contributions to her constituency have been remarkable. She has sponsored many bills, initiated various developmental projects. She has also been championing the quest to secure a special status for the state within the federation, through legislation, to further accelerate the development of the Centre of Excellence.

The lawmaker has gained a lot of mileage through her regular town hall meetings, where she empowers members of her constituents. Today, many jobless youths have their personal businesses, some of them trained in vocations skills which they are equally using in putting smiles on the faces of their dependants.



Political analysts say the senator will beat any opposition candidate hands down in the Lagos Central because, apart from what she is doing to better lives, she also relates well with party members in a motherly way; paying attention to their complaints and addressing them as they come. Most members call her ‘Yeye’, mother of the people.

Senator Olamilekan will be contesting for Lagos West for the second time. He has established himself as a lawmaker who knows when to engage the reverse gear. Observers say his chances of winning in the 2019 election are bright.

At some point, he aspired to become the governor of Ogun State, but dropped the idea when people of his constituency urged him to come back to complete jobs that are pending.

Olamilekan who is popularly called Yayi is a grassroots politician. He is very close to the people and ensures that their needs are well catered for. Right from when he was at the Lagos State House of Assembly, the lawmaker has been distinguishing himself in parliamentarian duties.

He was instrumental to the enactment of the law that strengthened the Lagos Internal Revenue Service. That law plugged the loopholes in revenue generation. He also sponsored and successfully pushed the passage of bill that repealed the Colonial Audit Act of 1956 and re-enacted the Audit Act of 2014 which led to the establishment of Federal Audit Service Commission.

The chubby and flamboyant Lagos West senator is a crowd puller during any political gathering and other events in the state. A loyal party man, he is always attentive to what party leaders are saying. His campaign offices traverse 10 local governments and local council development areas.

Olamilekan also uses town hall meetings to connect with the people. He believes that power resides with the people and tries to justify this in his dealings with them. During festivals, the lawmaker felicitates with leaders and ordinary members of his constituency.

Oshinowo is currently a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly. He contested the APC primary against incumbent Senator Gbenga Ashafa and secured the party’s ticket at the latter’s expense. Observers say the fact that Oshinowo defeated the incumbent senator in the battle for the ticket indicates that he will win at the general election.

The politician is very popular not only among the party bigwigs, but among the rank and file of the party. On many occasions, the Oshinowo demonstrated that he is a grassroots mobiliser in view of the loud ovation that follows his appearance at events.

He was recognised as the most supportive lawmaker by the Lagos State Polytechnic Students’ Union in 2013.

Analysts say Oshinowo has what it takes to win the election, because he has proved that during the APC shadow polls.



PDP

On the PDP platform, Onitiri would be slugging it out against Senator Tinubu for the Lagos Central seat. Nevertheless, the politician is not giving up. So far, three groups have thrown their weights behind him. These include: Council of Lagos State Indigenes, Eko Foundation and Omo Eko Pataki. They have promised to mobilise the people to ensure he is elected to the National Assembly.

Onitiri was unanimously selected by the PDP leaders in Lagos Central. Among those who endorsed him was former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Kofo Akerele-Bucknor. In selecting him, among other aspirants, the PDP leadership said it is necessary to field credible candidates like Onitiri, if its desire to win at the general election is to be realized.

In the Lagos West race, Rhode-Vivour will confront Olamilekan. Addressing residents of the constituency in the build up to the election, he said he has come to liberate the district from the dominance of the APC. He added that the PDP would make life better for residents of the constituency.

He said: “At the National Assembly, I will fight for infrastructure development bill that will fund the repairing of federal roads in Lagos. We must decongest Lagos and reduce the number of trucks on our roads.

“Our dream can never be achieved in isolation; only by working as a community can we create a Lagos that we all hope for. I am proud to be the flag bearer for the PDP on the senatorial ticket.”

Rhode-Vivour has promised deliver, if given a chance by the electorate.

As for the Lagos East race, it promises to be less turbulent for the PDP, given that Oyefusi would not be confronting an incumbent. She would face Oshinowo who is taking his first shot at the National Assembly election.

Oyefusi will be counting on the support of women in her constituency. She said women have excelled in many areas of lawmaking and administration. She added: “I am coming to contest in order to help strengthen the laws of our nation, our democratic process and to make direct laws that will actually impact Lagos East people.

“As women, we know how to impact and relate with our people and that is not a case of gender, but equality. Right now the best economy in the world is being headed by a woman and most of the changes in the world have been driven by women.”

View more APC and PDP news here: http://thenationonlineng.net/lagos-apc-pdp-warming-up-for-national-assembly-elections/

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday officially named Dr Obafemi Hamzat as the running mate of Mr Babajide Sanwoolu, its governorship candidate for the 2019 elections.

The Chairman of the party in the state, Alhaji Tunde Balogun announced Hamzat’s choice at a news conference in Ikeja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that speculations about the choice of Hamzat, a former Commissioner for Works became rife after he stepped down for Sanwoolu shortly before the primary.

Balogun said Hamzat was selected after wide consultations by the Apex decision making body of the party with other important stakeholders.

He described Hamzat as a competent hand, saying the party had no doubt of the complementary role he would play in helping Sanwoolu move the state forward

“The highest decision making body of APC together with all the relevant stakeholders of APC in Lagos State have endorsed Dr Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat as the running mate to the candidate of APC in Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

“After the endorsement, it is important for me to publicly and officially present Dr Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat as the running mate of our candidate, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the 2019 gubernatorial election in Lagos State,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu, commended the choice of Hamzat as his running mate, expressing confidence that the former Commissioner would help realise a better Lagos.

He said he had known Hamzat for years personally and professionally and that he could vouch for his competence and integrity to help deliver a better Lagos.

“Dr Obafemi Kadiri Hamzat and I have been players in the same political matters for many years.

“We have been friends and brothers for close to two decades and he is a man of deep intellectual knowledge. He is a man of high level of integrity.

“He is competent and I know he is going to help greatly to deliver the Lagos of our dream. With a technocrat like Hamzat, we will take Lagos to the next level,” he said.

In his acceptance speech, Hamzat thanked the party for choosing him and Sanwoolu to fly its flag in the elections.



He said he and Sanwoolu knew what was required to deliver a better Lagos, promising to do his best if the party gets the mandate.

“Lagos is dear to all of us and If Nigeria will be great, Lagos must be great. And as such the party decided to look for somebody who has the experience to run the state, in the person of Mr Sanwoolu.

“We are now a global village and what we do in Lagos affects everywhere in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.

“So, I am very happy. I feel very happy and I feel a sense of responsibility that the party after sitting together, have selected me to be his running mate so that we can work together with our experience.

“We have known each other for over 15 years professionally and personally. So, we have the chemistry and I dare say that we understand the geography of Lagos.

“Mr Sanwo-Olu and I understand what it requires to cook what Lagosians desire. So, we promise to do our best to deliver the Lagos of our dream,” he said. (NAN)


Check out Original content here: [url][/url]http://thenationonlineng.net/lagos-apc-names-hamzat-as-sanwo-olus-running-mate/

[url]Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday said that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is not in the business of deceiving Nigerians.
He spoke as a guest on Brekete Family Programme, Human Rights Radio, that airs on FM 101.1MHz, where he interacted with the Anchor, Ahmad Isah, aka ‘Ordinary President’.
Brekete Family Programme is a reality radio programme that that prides itself as the voice of the voiceless.
The Vice President also said that the administration was for the common man with the focus to take Nigerians out of poverty.
According to him, government programmes and projects were geared towards achieving that objective.
Responding to Ahmed Isah, who asked what the Buhari’s administration had for the common man that voted them to power, Osinbajo said, ”We are not in the business of deceiving Nigerians, whatever the President, and I say is the truth.”
He also described himself as “ordinary Vice President” and explained that the administration’s National Social Investment Programmes was geared towards improving the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.[/http://thenationonlineng.net/were-not-in-business-of-deceiving-nigerians-osinbajo/]
He said, “The President’s focus has always been on the common man. This government is government of the masses. Our concentration is how things will be better for the masses. So, when we came, we decided on a few things to tackle youth unemployment.
“First, the N-Power programme to engage as many young people who are graduates as possible. We have employed 500,000 so far. Many are teachers, health workers and project assistants in farms.
“The major thing is for us is how to employ more than 500,000. There is also N-Built where we have trained 25,000 who want to be technicians, mechanics etc.” he said
Osinbajo also talked about the Trader Moni where petty traders get a loan of N10,000 with six months grace period to pay back, stressing that the target was to reach two million petty traders with such loans.
He said once a trader paid back the loan, he or she would be entitled to another N15,000 loan and it would continue like that until one was qualified for a loan of N350,000.
He said at the inception of the administration in 2015, they met 23 states owing salaries and despite the fact that oil prices were above $100 per barrel, states were owing salaries.
He said the states were bailed out three times to enable them pay salaries and pension.
Osinbajo, again narrated how Buhari’s administration unlike the previous government that had a lot of resources as a result of oil price of over $100 per barrel, had to battle with little resources occasioned by oil price of between $28 and $35, disruptions by Niger Delta militants boosting pipes and forcing oil production to drop from 2.1 million to less than one million per barrel.
He noted that President Buhari stopped the looting of the treasury which was common under previous administration, adding that once corruption was stopped, the federal government would be able to provide infrastructure which includes power, railroads and among others.
But Ahmed Isah told Osinbajo that Buhari’s government was perceived not to be friendly with the common man.
He presented the case of a widow whose merchandise was unnecessarily confiscated by Customs officers after taking N200,000 bribe from her.
He narrated how some Customs officers were in the habit of illegally confiscating citizens vehicles and goods hiding under duty fees.
The presenter said that by conduct, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) portrays itself as the most corrupt agency in Nigeria and beyond.
Responding to complaint, Osinbajo promised to step into the case involving the Customs and the widow.
He said, “I will look into this Customs matter. We must resolve it. We will make sure those people mentioned will be held to account.”
The presenter also reported to Osinbajo that Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company was over billing customers and was one of the institutions giving the government a bad name.
He said documents which took him six months to gather proved the corrupt practices going on in the company.
He said the money that has been stolen from the company which has 47 staff since inception was more than 11 states budget combined.
Isah while challenging the Vice President to investigate the allegations, said he was ready to go to prison if his climes are proven to be lies
Osinbajo also responded to the complaints about the school feeding programme in some parts of Ogun state by a caller from abroad, Osinbajo promised to look into the complaints and revealed that 9.2 million children enjoy the benefits in school feeding programme daily.
He also said all the produce is from local farmers with at least 6.8m eggs used daily to improve the economy.
He also promised to appoint two aides from his office as liaison officers to the programme to gather first hand complains that will enable the government intervened.

...He had no excuse and he was not sorry



"Right now, I'm broken to pieces, I'm so hurt and I'm at the verge of losing it.

I've been married for two years and we have a son.

My so called husband never misses clubbing every Friday, still I don't complain, I see different calls and messages from ladies on his phone, I still chose to ignore.

You won't believe I had to travel for just three weeks, guess what I found when I got back.

First he had changed the lock to the gate, without telling me about it.

I had to get someone to help break the lock. When I entered the house, I discovered another Lady had moved into my matrimonial home.

I couldn't believe my eyes, when he came home. He had no excuse and he was not sorry, Infact as I type this, he has packed my things out.

God knows I never wronged this man for once. I'm with a nine months old baby.

I'm 26 years, and right before my eyes, my whole world came tumbling down.

Read Also: ‘Help! I’m like a stranger in my husband’s house’
Well I have decided to just accept the fact that he is gone, and work with my last breath to ensure I take good care of my Son.

I just had a fibroadenomas surgery done. And he could not even call to ask me how it was. I am deeply hurt. Anyway, I believe this tribulations shall pass.

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States are striving to boost agriculture to promote green growth and poverty reduction.These were the highlights of The Nation Agriculture and Food Summit in Abuja, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

With more than 70 per cent of its population living in rural areas, Nigeria’s economy is dependent on agriculture. But less than 30 per cent of its GrossDomestic Product (GDP) comes from the sector.

Experts believe the sector has the potential to increase its contribution to GDP. However, the most pressing challenge facing the nation is harnessing its agricultural resources to improve lives.

Solution for using agriculure to reduce proverty in Nigeria
In response, states, including Lagos, Borno, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto, Benue, Lagos and Bayelsa,  are launching massive programmes to boost agriculture and smallholder farmers, to drive green growth and reduce poverty. They gave  the hints at The Nation Agric, Food Summit  and Awards held last week in Abuja.

The event was designed to highlight agribusiness potential. To them, agriculture should be at the centre of a transition to a resource-efficient green economy, galvanising support for smallholder farmers, who are an “untapped resource” in addressing food security and environmental challenges.

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima said agriculture is the most important economic sector  and that the country produces various crops in different climatic zones, from dry savanna to wet forest, which run in east west bands across the country.

He stressed that investments in sustainable smallholder agriculture must go hand-in-hand with policy and institutional reforms, investments in infrastructure and improvements in market access.

He said there were compelling reasons to boost Nigeria’s agricultural sector. This, he said,  would  reduce reliance on imports and provide jobs to a country full of dedicated farmers.

The Borno State Government recently unveiled its remarkable progress in many sectors. The state has registered 18,000 farmers to cultivate rice on 18,000 hectares of land in preparation for this year’s planting season. It has acquired tractors, mills, threshers, planters and harvesters.

Under the programme, each farmer will cultivate one hectare of land.

Shettima procured more than 10,000 farming units of irrigation materials, brought into the state in 750 containers.

In addition, Borno is promoting drip irrigation, which allows water to be conserved at its premier centre in Maduguri.

The advanced farming technology allows for two farming seasons and production of about 3,000 tonnes of tomato. Existing beside this is a seedling protecting centre that can produce tomato, pepper and any seedling.

It has a capacity to produce eight million seedlings monthly, ready to plant.

Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, said agriculture plays a key role in the state’s economic growth.

Since the advent of President Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2015, Bagudu  said  rice production has been on the increase in the state.

He said the government has focused on food security and reduction of expenses spent on importation of food stuff, which is as much as N1billion.

As Nigeria‘s population continues to grow, thus implying more mouths that need to be fed in the future, he said the governments recently initiated partnership programmes with smallholder rice farmers to increase production through the use of new technologies and innovative financing programmes.

He said the  country’s plan to become self-sufficient in rice has included additional investment in milling, along with the distribution of higher-yield seeds and fertiliser.

According to him, Kebbi State has become a model and a hub in rice and wheat production and sales that attract the attention of many individuals, companies and states across the country.

Bagudu said states have agreed to cooperate more closely to support sustainable rice production to improve food security and livelihoods.

The partnership primarily, according to him,  aims to enhance sustainable rice farming, including assisting governments draw up and implement policies and strategies - to the benefit of small-scale farmers.

To consolidate on the gains recorded in dry season rice farming and improve output in wet season, Bagudu said the state entered into partnership with Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Zamfara and the Moroccan government to receive the supply over 300,000 tonnes of fertiliser.

He  noted that Kebbi farmers  farm rice, wheat, sorghum and millet throughout the year.

Apart from Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN)  Anchor Borrowers Programme, he said the government is engaged in strengthening capacities of  rice sector actors through its capacity development.

For turning Kebbi to the largest rice producing state in Nigeria, the governor was aptly appointed Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Rise and Wheat Production. If the Kebbi success is replicated in other places, he  noted  that  it  was possible for Nigeria to satisfy her rice demand in three or four years; and through that process, conserve foreign exchange and create thousands of jobs.

Importantly, replicating the Kebbi success will also help take millions of poor Nigerians out of poverty, and make thousands of farmers millionaires.

He affirmed the government’s commitment to investing in agro-industrialisation, saying the move would create a first-line employment and investment opportunity for women as well as the youth.

He reassured that his administration will continue to do its part to promote the competitiveness of commercially-oriented agriculture.

At the inception of the Simon Lalong administration in 2015, the governor and his team saw the need to promote agriculture for the development of the state and its people. This it did by making agriculture one of its policy thrusts to ensure food secuirty, provide employment to the citizens of the state and leverage on the policy thrust of the All Peoples Congress (APC)-led administration.

Lalong said the state government’s decision to engage in massive agricultural ventures through public and private sector partnership was deliberate to ensure that agriculture became the driver of a mixed sector economy for job creation and economic prosperity.

According to him, the state is developing agricultural projects, helping farmers there adopt sustainable practices for greater food security.

A lot of green houses have been springing up all over the state due to these efforts while improvements are being recorded in rice farming.

With the commitment by the administration in agriculture, potato farming  received a boost which has resulted in Plateau being selected as the only state to run the national potato value chain and furtherance of its desire to encourage a robust agricultural sector, the governor created the enabling environment and sponsored the first ever farmers’ summit in the state which resulted in in far reaching resolutions.

The investment in the agricultural sector in Plateau state has gone beyond subsistence levels to a flourishing value chain enterprise with opportunities waiting to be tapped.

Bayelsa State Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Doodei Week  said rural youth represent a large proportion of the vulnerable households.

He  reiterated  the state’s  determination to employ agriculture in tackling youth unemployment in rural areas, therefore providing peace, stability and food security.

Lalong was appointed as a member of the National Food Security Council (NFSC), giving Plateau a deserved recognition as an agricultural centre of excellence.

Key speaker and former Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State,  Prof  Adebiyi Daramola, said a genuine agricultural revolution is needed to enable Nigerians  feed themselves , urging more youths to take up farming.

Daramola said the country has  witnessed mixed results in terms of agricultural growth and food security due to poor sector leadership, erratic rainfall patterns, poor inputs distribution system and little investments.

These mixed results ,according to him, awakened the government to the imperative to do something about agriculture.

He  said agriculture must be transformed so that it offers young people an appealing alternative to urban life.

According to him, channelling the energy, strength and dynamism of Nigeria’s youth into productive, competitive and profitable agribusinesses will boost agricultural production systems, create jobs and generate income.

He said  the sector   needs to apply advanced technology and promote mechanisation in agricultural production and aquaculture.

To develop agriculture specifically, Daramola envisions developing cold storage and food-processing facilities, and helping farmers expand markets.

He urged farmers to change their mindsets to benefit from modern farming by using modern equipment to cultivate and irrigate crops during dry season.

He said mechanisation improves labour and land productivity, saves time and eases work, while maintaining postharvest quality of agricultural produce to reduce losses.

As part of measures to boost the  economy, the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) said the bank would ensure that efforts to grow the country’s agriculture sector to meet the standard set by government is not compromised.

The BoA demonstrated leadership in agribusiness financing as being exemplified in its pivotal role in the Anchor Borrowers Programme, financing of Micro,Small and Medium agricultural enterprises in Nigeria.

Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Vege fresh, Prince Joseph Samuel, said efforts to boost domestic agribusiness capacity would allow Nigeria to capture more of the agricultural value chain incountry, thereby creating jobs and increasing wealth.

Samuel said agricultural research and development programmes were not up to the mark

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