₦airaland Forum

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

PRESS RELEASE

The adoption of a set of reforms that are hinged on reclaiming the traditions of virtuous ethics and entrenching personal and corporate integrity, among other things, are some of the requisites for addressing the many challenges facing the legal profession in Nigeria, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

The Vice President stated this in Abuja at the Body of Bencher Award Night where he was preferred to the prestigious rank of Life Bencher.


According to him, “the weaknesses that have recently been exposed in our profession, as disturbing as they are, have at the same time provided us great opportunity for deep introspection and self-assessment. This is an opportunity for reform and reclaim of that tradition of virtuous ethics; a tradition of moral inquiry and doggedness in the dispassionate and impartial application of law no matter whose ox is gored.

“Our professional practice and the courts must always measure up to the moral, ethical and statutory standards we subscribed to. Whether we sit at the Bar or on the Bench, we bear the responsibility for a fair and just society; a free, fair and impartial justice system that ushers in progressive reforms in governance and protects the social structure of our nation.”

Below is the full text of the Vice President’s remarks:


REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, THE VICE PRESIDENT, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, AT THE BODY OF BENCHERS AWARD NIGHT HELD AT THE NATIONAL JUDICIAL INSTITUTE, ABUJA ON FRIDAY MARCH 29, 2019.
PROTOCOLS
It is a special privilege to be here at this special dinner with some of the brightest and best in our profession and many, whose contributions have decisively shaped the destiny of our profession and even our nation.

I would like to, first, commend this Body for the extraordinary leadership it has provided over the years. As the gateway for access into the Nigerian Bar and as the custodian of our ethics and values, this Body has borne the enormous responsibility of being the conscience, arbiter, judge and interlocutor for the legal profession and our administration of justice system.

I am deeply honoured to have been preferred to the prestigious rank of Life Bencher. It is humbling, but also exciting to be reminded that one still has more to offer. I owe gratitude to the remarkable men and women - teachers, mentors, partners and students, who have contributed to my professional experience. I accept this honour as a call to greater responsibility.

Perhaps, one should also seize this opportunity to salute all distinguished colleagues, seniors and juniors alike, who have internalised the application of the rule of law in the most difficult circumstances; stood for the helpless through advocacy; demanded transparency and accountability in all spheres; and pushed for positive reforms in the advancement of not just our system of justice, but also all the ramparts upon which our democracy is built, alongside our nationhood and common patrimony.

Today, our profession stands at a critical cross-road. Yet, the different possible paths that we could take have, to my mind, never been as clear as they are today. One path is the path of business as usual which of course means that we will face the extinction of our credibility soon enough.
The other is the path of renewal, the right path, a more courageous even if more difficult path.

The weaknesses that have recently been exposed in our profession, as disturbing as they are, have at the same time provided us great opportunity for deep introspection and self-assessment. This is an opportunity for reform and reclaim of that tradition of virtuous ethics; a tradition of moral inquiry and doggedness in the dispassionate and impartial application of law no matter whose ox is gored.

We owe the young and aspiring lawyers the duty to set the ground rules right and to lead by example. We also, as custodians of the law, owe our nation, at the very least, the duty to ensure the proper functioning of the justice system. Our professional practice and the courts must always measure up to the moral, ethical and statutory standards we subscribed to. Whether we sit at the Bar or on the Bench, we bear the responsibility for a fair and just society; a free, fair and impartial justice system that ushers in progressive reforms in governance and protects the social structure of our nation.

Our everyday practice of law has the potential to either strengthen or weaken our democratic values and institutions. The 'learned' that everyone ascribes to us, suggests amongst other attributes that we are- skilled not only in the art of our trade/calling, but also in the mechanics of a just society. That just society cannot be established by mere wishes or rhetoric. It can only be by deliberate action and sacrifice especially of those of us to whom our profession has so generously conferred membership of its highest body.

My Lords, distinguished members of the Body of Benchers: Our greatest debt at this point in our lives and careers is to the future. The future of this profession that has been so kind and generous to us and to this society that has yielded leadership at various levels to us. That debt is one which we must discharge faithfully. First by being worthy mentors to an ever growing number of legal practitioners, but more importantly by fearlessly insisting that the bedrock of justice and the rule of law is personal and corporate integrity.

I congratulate all the honorees tonight. An award from the most distinguished body of our profession is worthy of commendation indeed. I pray that you will go from glory to glory.
I thank you all.

Released by
Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President March 2019

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

PRESS RELEASE



*Adds: …We will expand N-Power, School Feeding, TraderMoni, MarketMoni, Power, others

*Speaks about Tinubu’s rare leadership and doggedness
“At the Next Level, we will, of course, expand our social investment programmes; at the moment, the programme is the biggest of its kind anywhere in the African continent. It is a very important programme for us also because of the multiplier effect on agriculture and also in the distribution of the products and also those we employ as cooks.

“The same is true of our TraderMoni programme, a component of our Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), where we are giving money to the bottom of the trading pyramid in Nigeria.

REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, AT THE 11THBOLA TINUBU COLLOQUIUM THEMED: WORK FOR PEOPLE, AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE, ABUJA, ON THURSDAY, 28TH OF MARCH, 2019.

PROTOCOLS

We are here for the 11th edition of the Bola Tinubu Colloquium. This is a yearly development gathering where we try to question and interrogate some of the difficult questions on economic and social development, not just in Nigeria, but also across the world.

We do it in celebration of a man who has spent the last thirty years of his life in creative and catalytic public service. He has from his days as Governor of Lagos State, provided clarity of thought and pioneering vision in all aspects of governance.

He is not a lawyer, but there are few Nigerians who have provoked so many legal controversies and constitutional challenges, resulting in several landmark judicial rulings, especially in the area of federalism, and what today is loosely described today as restructuring.

Many of us know, of course, that he is not an engineer, but a lot of his vision is what is responsible for what we see today in Lagos. The BRT, the Lekki Industrial Zone, even the Eko Atlantic Project, a private project which he initiated as governor of Lagos state and of course, the reform in the tax system in Lagos.

Today, Lagos earns more in Internally Generated Revenue than 31 States of Nigeria put together. That reform began in 2001with the very innovative way in which he reformed the tax system and created an independent system - the Lagos Inland Revenue Service. Several African countries and States of Nigeria have engaged the LIRS as consultants for their own reform efforts.

How about electoral reform? In 2007, when our party, then the ACN, was rigged out of the elections in Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and in Edo state, Asiwaju invited me to his residence at Bourdillion. He said to me that the only way by proving that there were multiple voting is by going through the courts, i.e. proving that a few people simply thumb printed the ballot papers, dumped them in ballot boxes and they were counted in favour of the opposition.

He then said to me that the only way we can do it is by somehow proving by forensic evidence that this is exactly what happened. I said to him that nobody has ever proved an electoral petition by forensic evidence; there is just no history of it. And I said what is, even more, is that there are over a million ballot papers, about 1.3 million ballot papers in all the States. So, how can you prove multiple voting? He said to me “Yemi, you have heard my view about this issue, just go and find a way of sorting this out.”

So I went to the UK and met with possibly the most experienced finger print expert in the entire United Kingdom, a gentleman called Adrian Forty, introduced to me by some of the Queen’s Counsels. When I told him the enormity of the problem, he laughed and almost fell off his chair. He said in almost 50 years of his experience as a fingerprint expert, he hasn’t done up to 4000 fingerprints, and now we asked him to do 1.3million fingerprints.

We parted that day which was a Thursday, and then he got in touch again on a Monday and said we should discuss further. Somehow, we designed a way and used a bit of technology. Most importantly, we got the number of fingerprint experts that have never been assembled before, and we hired 63 of fingerprint experts. 50 of them were from the UK Police. What was more interesting about that is getting the UK Police to support us was for Asiwaju to come all the way from Nigeria to the UK to talk to friends and people who he knew, to persuade persuading the UK authorities to allowususe UK Police.

In the end, they allowed us to use the Policemen in their spare time. We got 63 policemen working flat out for almost 6 months. We were able to put together, for the first time in the history of elections tribunal in the history of the world, we put together a solid forensic case that showed all of the places we were defeated was on account of multiple thumb printing. We also showed that for instance, you cast 20,000 votes, when we calculated the time to cast one vote, it is usually about 5 minutes but we discovered that our friends in the other political party were able to cast that number of votes in 5 seconds. All they were doing was simply thumb-printing booklets, as many as possible.

We demonstrated this in court, and one by one, we were able to get back the States that had been taken away from us. The only way that could have ever been achieved is surely not just by the vision, but by the determination of our leader at that time, the leader of the ACN. He showed the kind of leadership that was very rare and not only defining what he thought was thewayforward,but also supporting it in every way and backing it to the very end.

The last State that we finally won was Osun State, after almost 3 years of battling. One of the things that we would agree about our celebrant today is his dogged attitude and his refusal to accept no for an answer.

Ashiwaju also pioneered merit in cabinet appointments in particular. I want to emphasize this because a major draw back we have, as a nation, is the way we are blindsided into thinking that we can avoid merit and expect to achieve great things. We simply cannot avoid merit.

Ashiwaju demonstrated in the years when he was governor, that political appointments, especially cabinet appointments, should be based on merit. He looked for those that he considered the best possible material at the time regardless of where they were from.

For the first time in the history of Lagos State, we had cabinet members from other parts of the country, beginning with other parts of the Southwest. Rauf Aregbesola from Osun State, I from Ogun State, Arthur Worrey from Delta, Lai Mohammed from Kwara State, Dele Alake from Ekiti State, Ben Akabueze from Anambra State.

We also had the appointments of Judges from all over the country;JusticeOnyeabo, and Justice Sybil Nwaka were appointed Judges of Lagos State. There is no other State elsewhere in the country except in some places in the North, where we have seen the appointment of individuals from other States. Picking people for positions no matter what part of the country they are from is an important part of our story as a country. Every once in a while, I think that history gives us one or two persons who are gifted transformative leaders. I believe that our country has been gifted with this transformative leader, Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I believe very strongly that this man's political trajectory has only just begun. He is a man who has tremendous giftings and God has great plans ahead for him.

I pray for you, Ashiwaju, that as your days so shall your strength, wisdom and favour be in Jesus Mighty name, amen!

Let me say a word or two about the Next Level. As you know, the expression Next Level itself is our political campaign slogan in this last election. And what we were saying was simply that there was a next phase to what our country has seen. There are many who will say that there were many things that were promised in 2015, which have not yet been realized. I think the best way of putting is to simply say that our country, for the first time is experiencing the type of leadership that is bound to lead us to where it is that we are purposed for ourselves as a government.

In my view, the honest leadership, leadership with the integrity of our president, President Muhammadu Buhari, is a very important component of getting anywhere at all in all of our development plans. I had said before at the last colloquium that Nigeria’s main problem is not the lack of ideas, it is not the lack of projects and programmes. It was most of the time, especially with the leadership in the past, it was a lack of integrity in leadership and corruption, in particular, was the reason why we were finding it difficult to make progress.

I explained that that’s why we earned $383billion in four years, 2010 – 2014, the highest ever in the history of our country, and yet Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was not done. Lagos-Kano Railway and all that is being done today, not done then. We cannot point to a single major infrastructure project that was completed in the 10-year period, despite the high earnings, including power.

So, a government coming after so many years of waste must be a government, first, that emphasizes fiscal prudence, a government that emphasizes integrity in public finance so that it would manage the little resources to achieve the maximum that can be achieved. And that is what President Muhammadu Buhari set out to do. As I keep saying, the president has never claimed to be an orator. He just gets things done.

It was under President Muhammadu Buhari that three of the four refineries that we have today were built when he was Minister of Petroleum Resources. 3500km of pipelines were built by him as Minister of Petroleum Resources in a three-year period. So, there is a track record, not of talking, but of just getting things done. And this is what we have seen in the past four years. That is why we were able to set aside money for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. And that is going on at present. That is why we opened up the first phase of the Lagos-Kano Railway that was commissioned a couple of weeks ago i.e the Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan phase of that project. The Itakpe-Warri Railway, now completed after 35 years of being on the books.

The Light Rail project here in Abuja started in 2005, budget after budget, never completed, but we completed it also at the end of 2017.

We now have that light rail from the airport to Idu here in Abuja, same as several other infrastructural projects. Mambila Hydro has been on the cards for 40 years. We have just put together resources to begin that project and we will complete that project.

For us, infrastructure is critical at the Next Level. You cannot have a situation where you have the kind of power situation we have today and expect transformative progress. That is why we are focused on power and other infrastructure. We are focused on fixing the infrastructure in the country and we believe that if we fix the infrastructure, the roads and the rail, and especially power, we will be able to make significant progress.

Today our rail project starts from the Apapa port so that we are able to clear the congestion in that port because the Lagos to Kano railway starts from the Apapa port. And we can start taking out cargo from the Apapa port using rail as an alternative means of transportation.
The same is true of agriculture; and we just heard our partners from Brazil talking about the next phase of our agricultural development and we are committed to that project because we believe that is what will transform the agro-industrial phase of our planning and that is what will transform agriculture in this country and create additional jobs.

It is not enough to have farmers everywhere; we need the refining capacity; we need the processing capacity and that is what our partnership with the Brazilians will provide for us.
On the reforms we are making in education and healthcare, today the emphasis is on digital literacy; the emphasis is on training our teachers to be able to train the next generation of children in school.

And we are focused on doing so using some of the methods we have described very comprehensively not just in theERGP, but in our Next Level document.

So, we are focusing on STEAM not STEM; we are focusing on training young people on digital skills, critical thinking and some other skills that are necessary for the kind of jobs that the 21st century will provide.

The same is true of healthcare, our focus on healthcare is on National Health Insurance because we cannot finance healthcare by the budget alone; compulsory National Health Insurance that will open the doors for financing healthcare for us.

Finally, we are talking again about our Social Investment Programmes (SIPs). At the Next Level, we will, of course, expand our Social Investment Programme; at the moment, the programme is the biggest of its kind anywhere in the African continent.

In our school feeding programme, we are feeding every day, 9.2 million children in public schools across 26 states. That programme is important not just from the point of view of providing nutrition for many of the young people in public schools, many of whom come from very poor parents and may not be assured of a decent meal a day. It is a very important programme for us also because of the multiplier-effect on agriculture and also in the distribution of the products and also those we employ as cooks.

The same is true of our TraderMoni programme, a component of our Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), where we are giving money to the bottom of the trading pyramid in Nigeria. It is a programme of the Bank of Industry where we give loans of N10, 000 to petty traders through their mobile phones and they get N15,000 when they pay back, then N20,000 and more up to N100,000.

The same is true of our MarketMoni which we give to traders in cooperatives. So far, we have over a million TraderMoni beneficiaries and about 500,000 MarketMoni beneficiaries and we intend to expand the scope of that.

We also intend to expand the scope of our N-Power programme which is our job scheme for young people. Young graduates coming out of school and some non-graduates. At the moment, we are engaging 500,000 of these young people and we pay them every month. Most of them have devices/tablets that contain training materials in enhancing their viability skills and also helps them to provide services to people who require them.

We intend to expand the programme; we must expand the programme because 1.7million people come out of school and are looking for jobs every single year, we are able to bridge that gap by engaging 500,000 of them as soon as they come out of school.

So, the Next Level promises to be exciting, though a bit challenging as possibly as where we are coming from. But as the President has said repeatedly, we have no other focus but the progress of this country. And we will ensure that step-by-step, we get to where it is that we promised to take the country.

I want to say to you all that the Next Level is for all of us and I urge that all of us cooperate to take us to this Next Level.

So, on behalf of the President, Muhammadu Buhari whom I represent here today, I want to wish Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, happy birthday and to thank you all for making out time to come to this event.

Thank you all.

Released by:
Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity
Office of the Vice President
March 28, 2019

The last 4 months really brought TraderMoni up close and personal to Nigerians at home, and even those abroad. This was because the main opposition party went to great lengths to describe the scheme as vote buying, alleging that the Vice President himself was doling out the said funds to the market women.

Now that the elections are almost over, the new rumours they are pushing around is that Prof. Osinbajo has suspended the scheme.

When stories like these start to make the rounds, one is initially tempted to just ignore, rather than help the ignorant drive up their traffic. However, when notable institutions like Punch Newspapers in the name of driving traffic to their site, decide to publish a story with such falsehoods and other absurdities, it becomes pertinent to exhume the truth for the people to see.

The notion that our media houses got fat on *brown envelope* journalism is well documented and as such, most of them don't really like the Buhari-Osinbajo stance of not "sharing the money".

Why that would now leave such deep-rooted institutions as Punch Newspapers and Thisday Newspapers to continually churn out stories with the aim of misleading the populace and smearing the person of the vice president is quite unreasonable and alarming.

Seeing as TraderMoni as a scheme was passed along side with its siblings MarketMoni and Anchor Borrowers Scheme, all were approved by the National assembly before their commencement, it will take more than the whims of the Vice President to actually suspend or stop the program.

What a lot of persons fail to realise is that the VP during his TraderMoni tours which seemed to coincide with the campaign season was only performing his duties as supervising minister to ensure that all federal government policies were being carried out as appropriate.

This is similar to the task he was again saddled with after the FEC meeting on the 20th of March 2019, to audit all policies enacted in the last 8 years and give a status report so that the federal government will know how to adequately move forward in the next dispensation.

So for final clarification purposes, TraderMoni which has never been suspended at any time since its inauguration, was approved by the 8th general assembly. It is fully handled by the Bank of Industry, and has since recorded 30000 new beneficiaries after the 2019 presidential elections.

The roles and powers of the vice president with respect to the scheme are only supervisory to ensure total compliance to the policies as stipulated and implemented by the federal government.

Senate President Bukola Saraki has lost so much in the power equation and is fast on his way to political extinction, he is also the biggest loser in the 2019 general election.

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) says Saraki is a perennial political schemer who has suddenly lost relevance and therefore frustrated.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO said Saraki’s comment that the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election will be short-lived can only be described as the ranting of a politically expired person.

“We consider the unpatriotic outbursts of Saraki as proof of a man who is frustrated after losing his political constituency as a Senator, lost his bid to maintain a political empire, as well as his attempts to impose his lackeys on the good people of Kwara state.

“It is on record that Dr. Saraki has, since the inception of the present administration, constituted himself into a cog in the wheel of the country’s progress by using his office as Senate President to undermine the efforts of the Buhari administration to reposition the country.”

BMO says that as a political schemer, Saraki has finally played himself into political irrelevance as his constituents have become wiser and given their support to the All Progressives Congress (APC). “Perhaps his political travails can be traced to the curse placed on him by his late father when the old political warlord saw the mean streak in his son, Bukola.

“We want to say without equivocation that Saraki is the biggest loser in the 2019 general elections, considering that he was rejected at every level starting from the unit, ward, local government, senatorial district and governorship elections, where his imposed candidates lost to the APC. It is also worthy of note that he ultimately lost as the director general of the Atiku presidential campaign.

"With his rejection by the Kwara people it is obvious that he is not a leader to be trusted, and has gone into political oblivion. He should therefore keep quiet and lick his wounds as a failed political schemer, and allow the country to move forward. While in the Senate and in his selfish pursuit for power, Saraki also betrayed his party PDP and the entire country.”

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

PRESS RELEASE



*With repayments, some have started collecting 2nd (improved) loans of N15, 000

Contrary to speculations in some quarters, the TraderMoni scheme and other GEEP micro-credit products (MarketMoni and FarmerMoni) – a component of the Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programme, are still very much in operation, Mr Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant on Media & Publicity to the President (Office of the Vice President), has said.

Mr Akande disclosed this in a progress report on the GEEP micro-credit products (TraderMoni, MarketMoni, and FarmerMoni).

According to him, “So far, a target of 30,000 minimum beneficiaries per state has been achieved in majority of the 36 states and FCT since after the national and state polls."


Besides, he added that "what the implementing agency has been doing since the last phase of disbursements is generating the balance of program funding while ramping up on the states with shortages."

“Consequently, disbursements have continued to happen in the states; for instance, we have had over 28,000 disbursements across 10 states since after the elections. Our priority is ramping up these numbers in the balance of states before we move to phase two of the program after detailed reviews and structural enhancements for larger scale. Under the Next Level agenda, Trader Moni loans will target ten million petty traders, a significant ramp up from the initial target of two million beneficiaries.

On the role of the Ministry for Industry, Trade and Investment in the implementation of the scheme, he said, “it is actively involved in the project.”

Mr Akande said, “that ministry is, in fact the oversighting Ministry of Bank of Industry, which is the deploying agency. The office of the Minister executes the GEEP program via the Bank of Industry.

“The governance structure of GEEP includes the office of the Vice President (National Social Investment Office), The Ministry of Trade and Investment, and the Bank of Industry.”

Speaking on measures adopted to enhance repayments, the Presidential Media Aide said GEEP has pioneered innovative solutions to drive repayment compliance.

“Working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS), we successfully piloted the concept of the BVN as digital collateral; and we saw repayment go up significantly on the MarketMoni and FarmerMoni loans.

“For TraderMoni, beneficiaries can pay back at any commercial bank in the country just like a NEPA or WAEC bill; all they need to provide the bank teller with is their phone number. We also developed and successfully piloted scratch cards as a repayment option for beneficiaries who stay kilometres away from the nearest banks in their community. The cards are loaded the same way Telco recharge cards are loaded, thus requiring no new learning curve.

“This improved repayment received compliance to the extent that in January, the Bank of Industry began second level disbursements - disbursements of N15,000 - to beneficiaries in Lagos, Borno, Ogun and Oyo states for trader who had successfully paid back their first N10,000 loans,” Mr Akande disclosed.

According to him, “GEEP's vision (in the long term) remains to empower the over 30 million MSMEs in Nigeria with interest-free, collateral-free loans.”

The GEEP programme, a component of the Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programme (SIP) has since inception about two years ago, impacted many lives, improved living conditions and expanded opportunities for ordinary Nigerians to do petty trading as well as small and medium scale businesses.

Under the Trader Moni scheme, an initial N10,000 loan is given to petty traders and once they repay within six months, they can receive a new N15,000 loan and when they repay that they can get another N20,000 loan until they get as much as N100,000


Media & Publicity Unit
Office of the Vice President
21st March 2019

My God! Where is this from? This is falsehood. A man who for three months traveled round the country campaigning. In the course of which he was involved in helicopter crash. He went through an election. The election is not even over as there are supplementary elections in six states this weekend. Add to this the fact that Mr President has also made him the coordinator of a Committee to audit all the projects embarked upon by this administration. Yesterday he and the President were in the Federal executive Council meeting from 9.00am till 6.00 pm and you are condemning him for not going to the market. Some other men would have gone to seek rest in some far away land. This we have asked him to do and he said there is so much to do here. Be rest assured that Osinbajo will never abandon the people , whether in the market, on the street or on the farm. It is who he is. The caring academics , pastor and politician.
Our Punch, the Punch we adore is becoming something else. May our gold not rot.

Behold, the Punch Newspaper used to be the toast of newspapers. Everyday people scrambled for Punch but not anymore. The quality of content as well as the sales of the newspaper has continued to dwindle. At the newsstands and even in traffic at night, you see Punch newspaper being peddled for prices as low as N100.

The once reputed newspaper is now a burden, both to itself and the reading public. For ardent readers of news, Punch Newspaper can never be your point of call if you want to confirm any story or news. Chances are that they will mislead you. Only yesterday, I read that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had halted his on-site assessment of TraderMoni.

I was taken aback for a bit. However, given my recent experience with Punch Newspapers, I sought clarification and authentication of this news. Two sources readily come to mind, Mr Laolu Akande, the spokesperson to the VP and Senator Babafemi Ojudu, the political adviser to the VP.

I scurried through their social media accounts, looking for confirmation of the news, alas, I saw Senator Ojudu’s reply which was short and straight to the point. The Punch Newspaper story was a hoax, click bait at most.

Journalism seems to be heading for the gutter with too many ‘Brown Envelope’ reporters and editors running amok. I pondered, how will an editor allow this to pass without verifying it? I hope Punch Newspaper will learn from this, not that they have learnt from many others, but I just hope, they will learn from this.

It’s time Punch Newspaper stay away from fake news. Indeed, there was a newspaper.

Reports by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and other reliable monitors of the Nigerian economy confirming a decline in inflation rate to 11.31% in February 2019, indicates that the robust economic policies of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari are achieving their planned goals.

The latest fall in inflation rates, the third in the last six months, has put more money in the pockets of Nigerians as they pay less for more consumables in their households, the Buhari Media Organisation(BMO) said in a press statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Mr. Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Mr. Cassidy Madueke.

“The continued downward trend of inflation rate in Nigeria from an annual average of 12.46 per cent in 1996 until now at 11.31 is indicative of the impact of the policies of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari designed to put the economy on a sound footing,” BMO said.

"The falling prices of food in particular affirm that the drive to boost agricultural production in Africa’s biggest democracy is yielding the desired result, especially the attainment of 98 per cent sufficiency in domestic rice production".

BMO noted that the findings by the NBS that the year-on-year food price level declined by 0.04 per cent to 13.47 per cent in February 2019, including prices of fish, bread and cereals, potatoes, yam and other tubers, meat, vegetables, oils and fats and fruits, testify to the efficacy of the economic diversification drive of the administration in which the boosting of agriculture is a key pillar.

The group noted that farmers’ access to high quality seeds and other agricultural inputs with price support from the Federal and state governments through the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) for dry season farming, boosted yields from irrigation farms where grains and vegetables were grown and are being harvested in large quantities.



“The promotion and support of aquaculture to bolster domestic food production and the availability of inputs for fish-food production contributed in the downward trend of fish and other food prices", the group added in the statement.

Figures released by the NBS indicate that both the annual and monthly core sub-indices declined to 9.8% and 0.65% respectively in February from 9.9% and 0.81% in January 2019. This was mainly caused by a reduction in the prices of household appliances and materials.

The exceptional decline in the various elements of overall inflation, despite huge spending in a highly competitive election season, was attributed to the sound economic and fiscal policies being implemented by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the Federal Ministry of Finance, among others.

“The mopping up of excess liquidity in the financial sector by the CBN in order to reduce the amount of Currency in circulation and control inflation, contributed in achieving the goal of taming the monster of inflation,” BMO concluded.

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of measuring President Muhammadu Buhari by the insidious standard of past PDP Presidents who never pretended to be averse to electoral manipulation.
This, it said, is the reason the opposition party finds it hard to believe that President Buhari would not interfere in the March 23 supplementary elections in some States to favour the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
BMO said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke that PDP is used to having a sitting President manipulate the electoral process using the federal might, especially after winning Presidential elections.
“We have a party which has rigging and electoral manipulation ingrained in its DNA, and Presidents who never had second thoughts about foisting PDP candidates on Nigerians at re-run elections.
“Back then, it was unthinkable for the then ruling party to lose close elections after winning the Presidential election. That was when the words ‘bandwagon effect’ took root in the polity.
“So it is not a total surprise that a party whose Presidential candidate and his key campaign coordinators lost their immediate wards during the February 23 elections, would dismiss President Buhari’s assurances of a level-playing field for all parties involved in the forthcoming supplementary gubernatorial elections.
“The fact that PDP-era Presidents did manipulate the process to favour their party does not necessarily mean that this President would take that path of infamy", it said.
BMO also noted that the opposition party had never stopped accusing President Buhari of muzzling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) even when the Commission had consistently shown that it was truly independent.
It said: “PDP had been unrelenting in making all sorts of allegations against President Buhari but it conveniently forgot how INEC stopped the ruling party from presenting any candidate in Rivers state, and that it took a last-minute court ruling to prevent a similar scenario in Zamfara State.
“These are unprecedented actions by the election management body which could never have happened in the PDP era where the Commission acted more like a federal government parastatal.
“We at BMO have also seen how a number of decisions taken by the current INEC leadership have favoured the opposition, but PDP wants Nigerians to believe that President Buhari has the Commission at his beck and call".
On the election petition filed by the opposition party and its Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, the pro-Buhari group said the move would end up a wild goose chase because Nigerians never gave the PDP the mandate it claimed was stolen.
"They have the right to challenge the election outcome at the tribunal, but it would eventually be proved to be a frivolous petition", said the group.

President Muhammadu Buhari's non-partisan stance on the forthcoming supplementary elections in some States is a clear departure from what Nigerians had experienced between 1999 and 2014.
The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, that this is unprecedented and yet another reminder of the President's vow to leave a legacy of a robust and credible electoral process.
“It is unthinkable that a sitting President would issue a public warning to members of his own political party that they should not expect him to arm-twist the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to favour the ruling party in the March 23 supplementary election.

“Ironically, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had been vocal in accusing President Buhari of interfering with the Commission’s independence with a view to conferring undue advantage on the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“This is because the political class is used to the PDP-era situation where one man sits in the comfort of the Presidential villa and determines the fate of politicians across the divide with the active support of the INEC leadership.

“Only recently, a former Vice President who flew the party’s flag in the 2019 President election boasted on national television how he used his privileged position to stop the re-election bid of former Anambra State governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju, regardless of the wishes of the electorate!”

The pro-Buhari group also noted that it was embarrassing that any APC leader or member would expect the President to manipulate the process to ensure victory for the ruling party in any of the States where gubernatorial re-run elections are slated to hold on Saturday.

It said: “There is no party member who could have forgotten so soon that President Buhari had in the course of the political campaigns, told Nigerians to vote according to their conscience.

“And his advice to APC leaders in States where supplementary elections are holding to work hard to earn the peoples votes, shows that the President is a statesman who would not trade his integrity for partisan consideration.

“It would be ideal for them to heed the advice and go the extra mile to earn their victory on March 23, rather than expect the President to force INEC to allocate imaginary votes for them”.

BMO also urged members of the opposition to desist from heating up the polity with unsubstantiated allegations against President Buhari in the run-up to the supplementary election.

This, it said, is because the President has no reason to now go back on his pledge that INEC would be completely independent and be free from any interference throughout the elections.

It is hypocrisy at its peak.
Dele Momodu has been mocked by many Nigerians for blocking them on Twitter after calling him out for fake news and lies that he peddles regularly.

It appeared that some Nigerians had had enough of the veteran journalist and were not going to allow him to continue to deceive people on social media anymore.

On Sunday Momodu, who has often been criticized and corrected for spreading fake news said he would block those who called him out for peddling lies against Mr. Laolu Akande, spokesperson to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

“My main tweet of the day... why do trolls get angry when you block them; they come on your TL, like mannerless people, rain insults at you, and expect you to say "thank you for abusing me..." Jokers!!!” he tweeted before going on a blocking spree.

Reacting to Mr. Momodu blocking him, Tracy Chels wrote, “Dele Momodu is PDP 100%. This is one of the characteristics of PDP members, blocking anyone who speaks the truth.”

Kemisola Adekunle tried to make Mr. Momodu see reasons why blocking people is not the most idealistic thing to do. “How would you get feed backs on your posts when you block people that don’t support your views? I'm sure those ones you block are those who don’t submit to your views.”

Ibn Hanbal says Mr. Momodu should act more upright. “It is so sad Dele that you block people. With your civility and education, I expect you to correct him.

“Perhaps he may live in future to be a version of you. Give people opportunity to learn from you. Don't block them because you famous. Fame is a gift,” he said.

David Olatunde posed a question to Mr. Momodu. “How many people would he block? He doesn't need to block anyone.”

There were others who blasted Mr. Momodu because he built his career on criticizing people and he was not blocked.

“The man is a joke, he should not be taken seriously at all. He has insulted a lot of respectable people in the past and was never blocked. He has lost any integrity he had left.”

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
PRESS RELEASE

The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has launched the REPORTGOV.NG App, an official public service feedback and complaints platform to support business climate reforms implemented by the Council since 2016. The platform, which is also a website, will facilitate the escalation and resolution of issues encountered with Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) towards ensuring a more business-friendly environment.

The app was co-launched by the Honourable Minister, Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okey Enelamah; Chairman, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Mr Adedotun Sulaiman, MFR; and SSA to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, at the Regulatory Conversations (RC3.0) event themed "Improving Transparency and Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria", which was hosted by The Convention on Business Integrity/The Integrity Organisation in collaboration with ActionAid, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry and BusinessDay Newspapers, in partnership with the Enabling Business Environment Secretariat (EBES) of the Council. The program featured a panel of discussants and stakeholders from the public, private sector and civil society, with a focus on issues bordering on transparency and efficiency of service delivery in Nigeria.

PEBEC was established in July 2016 to remove delays and restrictions that come with doing business in Nigeria, and make the country an easier place to start and grow a business. Supported by Executive Order 001 (EO1) signed in 2017 to promote transparency and efficiency in the business environment, PEBEC has undertaken to drive EO1’s six directives, which aim to address specific limitations identified in the civil and public service systems.

So far, a high level of success across several areas has been recorded, and MDAs have made significant improvements. Many have taken up the challenge to deliver more transparent and efficient services to their customers in alignment with EO1, with a number of notable milestones achieved, such as an increase in the number of MDAs that have functional websites containing detailed information about their services or statutory functions, as well as improved collaboration among MDAs.

EO1 has been acknowledged as one of the FGN’s most innovative strategic initiatives to deliver quick, pragmatic changes in the doing business environment. It seeks to drive domestic and foreign investment that creates employment and stimulates the economy, by aspiring to overcome the lack of trust in public systems. When fully implemented, EO1 will transform the way the FGN and its MDAs serve the business community and the public at large, as it is a blueprint for fundamental government reform in Nigeria.

The REPORTGOV.NG mobile app is available on the Google Play store, and is coming soon to the iOS store to enable users give feedback or complaint that will drive continuous improvement in service delivery and public protection efforts.

Nigeria is currently placed at 146 among 190 economies in the ease of doing business index according to the latest World Bank annual rankings. However, as implementation of EO1 progresses and reforms are institutionalized, the aspiration is to place Nigeria in the top 100 and top 50 on the Index by year 2020 and 2025 respectively. More information on reforms delivered is available at www.businessmadeeasy.ng


Signed:
Dr. Jumoke Oduwole
SSA Industry, Trade & Investment to the President,
Office of the Vice President March, 2019

My dear Bob Dee!

One could have easily made up his mind not to read or respond to anything you wrote after seeing the rather unprincipled queuing up behind Senator Bukola Saraki and then abandoning him, moving on to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and then deserting him as well.

But I felt one should respond to your attempts to create a false narrative from the very hollow lamentation of the recent elections as the “worst in our history”.

In my view, those like your good self, veteran journalists, who have built a formidable platform in the public arena must strive always to use the platform for the larger public good. There have been several interventions from you that reflect such true public spirit, but some of us stridently disagree with what at times could be perceived as a self-serving journalistic conduct. Many would seem to agree that this was obvious in your recent open letter to the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

But first, let me thank you for your gracious words of congratulations to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Vice President, and your admiration for the VP’s commendable performance in office. I am certain that your quest for public accountability derives from that admiration.

It is important to state that a citizen’s open letter to public figures or government authority is always welcome here and not necessarily a matter of right or exclusive access. For us, such matters of access for the people to their elected leaders is of normal cause and ought not to be a matter of exclusivity nor should we make a play of it as so special.

As is typical of your propaganda machinery, it begins with an outrageous lie by the principal then the operatives like yourself repeat it ad naseum. It appears you were not in this country when foreign and local observers accepted the results.Independent Foreign Observers commended the transparency and credibility of the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Also, the Independent ElectionMonitor group, supported by the French Embassy, concluded that “based on the analysis carried out in this document as well as the actual observations of the election activities across the country, it is Election Monitor’s considered opinion that the 2019 Presidential Election results are consistent with the will of the majority of voters who took part in the elections notwithstanding the various infractions which also occurred as they were not on a scale significant enough to affect the overall outcome of the election.(ElectionMonitorNG)

YIAGA Africa’s Parrallel Voting Tabulation, relied on by international agencies, embassies and funders also said its “findings show that for the presidential election the All Progressive Congress (APC) should receive between 50.0 per cent and 55.8 per cent of the vote.” And that “the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) should receive between 41.2 per cent and 47.0 per cent of the vote; these figures are consistent with the official results as just announced by INEC.

“For both APC and PDP, the official results fall within the PVT estimated ranges.” That YIAGA AFRICA results statement was based on reports from 1,491 polling units which are 98.4 per cent of sampled polling units. YIAGA AFRICA’s projections were reportedly also consistent with the officially announced vote shares for the other 71 parties who contested in the presidential election. It is also believed that the group’s projections were based on the results announced in the polling units and would have detected any significant manipulation occurring during collation at the ward, local government area, State and national levels. Also, “INEC’s official results for turnout and rejected ballots were also generally consistent with YIAGA AFRICA WTV estimates.” (Vanguard)

These are empirical facts, my dear Bob Dee, especially if you your analysis through any rigorous tests. Propaganda and falsehood only need a willing sponsor.

Yes, observers mentioned pockets of violence and some malpractices, but none felt that these were sufficient to affect the credibility of the elections or its results. Frequently cited is Ago Palace in Lagos. One unit in a city of 20 million! In any event, the real question is, how did the violence in the comparatively few places where it happened favour the President? And how come the strong allegations of foul play by the likes of Godswill Akpabio in Akwa Ibom, George Akume in Benue and Ndoma-Egba in Cross River State (all APC Senatorial aspirants!) escaped your eagle eyes?

It is sometimes forgotten, and Bob Dee , you chose to forget, that for the previous 16 years before 2015, the PDP governments had conducted elections. Everyone is familiar with the incredible excesses of the elections and the election-observer reports so poignantly describe some.

In the 2003 elections which gave Atiku Abubakar and his boss a second term, Wikipedia observes that “Millions of people voted several times. The police in Lagos uncovered an electoral fraud, finding five million false ballots.”

But the 2007 elections got even worse reviews: “Following the presidential election, groups monitoring the election gave it a dismal assessment. Chief European Union observer Max van den Berg reported that the handling of the polls had “fallen far short” of basic international standards, and that “the process cannot be considered to be credible”, citing “poor election organisation, lack of transparency, significant evidence of fraud, voter disenfranchisement, violence and bias.”

They described the election as “the worst they had ever seen anywhere in the world”, with “rampant vote rigging, violence, theft of ballot boxes and intimidation”).One group of observers said that at one polling station in Yenagoa, in the oil-rich South-South, where 500 people were registered to vote, more than 2,000 votes were counted.”

Your choice of words such as “theatre of war” to describe the presidential polls is not only inaccurate and questionable by and large, but also surprising considering the recent history of past presidential polls. And you have to tell us who described the elections as “the most dreadful and desperate”?

Besides this facts that you carefully chose to ignore, the contents of your letter read in part like a brief for the opposition, and, at other times, a judgment of an electoral tribunal in favour of the opposition. And such bias undermines the credibility of the author such as yourself.

It could even render the write-up confusing rather than informing the readers. For good measure, Bob Dee, maybe we should just remind our readers that not only are you an active member of the opposition, you have also benefited from significant business relationships with some in the opposition circles. And this is entirely within your right.

But that certainly discounts your assessment about the direction of our administration. It also devalues your criticism of the narratives that hold those who raped this country in the past responsible for the consequences of their corrupt activities while in government.

One also wonders whether it is your well-known personal relationship with the opposition that has beclouded you so much that you seek to assail the anti-corruption efforts which ordinary and well-meaning Nigerians have embraced.
Let me make it clear that the facts show that while some old members of the opposition have joined APC, that has not shielded those responsible for corruption and graft. In any case, even if old PDP members are now APC members, the current leadership of the country under the APC stands out as it is made up of two gentlemen with impeccable integrity.

Old PDP members and all Nigerians are welcome just like sinners are embraced in the church, Inf act, the church was opened for sinners to be converted. And what is skewed about the anti-corruption campaign when the two governors who have now been convicted for corruption are both APC?

Having said that, be rest assured that the APC as a party will articulate its defences to any allegations. For the records, it is an obvious fact and this must be reiterated that the Buhari administration has a commendable record of respecting the independence of INEC, a clear departure from what occurred under previous administrations. This government also ensures that it provides all the support INEC requires, as well as respects the independence of the judiciary and has ensured that security forces act within the ambits of law. Even international observers have made their comments accordingly and positively.

As the Buhari administration always noted, every single loss of life is sad and lamentable. And previous elections have regrettably caused even far more losses. We must achieve an electoral system that doesn’t result in any such loss of life. However, the record of improvement from the past is clear as it were.

To characterize the will of the people as Pyrrhic victory represents what exactly needs to change in and about our nation. Indeed, our privilege as elites imposes the responsibility of trustees of power, wealth, values and direction of and for a nation in the interest of the people upon us. To narrow this interest or substitute our amplified voices as the vocal minority for the silent majority is not only taking liberties a little too far, but also losing tune and touch with our national realities. As leaders, we must reflect introspectively on how we have prioritized the people, and how we must continue to do so going forward.

This is what President Muhammadu Buhari is known for and it is what played out in the elections. It is the voices of the few and the devices of the privileged that the Opposition regarded and expected to hold up. That did not happen.

We respect the right to disagree and exercise that right through the established mechanisms, but we reject any denigration and the diminishing of the electoral outcome which is the true voice and expression of the people of this country.

As you noted, the whole concept of sin in the worldly context is a violation of the law of the land, and in the spiritual context, a violation against God. That you judge either as a matter of law, or ecclesiastically when you by yourself determine that this administration is “committing sin” is a departure from what your letter identifies as its objective. Victory in an election is a nation speaking up, while the victor is the symbol of that nation’s victory.

Both life, by its temporal nature, and the Constitution, by its term limitations and periodic elections, already ensure that we all know that everything but eternity is transient, and the example of that in our nation today is the rejection of the old order four years ago, and the most recent confirmation of that rejection by preferring the new and current order, and the Next Level of our national restoration and growth.

Finally, thank you for declaring your belief that the APC “would have won” a handsome victory because that was exactly what happened! It is your equivocation about Atiku’s loss expressed in the same letter where you said you expected an APC “handsome victory” that left me and other readers confounded. What are we to believe?

Again, thank you for your open letter. Be rest assured that the Vice President and the President would continue working for the good of all Nigerians in the Next Level.

Laolu Akande is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President

The 15 percent rise in foreign exchange earnings from non-oil export is a vindication of President Muhammadu Buhari’s foresight in diversifying the Nigerian economy.

According to the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), the expansion in production of agricultural commodities for export, and mining of non-oil minerals is pulling in more foreign exchange for Africa’s biggest economy.

In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO said that Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s latest figures on earnings from non-oil and electricity exports which increased by 15 percent to $1,034.59 million in Q4 2018 “is a clear manifestation of the wisdom in Buhari’s economic diversification effort.

“CBN statistics which indicate a favourable provisional Balance of Payments (BOP) for Q4 2018 with a surplus of $2.80bn is proof that Nigeria’s effort to reduce unnecessary imports and increase exports is working to our national advantage.

“We expect Nigerians to appreciate that it is a significant economic achievement for the country’s Current Account Balance (CAB) to have improved from a deficit of $1,544.41 million in Q3 2018 to a surplus of $1,104.57 million in Q4 2018.

“This achievement did not happen on its own, but a result of sound economic management by the administration and its agencies that are working in harmony to achieve the vision of President Buhari to reset the economy, sustain and deepen the status of our economy as the largest on the African continent.”

The pro-Buhari group specifically praised the CBN for its diligent management of the country’s foreign exchange chest and turning the nation’s financial account balance with assets of $2,327.91 million in the period under review against net financial liabilities of $4,615.17 million recorded in the preceding period.

“The impact of restriction on access to foreign exchange at official rates for the frivolous importation of certain goods has had a significant impact in checking leakages of the country’s foreign exchange reserves by increasing the surplus in the goods account.

“It is significant to note that the CBN says surplus in the Goods Account increased significantly to $6.794 billion in Q4 2018 from surpluses of $3.76 billion in the preceding quarter and $5.473 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2017.”

BMO said the decrease in the imports bills by 21 per cent to $9.862 billion, which is below the level recorded in the preceding quarter is proof that Nigerians are looking inward in their consumption pattern as this was as a result of 20 percent decrease in the import of non-oil products.

The 15 percent rise in foreign exchange earnings from non-oil export is a vindication of President Muhammadu Buhari’s foresight in diversifying the Nigerian economy.

According to the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), the expansion in production of agricultural commodities for export, and mining of non-oil minerals is pulling in more foreign exchange for Africa’s biggest economy.

In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO said that Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s latest figures on earnings from non-oil and electricity exports which increased by 15 percent to $1,034.59 million in Q4 2018 “is a clear manifestation of the wisdom in Buhari’s economic diversification effort.

“CBN statistics which indicate a favourable provisional Balance of Payments (BOP) for Q4 2018 with a surplus of $2.80bn is proof that Nigeria’s effort to reduce unnecessary imports and increase exports is working to our national advantage.

“We expect Nigerians to appreciate that it is a significant economic achievement for the country’s Current Account Balance (CAB) to have improved from a deficit of $1,544.41 million in Q3 2018 to a surplus of $1,104.57 million in Q4 2018.

“This achievement did not happen on its own, but a result of sound economic management by the administration and its agencies that are working in harmony to achieve the vision of President Buhari to reset the economy, sustain and deepen the status of our economy as the largest on the African continent.”

The pro-Buhari group specifically praised the CBN for its diligent management of the country’s foreign exchange chest and turning the nation’s financial account balance with assets of $2,327.91 million in the period under review against net financial liabilities of $4,615.17 million recorded in the preceding period.

“The impact of restriction on access to foreign exchange at official rates for the frivolous importation of certain goods has had a significant impact in checking leakages of the country’s foreign exchange reserves by increasing the surplus in the goods account.

“It is significant to note that the CBN says surplus in the Goods Account increased significantly to $6.794 billion in Q4 2018 from surpluses of $3.76 billion in the preceding quarter and $5.473 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2017.”

BMO said the decrease in the imports bills by 21 per cent to $9.862 billion, which is below the level recorded in the preceding quarter is proof that Nigerians are looking inward in their consumption pattern as this was as a result of 20 percent decrease in the import of non-oil products.

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

PRESS RELEASE


*Recalls various Next Level campaign encounters with the people

*Says Buhari’s administration will connect more with the people in second term


REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF YEMI OSINBAJO, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, AT THE PMB/PYO VOLUNTEERS’ APPRECIATION DINNER, BANQUET HALL, ABUJA, ON THE 14TH OF MARCH, 2019.



PROTOCOLS


Just before I make a couple of remarks, we know that a few of our supporters lost their lives during the course of the campaign. I want us to stand for a moment and observe a minute of silence in honour of them. We thank the Lord for their souls and ask for comfort for all members of their family in Jesus name.


For me, this campaign was about the Nigerian people. One of the things I discovered, and I’m sure most of us know, is that our people are so trusting and supportive of their leaders everywhere. I think that one of the major characteristics of Nigerians is how supportive they are and also they don’t ask for too much. They never really ask for anything that is impossible to do.

For many of us, as we went around the country, we realised the tremendous amount of work that we need to do and our capacity to do so much work and what our people need. As a matter of fact, I don’t know any nation where the people are so generous no matter how poor they are.


I met a woman in one of the markets in Kwara State, and she gave us some vegetables and I thought she wanted to sell them, but she was actually offering it to us free. I thought to myself, here is this woman I should be giving something to and she is the one giving a gift instead. That is just a typical Nigerian. I was walking past another woman in Kogi while shaking hands with people there, she gave me N200. I thought to myself, I am the one meant to be giving her something.

There was another elderly woman here in Gwagalada, and that made the news, she pulled me aside and said, “Young man, you need prayers” and she prayed for me. People saw her holding my hands and praying for me, and I thought to myself, I am meant to be offering these people comfort and succour, but they are hopeful and offering the support, comfort, love and all of the things they thought at the time that we needed.

On behalf of all of us who are here, I want to say a very big thank you to the Nigerian people for their contributions to getting us back here.

We visited many homes across the country; we did the house-to-house campaign, visiting many homes and most of those homes were the homes of the poor. But they were still very hospitable and they would still ask, “What will you eat? What will you drink?”


I remember an encounter in Idanre, Ondo State, where we met a man; he was so excited we visited him in his home. He said, “This your government is the best I have ever seen.” He said all sorts of very nice things, then the Local Chairman of the APC in Idanre said to him, “But you are PDP this man.” The man then said, “How can you say I am PDP? Okay, I used to be PDP, but from now on, I am now APC!”


It struck me that what we need to do more is connect with the people that we govern. All that the people want are opportunities for us to interact more with them. Somebody who gave a speech earlier said that we should govern in this same way.

One of the complaints that people made about our government is that we didn’t communicate well enough and people didn’t even know what we had done. I think they were probably right, and we did very well in terms of our messaging during the 2015 campaign, but thereafter, we seemed to have slacked and over time, the opposition began to get the better of us, especially on Social Media and Radio. But all of that is definitely going to change.

I am going to take on everyone who has challenged us on this matter, including the gentleman who has offered his services for communication purposes because this has to be a joint effort in ensuring that we put across our point of view.

Everybody knows that this was not exactly an easy campaign but I believe that God saw, first the heart of Mr President. Here is an honest man, and as I said during the course of the campaign, even his worst enemies agree that he is a man of integrity.

In any event, there are many few Nigerians who would have been Minister of Petroleum, Governor of the whole of the Northeast, Head of State, not once or twice, but thrice, and still have just one home in Kaduna and some very modest place in Daura. Very few people are like that.

When I looked at his assets declaration form, I was checking it in 2015, I said to him, “Mr President, I am so much richer than you, it is an embarrassment.” He said, “I am only a soldier, you are a big lawyer so you should have more money than me.” I can tell you that he is perhaps; even poorer than he was in 2015 when I saw his declaration of assets form.

We are all grateful to God for this great victory, and the real heroes are you all seated here today, who went out every day to campaign and talk about what you believed about our government, what you thought this government could do for the Nigerian people.

One thing that is clear to me is that your belief and commitment were not wrongly placed. You are absolutely right that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is the appropriate and right government for Nigeria at this time.

And the simple reason why that is so is that today what our country needs the most is honest government, that’s what our country needs. And I’ll tell you why as I repeated many times in the course of the campaign; our country is not short of ideas, projects or money. What we are short of is integrity in office. Corruption is the major problem that our country has faced. And once we are able to deal with it effectively, and we will, we will be the great nation we ought to be.

I was saying to someone that this same President, President Muhammadu Buhari, of the four refineries that we have in our country today, he built three of them when he was Minister of Petroleum. Then he built 3km of pipelines, how much has been added to it since then?

So, you don’t need to be a great orator. And this is one of the responses I gave to people when they were saying - “oh the president doesn’t talk.” He doesn’t need to be an orator; all he needs to do is be a doer. And that is what he is doing today.

And what we’ve seen today is despite the fact that we are earning 60% less than the previous government, we are spending almost 8 times more especially for capital projects. Why? Because the president is not stealing the money, simple! That is why we are able to spend more.

And just in terms of achievements in infrastructure, the Lagos-Kano rail, we have just commissioned the first phase, which is the Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan, and we are going to complete the Lagos-Kano rail.

We completed the Itakpe-Warri rail after 5 years it has been completed. Even the Abuja Light rail that was started in 2005 has just been completed.

We put money aside to do the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, which had been practically abandoned; they would start and stop, they put it into the budget, but it would disappear. Today, the money is there to complete it.

Sometimes, I talk to my friends in the Southeast about the second Niger Bridge, which was commissioned in 2014, but it was not designed, it was just commissioned. How does anybody do that? Today, the highest amount of money as an immediate payment for any project we have ever done was for the second Niger Bridge, 33billion immediate payment for that bridge. That is the highest amount of money we have ever put for one single payment.

We’re going to start the Mambila Project, and have put money aside for it. All these projects are projects that the President himself not just negotiated, but supervises on a regular basis.

And that is the thing; a lot of work needs to be done in this country. Infrastructures we need to put in place will be put in place. And the reason why is because the President is not a thief. And that is to just put it very simply. Many believe that the government is very complicated, no. If the man who is in charge is honest, everything we want to be done will be done, just take a look at our Social Investment Programmes.

I was saying to some group of people that today we are feeding 9.2 million children every single day as part of our school feeding programme. We’re paying for 500,000 N-Power beneficiaries every month. We have given almost 2million traders TraderMoni loans, and almost 500,00 MarketMoni. Apart from that, we are giving N5,000 to the poorest of the poor per month, we are now approaching 500,000 and we are going to do a million.

All of that has still not cost us N300billion. Yet some people ran a programme called Sure-P, and we cannot find a single beneficiary and it cost N700billion. On everything I’ve said, we still haven’t spent N300billion in 2 years.

So, it’s not as if this business of doing the right thing is rocket science. The major thing is an honest man, as we have an honest man, everything we want to be done is what will be done.

And I believe very strongly with your support, all of what we wish and want for our country will be done.

And by the grace of God, every one of the infrastructure projects we want to be done will be done. Our economy will turn around and we will see prosperity in this great nation of ours.

Finally, let me just say that we are still not done with elections. On the 23rd of March, we still have some outstanding states. As you know, we are re-running in 6 States. All of the efforts that we need to put into those 6 States should be done, we cannot afford to slack up and say we are done; we still have some things to do.

APC SAC!

Thank you.

Released by
Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity
Office of the Vice President
March 15, 2019

The generally peaceful conduct of the 2019 general elections in Nigeria in which President Muhammadu Buhari was re-elected has restored confidence in the Nigerian economy, with Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) growing and boosting the prospects of the largest economy in Africa.

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) says figures collated by its Economic Team and various credible sources indicate that the $16 billion traditional outflow reported by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in December 2018 on the eve of the elections has ended, with many of them returning, alongside other investors in the real sectors.

In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO emphasised that the economic prospects for the country are excellent, based on internationally recognized indices.

“Analysts in various institutions including FocusEconomics’ panelists see GDP increasing 2.3% in 2019 on the back of the impact made by the country’s economic diversification, liquidity and prudent management of foreign exchange, which facilitates easy repatriation of profit by investors.

“Recent data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), shows that the Nigeria’s economic growth gained traction and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded 2.4% annually in Q4, well above Q3’s 1.8% increase.

“The 2.3 per cent growth in agriculture contributed to the north-bound trajectory of the GDP and general economic outlook. The proposed investment of $1.5 billion by Morocco’s OCP Group on three ammonia plants to boost fertiliser production will deepen the country’s agriculture-driven economic diversification.”

The BMO noted the report by FocusEconomics which says: “The services sector gained steam, with growth hitting a multi-year high in Q4 largely on the back of buoyant activity in the information and communication industries. Moreover, industrial output rebounded from the previous quarter, owing to stronger gains in manufacturing.”

The group also noted that economic growth in Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari is further aided by higher and stable oil production, a stronger policy on gas flaring and huge government spending on economic infrastructure – roads, railways, airports, water transportation, increased power generation and stronger electricity distribution network.

BMO thereby urged all Nigerians to redouble their efforts in agricultural and other economic activities to increase the economic growth, generate more wealth, lift more Nigerians out of poverty and raise their living standard on sustainable basis.

The responsibility for conducting elections in Nigeria and declaring them final or inconclusive rests absolutely with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); and its decisions are not subject to interference from any quarters.

Therefore, any insinuation that its decision on conclusion or otherwise on any particular election is faulty, ill-conceived and mischievous.

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) made these observations while it faulted the claims of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the federal government is complicit in the declaration of some governorship elections as ‘’inconclusive’’.

In a statement signed by its chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO said it is disappointing that the PDP, in a deliberate ploy to deceive and mislead Nigerians on the true position of things with the inconclusive elections, has been inundating the people with false claims that those states are its strongholds.

“We are constrained to put the records straight and inform Nigerians that contrary to the position of the PDP, INEC is solely responsible for the conduct of elections in the country, and retains the prerogative to decide which election to be postponed or re-run, based on the extant provisions of the Electoral Act.

“Specifically, Section 26 of the Act empowers the electoral body to decide on the correctness or otherwise of any election. It is therefore totally out of place and sheer mischief for the PDP to put the blame for inconclusive governorship elections in some states on the federal government, or President Muhammadu Buhari.

“For the umpteenth time, we want to remind the PDP that President Buhari is not the electoral umpire and does not dictate to it the methodology for carrying out its constitutional responsibilities. We use the medium to ask the PDP to desist from dragging the name of President Muhammadu Buhari into election matters.”

According to BMO, it is “a mark of President Buhari’s impartiality in the elections that in a state like Plateau where the All Progressives Congress was leading in the governorship election with about forty thousand votes, the election was still declared inconclusive just as it happened in a few other states. We therefore consider it as the height of political rascality for the PDP to lay claim to those states as its strongholds.”

No of valid votes cast-27,324,583
No of votes cancelled-1,289,607

Buhari- 15,191,847
Atiku- 11,262,978
_____________________
Margin *3,928,469*
_____________________

Even the blind and the deaf know that Buhari won the election and there’s no two ways about it.
These results are not fake, they came straight from INEC.

What people do not know is that PDP is only a fake news tiger and does not have any atom of integrity left in them.

Frankly, Buhari won the election out of genuine love from Nigerians, Atiku could never have won as rigging was the least thing to be considered by INEC and the people know that fact.

Nathaniel Adoji

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the biggest beneficiary of the 2019 elections and as such has no real reason to incite the public against the Presidency and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the outcome of the gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections.

The Buhari Media Organisation has said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke that the opposition party’s stance is in continuation of a deliberate effort to discredit the electoral process even before it began.

“PDP knew what it was doing when it launched strident attacks on INEC with a view to blackmailing the leadership of the election management body in the run up to the 2019 election.

“We had then drawn attention to what was clearly a conscious drive to tarnish the image of national institutions involved in the process. The targets of the opposition elements from the outset were the Police and INEC.

“And while the party soft-pedalled on the police authorities after the exit of the former Inspector General Ibrahim idris, it was relentless in its attack on the INEC leadership to the extent that the Chairman Mahmood Yakubu had to take certain steps to reaffirm the Commission’s independence.”

The Pro-Buhari group says it is surprised that the complaints are persisting even after PDP retained control of six states while its governorship candidates were declared winners in two states that were strongholds of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).

This, BMO said, shows that the opposition is only interested in destroying national institutions for selfish reasons.

“It is amusing that the party is not relenting in its effort to thrash the process as the worst in the country’s political history when majority of Nigerians know how bad PDP-era elections were.”

The group said it will keep “frustrating PDP’s attempt to rewrite history and will continue to remind everyone that there is still no public record of the state-by-state breakdown of the 2007 elections supervised by the man who incidentally was PDP and Atiku Abubakar’s technical consultant for the just-concluded 2019 elections.

“And do we still need to remind Nigerians how the same PDP- era INEC announced the party’s gubernatorial candidate in Delta state as winner in Abuja even when the collation of results was still going on in the state capital!

“So what moral right does the PDP have to condemn an election where its candidates won states with dominant APC presence and also force a rerun in states where it lost woefully only two weeks ago? Is the party saying that INEC and its personnel perform creditably in only the states it retained and the ones it won?

“These are real questions that Nigerians should ask these people who are accusing INEC of doing the bidding of the Presidency because it declared elections in five states inconclusive in line with extant laws of the land.

“We know for a fact that a PDP-controlled federal government would have hidden behind the infamous ‘bandwagon’ effect to claim victory in all the states where its candidates were declared victorious in the Presidential election like it did in most of the elections it supervised between 2003 and 2014.”

BMO maintained that contrary to PDP’s position, President Muhammadu Buhari did not interfere with INEC’s constitutionally-guaranteed independence during, before and after the Presidential election as well as that of the gubernatorial and state houses of Assembly.

It said: “We dare say that no one would have been talking about inconclusive elections in five states won convincingly by the governing party two weeks ago, in the PDP era- the party would have forced itself on the people regardless of their choice.

“But this President who is keen on leaving a legacy of free, fair and credible election is only interested in ensuring that votes count and that’s what PDP benefitted from on March 9.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the biggest beneficiary of the 2019 elections and as such has no real reason to incite the public against the Presidency and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the outcome of the gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections.

The Buhari Media Organisation has said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke that the opposition party’s stance is in continuation of a deliberate effort to discredit the electoral process even before it began.

“PDP knew what it was doing when it launched strident attacks on INEC with a view to blackmailing the leadership of the election management body in the run up to the 2019 election.

“We had then drawn attention to what was clearly a conscious drive to tarnish the image of national institutions involved in the process. The targets of the opposition elements from the outset were the Police and INEC.

“And while the party soft-pedalled on the police authorities after the exit of the former Inspector General Ibrahim idris, it was relentless in its attack on the INEC leadership to the extent that the Chairman Mahmood Yakubu had to take certain steps to reaffirm the Commission’s independence.”

The Pro-Buhari group says it is surprised that the complaints are persisting even after PDP retained control of six states while its governorship candidates were declared winners in two states that were strongholds of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).

This, BMO said, shows that the opposition is only interested in destroying national institutions for selfish reasons.

“It is amusing that the party is not relenting in its effort to thrash the process as the worst in the country’s political history when majority of Nigerians know how bad PDP-era elections were.”

The group said it will keep “frustrating PDP’s attempt to rewrite history and will continue to remind everyone that there is still no public record of the state-by-state breakdown of the 2007 elections supervised by the man who incidentally was PDP and Atiku Abubakar’s technical consultant for the just-concluded 2019 elections.

“And do we still need to remind Nigerians how the same PDP- era INEC announced the party’s gubernatorial candidate in Delta state as winner in Abuja even when the collation of results was still going on in the state capital!

“So what moral right does the PDP have to condemn an election where its candidates won states with dominant APC presence and also force a rerun in states where it lost woefully only two weeks ago? Is the party saying that INEC and its personnel perform creditably in only the states it retained and the ones it won?

“These are real questions that Nigerians should ask these people who are accusing INEC of doing the bidding of the Presidency because it declared elections in five states inconclusive in line with extant laws of the land.

“We know for a fact that a PDP-controlled federal government would have hidden behind the infamous ‘bandwagon’ effect to claim victory in all the states where its candidates were declared victorious in the Presidential election like it did in most of the elections it supervised between 2003 and 2014.”

BMO maintained that contrary to PDP’s position, President Muhammadu Buhari did not interfere with INEC’s constitutionally-guaranteed independence during, before and after the Presidential election as well as that of the gubernatorial and state houses of Assembly.

It said: “We dare say that no one would have been talking about inconclusive elections in five states won convincingly by the governing party two weeks ago, in the PDP era- the party would have forced itself on the people regardless of their choice.

“But this President who is keen on leaving a legacy of free, fair and credible election is only interested in ensuring that votes count and that’s what PDP benefitted from on March 9.”

President Muhammadu Buhari will, at the end of his second and final term in office, bequeath to Nigeria a very robust democratic space that many Nigerians will be proud of.

According to the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), this is obvious from his deliberate non-interference in the just concluded governorship and States’ House of Assembly elections.

In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO said Buhari did not go out of his way to ensure that the All Progressives Congress (APC) got undue advantage in last Saturday’s elections.

“It was unthinkable that a ruling party in Nigeria would lose crucial states so soon after winning a Presidential election.

“Nigerians are used to Presidents using their enormous powers to retain their party in power at state level at all cost, regardless of the people’s will, but President Buhari has shown himself to be different in spite of what his perennial critics want Nigerians to believe.

“Here is a man who won by a landslide in Kano, Bauchi and Sokoto states two weeks ago but did not lean on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure victory for APC candidates in last Saturday’s election in those states.

“The close contest in those states invariably led to some people questioning his margin of victory without considering the Buhari phenomenon which transcends party leanings and affiliations, especially in Northern Nigeria.

“Oyo is another hitherto APC stronghold which the party lost to the Peoples Democratic Party’s gubernatorial candidate by a big margin without the President making any effort to influence the outcome.”

The group says President Buhari deserves credits for this principled stand.

“We at BMO clearly remember how previous Presidents used federal might to retain states in which their candidates lost, but President Buhari has shown that he is a statesman with a different mindset”, it said.

The group pointed out that the President’s non-interference shows that he is a true democrat that keeps to his words.

“President Buhari is on record to have said that Nigerians were free to vote for political parties of their choice, at a time key APC members were openly expressing support for governorship candidates on the platform of other parties.

“So it is not surprising that the results so far announced by INEC officials largely reflected the will of the people, regardless of whether APC won or not.

“The era where elements of the ruling party would be given protection to write results is gone and we can also recall that in 2007, results for gubernatorial election in at least one state was announced in Abuja even when collation had not been completed in the state.”

• Deploys ex-commissioner to manipulate election results
• Offers INEC officials N2 million to rig election
• Soldiers, thugs paid to inflate results in Ifo, Abeokuta North, others
• Issues death threat to NYSC members and other INEC officials
The devious plans of Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State to manipulate and possibly disrupt the governorship and State House of Assembly elections held on Saturday have been uncovered.
According to our reporter, the governor who is backing Allied Peoples Movement (APM) candidate, Honourable Adekunle Akinlade has deployed soldiers and thugs to inflate election results in Ifo, Abeokuta North and other local government areas.
The governor has also threatened the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and NYSC members with thugs if they refuse to allow them access to thumb print ballot papers.
According to an INEC official in Yewa North representatives of the governor offered them N2 million to manipulate the results of Ohunbe ward.
The official said when they rejected the offer, the representative told them that they were joking with their lives and had no other option.
“We left the ballot papers for them to do what they wanted, I cannot lose my life over this election, I have a family that is waiting for me to return home,” said the INEC official who spoke to journalists on the condition anonymity.
At the collation center at NUD Oke Ijeun INEC officials were attacked by thugs who were wearing APM shirts. The attack took place at Ward 8 on Saturday evening.
APM thugs were also reported to have been shooting at Ward 12, Abeokuta South Local Government Area forcing residents to scamper for their lives.
Our correspondent gathered that soldiers were being used to perpetrate electoral anomalies in at least 20 other polling unit and collation centers.
“They were tampering with APC votes and are inflating the figures of APM,” an APC party agent who identified himself as Segun told reporters.
“The soldiers and policemen deployed to do these things were dressed in mufti, so we could not ascertain their true status,” said Segun.
Former Commissioner for Special Duties, Barrister Leke Adewolu also mobilised thugs to alter results at Ifo State Constituency 1 and 2.
Another INEC official said at Ward 11, Abeokuta North soldiers dressed in military fatigue ordered party agents out of the ward before forcing them to manipulate results.
Our correspondent reports that in Ward 5, Abeokuta North, the governor and his boys did over voting. “They were so eager to thumb print in favour of APM that the votes allocated to APM was more than the accredited voters,” an INEC official told our correspondent.
Other polling units were results are believed to have been manipulated includes Unity high school, Ago Ika - Abeokuta North LG; Centenary Hall, Ake - Abeokuta South South LG; Odeda Council Hall - Odeda LG; LG Secretariat Hall - Obafemi Owode LG; LG Secratariat Hall - Ifo LG; LG Secratariat Hall - Ewekoro LG; LG Secretariat Hall - Ijebu North LG; Town hall, Ogbere - Ijebu East LG; LG Secretariat hall, Abigi - Ogun Waterside LG; Itoro hall - Ijebu Ode LG; LG Secretariat Hall - Odogbolu LG; LG Secretariat hall, Atan - Ijebu North East LG; Muslim high school - Sagamu LG; Town hall - Ikenne LG; LG Secretariat hall, Isara - Remo North LG; LG Secretariat hall - Imeko Afon LG; Omidokun hall - Yewa North LG; LG Secretariat hall - Ipokia LG; Oronna town hall - Yewa South LG and Iganmode Grammar School - Ado Odo Ota LG.

The All Progressives Congress has won both the governorship and House of Assembly elections in the polling unit of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in Lagos State on Saturday.
Prof. Osinbajo who voted at Victoria Garden City Main Park Booth in Lagos helped APC governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu garner 248 votes.
Sanwo-Olu’s main challenger Jimi Agbaje of the Peoples Democratic Party polled 190 votes. In the State House of Assembly the APC finished with 193 votes while the PDP candidate had 175 votes.
In Prof. Osinbajo home state of Ogun, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Prince Dapo Abidoun also won at his polling unit in Iperu, Ikenne.
Results announced at his polling unit shortly after collation showed that the oil magnate had established a healthy lead in his local government area of Ikenne.
At his polling unit in Ward 3 Unit 2, Ita Osanyin, Iperu, Ikenne, Mr. Abiodun polled a total of 240 votes while his closest challenger, Honourable Adekunle Akinlade of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) got 71 votes.
At the polling unit of Mr. Akinlade, the APM lost to the APC.
Mr. Akinlade who voted at polling unit 010, Owode Ward 1, Yewa South of Ogun state could only manage 83 votes while Mr. Abiodun polled 104.
Results’ trickling in across the State shows that the APC is leading the APM and other parties by a rather healthy margin.
In Abeokuta South, Ward 14, PU 2, APC polled 144 votes to APM’s 59 votes. In Ward 11, Unit 18, Abeokuta North, APC garnered 103 votes to APM’s 40 votes.
Below are other results from Ogun State.
Ward 12, Unit 002, Agbon Land, Makun, Sagamu
APC – 99
APM – 73
Ward 3, Polling Unit 007, Modern School Road, Ota
APC - 81
APM – 67
Ijagba Ward, Onirere Unit, Sagamu
APC - 161
APM – 63
Ososa Ward 7
APC - 171
APM – 20
PDP - 102
Ward 10, Unit 8, Ilefon
APC - 81
APM - 41
PDP – 34
Police Station, Ward 9 Ikenne LG
APC - 275
APM - 60
PDP – 24
Ward 08, polling Unit 002, Idomowo
PDP - 55
APC - 100
APM - 13
Ward 11, Unit 18, Abeokuta North
APC -103
PDP -04
APM -40
Ward 15, Polling Unit 016, Abeokuta South
APC - 58
APM- 53
PDP – 03
Abeokuta South, Ward 15, Polling Unit Dimmo Store
APC - 67
APM- 52
ADC- 101
PDP-9
Abeokuta South, Ward 15, Polling Unit Olubara Palace
APC - 60
APM- 52
ADC- 91
PDP-15
Abeokuta South, Ward 15, Polling Unit BUSTOP
APC - 59
APM- 62
ADC- 64
PDP-14
Ward 04, Polling Unit 06, Iperu Remo, Ikenne
APC – 236
PDP – 02
APM – 032
Ijebu Ode, Ward 7, Unit 009, Oke Street
APC - 108
PDP - 73
APM – 46
Ward 3, Unit 2, Ita Osanyin, Ikenne LG
APC - 240
APM - 71
PDP - 5
ADC – 2
Ward 3, Unit 2, Ita Osanyin, Ikenne
APC - 240
APM - 71
PDP - 5
ADC - 2

Amidst the gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections holding today in various parts of the country, Peace has been the order of the day but otherwise at some places in Ogun state.

Election Observers reported that the ballot box at Ijebu ode ward 9 has just been snatched.

Also, Oke bode Abeokuta wasn't left out in the ballot-snatching saga.

Eyewitnesses also reported that the SA to the governor, Toyin Ayebusiwa has just supervised snatching of the ballot box at ward 7, unit 3 ogun waterside Iga.

Further reports revealed that a lot of snatching of ballot boxes is on-going at Ifo, abeokuta, Ijebu ode, odeda and Ado odo speculated to be orchestrated by the governor in order to favor his candidate.

Meanwhile, the attention of relevant authorities has been called to this election malpractices going on in the aforementioned places.

Osinbajo: Celebrating Nigeria's 'Star Boy' at 62

By Abdullahi Yunusa ProfWills

I really have no idea of how or when the sobriquet, "Star Boy" became part of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo's name. But I know for a fact that the pet name is very popular among young people, especially on the social media, who are inspired by the erudite law professor's simple, exemplary and humble lifestyle.

There is absolutely something unique about Vice President Yemi Osinbajo's personality which endears him to many, especially the Nigerian youths. Given the way he freely interacts, relates and reaches out to Nigerians during most of his official outings, many see and regard him as a true friend of the common man.

President Muhammadu Buhari wasn't wrong when he entrusted his administration's Social Investment Programmes into his hands. His choice of Professor Osinbajo as the chief implementor of the scheme tells of the importance government attaches to it. Such an important and very critical assignment of ensuring that every Nigerian, especially the common people directly feel the impact of governance requires a man of impeccable character and integrity for it to succeed.

Professor Yemi Osinbajo has not only acquitted himself in the transparent manner he discharges his responsibility as the coordinator of SIP, but has displayed capacity, competence and accountability in the handling of the various components of the entire programme. The general consensus out there is that the SIP initiative which is principally targeted at empowering ordinary Nigerians is the most impactful, transparent and accountable social intervention programme ever introduced in our chequered political history as a country. Nigerians have since taken ownership of the various aspects of the SIP scheme which has for the very first time brought government closer to the people.

Professor Osinbajo, like his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari, is so passionate about the welfare of Nigerians, which he said occupies a significant position in the overall programme of the President Buhari administration. The Vice President has continued to reiterate government's resolve to touch the lives of all Nigerians through faithful implementation of all government programmes and policies.

The truth is, Nigerians, especially the youths are happy with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo's style of handling official matters. There is hardly a day that the Vice President isn't out there interacting with ordinary Nigerians on how best to meet their yearnings and aspirations. Apart from sitting to hold regular talk sessions with the youths, market women, artisans and petty traders across markets, Professor Osinbajo always welcomes suggestions, ideas, criticisms and opinions on how to achieve the Nigeria of our dream. One outstanding attribute of the Vice President is that he's a listening leader. He believes strongly in the fact that every Nigerian should have something to offer in our desire to develop our dear nation.

By now, Professor Osinbajo's security men have become so used to the huge crowd of Nigerians that often struggle to see or have a handshake with him during his numerous official outings. He's made himself very accessible and easy to locate. I've lost count of the number of youth-based programmes that Professor Osinbajo has graced and held frank discussions with young Nigerians. He's made it a point of duty to always honour such invitations himself, an indication of the fact he attaches much importance to issues that pertain to our youths.

Only recently at the 30th Biennial Conference of the Student Christian Movement of Nigeria held at the Cathedral Church of the Good Shepherd, Enugu, urged youths to see themselves as key players in Nigeria's march to greatness, adding that contrary to the belief that the young people were the leaders of tomorrow, the time for the youths to showcase themselves was now.

Even when he hosted a delegation of Not-Too-Young-To-Run Movement, sometime ago he said charged them to remain steadfast and committed to the task of realizing our full potential as a country.

“My dear young people, we need your energy, passion, charisma and creative abilities in our march to greatness. The time has come for all of you be deeply involved in politics and governance".

Nigerians are always pleased to see the country's number two citizen visit towns, villages and cities to explain government's programmes and policies to the masses across markets, bus stations, campuses and social gatherings. This is a complete departure from the way and manner officials of past governments treated us. We now welcome top government functionaries to our homes, not the other way round.

This is one task the VP is so passionate about. He clearly understands the fact that it is the responsibility of elected and appointed government officials to keep the people abreast of developments, especially on issues of welfare and security.

It is our expectation that the Vice President, under whose office and supervision the SIP scheme is domiciled would continue to do his very best to ensure that the various components of the scheme like the N-POWER, Conditional Cash Transfer, MSMES Clinics, Trader Moni, Farmer Moni, Market Moni etc are meaningfully implemented in line with the change agenda of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Once more, happy 62nd birthday anniversary to our dear VP.

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

On behalf of his family and the Federal Executive Council, President Muhammadu Buhari heartily felicitates with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN on the occasion of his 62ndbirthday.

The President joins Dolapo, her children and Nigerians across the country and around the world to celebrate the erudite scholar, Minister of the Gospel and ‘‘very dependable deputy with whom I share a very special bond."

President Buhari is grateful to God for preserving the life of Prof. Osinbajo, who in the past four years has diligently championed the values of setting the foundation for the peace, progress, and stability of Nigeria, by working very hard to build a resilient economy while promoting transparency and accountability.
 
On this special occasion, the President extends special appreciation to the Vice President and wishes him many more years of robust health, happiness and fulfilment in his service to God, the nation and humanity.

He looks forward to sharing many special moments of celebration with his deputy as they take Nigeria to the Next Level in the years ahead.

Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President 
(Media & Publicity)
March 8, 2019

*A TRIBUTE FOR HIS 62ND BIRTHDAY*

My father, leader, boss, principal, mentor, uncle, friend and brother, His Excellency, Prof Yemi Osinbajo SAN, GCON is 62 today.

To start with, I have been privileged to have had close interactions, acquaintances and friendship with local, national and world leaders but two of them standout with their humility, *HE General Yakubu Gowon* and the celebrator, *HE Prof Yemi Osinbajo*. I must however stress the fact that I wasn't born during the Gowon years so I never had any interaction with him as Head of State. But having interacted extensively with Omo Ologo, as I fondly call the VP, I can say without any equivocation that he's the most humble political office holder I've ever come across all my life.

PYO exudes all the known virtues of Omoluabi; he is very humble, extremely brilliant, knowledgeable, wise, calm, "youthcentric", hardworking and sincerely committed to all worthy causes of state, faith and humanity.

Of all our interactions, that of the 29th Day of January, 2019 would linger in my memories forever. The VP was in Oyo State for an event at the University of Ibadan. I waited alongside other PYO enthusiasts and top Oyo State government officials on the protocol train to receive him at the Ibadan airport. As soon as he landed, he exchanged pleasantries with everyone; thereafter I proceeded to enter my car which had been well positioned in the convoy.

Surprisingly, His Excellency beckoned on me to ride with him aboard the white Toyota Coaster bus ferrying him to the venue. Also on board were Senator Femi Ojudu, Oyo Deputy Governor Alake Adeyemo, Ondo politician, Sola Oke SAN, my very good egbon SSA Media Laolu Akande, Dr. Mrs Ebi Awosika, my friend, elder brother and campaign partner, Muyiwa Badmus aka Ribadu and a host of others.

While on board, the VP asked me about my media engagements and I briefed him extensively. He was highly delighted and he responded with "ku ise" (well done). I continued by saying that "sir, I have another media engagement today and won't be able to accompany you to the airport from UI again". Like a father to a son, he said "give me the radio frequency and time as I would be tuning in"

I later got to know that he listened and was highly impressed. On that same night, he sent my partner and I "an enablement" for our activities; a huge gesture that I have since documented in my upcoming book.

Once again, happy birthday to the Vice President, Professor Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo SAN, GCON; the Chief Driver of Nigeria's National Social Investment Programmes; husband of Barrister Oludolapo; father of lovely children; enabler and destiny helper of many youths; an epitome of loyalty; a godfearing man and a workaholic per excellence.
Thank you for all that you do.
May the good Lord bless you and your family.

Hon. Prince Adetayo Adekunle B.SC, MCPA.
Oyo State Spokesperson, Professor Yemi Osinbajo Support Group.

By Dansu Peter

The Bridge Centre
An intellectual think tank in the UK, The Bridge Centre has indicted Nigerian leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the herdsmen farmers’ crisis in some parts of Nigeria.

The Bridge Centre claimed that chieftains of the PDP in their desperation to get at the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the centre, have been actively supporting killers, who go about massacring populations in communities that did not vote them in the 2015 general elections.

The report cited the case of wanted terrorist, Akwazar Terwase (alias Gana) of Benue State, who was propped up by the PDP governor that presided over the state between 2007 and 2015, Gabriel Suswam.

It alleged that Suswam’s successor, Samuel Ortom, even while posing as an APC member, being a closet PDP member at that time continued to provide cover or Gana while publicly castigating him for public show.

“Gana is responsible for scores of deaths, including many that were initially attributed to herdsmen. Ortom is now formally back in the PDP,” the reported asserted.

Elizebeth Robertson, Head of Research and Documentation of the organization in the report, called on the United Nations Security Council to urgently intervene before the world starts dealing with the problem of a lost generation in Nigeria.

The report reads in full.

The world has on several occasions been appalled by the wanton killings in Nigeria from incidents attributed to clashes between herdsmen and farmers. Attacks upon attacks in affected communities have been blamed on “killer” herdsmen, who in such instances prove elusive as not much would be heard about the daring killer squads that carry out such crimes against humanity.

The situation has triggered a cycle of blame game within Nigeria, with the consequence that the persons behind these killings, at least responsible in part, are successfully evading justice. Findings show that these persons are of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which has its imprint on the Farmers/Herdsmen Crisis as the then ruling party and more recently as the country’s leading opposition party.

Transhumance is a phenomenon that is not peculiar to Nigeria. It has been worsened by climate change, urban sprawl, changing cultures and economic pressure.

In the 16 years that PDP ruled Nigeria, it decided to do nothing about the realities of making changes to avert the genuine aspects that can be addressed as Farmers/Herdsmen Crisis like the current government is doing by proposing cattle ranching as a workable solution to the issues caused by nomadic cattle herding.

It instead presided over the theft of the country’s resources on a scale that makes it difficult to make certain interventions that will allow livestock keepers and crop growers thrive as constituent parts of the agricultural sector.

In the desperation to get at the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the centre, PDP chieftains have been to known to actively support killers, who go about massacring populations in communities that did not vote them in the 2015 General Elections. These killings have been classified as part of the casualty from the Farmers/Herders’ crisis.

We will name a few instances to support this position:
In Benue state, Akwazar Terwase (alias Gana) was propped up by the PDP governor that presided over the state up to 2015 (Gabriel Suswam) even though he was a known mass murderer.

The governor who took over, Mr. Samuel Ortom, even while posing as an APC member, being a closet PDP member at that time continued to provide cover or Gana while publicly castigating him for public show. Gana is responsible for scores of deaths, including many that were initially attributed to herdsmen. Ortom is now formally back in the PDP.

Aminu Yaminu (Tashaku), a known Boko Haram terrorist, was employed by PDP’s Samuel Ortom and paid from the Benue State Government account under the pretext of being the commander of the Livestock Guards. Tashaku has been arraigned for the gruesome murder of 17 worshipers in a heinous crime that was initially attributed to “killer” herdsmen.

In the last week of June 2018, reprisal killings trailed the killing of scores of villagers in Plateau state. The reprisals have now been proven to be the expected outcomes plotted by a former governor of the state and PDP lawmaker in the National Assembly, Senator Jona Jang, who had vowed to make the state ungovernable for the APC led government of Simon Bako Lalong.

Jang is known to have also instigated the killings as a way of forcing law enforcement agencies to back down from pursuing corruption cases against him in court.

Political leaders of the PDP have in the period since the party was voted out of the Federal Government engaged in the formation of militias, which they armed with weapons prohibited under several international protocols.

These weapons have been deployed in commission crimes against humanity as they resulted in mass killings.

Taraba State (PDP) governor, Mr. Darius Ishaku, directly and through proxies armed and funded the Mambila Militia that was responsible for the violence that claimed scores of lives in Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba state in the second half of 2017. The killings were again initially linked to killer herdsmen before details emerged to confirm that the pastoral community was rather under attack.

Members of the Benue State Livestock Guards, upon being arrested by the military, confessed that they were armed by the state governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom, a PDP member who was then pretending to belong to the APC.

On April 5, 2018 33 persons were killed by gunmen who turned out to have been armed by Senator Bukola Saraki, another PDP member that hides behind the logo of the APC. The gunmen confessed that their weapons and operational vehicles came from him. The brazen nature of the attack was initially ascribed to “killer” herdsmen.

Kabiru Seidu aka Osama and Nuhu Salisu aka Small, named Senator Dino Melaye (PDP) as their gun-runner. They had used the weapons supplied by Dino Melaye for robberies and kidnaps that were at some point attributed to herdsmen.

Information at our disposal reveal that the PDP chieftain have released funds and more weapons for killers that will further attack communities as part of their ploy to campaign that President Muhammadu Buhari has failed in his campaign promise of restoring security to Nigerians. This money is coming from the 100 billion Naira fund that was previously earmarked to sabotage the country and present it as a failure.

Taking cognisance of the continued desecration of the sanctity of human life, the United Nations Security Council is invited to:
Order a full investigation into the role that politicians, especially the PDP, are playing in the killings attributed to Farmers/Herders’ crisis.

Arising from the findings of the full investigation, takes the steps necessary to deter the kind of disregard for human life as is presently the trend.
Time is of essence for whatever intervention the Council has to make since it is important that Nigerians are reassured ahead of the General Elections.

*Urges people not to be intimidated, promising adequate security

Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has dispelled fears of voters in Ogun State amid concerns that the State's sitting governor's support for the candidate of a rival party might raise tensions in the governorship polls on March 9.

There have been fears and concerns that the Ogun State Governor’s support for a rival party in Saturday's gubernatorial election in the State may have precipitated a security crisis regarding the election.

Prof. Osinbajo who embarked on an elaborate campaign rally in Ogun alongside Prince Dapo Abiodun, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, assured citizens of a peaceful, free and fair election.

Prof. Osinbajo who was accompanied by former Ogun governor, Aremo Olusegun Osoba and other chieftains of the party in the state said the Federal Government was going to provide adequate security.

VP Osinbajo who began his tour in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital was received to an electric reception by the supporters and residents of Ogun state. The VP was near speechless as the crowd chanted his name and that of President Muhammadu Buhari endless.

On arriving Abeokuta, Prof. Osinbajo toured Ogun state visiting Kuto, Ibara, Lafenwa, Isala Igbehin, among other communities in the state.

At every stop, he was greeted by mammoth crowds who derived satisfaction at seeing him and Prince Abiodun, who is the party’s flag bearer at the 9 March governorship election.

On passing Ogun State Government House, the people thronged out in their numbers in what appeared to be a carnival-like campaign.

Addressing the people at Lafenwa, Prof. Osinbajo thanked them profusely for voting for President Buhari and himself. He assured them that they will deliver all their campaign promises.

“Those who are saying on Saturday they will not let us come out, that they will do this and that, let me tell you that it will not happen. Let me tell you that the Federal Government is in charge of security, we will ensure that there is adequate security for everyone. This election will be peaceful, free and fair.

“Please note that you should we are going to use our index finger to vote. Let me urge us to vote APC at all levels. For the House of Assembly, let us vote APC.

“Just the way you voted President Buhari and me, your son in, you should do the same for Dapo Abiodun because if we did not have votes from Lafenwa, we would not have been re-elected. Thank you so much for your support,” he said at the rally in Lafenwa.

As the VP arrived Kuto, the chants and cheers from the people became overwhelming to the extent that Prof. Osinbajo struggled to pass through the crowd. The chants were so deafening that it took Prof Osinbajo more than 30 minutes to get some decorum.

Prof. Osinbajo spent over three hours in Abeokuta and it was stunning as he got a heroic welcome everywhere he went. The acceptance and gladness of the people was spontaneous and original and it was authentic all the way.

A party chieftain, Bayo Asenuga told journalists that, “This party has been on for at least over three hours, and well over 10 miles if not 15,” he said.

He said he has not seen people so energetic at a campaign rally. “The people were not tired walking alongside the campaign train. This is a message that APC will win overwhelmingly in Ogun,” he said.

Onlookers in most part of Abeokuta caused a gridlock as they stared endlessly in public acceptance at the Vice President as he walked the major roads in Abeokuta and its environs.

Reports have emerged that the Governor of Benue State, Mr Samuel Ortom has smuggled arms and ammunition into the state for use by militia during the state gubernatorial elections.

Intelligence reports have shown that the weapons are to be used to wreck mayhem in APC strongholds in the state through the Livestock Guards that the Governor has set up.

It is recalled that Governor Ortom is known to have a history connecting him with his former SA on Security and Coordinator of Benue State Livestock Guard, Alhaji Aliyu Tarshaku, who was responsible as the mastermind for the killings of the Catholic Priests,and other residents of Benue State.

It has also been alleged that Ortom also aided the escape of a notorious thug, and a suspected Boko Haram agent and one of Nigeria’s most wanted militia leader, Terwase Akwaza better known as Gana who had carried out attacks in communities and villages in and outside Benue state.

Meanwhile, there were speculations that the Amnesty Programme organized by Gov Ortom earlier in the state was a ploy to bring those thugs to limelight and have them recruited to his camp to do his dirty deeds.

Reports by some residents in the state have claimed that the police in the state may have been compromised and thus may not guarantee security during the upcoming gubernatorial elections.

When contacted members of the intelligence service stated that they have been informed and assured that they are on top of the matter.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says Delta and Akwa Ibom States should not be opposition states urging the people to key into the progressive ideology of the All Progressives Congress at the centre.

Prof Osinbajo who visited both States on Monday said both States have more potential and could actualize them if they vote for candidates of the APC.

Speaking at the APC interactive forum in Warri, Delta state capital, the Vice President reeled the projects that the APC-led Federal Government have completed and those that are ongoing in the State and in the South South.

He urged the people that Delta State can achieve more if they vote Great Ogboru, the APC governorship on 9 March.

“Even the East West road that we have been talking about, this is the first government to put resource into it and all of us will be able to benefit.

The Lagos-Calabar railway is also ongoing. When people criticize President Buhari, many forget that of the four refineries that we built in this country, that when he was Minister of Petroleum was when we built three of them, 3,500 kilometers pipelines laid in three years by this same, Muhammadu Buhari.
“So we asked ourselves are we not better off under such a President, are we not better off when our state is part of that center? Delta State should not be an opposition state, why should it?

“What happened at the Presidential and National Assembly elections were a great victory, but the completion of the victory will come on Saturday when Great Ogboru will become the governor of Delta.

“Delta cannot be the same again. Delta was our focus of attention, we wanted to see what will happen.

“Delta has proved a very important point that it is ready for a change to the next level.

“Security is a fundamental issue and we will pay special attention to it,” he said.

The president also urged leaders and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to unite, saying “when we work together, we will emerge victorious on Saturday.”

In Akwa Ibom, Vice President Osinbajo addressed another APC Interactive Forum and urged the people that they stand to gain much more when the thinking of the state government is aligned with that of the federal government.

Prof. Osinbajo who walked on the streets of Uyo alongside his delegation to the South South state for about two miles, encourage residents to come out in their number to vote.
In Akwa Ibom, he was accompanied by Senator Godswill Akpabio; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma and other leaders of the party.