President Muhammadu Buhari has described late Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Umar Buba Jibril who died today, Friday, as a humble and vibrant national legislator.
In a condolence message by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the President commiserated with the family of late lawmaker and sympathized with the leadership and members of the House of Representatives in particular and the National Assembly in general.
The President Buhari also condoled with the people of Kogi State whom the late lawmaker represented creditably for many years at both the state and national legislatures even as he prayed that Allah will comfort all who mourn the late Jibril and grant his soul eternal rest.
Hon Umar Jibril, who represented Lokoja/Kogi Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, died today in Abuja at the age of 58. He was until his death, the Deputy Majority Leader of the house. He was also a former Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly.
Meanwhile, President Buhari had also commiserated with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, over the death of his younger brother, Clement Ogbeh.
He condolence with the immediate family, the Otukpa community of Benue State and friends of the deceased, who worked at the Central Bank of Nigeria and is being buried today. He prayed that God will comfort the family of the departed, and grant his soul eternal rest.
The President General of the umbrella Igbo Organization, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo has advised Ndigbo to always think of home and not to allow the hardship occasioned of the last two years affect them in thinking about their homeland.
Chief Nwodo, in an Easter message expressed sadness with some state governments in Nigeria for what he called ‘deliberate exorbitant tax’ which he insisted is targeted at Ndigbo to cut their savings and discourage their “Aku rue uno” policy.
Nwodo advised them not to be dissuaded, adding nowhere is their wealth more secure than home even as he also advised Igbos to show more than passing interest in the socio political development in the country by ensuring that all eligible voters collect their voters card and be ready to use it effectively to pick leaders that would fight for their interests.
He advised Nigerians not to allow the prevailing hardship in the country affect their spirit of love, brotherliness and peaceful co existence even though as he emphasized that the country “is clearly under siege from all corners.”
He said that the period of Easter should be used as a good opportunity for Nigerians to pray more to God to send succor to alleviate their sufferings.
Nwodo called on Nigerians to use this year’s Easter festivities to engender the spirit of oneness and also re-dedicate themselves to the virtues of love, patriotism and unity for the desired national development.
“Nigerians Christians must allow the solemnness of the last 40 days of fasting and prayers to influence their thoughts and actions in relating with one another.”
Nwodo said that the Lenten period that just ended offered incalculable lessons in love, humility and forgiveness which should guide our way of living irrespective of religion, ethnic and political differences and help in ushering in a new and adorable era where bitterness, hatred is absent.
The Ohanaeze leader urged Nigerians to use this period to think deeply at the state of the nation with a view to finding a lasting solution to the country’s challenges.
“Restructuring this country is perhaps the sincere and pragmatic way to address the nation’s socio political and economic challenges and time is ripe for political leaders to embrace it”
The Presidency has called on the leadership of opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to return the resources of the country they looted during the 16 years the party occupied the leadership of the country as way of pacifying angry Nigerians instead of an empty apology.
The Presidency, through the senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu today, Friday in a statement, advised Nigerians to be cautious of the “less-than-honest apology offered by the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus.
“The point made by the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, is apt and on cue, that there are heavy moral duties that go with apologies if the culprits want to be taken seriously. The PDP is desperate to recapture power because it no longer has unhindered access to national resources for private uses and its apology should be seen in this context.
“The PDP has not even acknowledged the fact that it plundered the national economy, and for a party that dismissed the anti-corruption war as a political witch hunt, it is impossible to believe that its public apology comes from the bottom of the heart.
“Even desperate thieves apologize because they are caught and not because they are incapable of repeating the crime if they had another opportunity.
“We believe that the PDP should not only apologize for the imposition of candidates, and the culture of impunity, but must also come clean and acknowledge that they participated in large scale corruption and massive diversions of public funds to private pockets while poverty was ravaging the ordinary Nigerians.
“We challenge individual PDP leaders to publicly and voluntarily tell Nigerians how much they stole and then agree to cough up their illegal acquisitions of wealth if they want their apology to be taken seriously.
“Apology borne by desperation to recapture power without a desire to admit how much they stole and the reluctance to return the loot is morally hollow. This goes beyond rebranding. Nigerians are not interested in brands. They want their money back.
“For such apology to gain acceptance, the offenders must first of all show remorse; then return that which was unlawfully taken or restore the damage caused the nation; and commit to never doing the wrong they did again. The PDP has done none of these for them to be taken seriously by anyone.
“Instead of addressing this cogent issue raised by the Minister, the PDP veered off to accuse this administration of borrowing money but failed, in that regard to admit that they borrowed to steal while Buhari administration is borrowing to set up long-delayed infrastructure.
“They accused the President of unevenness, of inflaming ethnic and religious tensions, when it is on record that they gave this country its divisive president who chose the hallowed premises of places of worship to read important national statements.
“President Buhari never fails in his duty as the Chief Security Officer of the nation. He acts fast whenever and wherever there are incidents by ordering law-enforcement agencies to do their job and fact-finding mission to give him actionable reports.
“PDP’s uncaring attitude to these matters, including the kidnapping of 270 girls from Chibok is the hallmark of the long years of misrule.
“Another issue of moral and political significance is about the recent disclosure by US investigators that the PDP government engaged in massive data theft that included the hacking of Candidate Muhammadu Buhari’s personal data before the last general elections. PDP’s continued silence on this reprehensible heist only goes to confirm their remorselessness even as more and more facts are emerging that the same unfair method was the modus operandi that they used to capture political power in the 2007 elections.”
Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has accused the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev. Anthony J.V Obinna, of blackmail as the 2019 general elections get nearer.
A statement by the governor’s media aide, Sam Onwuemeodo said: “We have read the latest accusation by Archbishop Anthony Obinna of the Catholic Diocese of Owerri against Governor Okorocha, and we shall continue to show our respect for the Archbishop, but, one fact remains sacrosanct, he cannot install a governor of APGA extraction in 2019, because he could not do that in 2015 when he first tried it.
“The archbishop had hidden under his Easter message to continue his onslaught on the governor and his Rescue Mission Government, making it the tenth time in less than two months he had descended on the governor and the administration.
“Of all the allegations the archbishop made against the governor, the most unfortunate was the one he said Governor Okorocha is the only voice which everyone has to listen to and obey, otherwise, arrests and imprisonments would follow. That was the height of blackmail.”
Okorocha alleged that the Catholic prelate has continued his onslaught against his government using his Easter message as a guise.
The governor’s aide faulted the claims by the Catholic prelate that the people of the state have been living in fear and panic, even as he challenged him to mention anyone who has been arrested in the state for criticizing the governor.
“And we humbly wish to challenge the archbishop to mention just one person the governor or government arrested for any reason, including criticizing him or anybody, since he came on board as governor in 2011.
“Where the archbishop fails to do this, we ask with every sense of politeness, that he corrects that false claim, and, if he deems it worth-doing, apologise to the governor.”
He said that of all the governors who have governed Imo state, both military and civilian, Okorocha stands out as the most tolerant and accommodating, adding: “the overwhelming love of Imo people for the governor means more to us than the weak voice of the opposition in the state made up of few politicians.”
He alleged that Archbishop Obinna has intensified his disdain or hatred for All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Okorocha this time because of the 2019 election.
“And the archbishop should know that most people have become fed up with his repeated unprovoked and unwarranted attacks on the governor and his government, using every platform and every event available to him.”
National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),Prince Uche Secondus has asked the Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to meet him in court to prove that he is one of those who looted the nation’s treasury.
In a statement reacting to the minister’s list of Nigerians, mainly in the opposition PDP, Secondus emphasized that the minister will need to prove that he collected N200m from the purse of the National Security Adviser NSA as he alleged.
The PDP boss alleged that the agenda of the minister is to damage his (Secondus) reputation and distract him form serving his party, adding: “he has failed woefully.
“For the purposes of some gullible public, Prince Secondus never collected any money from the NSA under any guise.”
The All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government has come up with the names of Nigerians, mainly in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including its national chairman, Uche Secondus and former Publicity Secretary of the party as some of those responsible for looting the nation’s treasury during the past administration
The nation’s Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed, who released the names of the alleged looters in a statement today, Friday, said that the government was compelled to release the names of the looters by the opposition party whose leadership challenged the government to name those responsible for the looting.
“Well, I am sure they know that the treasury was looted dry under their watch. Yet they decided to grandstand. This shows the hollowness of their apology to Nigerians.”
The statement reads:
PDP CHAIRMAN UCHE SECONDUS – On the 19th of Feb 2015, he took N200 million only from the office of then NSA
2. Then PDP Financial Secretary – On the 24th of Oct 2014, he took N600 million only from the office of then NSA
3. Then National Publicity Secretary Olisah Metuh – On trial for collecting N1.4b from the office of then NSA
4. Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, Chairman of DAAR Communications – On trial for taking N2.1 billion from the office of then NSA
5. Former SSA to President Jonathan, Dudafa Waripamo-Owei- On trial over N830 million kept in accounts of four different companies
6 Former President Jonathan’s Cousin Robert Azibaola – On Thursday, a Federal High Court ruled that he has a case to answer for collecting $40 million from the office of then NSA
This list is just a tip of the iceberg, and the PDP is aware of this. We did not make these cases up. Many of these cases are in court and the records are available.
Some of the people on this list are seeking to plea bargain, and that is a fact.
We insist that Nigeria was looted blind under the watch of the PDP, and that the starting point in tendering an apology is for them to return the loot.
It’s like a robber admitting to stealing your car and apologizing, but then saying he will keep the car anyway. It doesn’t work that way.
The PDP is a hypocrite. And that reminds me of what English writer William Hazlitt said: ”The only vice that cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy. The repentance of a hypocrite is itself hypocrisy.”
We will not stop talking about the massive looting by the PDP. They brought Nigeria to this sorry pass. We are now looking around for loans to build infrastructure, and they ask us not to talk about it we will talk about it.
National leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has described the recent letter written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Muhammadu Buhari as one of his ‘bad belle letters.’
Speaking today, at a Colloquium to mark his 66th birth day in Lagos, Asiwaju thanked Nigerians for being patient with President Buhari and the APC.
“But there is a clear understanding here; that the difference between us and them is like day and night. My grandmother used to ask me to write letters to her. Somebody is writing letters now, letter of politics these days. As if they have not been there before. Bad belle letters!”
Asiwaju is happy that President Buhari is changing the course of the ship wreckage, “the ship of this country that is headed in the wrong direction. To steer the ship back or anchor before redirecting it, which of course is necessary. And we started this journey. The voyage is on. The voyage of hope; the voyage that we are reclaiming Nigeria, we are retooling Nigeria, re-inventing Nigeria and re-directing Nigeria. It’s not an easy course to embark upon…
“For 16 years they looted the country and they say we shouldn’t talk about it, as if we should just go ahead and run our government. On our part, we have good leaders to salvage the situation and we have hope that we can do it. We must put all that is necessary in place, to stimulate the economy.”
Asiwaju Tinubu asked Nigerian not to take the apologies of the Peoples Democratic Party which he said are full of lies and falsifications because “they changed figures, they made fake promises and they say we shouldn’t talk about them.
“We have a nation to rescue; we have a good leader to emulate and we have hope. We have reduced the propensity for corruption. We must strengthen the pension plank to stimulate growth. I will submit a proposal on how we can stimulate the economy. We don’t have to pay for a house of N10 million in one day and with cash; we need mortgage. This would discourage corruption.
“We must articulate a programme and promise Nigerians once again that we have the audacity of hope to put Nigeria on the path of prosperity and banish poverty in the country.”
He commended President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for the good work they have been doing in the last three years,which has brought tremendous progress and development to the state.
“We have faced challenges in the last three years. We came in with a lot of hope and enthusiasm as APC leaders. We gave our people hope; we believed in Nigeria and in ourselves, thinking we can change Nigeria for good and we are still going to do it. Life is nothing without challenges. Our logo is broom bound together. This symbolizes a united Nigeria against terrorism, corruption and revival of the economy.
“I can see what the government is doing with the little resources at its disposal. This has been demonstrated in practical terms.
“What’s the lesson to all Nigerians: forget those parties; they won’t come back. We did not envisage that there would be so much challenges. So, we would report back to Nigerians about what we found on ground. We did not say that there would be no challenges, because even America is facing challenges. They have wasted our resources.”
“I do not enjoy speaking to you this bluntly when you have been gracious enough to invite me here…” – Bill Gates.
Mr. Bill Gates, Microsoft founder, friend of Nigeria and one of the richest men in the world was in Nigeria recently, but he ended up violating the official interpretation of “table manners” in Nigeria’s corridors of power. When you are a guest in people’s home, you don’t count their nine toes one by one. It is an essential part of African tradition and culture that when people host you in their homes, treat you with courtesy, open their doors to you, even if the dinner they serve you is the worst you have ever had, you are still required to say nice words. Mr Gates’ recent visit to Nigeria was like a special treat.
He had a special audience with the President. He was also a special guest at one of the most memorable weddings on the Nigerian social calendar: the wedding of Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s daughter to the son of a former Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Abubakar – from Kano to Abuja, to Lagos. Mr. Gates was also invited as a Special Guest to the meeting of Nigeria’s National Economic Council, and was given the opportunity to make a speech and he simply proceeded to tell Nigerian leaders that they are not doing enough to help their people. This was a collection of Nigeria’s biggest men, the same guys who currently call the shots- so powerful they can demolish anybody’s house, lock anybody up and classify any critical statement as “hate speech.” In fact, one of these big men didn’t waste time in reminding Bill Gates of expected “table manners”.
The only problem is that Bill Gates chose to determine his own table manners. He did not come to Nigeria to “eat”. He is not a contractor; he is not looking for an oil bloc, and he obviously has no plans to take a Nigerian wife. He was in a manner of speaking, putting his mouth where his money is. “I have been coming here regularly since 2006”, Gates told his audience. He defined his bona fide further: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has spent about $1.6 billion in Nigeria’s health sector trying to make the lives of Nigerians better – that’s more than 500 billion Naira and that’s Mr. Gates’ hard-earned money. His words: “…With the money I’d been lucky enough to earn at Microsoft, we started working toward a different goal: a healthy and productive life for everyone. That’s why I come to Nigeria, and that’s why Melinda and I will continue coming for as long as we are able. Our foundation’s biggest office in Africa is here. We have committed over $1.6 billion in Nigeria so far, and we plan to increase our commitment. We have strong relationships with the federal government, state governments, businesses, NGOs, and civil society organisations. We are eager to support you as you work to make Nigeria a global economic powerhouse that provides opportunity for all its citizens—as you strive to fulfil this country’s immense promise.”
Mr.. Gates’ speech was not just about “immense promise; it was also about the seeming reluctance of the Nigerian state to confront the hard facts and avoid the risks of failing to commit fully to the development of human capital in Nigeria. He took one good look at the Nigerian government’s “Economic Recovery and Growth Plan” and dismissed it on the grounds that it does little to develop human capital. He also believes that a lot more can be done to develop the health, agriculture and education sectors. I find the following particularly instructive: “This is the scenario we all want: Nigeria thrives because every Nigerian is able to thrive.” Gates didn’t talk about “some Nigerians” but “every Nigerian” – a country that is committed to the common good for the happiness of all. There is nothing strange or earth-shaking in what Mr. Gates has said. Nigerians say very much the same things every day on television, in seminars and workshops, and other fora. But the Bill Gates voice carries a strong and special resonance.
While it may difficult to transform Nigeria overnight, given the extent of the rot, the decline is worse because something has gone wrong with the nexus between leadership, democracy and public opinion in Nigeria. Those in the corridors of power, perhaps because of the triumph of politics over rationality, have resolved to filter everything through the lens of partisanship – religious, ethnic and political. Every critical opinion is dismissed as the opinion of “a wailing wailer” – not Bob Marley’s “Wailing Wailers” – no certainly not in that sense. The Nigerian “wailing wailer” is dismissed as a frustrated person, an irritant, claiming to know how best Nigeria should be run, because his or her party, Godfathers, kinsmen, associates or members of the same religious faith are no longer in power. Every contrary opinion is therefore dismissed as procured; every contribution is rejected except it comes as perfumed eulogy.
Mr Gates cannot be accused of ethnic bias, or religious or political partisanship. He would also feel insulted if he were to hear that some Nigerians have been saying that he is probably echoing the thoughts of some Nigerians, acting as their spokesperson. But “a wailing wailer”? May be yes. Among many Nigerians, the label “wailing wailer” has since been adopted as a badge of honour. There is even a twitter account – @WailersNG and an online newspaper that has since adopted the label as title and identity. The “wailing” citizens of Nigeria are, like Mr. Gates, frustrated with what Nigeria has become in the light of what it is capable of becoming, and the opportunities that have been missed. The people have expected change in their circumstances for so long, but change is so long in coming. Even when the change that the people were promised in 2015 has turned out to be a myth, they are like Mr. Gates still asking for change – real change. Nigerians like other human beings just want to be happy. They want a country that works. They want exactly all those basic things of life that Mr. Gates outlined in his speech: they want their needs to be addressed; they want their potentials to grow.
Mr Gates’ place in Nigeria is tied to his efforts in the health sector, to help the Nigerian people through their governments and other institutions to fulfil these expectations. And to that end, he has committed $1.6 billion from 2006 to date. To be sure, his speech is not quite a criticism of the Buhari administration. He may have cited the Buhari government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), but I think, in a sense, he may just have felt the same way about the Obasanjo government, the Yar’Adua eight-point agenda, the Goodluck Jonathan Transformation Agenda, and the efforts of the various state governments he has had cause to work with. He has offered us an informed commentary on the Nigerian state since 2006 as he has seen it. His speech is a comment on the leadership elite in Nigeria – he calls them out on the duty they owe their people and the need to do more in terms of policy thrust and execution. The speech is not about APC or PDP, APGA or SDP or 2019 – I don’t think he gives a damn about that – he is more concerned about the people and how this great country can fulfil its potential. I don’t even get the sense that he is attacking the Federal Government; he is in fact advising the Nigerian government at all levels and the leadership elite in every sector.
But there is a whiff of frustration and disappointment in that intervention. Having addressed the expanded National Economic Council and seeing how his statement was brusquely dismissed, Mr. Gates has since gone to CNN, to restate his position, just in case his original audience was hard of hearing: “As a partner in Nigeria, I am saying the current plan is inadequate. Nigeria has all these young people and the current quality and quantity of investment in these young generations: in health and education just isn’t good enough. So, I was very direct. If they can get health and education right, they will be an engine of growth not just for themselves but for all of Africa.”
What Mr. Gates says is perhaps as important as things he has left unspoken. He is an outsider, looking in, offering dispassionate advice. But as “a partner,” he probably knows Nigeria more than many of us claim to do. We have heard you, Mr Gates; definitely $1.6 billion is a lot of money. When Mr. Gates takes the newspapers and he reads that in Nigeria, rats have invaded the Nigerian President’s office, even if he considers this a tad bit bizarre, he is likely to wonder what impact the Gates Foundation’s investment in Nigeria’s health sector has been able to make. Don’t they realize health is important, if rats can invade their President’s office, what will be the fate of the ordinary Nigerians we are trying to help?
Mr Gates also obviously knows that corruption is a big problem in Nigeria as it is in other parts of the world, but when he reads or gets to hear that Nigerians have since added a new dimension to the art of corruption: pythons now swallowing millions of money, he cannot be blamed for wondering how much of his $1.6 billion may have been swallowed by rats and snakes, and whether indeed that explains why not much progress has been made. Over the years, in the course of visiting Nigeria, Mr. Gates must have observed the opulent lifestyle of Nigerian leaders. He probably has visited one or two private homes, or government houses, to see car garages full of exotic vehicles, some of them useful only for display, and he would surely wonder why anyone should live so conspicuously when Nigerian children are suffering from malnutrition, over 10 million of them are out of school and the ones that have had the benefit of education have no competitive skills. He must also, I believe, have held discussions with some of our highly placed persons, and be shocked by the inability of many of them to keep a long attention span on serious subjects or have an intelligent conversation.
In the world of the internet, he must have read or heard about the shocking wealth of some Nigerians, and wonder why these same Nigerians cannot join him, an outsider, to invest in human capital in Nigeria and Africa. He knows Aliko Dangote who is supporting philanthropic causes and touching lives. He probably also knows Tony Elumelu who is promoting Afro-optimism and developing entrepreneurship in 33 countries across Africa. But he probably has seen many more privileged Nigerians who can make a difference but who do not seem to care. He may have in fact attended one or two Nigerian “owambe” parties: he would have been shocked at the elaborate dressing of Nigerian women: the rich ones among them looking like they are decked in a million dollars per party, from “N40 million hair attachments” to designer make-up, shoes, jewelry, handbag and a haughty attitude on top. He must be similarly intrigued by our flowing agbada and babariga, and neck-beads and golden walking sticks, and the lavish parties we throw, in a country where the poor can barely feed or pay hospital bills. Hence: “Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth…”, he announced.
Bill Gates’s core message is that Nigeria must get its priorities right, and make governance more people-oriented. If Nigeria must grow its potential and make its people happy, Nigerian leaders must develop a sustainable plan for progress, do more for their people and encourage youth development, promote transparency and accountability and reduce alienation. That certainly is not “hate speech.” It is so simple; it shouldn’t be too difficult to understand. We should listen, lest Mr. Gates finds a more deserving environment and turns his back on Nigeria. [myad]
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has given the Security Committee a marching order to go after kidnappers in the outskirts of the Territory and others who are engaged in insurgency and other crimes.
The minister, who spoke to newsmen shortly after the meeting of the comiittee at the conference chambers of the FCT, also mandated the committee to strengthen joint patrols and undertake other measures designed to curb these negative developments.
The Minister assured that all areas identified to be harbouring criminal elements, especially around the Mogadishu Cantonment in Asokoro, Kugbo and other flash points in the Territory, would be evacuated.
He promised that the Administration would precede all evacuations efforts with enough notices, publicity and stakeholder engagements as well as adopt the multi-stakeholder approach to checking these menaces.
The Committee noted that even though FCT has remained largely peaceful, the increase in small crimes has remained a source of worry even as the ministry assured that it is working hard to eliminate them.
The Minister expressed the gratitude of the Administration to all the security agencies as well as the FCT residents for their support and contributions to the maintenance of peace in the FCT.
Meanwhile, the minister, in his Easter message, asked the residents, especially Christians, to use the occasion to rededicate themselves to the virtues of love and service to the fatherland.
He said that the season offers the residents an opportunity to reflect on the life and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, as a pathway for peaceful coexistence and service to humanity.
He underscored the ideals of national unity and oneness on which the FCT was founded and urged residents to strive to demonstrate these values in their interaction with one another.
President Muhammadu Buhari has sounded a note of warning to political stakeholders to make sure they don’t tamper with the electoral process either before or during the 2019 general elections.
The President, in a message today marking Easter celebration said: “as we approach the period of campaigns, I appeal to our political actors and other stakeholders to resist any act that could mar the integrity of our electoral process.”
Buhari who congratulated Christians for Easter celebration at a time of great promise and hope for the nation, despite the challenges, expressed optimism that with God, the dark days of Nigeria’s elections being manipulated by violence and rigging by corrupt politicians and their agents are over.
“They are confined to the dustbin of history where they rightly belong. I remain committed to bequeathing a legacy of supremacy of the people’s will through the ballot box.”
He thanked God Dapchi schoolgirls were been safely released after 30 agonizing days in the hands of their abductors, and that they have been reunited with their families.
The President is optimistic that all others, including the Chibok girls who are still in captivity will be safely released unconditionally to their families even as he asked for continued pray for their safe return.
President Buhari said that he had recently given clear instructions to the security agencies to prioritize safety in schools in areas where the humanitarian and security situation are still dire, in addition to ensuring adequate protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
He commended those who recognize and support his government’s unwavering efforts to prevent the spread of conflicts in various communities, check wanton criminality and the taking of innocent lives; unite the country; and steer the ship of state to a steady path of economic growth, job creation and development.
“While we enjoin law-abiding fellow compatriots to work for peace and social justice in our beloved country, let there be no doubt of our resolve to firmly resist others who may want to make cheap political capital out of current national security challenges.”
He recalled that his government’s programmes and policies in the last three years have resulted in bringing down the prices of staple crops, gradual improvement of road, rail and electricity infrastructure; and making Nigeria the preferred destination for investors.
“More than ever before, we are ready to consolidate on these gains and ensure that we improve the lot of our communities in the years ahead.”
He reminded Christians that Easter, which is aimed at marking the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, represents the triumph of good over evil, and life over death, adding “it is also a time to show love, forgiveness, compassion and renewed hope in the Grace of God.
“The Holy Scripture affirms that happiness and fulfilment in life do not flow from acquiring the best things in life, but in being richer in a relationship with God and fellow human beings.
“Let us use the opportunity of this special season to deeply reflect on how every one of us can imbibe the profound teachings of Jesus Christ with renewed vigour.
“In so doing and by placing the joy, comfort and happiness of others above ours, we will make a statement that vices such as, hate speech, bigotry, corruption, banditry and terrorism have no place in our nation. We must do all it takes to love our neighbours and display increased spirit of tolerance and accommodation.” [myad]
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Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has given the Security Committee a marching order to go after kidnappers in the outskirts of the Territory and others who are engaged in insurgency and other crimes.
