₦airaland Forum

Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has sworn-in 23 newly appointed Commissioners to the Abia State Executive Council with the charge to deliver in line with the administration’s pillars of development. Speaking during the swearing-in ceremony at the International Conference Centre, Dr. Ikpeazu said lack of logistics should not be an excuse for the new officials not to perform. The Governor encouraged the new commissioners to expand the internally generated revenue base of the State and work in synergy with sister Ministries and Agencies.

While reminding them that their appointment was a call to duty, he urged them to give their best in service of their father land. According to him, within the first one month, they were expected to achieve certain goals in line with the policy of the government. Governor Ikpeazu, who stated that they were selected based on the strategic role they can play, said that his administration was in a hurry to achieve on the mandate given to him in this second term.

The Commissioners and their portfolios are below:

Hon. Chimaobi Ebisike- Special Duties Chief John J. Okoro-Joint Projects

Mrs Ojo Loveth Adimoha- Culture & Tourism

Dr. Cosmos Ndukwe- Trade & Investment

Hon. Ugbaja Theophilus Odionyemfe- Housing

Mr. Onyema Nwachukwu- SME

Bob Ogu- Works

Sir G. C. Onyendilefu – Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs

Chief Emeka Ikwuagwu- Youth, Sports & Social Development

Hon. D. K. Uduma- Budget & Planning Barr. Ekele Nwaohammuo – Transport

Chief Mrs Ukachi Constance Amala-Women Affairs

Hon. Prince Ezekwesiri – Co-orperatives and Rural Development

Dr. Solomon Ogunji – Environment

Chief Ikpechukwu Onuoha- Petroleum & Solid Mineral Development

Prince Okoli Daniel Iheanacho – Homeland Security

Barr. Suleiman Ukandu – Land, Survey & Urban Planning

Dr. Aham Uko – Finance

Hon. Chijioke Madumere – Science & Technology

Dr. K. C. K Nwangwa – Education

Chief Mrs Uwaoma Olenwemgwa- Industry

Dr. Joe Osuji – Health

Hon. Emma Nwabuko – Public Utilities

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/governor-ikpeazu-forms-cabinet-after-139-days-in-office.html

hmm

fa*e news

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Any future hope for them?

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APC...

A former governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has asked his successor, Emeka Ihedioha, to account for N5.2 billion he (Okorocha) claims he left in the kitty of the state for the payment of pensions. Okorocha, in a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Sam Onwuemeodo, said he was at the verge of paying pensioners in the state before he was stopped by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)

Okorocha decried the blame game by his successor for his inability to fix dilapidated roads and other infrastructures, saying that instead of attacking him for failing to deliver on its campaign promises, the PDP-led government has not only continued to stagger, but resorted to excessive nagging since its inauguration on May 29, 2019.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/account-for-n5-2b-pension-fund-okorocha-tells-ihedioha.html

After 15 years of establishment, Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Oyo, has graduated its first set of students in the faculty of law, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Dapo Asaju said on Monday. The Don said the institution, as a matter of policy, had resolved to produce students with uncommon standard that will think outside the box to solve Nigeria’s problems. A

Professor Asaju made this known while addressing a press conference to herald the commencement of the university’s 11th convocation ceremony, held at the Senate chamber of the institution. According to him, the faculty of law graduated 54 students with three distinctions, while 24 students graduated with second class upper. He said 25 students made second class lower while two made third class in the faculty.

Speaking on the whole faculties of the institution, Asaju said that 1,390 students will be conferred with first and postgraduate degrees in various programmes of the university which comprised of 1,063 undergraduates and 327 postgraduate students with 44 undergraduates graduating with first class; 550 in Second class Upper division, 457 in second class lower division and 12 students in Third class. He also revealed that the university had commenced test transmission of its radio station, 88.5 FM, to be run during the course of convocation period while awaiting licence from the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for full transmission.

The vice chancellor said “ACU is sitting on the grounds of old Saint Andrew college where the best of brains and the leadership of this country were produced at the old St Andrews college, Oyo. We are building upon that tradition. We want to do something different. We’re not competing with any university, so we don’t even mind about their ranking.”

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/after-15-years-ajayi-crowder-graduates-first-set-of-law-students.html

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Sunday said its attention has been drawn to reports on social media on the October 8, 2019 incident at the Federal High Court, Ibadan in which Justice Joyce Obehin AbdulMalik openly chastised S. M. Galadanchi, a prosecutor of the EFCC. A statement from EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said Justice Abdulmalik reportedly chastised the EFCC lawyer for visiting her home with the intent of influencing her decision in a case pending before the Judge.

Uwujaren explained that following the outburst, the Nigerian Bar Association, through its National Publicity Secretary, Kunle Edun, issued a statement commending the conduct of Justice AbdulMalik while upbraiding the EFCC as one of the agents of state trying to destroy the judiciary.

He said while the EFCC appreciates the concern of members of the bar over the incident, especially as the purported conduct is at variance with rules of professional conduct, the Commission considers the NBA statement as hasty. He said, as an association which places a premium on ethics and regulates the conduct of its members, the EFCC would have expected the NBA to delay its response until a proper investigation of the circumstances leading to the alleged outburst by his Lordship. He said the EFCC, like the NBA, does not condone bad behaviour by its staffers, and will punish any act of omission or commission that could impugn its collective integrity.

“For this reason, the EFCC will gladly assist the NBA to investigate the circumstances that led to the outburst by Justice AbdulMalik,” he added. He said, however, “Facts available to the Commission makes the open chastisement of Barrister Galadanchi by Justice AbdulMalik curious and intriguing.” He said the facts as established by the EFCC, is that Galadanchi was actually at the home of Justice AbdulMalik sometime in July, 2019. He said the context of the visit had no nexus with the case pending before his Lordship, nor was the counsel there to influence her to rule in his favour in any case.

He said indeed Galadanchi’s presence in her home was a coincidence as he didn’t know that it was the residence of his Lordship. Uwujaren said, “According to the counsel, he had accompanied his fiancé, a PhD candidate from the Ahmadu Bello University to meet with her uncle who unknown to him is the husband of Justice AbdulMalik.” “According to him, himself and his partner had already arrived at the premises of his Lordship when he sighted a vehicle with a Federal High Court registration number and he immediately indicated a desire to leave. “Unfortunately, their host, Justice AbdulMalik’s husband who had been expecting them was already at the doorway and prevailed on him to stay.

“He recalls that when his Lordship came into the living room and saw him, she expressed her displeasure and left for another living room. “He noted that after the meeting, his fiancé’s uncle led them to meet Justice AbulMalik where she sat and Galadanchi apologized to her for his innocent presence in her home and she accepted the apology. “It was therefore shocking that his Lordship waited until three months after to raise the visit in an open court,” the EFCC statement said.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/how-our-lawyer-strayed-into-justice-abdulmaliks-home-efcc.html

Too bad for our economy

wickedness! somebody hard earning

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday called for the strengthening and implementation of all the necessary measures to prevent the re-occurrence of xenophobic attacks which threaten to undermine the existing “strong bilateral relations” between Nigeria and South Africa. Buhari, who made the call in Pretoria, South Africa, said such attacks also threatened “what we stand for in the context of our vision for a strong and prosperous Africa we want.”

He condemned the attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals living in South Africa, the looting of their shops and businesses and burning of their properties. He also condemned the “very few incidents of retaliatory attacks on South African businesses in Nigeria”. Buhari, who called on the South African Government to open up its economy for more Nigerian businesses, while guaranteeing their safety, underscored the need for reciprocity in promoting trade and investments between both countries. He said South African companies had enjoyed unfettered access to Nigerian market, and protection with enabling laws.

Buhari, who had co-chaired the inaugural meeting of the Bi-National Commission at the level of heads of state, implored the government to design policies that favour investments from Nigeria. “We are pleased to inform you that our government has made doing business in Nigeria easier through the Ease of Doing Business Initiative to open up more opportunities for investors in Nigeria. “We call on the Government of South Africa to also take steps to ease the doing of business in the country, and open up its market space for Nigerian businessmen and women. “In this context, we are gratified that a Nigeria-South Africa Business Forum has been organized in the frame work of this state visit,” he also said. He called for more tolerance, vigilance and heightened security in countries to ensure safety of citizens.

Buhari, who reacted to questions during a press conference at the Union Building, alongside his host, said competition heralded by globalization, especially with ease in migration, would only get more intense for businesses. The president said authorities should be more proactive in detecting early signals of violence between competitors, while migrants and companies should adhere to the local laws of countries. “Police must be on alert not to allow violence to escalate,” he said. He said the panacea would only be for security agencies to show more interest in market operations, players and likely areas of tensions.

He told Nigerians living in various parts of the world, especially in South Africa, to adhere with the laws of the country they reside, and ensure compliance with market laws. Buhari assured the South African government that their citizens and businesses in Nigeria would always be protected from harm. President Ramaphosa, who said the attacks on foreign nationals was regrettable, assured that his government would do more to safeguard lives and property. “We will always be grateful to Nigeria for the support we received during the dark days of apartheid.

“We shall never forget the role you played to ensure that our people get the freedom we are enjoying today,” he said. He said his country would create a more enabling environment for Nigerian businesses to thrive in South Africa, stated that more South African companies operate in Nigeria, while Nigerians were mostly in Small and Medium Scale sectors in his country. He promised to deepen the reforms in his country to open the space for more Nigerian business to “address the imbalance”. “The rule of law must be obeyed by all citizens. Nigerians in South Africa must obey the rule of law, while South Africans in Nigeria must obey the rule of law,” he said.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/buhari-to-s-africa-there-should-be-no-xenophobia-again.html

...Parents evacuate children from school
...Victim called grandmother from bush

Details have emerged on how gunmen in the early hours of yesterday stormed a school in the outskirts of Kaduna and abducted six female students aged between 16 and 18 years, their matron and a teacher. The abductors reportedly stormed the Engravers College, a boarding school for boys and girls and whisked away their six victims. The school is located about 20 minutes’ drive from the Eastern Bypass of Kaduna city.

Speaking on the incident yesterday, officials and witnesses told Daily Trust that the abductors stormed the school, which is located along Kaduna-Abuja road, around 12am when most of the students and teachers were asleep. Armed men had in the last few years perpetrated countless abductions along the Kaduna-Abuja highway for ransom, and in the process killed some of their victims. But this is the first time such incident occurred in a school. In a statement yesterday, spokesman of the police in Kaduna Yakubu Sabo said they dispatched their men immediately they heard of the abduction with a view to rescuing the victims.

“The police anti-kidnapping unit, the special anti-robbery squad and conventional police have all been mobilised to the area for possible rescue of the victims and arrest of the perpetrators. “Intelligent Response Team (IRT) has been contacted for technical support,” the PPRO said. Sabo also called on private school authorities to ensure prompt report of suspicious persons around their premises to forestall occurrence of such ugly incidents. On its part, the Kaduna State Government said it shared the agony of the families of the abducted girls and teachers, saying efforts were on to rescue them.

A statement by Samuel Aruwan, Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, said: “The government condemns this as a despicable action, a most unfortunate intrusion of crime into the life of young students and the staff teaching them. “Governor Nasir el-Rufai has dispatched a government delegation to sympathise with the school community and assure them that security agencies are working to rescue the abducted persons,” he said.

School located in the bush Our correspondent who visited the college, located at Kakau Daji in Chikun Local Government Area, reports that there was confusion at the school between 12 noon and 4pm when the news of the abduction spread. No student was seen within the school premises by 5pm when our correspondent arrived at the school premises. The hostels and classrooms were empty, leaving only the school security personnel who were armed with machetes manning the gate.

Armed security men were however seen on patrol within the vicinity of the school but left when it was getting dark. One of the security men told our correspondent that the gate was crowded earlier in the day as parents and other concerned individuals made frantic efforts to take the wards away from the school. The staff members declined to comment on the incident, saying they had no permission to speak on the matter. A witness, who did not disclose his name, said the gunmen made their way into the premises through an opening between the gate and the generator house. “Some of them came through the maize farm and went to where the teachers were staying.

“They whipped some of the staff with branches they must have cut from trees in the surrounding bushes. The students did not know what was happening until some of the gunmen went and forced their way into their dormitories and started selecting the girls at random before taking them away,” he said. He said the operation lasted for about 30 minutes, leaving the rest of the children screaming and calling for help. Our correspondent observed that the school is located in a thick bush and almost standing alone in the village which has few houses.

It is a very large school with lots of buildings that are used as offices, hostels and classrooms. While the southern end of the school has a perimeter fence that is about six feet tall, the northern side, starting from the generator house, was open as work on the fence has not been completed. There is also a huge maize farm that covered that flank of the school making it difficult to see it from that side. Some of the villagers said even before the abduction, the road to the village was a no-go area once dusk sets in.

A commercial motorcycle rider who gave his name as John, said those of them familiar with the area had to choose the paths to ply at particular times of the day due to security concerns. “Once it is evening, we don’t go through many of these routes because of security issues,” he said. The abductors were yet to make contact with the school authority at the time of filing this report. Our correspondent reports that the village was near the spot where three children stumbled on the corps of a slain army colonel in 2015.

How I heard the abduction of my daughter When contacted in Zaria, mother of one of the victims, who craved for anonymity, said their daughter called yesterday morning to inform the family of the incident. “My daughter is in SSII. She tried to get my number and that of her father but the lines did not get through. So, she called her grandmother crying, saying that they were kidnapped at their school by gunmen. It was the grandmother that told us what happened. “Later, the bursar of the school called and informed us that six students, a matron and one other staff were kidnapped.

He said our daughter was one of the kidnapped students. According to what we learnt, they were kidnapped at about 12 midnight in their hostel,” she said She explained that her daughter has been at the school for the past five years. “She started from JSSI. Of course, the school is in an isolated location, but this is the first incident of kidnapping or anything of that nature. I know that the school has security personnel and it was fenced, although the fence is short. My husband has gone to Kaduna to get more information. However, our prayer is for the girls to get out from captivity unhurt.

“We learnt that the police and even Air force are now searching for the girls. This prompt action is commendable. We want to urge them not to give up until they secure the release of our daughters and other victims. They shouldn’t allow this incident to be like others in the past where the victims are yet to be found,” she said. When our correspondent visited the family home, the whole area was in mourning mood.

Relatives, friends and other sympathisers were seen consoling the mother of the victim. The pictures of the 16-year-old girl were seen being viewed by some of the sympathisers with disbelief and concern on their faces and murmuring.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/how-gunmen-kidnapped-kaduna-schoolgirls-teachers.html

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite has said Nigeria will collaborate with South Africa to develop its solid mineral and mining sector. Adegbite stated this at the ministerial session at the ongoing 9th Session of Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) which kicked off in Pretoria, South Africa yesterday.

A statement by the Ministry said the meeting was timely and mutually beneficial as it provided opportunity for the two countries to discuss cooperation on different sectors, particularly the Mines and Steel Sector. “South Africa just discovered crude oil and they need our experience in terms of petroleum exploration especially offshore while they are very advanced in mining and we are learning from them to avoid pitfalls that they had.

We need to understand the steps they are taking especially in terms of environmental degradation, how mining can be properly done without salvaging the environment, it is really a symbiotic relationship,” he said. The Ministerial Session which was co-chaired by the South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor and the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Godfrey Onyeama, received, analyzed and adopted the submission of the outcome of the meeting of senior officials from both countries.

The Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Government of the Republic of South Africa in October, 1999 established a Bi-National Commission (BNC) called Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (NSABNC) as a mechanism for a sustaining bi-lateral High-level dialogue to promote and increase cooperation in diplomatic, economic, security and other areas of mutual interest.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/nigeria-to-help-s-africa-develop-mining-sector.html

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Thursday said its operatives has removed four vehicles from Fraser Suites in Abuja based on intelligence that vehicles without Duty Payment were taken there from a car dealer stand. Recall that the Customs this week began a nationwide raid on car dealer shops to seize vehicles that are suspected not to have the import duty on them.

A statement by the Customs’ Public Relations Officer (PRO), Deputy Comptroller Joseph Attah, clarified what it described as misinformation about the operation.

It said: “Our operatives, relying on intelligence that owners of some exotic cars (including bullet proof) without duty payment quickly removed their vehicles from a car mart and took same to Fraser Hotel, Abuja. “On arrival at the hotel, our operatives interacted with the manager and eventually left with four vehicles leaving six behind, while expecting the manager to provide the keys to the cars left behind.

“However, the manager this morning gave a written undertaking to produce a Customs vehicle duty payment documents to support his claim that the vehicles were not smuggled,” it noted. NCS said the Service assured the manager of prompt release of the seized vehicles as soon as evidences of appropriate duty payments are presented. Attah in the statement further clarified that the operation had nothing to do with guests at the hotel and did not wake the guests up to identify the vehicles. “NCS did not do such thing and has no intention to start raiding hotels. Our operatives never infringed on the rights and comfort of guests in the hotel,” he said. While advising Nigerians to be wary of social posts, we urge members of the public to discountenance the fabrication as NCS will continue to work in the interest of Nigerians.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/customs-removes-four-vehicles-without-import-duty-from-abuja-hotel.html

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is yet to receive Abdulrasheed Maina, a former chairman of Pension Reform Task Team, who was arrested in Abuja on Monday by the Department of State Service, Daily Trust gathered. The EFCC had in 2017 declared Maina wanted for allegedly complicit in the over N2bn pensions biometrics contract scam in the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

He was reportedly re-arrested by operatives of the DSS, at a hotel recently in Abuja Monday and whisked away by agents of the DSS. However, when contacted yesterday, the spokesman of the DSS, Peter Afunanya, said “I have no information about Abdulrasheed Maina.” Charged against Maina include money laundering, obtaining money by false pretence, breach of trust, cheating, official corruption, embezzlement of public fund and abuse of office. The Federal Court in Abuja had last year restrained the EFCC from declaring Maina wanted, the judgment the commission had said it would appeal.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/n2bn-pension-scam-efcc-yet-to-receive-maina-from-dss.html

....Supporters go spiritual, relocate to Abuja

There is anxiety in Kano and Sokoto states ahead of today’s judgments by the election petition tribunals in the cases challenging the election of Governors Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, respectively.

Analysts believe that the apprehension in the two states is because of the complexities of the two cases, including the facts presented by contending parties. The tribunal in Kano is expected to deliver judgment in the petition filed by Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the declaration of Ganduje as governor under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).

The three-man tribunal led by Justice Halima S. Muhammad, had on September 18, reserved judgment, saying it would communicate the date for the delivery of judgement to the parties involved. In Sokoto, Ahmed Aliyu of the APC is challenging the declaration of Tambuwal of the PDP as governor. The Sokoto tribunal is led by Justice Abbas Bawale.

Both Yusuf in Kano and Aliyu in Sokoto had joined the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in their petitions, alleging that the electoral umpire wrongly returned Ganduje and Tambuwal as winners. While the case involving Ganduje and Yusuf would be delivered in Kano, that of Tambuwal and Aliyu was moved to Abuja because of what informed sources described as “security concerns.”

In Kano, our reporters observed presence of security personnel at strategic places yesterday morning, but they later left the locations in the evening. When contacted, police spokesperson DSP Abdullahi Haruna, said the state command has set all necessary security arrangements in place to forestall any possible security breach during and after the judgment. “Provision of security everywhere in Kano is not something new, and this one will not be an exception. We are ready,” he said. Supporters of both PDP and APC, who spoke to Daily Trust expressed confidence that their candidates would have the day at the tribunal.

A red cap bearer, Ibrahim Bala, told our reporter that members of the PDP, especially the Kwankwasiyya faithful, had resorted to fasting and prayers for the victory of their candidate, Yusuf. “We are fasting and praying hard for Allah to help our candidate to emerge victorious at the tribunal,” Bala said. Another PDP supporter, Abdurrazaq I. Salisu, confirmed that their members had embarked on fasting and prayers. “We are praying to Almighty Allah to take Abba Kabir Yusuf to the seat of power; we all know that he won this election. We voted for him and the people of Kano voted for him but the election was declared inconclusive and thereafter someone else was declared winner,” he said. On his part, Ibrahim Chidi, an APC supporter said he was confident that the victory of Ganduje would be affirmed at the tribunal.

“As you can see, I am energetic and confident. I have no fear whatsoever. I am sure that since the governor was declared winner and sworn-in, nothing will change. So, we are grateful to God for the initial victory and we are hopeful about the judgment,” he said. Another APC supporter, Inuwa Ismail Shadow said the petitioners should plan ahead of 2023 as he was confident that the judgment will be passed in favour of Ganduje. But Nazifi Usman Sharif advised that the people should prioritise peace ahead of any other thing. “Whoever emerges victorious at the tribunal should be accepted by all in the interest of peace.

We can’t afford any breakdown of law and order,” he said. The PDP and Yusuf had in April filed a case at the tribunal on the grounds that they were not satisfied with the outcome of the supplementary election held on March 23, after which INEC declared Ganduje as winner. PDP and Yusuf told the tribunal that the supplementary election was not necessary because they won the election at first ballot. They also alleged that the supplementary election was marred by violence and their members were prevented from casting their votes, an allegation both APC and INEC said were baseless.

The petitioners had presented 34 witnesses and 1,040 documents to support their claim before the tribunal which began hearing on the matter on May 6. On its part, INEC which was the 1st respondent, had called three witnesses, Ganduje who was the 2nd respondent presented four witnesses, while APC which was the 3rd respondent called only one witness, arguing that the petitioners did not present any case that would warrant calling many witnesses. Both the ruling APC and the PDP in the state said they were also optimistic of victory in today’s judgment. PDP chairman Dr Rabi’u Sulaiman Bichi, said his party was expecting nothing but fairness.

“We have presented our facts to the panel and we expect nothing but justice.” His counterpart in the APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, also expressed confidence that his party would emerge victorious. “We will win at the tribunal as we won during the election. The evidence we tendered before the panel are enough to earn us victory.”

Sokoto politicians relocate to Abuja

Like in Kano, there is anxiety in Sokoto even though all the contending parties have relocated to Abuja where the tribunal will read the verdict. Some residents yesterday said they were awaiting the outcome of the tribunal with a great deal of apprehension because they were not certain of how the pendulum would swing. Since Monday when the news broke on the shift of the venue of judgment from Sokoto to Abuja, the atmosphere has been filled with apprehension especially when the change in the location where the judgment would be delivered was attributed to “security threat.”

While the PDP in the state expressed confidence in winning the case, the APC said it was hoping for a just and fair verdict. It would be recalled INEC had declared Governor Tambuwal winner of the gubernatorial polls in the state having scored 512,002 votes; while APC’s Aliyu got 511,660 votes. Tambuwal won by 342 votes in the final outcome of the inconclusive and supplementary elections in the state. Not satisfied with the results, Aliyu dragged Tambuwal to the tribunal alleging irregularities and “substantial non-compliance with the laid down electoral laws and guidelines.”

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/anxiety-in-kano-sokoto-as-tribunals-decide-on-ganduje-tambuwal-today.html

President Muhammadu Buhari will today depart Abuja on a three-day state visit to South Africa following an invitation by President Cyril Ramaphosa, to discuss the welfare of Nigerians in that country.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement said yesterday that the visit was also to find common grounds for building harmonious relations with their hosts. The visit comes against the background of recent xenophobic attacks, the evacuation of hundreds of Nigerians and the exchange of visits by Special Envoys of Presidents Buhari and Ramaphosa.

President Buhari will be accompanied by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State and Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State. Others are: the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; the Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd); the Minister of Power, Eng. Saleh Mamman; the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arch. Olamilekan Adegbite; the Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi and the Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb. Mariam Katagum. Also on the trip are: the National Security Adviser, Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd); the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar and the Chairman/CEO, Nigeria Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa. While in South Africa, Buhari will hold a town hall meeting with Nigerians living in that country with a view to sharing in their experiences and reassuring them of Nigerian government’s commitment to working for the protection of their lives and property and promoting peaceful co-existence.

Buhari and his host will preside over the South Africa/Nigeria Bi-National Commission, during which a progress report will be presented. At the end of the meeting, both leaders will sign a joint communiqué. The president and his delegation including Nigerian business representatives will also participate at a South Africa-Nigeria Business Forum with their host counterparts. The president will return to Abuja on Friday.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/xenophobia-buhari-jets-to-s-africa-with-3-govs-7-ministers.html

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Over four years after taking over the affairs of the country, President Muhammadu Buhari is still blaming the past administrations for the country’s economic troubles. Before his emergence, the country had been under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s administration since its return to Democracy in 1999. PDP’s Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan have all taken charge between 1999 and 2015.

Buhari, who made this complain while delivering his speech on the occasion of Nigeria’s 59th Independence Day on Tuesday morning, stressed that: “This Administration inherited a skewed economy, where the oil sector comprised only 8% of Gross Domestic Product but contributed 70% of government revenue and 90% foreign exchange earnings over the years. “Past periods of relatively high economic growth were driven by our reliance on oil sector revenues to finance our demand for imported goods and services.

“Regrettably, previous governments abandoned the residual Investment-driven Non-Oil Sector, which constituted 40% of Gross Domestic Product and comprised agriculture, livestock, agro-processing, arts, entertainment, mining and manufacturing activities that provide millions of jobs for able-bodied Nigerians and utilize locally available raw materials and labour for production,” He said to address the said imbalance and achieve economic his government had designed the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, which was launched on the 5th of April, 2017.

Buhari said this medium-term development plan charted the trajectory for the country’s economy to exit from recession and return to the path of sustainable, diversified and inclusive growth for Nigerians. “Pursuant to these reforms, the economy has recovered and we have had 9 successive quarters of growth since our exit from recession. “The exchange rate in the last 3 years has remained stable, with robust reserves of US$42.5 billion, up from US$23 billion in October 2016. 19.

“Learning from the mistakes of the past, this Administration is committed to responsibly managing our oil wealth endowments. We will continue to prudently save our oil income and invest more in the non-oil job-creating sectors. “In this regard, we are significantly increasing investments in critical infrastructure. Last year, capital releases only commenced with the approval of the Budget in June 2018. “However, as at 20th June this year, up to N1.74 trillion had been released for capital projects in the 2018 fiscal year.

“Implementation of the 2019 Capital Budget, which was only approved in June 2019, will be accelerated to ensure that critical priority projects are completed or substantially addressed.”

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/again-buhari-blames-jonathan-obasanjo-for-nigerias-economic-woes-says-we-inherited-skewed-economy.html

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