The Legends Of Aso Rock, By Sufuyan Ojeifo

June 13, 2019

President Muhammadu Buhari’s second tenure began with a low-key inauguration at the Eagle Square in Abuja, a scenario that decidedly flowed from the President’s persona of prudence. His kitchen cabinet’s counsel must have also been contributory. The observance of June 12’s maiden Democracy Day edition drew from the same spirit.

Unlike in 2015 when he ascended the throne with pomp and ceremony, Buhari, this time round, quietly jumped on the governance wagon; adjusted and readjusted himself in the driver’s seat, for another four-year ride, in a perceived attitude of somberness. The canonization of June 12 as Democracy Day is the most significant indication of seriousness yet that the second tenure holds better and greater promises.

The shape, texture and content of the administration in the next four years will depend solely on the President, his devotion and gravitas. Buhari assured that he would be firmer, hinting at a tougher four years ahead. If he has to be radical in his policies and decisions to be able to consolidate on the achievements of the first tenure and sustain the nation on the promised next level, he would be in apple-pie order.

The administration is Buhari’s. The bucks stop with him. Therefore he receives the accolades and also takes the flak. This is why he must remain prudent and unsentimental in constituting his cabinet and appointing other administration officials, knowing fully this is his constitutionally-circumscribed final tenure.

Indeed, many positives should be reasonably expected from an administration that is on the next level. Buhari requires his administration officials’ support to forcefully pursue his programmes and policies, especially the anti-corruption crusade that has largely differentiated it from the previous administrations.

In the past four years, the change mantra powering his electioneering in 2015, had been deployed in the administration of the political economy. In review, the first tenure was an admixture of successes and failures. There were yawning gaps between expectations and fulfillment, particularly in the prosecution of the anti-graft agenda.

The critical agenda, which was the Unique Selling Point (USP) of the administration, got bogged down by internal philosophical contradictions and thus stood the anti-graft war precariously on quicksand. Within those contradictions, a good number of administration officials were fingered in precedent grafts while some were allegedly enmeshed in subsequent grafts.

But to be sure, Buhari’s individuality provided the impetus that galvanised and sustained the anti-corruption crusade in the past four years amid charges of perceived selectivity. The body language of the President and his utterances in recent times indicate there will be a change of strategy in the anti-graft war. The war will be intensified in terms of commitment and prosecutorial push.

A holistic approach in prosecuting the anti-corruption war is overdue. If Buhari must create the existential legend, he must be revolutionary or radical in the anti-graft crusade. Corrupt administration officials must be dealt with. The President must cause toes – big or small – to be stepped on in the crusade.

The good thing is that no one is greater or bigger than the nation and the President. That makes Buhari the ultimate suzerain in the fight against corruption. He has all it takes, deploying the instrumentality of the anti-graft agencies and the complementarity of the Judiciary to rein in elements in the public and private sectors to embrace proper conduct, accountability and due process in socio-political and economic interactions.

Indeed, if Buhari succeeds in building strong institutional mechanisms to check corruption in government, he would have built a very strong legacy for posterity to judge him by. The point is that the effects produced by the President’s persona in the past four years have been inadequate. Much more is needed to create a new wave of concrete and result-oriented anti-graft war that enjoys both national and international approbation.

The converse will hold as long as grand conspiratorial alliances by compromised political elite who purportedly fought back in a bid to undermine the agenda and render the commitment invested in the agenda nugatory is allowed to dominate the atmospherics and define the nuances of administrative architecture henceforth.

But for Buhari, Nigeria would have been subjected to an unrestrained global appreciation on the antediluvian platform of official heist that had characterized the previous administrations before his. He thus presents a clear anti-corruption base on which to be appraised and judged in 2023, whether positively or negatively, depending on how well he is able to walk his talk in institutionalizing the anti-graft war.

But I have a hunch the President will largely succeed. The problem, however, is if the succeeding administration will be able to continue from where he stops. He has the duty to search for a strong successor on the APC platform to continue the crusade. However, whether or not there is continuity, Buhari would have become a legend of sorts. He would have defined his eon with the enormity of his personal contempt for financial corruption.

It will be more significant if administration officials emulate his character of financial discipline. That will quicken the process of integration of financial discipline and anti-graft spirit in government. Officials become obligated to inculcate it in the governed as a matter of deliberate policy. The anti-graft spirit thus typifies the philosophical underpinning of the administration.

I believe Buhari now has adequate security reports and information about the characters and capacities of human resources in his party and those around him. He will therefore be properly guided in constituting a strong team or cabinet. The final decisions on those that make up the team rest with him regardless of the weight of the bodies of evidence that favour or disfavour possible choices.

However, personal considerations may outweigh official reports that discount chances of possible choices. Solid loyalty and unwavering commitment are important. For his personal aides, beginning from the Chief of Staff to the aide at the lowest rung of the ladder, the President should rest assured that he cannot be betrayed and that his well-being and success are topmost priorities in the overall agenda or scheme of governance.

The measure of Mr. Abba Kyari’s stewardship as Chief of Staff in the past four years would be dependent on his reappointment. A decision to reappoint him will largely indicate the President was satisfied with his performance while dropping him may approximate a loss of confidence in his ability.

Kyari, said to have been highly recommended to Buhari for the job in 2015 by his (the President’s) uncle, Alhaji Mamman Daura, according to reports, performed his job with distinction and commitment, demonstrating the ability and conscientiousness to shed pressures from the President. He was in the first tenure, the cannon fodder as well as a stabilizing and uniting force in Aso Rock.

All conflicting security and political interests as well as contending forces dissolved in the vortex of Kyari’s administrative legerdemain. He has also, like Buhari, created a legend that resonates in the polity. Yet, given the strategic nature of his office, he maintained his inscrutability and taciturnity, despite the salacious claims and allegations woven around him.

Though a media influencer, he refrained from joining issues with perceived foes in the media. He was able to insulate the President and himself against avoidable and sustained media attacks by his taciturn and apolitical disposition. Without a doubt, Kyari was providentially Buhari’s Man Friday. He enjoyed the President’s confidence and that of the equally inscrutable force(s) that nominated him for the job. But the next few days will determine whether he still enjoys that confidence.

Ojeifo, an Abuja-based journalist, contributed this piece via ojwonderngr@yahoo.com

UN Special Envoy Admires Buhari’s Integrity

Editorial staff

June 13, 2019

Special United Nations envoy, Mohammad Ibn Chambas, has acknowledged the integrity of the Nigeria’s Prestige, Muhammadu Buhari.

Chambas, who represented the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres at the yesterday, June 12 Democracy Day celebration in Abuja, said that the UN boss extended his personal admiration for President Buhari’s “integrity and quality as a statesman especially, in fighting corruption and driving public accountability.”

He said that the UN appreciated President Buhari’s commitment to tackling poverty, terrorism, insurgency and recharging the Lake Chad.

While pledging UN continued technical support to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) towards the next general elections, Chambas expressed the UN’s delight that Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Professor Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, was elected the President of the 74^th UN General Assembly.

He described Professor Muhammad-Bande as “highly regarded by his peers in New York,” adding: “We will ensure his tenure is a success.

“We have no doubt that he will be a pride to Nigeria and Africa.”

President Buhari also received in audience, the First Vice-President of the Republic of South Sudan, Taban Deng Gai, who came to seek Nigeria’s continued support towards lasting peace in his country.

INEC To Atiku: We Have No Server

Greenbarge Reporters

June 13, 2019

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has made it clear to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and it’s Presidential candidate in the recently concluded election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar that it has no server into which the results of the February 23 elections were fed.

INEC today, June 13, reacted to the PDP and Atiku in respond to their request at the ongoing Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja, that they should be allowed to inspect the server.

Atiku and his party are challenging the outcome of the 2019 presidential election praying to the Presidential tribunal to order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to grant them access to inspect the commission’s server. The PDP also prayed the tribunal to give it permission to inspect other electronic gadgets used by INEC in the February 23 presidential election.

The PDP and Atiku are claiming that they won the February 23 presidential election as per the results fed into INEC’s server, a claim which the electoral umpire has consistently faulted.

Source: Daily Trust.

Buhari Talks Tough On Democracy Day: I Will Crack Down On Trouble Makers

Editorial staff

June 12, 2019

President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a strong word of warning to those who he said are fund of inciting ordinary innocent people to violence and unrest in the country.

“This Government will not tolerate actions by any individual or groups of individuals who seek to attack our way of life or those who seek to corruptly enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of us. We will crack down on those who incite ordinary innocent people to violence and unrest.”

In his 74 paragraph Democracy Day speech today, June 12, the President made it clear that his government will ensure that actions of trouble makers whatever their rank in the society are met with the strong arm of the law.

He recalled that in his first term, he had put Nigeria back on its feet and that he is working again despite a difficult environment in oil on which the country depends too much for its exports.

“We encountered huge resistance from vested interests who do not want CHANGE, But CHANGE has come, we now must move to the NEXT LEVEL.

“By the Grace of God, I intend to keep the oath I have made today and to serve as President for all Nigerians.

He reminded Nigerians that nation building takes time but that “we must take solace in the knowledge that this country, our country, has everything we require to make Nigeria prosper.

The full text of his speech is reproduced here:

All Praise is due to GOD Almighty Who spared our lives to be present at this great occasion. We give thanks also that the democratic process has been further entrenched and strengthened.

Twenty years ago, a democratically elected government took over from the military in a historic transfer of political power for our country.

Today, we are privileged to mark the longest period of unbroken democratic leadership and 5^th peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another in Nigeria.

Throughout the last four years, I respected the independence of INEC. I ensured that INEC got all the resources it needed for independent and impartial management of elections in the country.

All interested parties are agreed that the recent elections, which except for pockets of unrest, were free, fair and peaceful.

I thank all the people who worked for our party, who campaigned and who voted for us. I thank my fellow Nigerians, who, since 2003 have consistently voted for me.

Victory is your greatest reward; peace, unity and greater prosperity will be our collective legacy.

Your Excellencies, Fellow Nigerians,

I and Nigerians collectively must give adequate thanks to our Armed Forces, Police and other law enforcing agencies for working round the clock to protect us by putting themselves in harm’s way and defending our values and protecting our future.

Terrorism and insecurity are worldwide phenomena and even the best policed countries are experiencing increasing incidents of unrest and are finding things hard to cope.

The principal thrust of this new Administration is to consolidate on the achievements of the last four years, correct the lapses inevitable in all human endeavors and tackle the new challenges the country is faced with and chart a bold plan for transforming Nigeria.

Fellow Nigerians, I have had the privilege of free education from Primary school to Staff College to War College.

I received my formative education in Katsina and Kaduna and my higher education in England, India and the United States.

I have worked and served in Kaduna, Lagos, Abeokuta, Makurdi, Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, Ibadan, Jos and finally here in Abuja. Throughout my adult life, I have been a public servant. I have no other career but public service. I know no service but public service.

I was involved at close quarters in the struggle to keep Nigeria one. I can therefore do no more than dedicate the rest of my life to work for the unity of Nigeria and upliftment of Nigerians.

In 2002-2003 campaigns and elections, I travelled by road to 34 of the 36 states of the Federation. This year I travelled by air to all 36 states of the Federation.

Before and during my time in the Armed Forces and in government, I have interacted with Nigerians of all ages and persuasions and different shades of opinion over a period of more than fifty years.

And my firm belief is that our people above all want to live in peace and harmony with their fellow Nigerians. They desire opportunity to better themselves in a safe environment.

Most of the instances of inter-communal and inter-religious strife and violence were and are still as a result of sponsorship or incitements by ethnic, political or religious leaders hoping to benefit by exploiting our divisions and fault lines, thereby weakening our country.

And our country Nigeria is a great country. According to United Nations estimates, our population will rise to 411 million by 2050, making us the third most populous nation on earth behind only China and India.

We have water, arable land, forests, oil and gas and vast quantities of solid minerals. We are blessed with an equable climate. However, the bulk of our real wealth lies in Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Mining. We possess all the ingredients of a major economic power on the world stage.

What we require is the will to get our acts together. And our strength is in our people – our youth, our culture, our resilience, our ability to succeed despite the odds.

A huge responsibility therefore rests on this and succeeding Administrations to develop, harness and fulfil our enormous potential into a force to be reckoned with globally.

Thus far, we Nigerians can be proud of our history since Independence in 1960. We have contributed to UN peace-keeping responsibilities all over the world; we have stabilized Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and two years ago we prevented the Gambia from degenerating into anarchy.

Without Nigerian influence and resources, the liberation of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and ultimately South Africa would have come at greater cost. This fact had been attested by none other than the late Nelson Mandela himself.

Elsewhere, Nigeria is the Big Brother to our neighbours. We are the shock-absorber of the West African sub-region, the bulwark of ECOWAS and Lake Chad Basin Commission. We can therefore be proud to be Nigerians. We must continue to be Good Neighbours and Good Global Citizens.

At home, we have been successful in forging a nation from different ethnicities and language groups: our evolution and integration into one nation continues apace.

When, therefore we came to office in 2015 after a decade of struggle we identified three cardinal and existential challenges our country faced and made them our campaign focus, namely security, economy and fighting corruption.

None but the most partisan will dispute that in the last four years we have made solid progress in addressing these challenges.

When I took the oath of office on 29 May 2015, insecurity reigned. Apart from occupying 18 local governments in the North East, Boko Haram could at will attack any city including the Federal Capital, could threaten any institution including bombing the United Nations building and Police Headquarters in Abuja.

Admittedly, some of the challenges still remain in kidnappings and banditry in some rural areas. The great difference between 2015 and today is that we are meeting these challenges with much greater support to the security forces in terms of money, equipment and improved local intelligence. We are meeting these challenges with superior strategy, firepower and resolve.

In face of these challenges, our Government elected by the people in 2015 and re-elected in March has been mapping out policies, measures and laws to maintain our unity and at the same time lift the bulk of our people out of poverty and onto the road to prosperity.

This task is by no means unattainable. China has done it. India has done it. Indonesia has done it. Nigeria can do it. These are all countries characterized by huge burdens of population.

China and Indonesia succeeded under authoritarian regimes. India succeeded in a democratic setting. We can do it.

With leadership and a sense of purpose, we can lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

Following the 60 percent drop in oil prices between 2015 and 2016, through monetary and fiscal measures, we stimulated economic growth, curbed inflation and shored up our external reserves.

We now have witnessed 8 quarters of positive growth in the economy and our GDP is expected to grow by 2.7 percent this year.

Furthermore, our external reserves have risen to $45 billion enough to finance over 9 months of current import commitments.

This Administration is laying the foundation and taking bold steps in transforming our country and liberating our people from the shackles of poverty.

First, we will take steps to integrate rural economies to the national economic “grid” by extending access to small-scale credits and inputs to rural farmers, credit to rural micro-businesses and opening up many critical feeder roads.

Secondly, for small-scale enterprises in towns and cities, we shall expand facilities currently available so that we continue to encourage and support domestic production of basic goods and reduce our reliance of imported goods as I will outline later.

For the next four years, we will remain committed to improving the lives of people by consolidating efforts to address these key issues as well as emerging challenges of climate change, resettling displaced communities and dealing decisively with the new flashes of insecurity across the country, and the impacts on food scarcity and regional stability.

We are not daunted by the enormity of the tasks ahead. Instead, we are revived by this new mandate to work collaboratively with State and Local Governments, Legislators, the Diplomatic Corps and all Nigerians to rebuild and reposition our country as the heartbeat and reference point for our continent.

Fellow Nigerians, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen:

a. Despite the enormous resources pledged to infrastructure development these past four years, there remains the urgent need to modernize our roads and bridges, electricity grid, ports and rail systems.

b. Whilst agriculture and industrial output have recovered since the recession, we are more committed than ever to work with the private sector to improve productivity and accelerate economic growth.

c. The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index which is the gauge of manufacturing activity in the country has also risen for 26 consecutive months since March 2017 indicating continuous growth and expansion in our manufacturing sector.

d. It still takes too long for goods to clear at our seaports and the roads leading to them are congested. It still takes too long for routine and regulatory approvals to be secured. These issues affect our productivity and we are committed to addressing them permanently.

e. Our Government will continue work to reduce social and economic inequality through targeted social investment programs, education, technology and improved information.

f. Our social intervention programs are a model for other nations. Together with state governments, we provide millions of school children with meals in primary schools, micro loans to traders and entrepreneurs, skills and knowledge acquisition support to graduates and of course, conditional cash transfers to the poorest and most vulnerable in our society.

g. A database of poor and vulnerable households is being carefully built based on age, gender, disability, educational levels for proper planning in this Administration’s war against poverty.

h. A database of unemployed but qualified youth has also been developed under the National Social Investment Programme which can be used by the public and private sectors for recruitment purposes. Cumulatively, nearly 2 million beneficiaries have received aid under this Programme apart from Anchors Borrowers Programme and School Feeding initiative each reaching 2 million recipients. And we will do more. Much more.

Fellow Nigerians, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, we know that there exists a strong correlation between economic inequality and insecurity.

When economic inequality rises, insecurity rises. But when we actively reduce inequality through investments in social and hard infrastructure, insecurity reduces.

The disturbing increase in rates of kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities can be attributed to the decades of neglect and corruption in social investment, infrastructure development, education and healthcare.

This issue is further compounded by the impact of our changing climate and ecology.

The ECOWAS and Sahel regions, starting from Chad all the way to Mali, are also experiencing adverse impacts of drought and desertification, which have triggered waves of human displacement; conflicts between farmers and herdsmen; terrorism; and a fundamental socio-economic change to our way of life.

These issues are regional and not unique to Nigeria alone. The problems call for increased regional and international cooperation in developing a sustainable solution.

As Chairman of ECOWAS, I will be hosting a regional security summit of heads of states in the Sahel to develop a Joint Strategy to continue our efforts in addressing these issues.

Fellow Nigerians, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, at the heart of inequality and insecurity, is pervasive corruption. When we took office we realised that if you fight corruption, corruption will fight back – and we have seen this at all levels.

For Nigeria to progress, a collective resolution to address corruption and foster broad-based prosperity is required to create a country that is not only for a few privileged, but for all Nigerians.

This charge is not only to Civil Servants, Ministers, Legislators and State Government functionaries, but also to Corporate leaders.

We shall make greater investments in our rural economies. We shall aggressively source locally our raw materials.

We have incentives for investments specifically made in rural communities.

However, nationwide development cannot occur from Abuja alone; it must occur at States. And Government cannot do it alone.

I therefore implore all State Governments, especially those with large rural economies, to aggressively solicit investments in your states. Invest in developing human capital, reducing bureaucracy and corruption, hosting and attending investment summits and improving the ease of doing business.

At this point, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists who have built or are building agro-processing projects; petrochemical plants; crude oil and solid mineral refineries; energy exploration; software development projects; telecom infrastructure; health, education and manufacturing projects; and the like, across our country.

I would like to make special mention to promoters of our small businesses that are proudly making goods and services for export and for local consumption. The Nigerian economy rises and falls on the strength of your investments and productivity.

We will continue to listen to your ideas and plans not just about how we can secure more investment, but how your plans can help create a more equitable economy.

I also thank the labour unions, farmer groups and associations, organized private sector and the civil society organisations for their support and cooperation with our government these last four years.

We will continue to count on your support, guidance and understanding during the next four years.

I especially thank our traditional leaders and congratulate re-elected and newly elected State Governors and members of the National Assembly. Our Government will continue to count on your support so that we can together move our country forward.

Fellow Nigerians, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, despite the challenges over the last four years, my optimism about Nigeria’s future is unshaken and Nigeria’s role in the world as an emerging economic force is without a doubt.

Over the next four years, we are committed to assembling a strong team of Nigerians, and allies, to implement our transformative plans and proposals.

a. We will see significant focus, resource and, where necessary reform, in tertiary and technical education to reposition Nigeria’s workforce for the modern technological age.

b. We will accelerate investments in primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare programs, interventions and infrastructure as well as in upgrading of our medical personnel to stem the flight of our best trained people.

c. On food security, our farmers have made great strides in local production of rice, maize, cassava, poultry, fertilizer, fisheries and sesame. We remain resolute in supporting private sector in emphasizing backward integration and export expansion plans.

d. Felling of trees to provide energy for domestic use is taking its toll on our rain forests, our ecology and our climate. Accordingly, we are taking steps to harness cleaner and more sustainable sources of electricity. We export over 2 million tons of cooking gas, yet we consume less than half a million tons.

e. We will work to address this issue and support rural communities with challenges of safely switching from firewood to cooking gas.

f. Dedicated agro-industrial processing zones will be developed on a PPP basis to increase farming yields, agricultural productivity and industrial output.

g. Over 2,000 kilometers of ongoing Federal road and bridge projects across the country will be completed to reduce journey times and the cost of doing business. As I mentioned earlier, critical feeder roads will be built to facilitate easier transportation for people and goods from rural areas to major roads.

h. We are at advanced stages of securing investments to modernize and expand our transmission and distribution infrastructure, ensuring that electricity is available and affordable for all Nigerians.

i. Several rail, seaport and airport projects are at various stages of completion. We will open the arteries of transportation nationwide.

j. It is a fact that Nigeria has more gas reserves than it has oil. Over the last four years, we have become a net exporter of urea, which is made from natural gas. We invite investors to develop more natural gas-based petrochemical projects.

k. Fellow Nigerians, This Government will not tolerate actions by any individual or groups of individuals who seek to attack our way of life or those who seek to corruptly enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of us. We will crack down on those who incite ordinary innocent people to violence and unrest.

l. We will ensure that such actions are met with the strong arm of the law.

Nation building takes time. But we must take solace in the knowledge that this country, our country, has everything we require to make Nigeria prosper.

Fellow Nigerians, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I invite you to join me in this journey of rebuilding our nation.

Our focus will not be to help the privileged few but to ensure that Nigeria works for Nigerians of all persuasions. That is a more just arrangement.

As we all know, correcting injustice is a pre-requisite for peace and unity. As part of the process of healing and reconciliation, I approved the recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day and invested the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Babagana Kingibe with National Honours, as I did with the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. The purpose was to partially atone for the previous damage done in annulling the Presidential elections of that year.

Today, I propose the re-naming of the Abuja National Stadium. Henceforth it will be called MOSHOOD ABIOLA NATIONAL STADIUM.

In my first term, we put Nigeria back on its feet. We are working again despite a difficult environment in oil on which we depend too much for our exports. We encountered huge resistance from vested interests who do not want CHANGE, But CHANGE has come, we now must move to the NEXT LEVEL.

By the Grace of God, I intend to keep the oath I have made today and to serve as President for all Nigerians.

I thank you for attending this august occasion from far and near, and for all your best wishes to me, to our party and to Nigeria.

God bless us all, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Atiku Questions June 12 As Democracy Day By Government That Disrespect Rule Of Law

Editorial staff

June 12, 2019

Defeated Presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said that it is not enough to declare June 12 a Democracy Day by a government of that is disrespectful to the rule of law and wantonly disregard of court orders

Atiku, in a statement today, June 12, insisted that the idea of June 12 is not merely to declare it as a Democracy Day, but that the idea behind the event of June 12 1993 should embody something much more bigger than that.

“It was a threshold moment in our national life that demands of us as democrats to do a soul searching and ask the salient question of all time: how better off are Nigerians?”

He emphasized that it is not enough to declare June 12 a work free day when the ordinary people of Nigeria still don’t have the freedom to find a better life from the suffocating grip of poverty, when Nigeria is now the global headquarters of extreme poverty.

“It is not enough to declare June 12 a work free day when a disproportionate number of citizens are not sure of where their next meal will come from and when the sanctity of their lives is not guaranteed.

“It is not enough to declare June 12 a work free day when freedom of the press, and of speech, fundamentals of democracy is being assailed.

“As a compatriot who stood shoulder to shoulder with the icon of the June 12 struggle, Chief MKO Abiola of blessed memory, I know first-hand that the choice of HOPE as his campaign slogan wasn’t merely a populist tokenism.

“He didn’t mean to deceive Nigerians with a hope he could not deliver upon. And, today, the minimum requirement for any June 12 convert is to demand of them wherever they may be – either in government or in private lives – to deliver on the promises they made to the people.

“It is therefore not acceptable that an administration which had an opportunity of four years to deliver the promise of change to Nigerians, not only reneged on that promise, but propelled the country into a near-comatose state will lay claims to being a true friend of the June 12 struggle.

“To be a lover of June 12 is to believe in the common good of the people. June 12 is about the political leadership having the focus to retool the Nigerian economy. It is about having the skills to create wealth and jobs for the teeming mass of unemployed. It is not about the inclination for shared pains; it is about shared prosperity.”

Aisha Buhari Asks Youths, Women To Go Back To Farm

Editorial staff

June 12, 2019

Aisha, wife of the President Muhammadu Buhari has asked young Nigerians and women to return to farm to boost the country’s food production.

Launched a Green schools agricultural initiative at Aliyu Mustafa College Yola yesterday, June 11, she expressed her desire to see that women and young people become self-reliant through farming.

She urged young people to see agriculture as a business and a way to grow Nigerian economy.

“This initiative is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s mission of stimulating youth interest in agriculture by providing special incentives for youths involved in agricultural production and processing, in a bid to reduce the problems of youth unemployment and replace the ageing farm population in the country.

She commended Notore for the initiative and called on the private sector, non-governmental organizations and extension agencies to invest in agriculture.

Speaking earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Notore Power & Infrastructure, Femi Solebo said that many Nigerian youths have not been interested in going into Agriculture as a career due to misconceptions about the sector.

He said that though Nigeria is blessed with abundant arable land, there is a gap between food production and demand of Nigerians.

He also spoke about a rapidly ageing active farmer population, expressing the fear that when the current farmers retire, Nigeria will face a major crisis in food production.

Solebo said the Green School Initiative is meant to ignite the interest of students in Agriculture and encourage them to pursue agriculture related careers.

According to him, the initiative involves partnering with Secondary Schools across Nigeria to establish demonstration farms that will be used to teach students modern agricultural techniques and best practices.

Zamfara Gov Threatens To Hold Traditional Rulers Responsible For Further Killings

Editorial staff

June 12, 2019

Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has made it clear that his government will henceforth hold traditional rulers responsible for any extra-judicial killing committed by local vigilantes in their domain.

The governor, who issued the warning in Gusau during the Democracy Day celebration, said that the government would no longer condone the atrocities of the local vigilantes, popularly known as ‘Yan Sakai’.

Matawalle also extended an olive branch to bandits who have been terrorizing people in the state, saying that the government is ready to rehabilitate any of them willing to repent.

“I also use this opportunity to, again, call on all those who decided to toe the path of crime, to surrender and embrace peace and legal means of livelihood.

“We are ready to rehabilitate those who accept peace and reintegrate them into the larger society.”

Governor Mattawalle said that fighting banditry and other crimes, which had been bothering the state for many years, is the topmost priority of his administration.

“In the last one week, I have discussed extensively with President Muhammadu Buhari and other relevant security stakeholders on the challenge at hand.

“Part of the outcome of the visit was the directive by the President to deploy two additional mobile police squadrons to the state.”

The governor described the Democracy Day as a time to reflect on how the country have fared over the years and renew determination for the task ahead.

He paid tributes to heroes of the democratic struggles who made it possible for the country to live in a free society governed by democratic principles.

“One of the doyens of the struggles for our modern day democracy is Chief MKO Abiola, on whose honour Nigeria’s Democracy Day was changed from May 29 to June 12.

“The event of June 12 and the subsequent struggles for reversion to civilian rule were the precursors to today’s democracy.”

He assured that his administration would initiate programmes to fight poverty through multi-dimensional approach including revamping agriculture, resuscitating skills acquisition programs, improving salaries and welfare packages for workers.

The governor added that his government would create conducive environment for small and medium scale businesses in the state to thrive.

Source: NAN.

Buhari And His Elegant Wife, Aisha, On Democracy Day

Greenbarge Reporters

June 12, 2019

President Muhammadu Buhari walks along with his elegant wife, Aisha to a seat at a Dinner in Presidential Villa, Abuja, on June 12, to mark Democracy Day in Nigeria.

Fani-Kayode Says Buhari Is Kind For Naming National Stadium After MKO Abiola

Editorial staff

June 12, 2019

Former Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari is kind for having the heart to rename the Abuja National Stadium after late MKO Abiola who was acclaimed to have won the June 12, 1993 Presidential election but was annulled by the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.

Earlier today, President Buhari has announced the renaming of Abuja national stadium as MKO Abiola stadium, saying that the late politician was reputed to have given immense support to the development of sports in Nigeria and Africa, and was named and honoured as Pillar of Sports in Africa for his contribution.

Late Abiola, the President recalled, formed Abiola Babes Football Club, which was based in Abeokuta and was one of the big teams that dominated soccer in the country between 1982 and 2001 when it was disbanded.

“As we all know, correcting injustice is a pre-requisite for peace and unity.

“As part of the process of healing and reconciliation, I approved the recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day and invested late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Babagana Kingibe with National Honours as I did with late Gani Fawehinmi.

“The purpose was to partially atone for the previous damage done in annulling the Presidential election of that year.

“Today, I propose the re-naming of the Abuja National Stadium. Henceforth it will be called Moshood Abiola National Stadium.”

National Honour: Abiola Is Happy In His Grave With Buhari – Late Politician’s Aide

Editorial staff

June 12, 2019

Lisa Olu Akerele, an aide to the acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, Lisa Olu Akerele, has said that the national honour bestowed on his boss, especially, the naming of national stadium after him, is an indication that President Muhammadu Buhari has good heart.

Akereke said that the action of the President, who has demonstrated that he a father to all Nigerians, will make the late politician happy in his grave.

He noted that no other head of state had honoured the late billionaire like President Buhari, adding that since Abiola was a lover of sports when he was alive, the national stadium which has been named after him remains the best sporting monument to bear the name of the sport-loving late politician.

He said that it would be wrong for the late Pillar of Sports in Africa to die without a sporting centre named after him in the country despite his contribution for the growth of sports in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general.

“Naming the National Stadium after MKO Abiola is commendable. Apart from MKO’S legendary philanthropy, another area where he excelled was in the sporting arena which earned him the title of Pillar of Sports in Africa.

“President Buhari has truly proved himself as real ‘Daniel come to judgement’ by rewriting the historical roles played by MKO in almost all areas of national development which some misguided former military officers tried to rubbish in the last 25 years!

“I’m sure that Abiola is happy and will be smiling in his grave now. He has not laboured in vain and his death has also not been without notice. President Buhari remains a hero we should encourage so that he would do more.

” President Buhari must pay attention to sports development by appointing capable hand as the next Minister for Sports and Youths in his cabinet.

“Naming the National Stadium after the late MKO is like affixing the late democracy hero’s name on our nation’s currency, which carry the names of our past heroes like Obafemi Awo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Murtala Muhammed, Ahmadu Bello and other.”

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