The Presidency has denied a story in social media that Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly and Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun met together with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, today, Friday.
In a statement, the Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina described the media report as “far from the truth,” saying that the minister was at the Presidential Villa in connection with the Annual General Meeting and 25th Anniversary Celebration of African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK) holding Saturday in Abuja, which would be graced by President Buhari.
“She ran into Pastor Bakare, who was on a scheduled visit to see the President, and they exchanged pleasantries. The cleric particularly thanked the Minister for finding time to attend his mother’s funeral, which took place in Abeokuta, Ogun State, penultimate weekend.
“Mrs. Adeosun had seen President Buhari not fewer than three times earlier in the week, and did not need to meet with him again on Friday.”
Adesina said that the social media report is nothing but conjectures and fictive.
President Buhammadu Buhari hosts the Executive Secretary of the Christian Pilgrims’ Commission (CPC), Rev. Tor Uja and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Barrister Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammed at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, today, Friday, July 13. Photo by Sunday Aghaeze. [myad]
The Presidency has announced the name of the former Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the Director General of Buhari 2019 Presidential Support Committee.
The Committee is believed to be different from Buhari Campaign Organisation (BCO) which recently appointed the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, as the Director General while Human Rights Lawyer, Festus Keyamo (SAN) was appointed as the spokesman and Director, Strategic Communications.
The Modu Sheriff-led body has a list of 35 members of the Support Committee, 10 members of National Advisory Committee and five members of National Patrons with President Muhammadu Buhari as the Grand Patron.
A popular Kano musician, Dauda Rara is the National Director of Music while a Nollywood Actor and Lagos lawmaker, Desmond Elliot is the National Publicity Secretary even as Chief of Staff to the Imo State governor and governorship aspirant of APC, Uche Ugwumba Nwosu is the National Secretary.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political matters, Gideon Sammani, who made these known in a statement today, Friday, said: “prominent individuals were selected after the APC National Convention to build on the momentum of the success to step up preparation within the hierarchy and ranks and file of the party to fully support President Muhammadu Buhari to continue with his programmes and policies for the upliftment and advancement of the country with the manifesto of the APC.”
Sammani who is also the facilitator of the President Support Committee under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation said: “in preparation for the reelection of President Buhari in 2019, the Presidential Support Committee, Buhari 2019 has appointed eminent Nigerians to the National Working Committee of the organization.
“The prominent individuals have been selected from Buhari Support Group in their own rights as loyalists.”
The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Dr Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Alhaji Mamman Daura all make up the National Patrons of the Committee.
Members of the National advisory committee are: Senator M.T Mbu, Senator Yerima Bakura, Senator George Akume, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Senator Ita Giwa, Hon Gudaji Kazaure, Hajiya Ireti, Alhaji Ismaila Isa Funtua and Senator Abu Ibrahim.
Former governor of Nasarawa state, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, has described members of the Reformed-All Progressives Congress (rAPC) as a mere desperate group of people that is made up of bunch of criminals.
”I told you these are people who have got felonies that they are hiding and want to use their positions in the party and National Assembly as a façade.”
Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who spoke when he visited the National Chairman of the main stream APC, Comrade Adams Oshiuomhole said that members of the R-APC are only pretending to fight for the people but that they are killing the poor and fighting for themselves.
”I told you here that the so called nPDP was fake. I told you all the noise about wanting to stay and work for the family of the APC but they are just trying to create the kind of impression that in APC they had no deal, nobody in the old PDP that became the new PDP and went into the accord with the PDP in 2013. Nobody stood beneficiary of that, more than the current Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
”He has benefited more than any single new PDP person and he seems to be the arrow head of this resistance now or betrayal of the party that elected him to the National Assembly. I thank God I have lived to witness what I said come to pass. It is left for you now to follow up to know who was telling the truth or lying. They did not deserve the attention they wanted because it was not founded on realism, it was not founded on truth, loyalty or patriotism to the country.
”The truth is, if Saraki and the rest of them, leaders, today in the national assembly genuinely feel aggrieved and genuinely want to go out, let them go out. You don’t push pawns. Nobody who knows the game of chess, wins only by moving pawns, you have got to move the major actors, the kings, the knights, the bishops but these ones have got feet of clay. Unfortunately they don’t threaten anybody here and as far as I am concerned, we don’t see them as reformed APCs, I think they are rejects. Why do I say so, we are witnesses to the fact that we held a national convention.”
”We started from the unit level, that is where the ballot boxes are, to wards, local governments, zonal to national level and we had a convention. There was no snide statement from anybody. Three weeks after convention we are hearing some riff-raffs saying that they have formed something called rAPC. You don’t just wake up and form a party or coalition. What is happening is that those their principals who are in the national assembly do not want to risk making a declaration so that they do not lose their seats and so they want to justify that there is a split in the APC.”
”That is what they are trying to do. No more, no less. In my place, they say before you see a monkey, the monkey has already seen you because it stays on the tree top. “I think without being immodest, I have seen enough Nigerian politics thus far and from what we have seen so far, the indication is that we are dealing with 419ners. None of them will stand up to say, oh I was a Senator, I was in the House of Representatives or I was this. How many of them can go to their constituency and say or do what they are doing in Abuja? I don’t call them Abuja politicians because they don’t deserve that, they are just 419ners.
”What is happening today? From the day this Senate was inaugurated, that very day the current president of the senate went into an illicit accord. “Nobody who is democrat will welcome what we are witnessing. The fact of the matter is out of selfish ambition, out of the desire to promote self instead of the nation, instead of service we got ourselves in this, whereby somebody who was contesting for senate presidency found a way of going into an illicit alliance, an accord with an opposing party, betraying the party that elected him there and didn’t say he has left the party; used the alliance he had with the PDP as it has been and from that the day, the government which is supposed to be an APC government, the national assembly became an opposition party. That is a misfortune.”
If he had taken time to review recent history and incidents of insolence in the National Assembly, perhaps, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta Central) might not have embarked on his ill-fated rebellious voyage. However, he might have reckoned that political correctness which informed his decision to pitch his tent with the Parliamentary Support Group (PSG) in the Senate would avail him with the essential protection by the presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC). That protection, to him, would appear more important than any other immediate consideration.
To be sure, the PSG works to defend the interests of President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC in the Senate. It would, therefore, be preposterous to think that Omo-Agege did not do his diligent political calculations and permutations before dumping the Labour Party (LP), on which platform he contested and won election to the Senate, for the APC, where he has since strategically enlisted as one of Buhari’s foot soldiers. It should be recalled that it took judicial intercessions for him to dislodge from the Senate, Ighoyota Amori of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who was originally declared as the winner of the Delta Central senatorial election.
In making his moves, Omo-Agege must have had his eyes on the structure of the APC in Delta state, which he would take over and deploy for the actualisation of his political agenda. And, this is regardless of the fact that some leaders had been in the APC from the outset expending energy, time and resources to build the party in the state. Strategically, his brazen support for Buhari in the Senate was his gambit to worm into the hearts of the president, his men and the party leadership in Abuja.
That stratagem had largely worked to bolster his interest in the local APC politics in Delta where, in concert with Great Ovedje Ogboru, he has now virtually dislodged Olorogun O’tega Emerhor who had, singled-handed, funded and built the APC in the state when the party was operating as opposition in 2014. If the scramble for the soul of the APC in Delta is the reason Omo-Agege had staked his reputation in support of Buhari in the Senate in defiance of legislative authority and resolutions, the enterprise could be said to have paid off: a joiner has now virtually dislodged the builder of the APC in Delta.
But in Abuja, far away from Delta, Omo-Agege deservedly continues to be under fire in the National Assembly for challenging the authority and decisions of the legislature. In his overzealousness during the organised opposition to the move by the National Assembly to reorder the sequence of elections, he had suggested at a press conference after the passage of the amendments to the Electoral Act 2010 Amendment Bill (2018) that the action by the Senate to put the presidential election as the last in the sequence was targeted at President Buhari.
That statement had landed him in trouble with his colleagues, on account of which he was suspended for 90 legislative days. He was to go for 180 days but the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, had weighed in to reduce it to a half. Although, he had proceeded to the court to seek the nullification of his suspension for that length of time, he had, during the pendency of the matter, led thugs into the chamber during plenary on April 18, 2018, to hijack the mace (the legislative symbol of authority). The thugs had taken away the mace, thus disrupting legislative proceedings.
Omo-Agege would later get a reprieve from the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Dimgba Igwe, which nullified his 90-day suspension. The court had declared that the Senate ran afoul of its own rules by suspending Omo-Agege for more than fourteen days plus one that the rules prescribed. He had returned and was, indeed, admitted into the chamber on the basis of that ruling. But there was no let-up as the National Assembly planned a massive and final onslaught against him through the instrumentality of an inquiry.
The National Assembly Joint Committee set up to investigate the April 18, 2018 Mace theft properly served him with a formal invitation to appear before it. The committee, chaired by Honourable Betty Apiafi, laid its report before the House of Representatives on July 5, 2018. The committee found Omo-Agege to be complicit and culpable in the sordid incident and recommended that he should be suspended for 180 legislative days in line with Section 14(2) of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2017.
That was not all. The committee also recommended that he should be prosecuted along with six other suspects for treasonable felony, assault occasioning harm, conspiracy to steal and actual theft. The House had subsequently considered the report and ratified the recommendations. The concurrence of the Senate is being awaited to put the nail in Omo-Agege’s coffin. He is not likely to enjoy any sympathy from the Senate this time round.
But, while the concurrence by the Senate is being awaited, Omo-Agege must be engrossed in some quiet dialogue with himself, possibly wondering if his odious enterprise was worth the sacrifice of his reputation on the altar of ephemeral political advantage and convenience.
Truth is, if Omo-Agege has scruples, he must be contemplating with pains in his heart the bad example in leadership that his act of guiding thugs into the Senate chamber to hijack the mace has exemplified. He must be worried that he is a battered, shattered and tattooed role model who has lost the occupation of the very high pedestal of civility and respect. He may not be worried that he will be out of the Senate as that would afford him the opportunity to pursue his political agendas including the campaign for Buhari and his personal electoral plans, but he must realise that through his imprudent action, the entire Delta Central stands to lose its voice and representation in the Senate for 180 legislative days.
Beyond his just comeuppance in the hands of the National Assembly, the people of Delta Central should not hesitate to punish Omo-Agege for his act of indiscipline and indiscretion. No amount of chastisement should be considered too much for his misdemeanor. His people should, understandably, be pained that someone they sent to Abuja to represent them would abandon the communal mandate in service of some extraneous political, personal and pecuniary interests. Omo-Agege caved in under the weight of the tension of selfish goals and objectives to sully a good family name. It is really sad that a man who should be standing for his senatorial zone became a poster child of a splinter group in the Senate. The ball is in the court of Omo-Agege’s people to decide his political future in the hope that others would learn some practical and hard lessons about recompense for not remaining committed and steadfast to the original mandate and social contract.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos, minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu and ten other outstanding players in Nigeria’s online space have won the maiden Nigerian Online Merit Award (NiOMA).
Others who also won the award which will be conferred tomorrow, Friday, in Lagos, are Africa’s Serial Digital Entrepreneur, Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh; Akwa Ibom State, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Zenith bank, Fidelity bank, Access, Vanguard, The Guardian and Daily Trust.
According to a statement by the NiOMA Organizing Committee Chairman, Lanre Alabi, the event would feature a lecture aimed at critically X-raying topical ICT issues facing the Nigerian nation and highlight how the online revolution could be leveraged to leapfrog the country’s development by Leo Stan Ekeh.
President Buhari commissioned the Abuja light-rail
President Muhammadu Buhari has insisted that his government is delivering on its election campaign promises as represented by many infrastructural projects it had executed in the last three years.
The President, who spoke today, Thursday as he commissioned the Abuja light rail system, remarked: “today, what we have in the Federal Capital Territory is another evidence that we are a government that delivers on its promises.
“I have observed keenly other milestones that this Administration has achieved, especially in the areas of education, public utilities and infrastructure development.”
President Buhari promised Nigerians that his government will continue to support all the negotiations towards the realization of the Abuja Light Rail system even as he commend the efforts of the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello and the support and patience of the residents for the fruition of the project.
“The completion of this very important project is a dream come-true . I commend the Hon. Minister of F.C.T for the hard work and sense of purpose towards the realization of this long awaited modern transportation system for both FCT residents and visitors.
“This accomplishment clearly demonstrates our commitment to addressing critical infrastructural projects and keeping with the ideals of the Change Agenda to ensure prudence in the management of public resources, value for money considering the huge investments in this project.
“Transportation is the live wire of any city. I am very optimistic that a modern rail service would bring about a boost to the FCT economy and greatly enhance social life. I am aware that what we have on ground today are coaches meant to provide skeletal services as we await the main set of the rolling stock for full operations.”
Buhari thanked the Government and people of China for their investment in the Nigerian economy with reference to the CCECC Limited, the Contracting Firm, for the quality of work and timely delivery of this project.
“Let me place on record the Nigerian government’s appreciation to the Government of China and the EXIM Bank of China for their support on this and many other projects currently being executed in the country. This gesture further cements the already existing cordial relations and developmental partnership between Nigeria and the People’s Republic of China.
President Muhammadu Buhari has advised the African Export and Import Bank (AFREXIM) to do more in building infrastructure and development of the real sector of the economy.
According to the President, who received in audience at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, today, Thursday, members of the Board of African Export and Import Bank, AFREXIM, led by Dr Benedict Okey, such concentration on real sector will reduce the nation’s infrastructure deficit.
“The Federal Government will keep knocking on the doors of the bank to participate more in building infrastructure and developing the real sector.
“We realize that we do need money to fix the appalling state of infrastructure we met; to do roads, railways, power and communications – a sector now mostly in private hands which is doing very well.
“Don’t be tired of us. We will be coming to you again and again. Please accommodate us,’’ the President told the Board of AFREXIM.”
President Buhari said the nation is facing a challenge of fixing and putting in place long delayed infrastructure and will need strong partnerships for quick and better results.
Buhari, who pledged that his government will remain committed to full implementation of all agreements, said: “we are grateful for the much you are doing for us, but we will continue to knock on your doors for more and more as we strive to overcome our infrastructure deficit.”
The President considered it an honour for Nigeria to host AFREXIM’s Annual General Meeting and 25th Anniversary in Abuja.
The President and Chairman of AFREXIM Board of Directors, Dr. Oramah expressed satisfaction with the support of the Nigerian government in the operations of the bank, noting that the bank’s confidence in Nigeria justifies the huge loans it had granted to the country.
He said that the 20,000 participants attending the Annual General Meeting had already expressed their satisfaction with the quality of arrangements for the event, which includes security.
A former Minister of Information, Prof Jerry Gana has declared his intention to run for the 2019 Presidency on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), even as he warned against re-electing President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
Professor Gana, who spoke today, Thursday in Abuja while officially declaring his interest to run for the Presidency, said the level of crippling uncertainty everywhere in the country is saddening.
“Being a patriotic and committed democrat, who has carried a burden for the rapid development of our far nation for decades, I am deeply concerned at the very real prospect of Nigeria imploding unless our great party comes to the rescue with a God fearing, dynamic, untainted and credible leadership,
“Nigeria is facing an existential threat, the seriousness and proportion of which have never been witnessed since the end of the war.
“There is crippling uncertainty everywhere. People are suffering unprecedented and untold hardships as a result of arrested development. Insecurity that has rendered human life brutish, short and nasty is rampart across the zones, states, communities and villages.
“Asymmetrical war on corruption is fueling further ethnic decadence, while anxiety, unpatriotism and poverty have coalesced into a creepy epidemic of self-doubt. In all of this, the current leadership of the nation, at the highest level of government seems unconcerned, incompetent or incapable of turning around the drift.
“Since I joined politics in 1978 at the younger age in my early 30s, about 40 years ago, under the mentorship of the Greta Owelle Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the inspiration of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the tutelage of the emancipator chief Solomon Lar, the charismatic Alhaji Abubakar Rimi among many others right from my days in the Nigerian Senate, I have maintained a track record of performances.
“I have maintained integrity, competence, character, capacity and respect to public office. These opportunities and exposure added to the fact that I have widely traveled across the length and breadth of the nation, many times by toad, I have a front row understanding of our country, as well as the wealth of experience have definitely placed me in a most very vantage position, for above several others, to remark Nigeria and deeply renew the hope of the people in the federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Having consulted and affirmed by my family, local community, friends and a cross-section of eminent citizens and stakeholders across the core national divides of ethnicity, religion and regions, I am convinced that this is the fit time for me to offer for this national assignment on the platform of our great party.
“By my track record, my desire to seek to contest the election into the highest political office is not motivated by a quest for self-glorification nor aggrandizement, rather it is borne out of my patriotic zeal and conviction that with my pedigree, experience, skills and academic endowment, I can provide the requisite leadership to transform the fortunes of our people and change the trajectory of our country towards the attainment of our fullest potentials.
“It is my hope and prayer that the party will positively note my interest as under your able leadership, it offers opportunities for service to our dear country, Nigeria.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a sympathy message to the Government and people of Japan over the loss of lives and property following a heavy downpour that resulted in flooding and landslides.
In Letter to the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, President Buhari described the tragedy as an “unprecedented weather disaster.”
He conveyed the prayers of the people of Nigeria for the Japanese as they surmount the fall out of the sad incident, saying he was shocked at such a large number of death as a result of the disasters.
“On behalf of the government and the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I write to commiserate with the Government and people of Japan, following last week’s torrential rain that caused floods and subsequent landslides in Western Japan, killing over one hundred and seventy six persons and forcing millions to evacuate their homes while dozens remain missing.
“It is indeed sad that the unprecedented weather disaster, the worst since 1982, has caused massive destruction to livelihood in the flood stricken areas. Our thoughts and sympathy are with the distressed population and indeed the entire people of your country during this period of national grief.
“I am confident that the Government and people of Japan will quickly recover from this tragedy and show resilience while embarking on the rebuilding process.”
Meanwhile, President Buhari has described education as a veritable doorway through which the boundless potentials of youths can be positively harnessed for the benefit of society, and the country at large.
Receiving the outgoing Ambassador of Belarus, Mr. Vyacheslav Beskosty, who has spent over six years in Nigeria as the pioneer Ambassador of his country, Buhari said: “I am impressed by your successful tour of duty, particularly in the area of educational ties between our countries: over 600 young Nigerians are in your country, trying to guarantee a better future for themselves through education.”
President Buhari said that the relationship between Nigeria and Belarus is sure to grow stronger in the years ahead.
This was even as Ambassador Beskosty said that Nigeria had big potential for economic cooperation with his country, adding that military and technical ties are equally proceeding satisfactorily.
He said that agricultural development is on the priority list of the Buhari administration, adding that Belarus, as the world’s biggest producer of fertilizers, and a giant in production of tractors has a great role to play in the bid to achieve food self-sufficiency in Nigeria.
The outgoing Ambassador commended the Buhari administration for its service to the nation, and that people are already seeing significant changes in the country.
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