President Muhammadu Buhari led top military and political leaders as well as traditional rulers today, Wednesday, to stand up in honour of the gallant soldiers who lost their lives to rampaging Boko Haram insurgents at Malete, in Borno State last week.

The President led a one-minute silence in prayer for the fallen heroes shortly before he left Maiduri, where he had attended military function and visited the wounded soldiers in the hospital within the army barracks.

He gave assurances that the soldiers would be taken care of.

According to the Presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, Buhari also visited the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, in his palace where he expressed the determination of the government to secure the country.

The President, who sympathized with Nigerians who lost their loved ones in the Boko Haram attack, which he called: “setbacks in the fight against terrorists,” said “we have to remind ourselves where we were and where we are now and what happened in between.

“The people of Borno State know what we did in the last three years. The situation would have been worse.”

President Buhari said that he is determined to change the unemployment situation of youths in the country, adding: “jobs for the young persons, especially those who are 30 and below in Borno State and across the federation continue to engage our attention. We go to bed with it and wake up with it.”

In his remarks, the Shehu of Borno, who spoke on behalf of the State’s Council of Chiefs, thanked the President for bringing peace to the state, and asked for intensive security patrols across the territories to save people from attacks on farms.

The Minister of Interior, retired General Abdulrahman Dambazau, has announced that new Identity card to be produced for Nigerians for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been approved and will cost N14.7 billion

General Abdulrahman Dambazau, who made the announcement today, Wednesday at a news briefing shortly after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that the production of new identity card has been approved the committee of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS, agreeing that the Identity Card should be produced for all the citizens of member countries.

“I presented a memo on the production of ECOWAS biometric identity card. This is in response to the decision of the committee of Heads of State and Government, taken sometime in 2014, to replace the current ECOWAS travel certificate. This was to take effect in January 2019.

“The project is to cost about N14.7 billion and this is a contractor financed project and what that means is that the service provider is to use his funds to finance the project.”

“The contract will be for a period of 10 years and within those 10 years, it is expected that about 13 million cards would be produced.”

He expressed the hope that the new identity card would help enhance security at all Nigerian borders.

“Currently, the ECOWAS travel certificate in use does not have biometric features and so it is subject to abuse and can be produced anywhere without room for checking the background of the holder. But the new identity card carries the photographs, fingerprints and other details of the card which can be checked instantly.

“It will reduce the time spent at entry points and it will also help the Interpol identify persons involved in cross-border criminal activities,” he stated.

Source: NAN.

President Muhammadu Buhari has commanded the military to eliminate all threats of Boko Haram within the shortest time.

The President insisted: “it is a must win war. I want to encourage our troops not to be distracted by speculations but remain focused and committed to the task of eliminating Boko Haram from the surface of the earth.

President Buhari, who declared open the 2018 Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference in Maiduguri, Borno state capital today, Wednesday, gave assurance to the military that his administration will continue to address their needs in terms of manpower development and equipment supply, as well as their welfare and entitlements.

“I want to reassure you that as your Commander-In-Chief, I will do everything within my power to continue empowering you by providing all the necessary equipment, force multipliers and enablers required for you to prevail on the field.

“I also want you to be aware that I am currently looking into measures to improve your entitlements and welfare generally.”

The President commended the efforts and sacrifices of the military in safeguarding the peace, security and territorial integrity of the country.

“The officers and men who are fighting against the curse of terrorism in the North East deserve all the attention our country’s leadership can give them.

“As President of the country, I am determined to ensure that every citizen feels safe and secure in all parts of the country. To achieve this, the security agencies must rise to the challenge and curb threats to security in our country.’’

President Buhari called on the armed forces to embrace “the wind of change that is blowing across the country,” urging more cooperation at inter-service and inter-agency levels.

“To this end, the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs must work closely together as well as with other security agencies to improve on strategies that will defeat terrorism, militancy and other forms of criminal activities in our country.”

President Buhari, who also addressed officers and men of the Nigerian Army at the Maimalari Barrack, headquarters of Operation Lafiya-Dole, said that he shared in the agony of loss of gallant soldiers.

“I have come to pay homage to the gallant soldiers lost by the nation and to console the injured ones in recent terrorist attacks. I urge you to remain focused and win the war.”

President Buhari also commended Nigerian Army’s commitment to upholding democracy and urged them to remain committed to their profession.

“As we approach the 2019 General Elections, I want to urge all members of the Armed Forces to live up to their responsibilities and remain non-partisan. In addition, you must all remain vigilant throughout the electioneering period and alongside other security agencies, prevent every form of violence that could disrupt the process in line with your Rules of Engagement.”

President Buhari urged the soldiers, who were on parade, to always show disciplined conduct.

“No matter how equipped the military is, the military is of no use if it doesn’t have discipline,” he said, urging them to uphold the tenets of the constitution and ensure tight security to protect lives and property.”

In his statement at the conference, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai said that internal security had greatly improved from what it was in 2015 when President Buhari assumed office.

Buratai said that a new proactive strategy would be put in place to counter the recent military losses, adding that the army remains neutral and non-partisan and will carry out their constitutional duty of safeguarding the nation’s democracy.

The Minister of Defence, retired Brigadier General  Mansur Dan Ali, assured the President that the military is putting in place new strategies to stabilize the country.

Governor of Borno state, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, has laughed at the permutation by social media over the projection that the Presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and candidates of other parties will get near victory in the 2019 Presidential election.

Kashi Settiman, who spoke to news men today, Wednesday in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, said: “it is one thing to pontificate on the social media and not what is on the ground as the reality.”

According to him, the next year’s Presidential election is already a foregone conclusion in favour of the incumbent, Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The Presidential election is almost a foregone conclusion by the grace of God. For my knowledge of Nigerian politics; I have been in the business of politics for the past twenty years and I know how the Nigerian political terrain works.

“2019 is going to be different from that of 2015. In 2015, candidate Buhari got 169,000 votes in the whole of the South-east which was what he got in Maiduguri metropolis. But in 2019, the game has changed.

“Major players in the south-east sub region have joined the APC fold. Emmanuel Uduaghan was the man who delivered 1.4 million votes to Jonathan in 2015 and wherever you see Emmanuel Uduaghan there James Ibori is not far off. And these are in the APC. All the three Senators in Rivers state are in the APC. The man who generated 1.3 votes for Jonathan in Akwa Ibom is now in APC.

The governor debunk the notion that the mammoth crowd that received President Buhari in Miaduguri was rented, adding: “He (Buhari) came with the shortest of notices. How could we have hired such a large crowd?

“This is a Buhari country. He’s the single kinetic figure in Borno political firmament. It is not an issue of dispute; this is a Buhari country. He has a tight grip over the people on this side.”

The Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack all the service chiefs following the killing of Nigerian soldiers in Matele, Borno State, by Boko Haram insurgents.

Afenifere, in a communiqué it issued after its monthly meeting held at the house of its leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti in Akure, the Ondo State capital today, Tuesday, demanded the probe of what happened to the funds the Federal Government claimed it had expended on security in the country since the beginning of the current administration.

The Publicity Secretary of the group, Yinka Odunmakin, who read the communiqué, said that the service chiefs are already in their retirement years, and wondered why they are still being kept in service by President Buhari.

He said that the decision to keep them in service had killed morale in the Armed Forces, as three sets of officers had had their careers stagnated.

“The sack of the service Chiefs should be followed with a probe of what has happened to defence allocations as we, as a people, cannot reconcile our extremely vulnerable troops and wailing solders in the forest with the heavy spending the government claimed it has committed to security.”

Afenifere said that the massacre of the soldiers deployed to the north-east region to counter terrorism had raised more concerns about the state of the Armed Forces and its combat readiness.

According to the group, despite the $1 billion that the Federal Government claimed it disbursed few months ago to equip the military, Boko Haram still attack soldiers freely even as it decried the consistent media propaganda being deployed by the Federal Government in the war against the insurgency and the insensitivity to the plight of soldiers on the battlefield.

“First, it kept quiet for six days after the incident and when it found its voice, there were no soothing words for the bereaved families.

“It had hardly made the bland statements before descending into the gutter of political quarrelling over the killings at a time a more sensitive leadership should have declared national mourning for the high casualties recorded which many countries never matched in wars that lasted for several years.

“Our hearts go to all bereaved families and officers and men of our armed forces at this grievous moment. It is our prayer that God will comfort them and intervene in the affairs of our country and give us a leadership that is more than equal to the challenges we face.”

Embattled former spokesperson of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), Olisah Metuh has begged a Federal High Court in Abuja to ask the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to unfreeze his bank accounts as members of his family are now hungry as a result of his being penniless.

Metuh, who made the oral application today, Tuesday, as he was being led in evidence by his Counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), said: “I do not know where to get my next meal from. The EFCC went ahead to freeze all my accounts yesterday and I cannot get any money to feed myself and my family. I do not even know how I am going to exist from now on. As it stands now, I cannot access both my Naira and Dollar accounts so I do not even have money to buy pain relief if I have a headache or even water to sustain my family.”

He appealed to the court to compel EFCC to immediately unfreeze his accounts, adding that he remained innocent of the crime he was charged for, even as he confessed that he was terrified on the action of the EFCC.

According to Metuh, he learnt of the no-debit order placed on his account after his failed transaction on one of the accounts today, Tuesday, even as he reminded the court that the continuous freezing of all his bank accounts by the prosecution had left him and his family starving.

However, Justice Okon Abang instructed Metuh’s counsel to discuss with the counsel representing the Federal Government,  Sylvanus Tahir to resolve the issue as he adjourned the matter to Thursday and Friday for continuous hearing.

The EFCC is prosecuting Metuh and his Destra Investments Limited, on seven counts of money laundering and fraudulent receipt of N400 million from the Office of the former National Security Adviser (retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki), on November 22, 2014, for PDP campaign activities.

Source: NAN.