Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the involvement of religious leaders, private sector individuals and traditional rulers in corruption across the country is making it difficult for the government of Muhammadu Buhari to quickly eliminate it, even as it threatens other sectors of the nation’s economic development.

Professor Osinbajo insisted that for Nigeria to turn a new leaf in the overall socio economic development, it must deal with corruption decisively.

“It is difficult (to deal with it) because it is systemic and affecting all institutions; perpetrated by a leadership elite that includes, not just politicians, but private sector individuals, and even religious leadership.”

The Vice President, who spoke at the Greater Nigeria Pastors’ Conference in Lagos yesterday, Friday, said: “we stand on the threshold of perhaps the most significant moment in the history of our nation. It is a time of economic challenges, ethnic and religious tensions.”

Professor Osinbajo who acknowledged that Nigeria is “in the pains of childbirth and we will soon experience the same sweetness and joy of childbirth,” said that one of the negative indices against the realization of the nation’s full potential in actual development are also tribalism, religion and other parochial tendencies.

“Unfortunately, because of state failure in some respects, many, even pastors, have gone into their tribal groups and speak and act mainly from that perspective. But, perhaps, the most important problem is the failure of Christian leadership to take our rightful place. We have focused our minds on an Islamic agenda, seeking and finding it in every action, or inaction. But where is the Christian agenda? We are too divided to craft one.”

He said however that beyond all such negativisms, is the clear sign that Nigeria has arrived at the corridors of building a new nation, adding: “it is a time, when by the sheer grace of God, we have the greatest opportunities, to be, not just Africa’s largest economy by GDP, but also its most efficient and most productive.

“We will, by 2050, be the 4th largest nation by population in the world, and we can, like China, also become one of the ten most successful economies in the world by that date. This is our best moment yet because we have shown that, despite the lowest earnings from oil in the past 15 years and, in 2016, recording the lowest production of oil in the past 20 years, and a recession as a consequence, we could still invest N1.3 trillion, the largest amount of money in capital projects in 15 years.

“We have shown that as difficult and painful as a recession might be, we have the capacity to come out of it and begin the building of an economy that emphasizes productivity and will provide enough jobs. We began the massive diversification of our economy by investing in agriculture. We set targets for self-sufficiency in rice, tomato paste, sorghum, millet. We are now one of the world’s largest producers of paddy rice. Milling is the weak link, but in the past year, several new mills have been open. The latest is the Wacot mill in Kebbi. Coscharis and Dangote have already invested in about 1 million Mt of capacity.”

The Vice President that the government is working daily on the whole farm- to- table value chain and, is expecting that the next industrial explosion will come from agri-business.

“We are providing the environment for small businesses. The major problem is access to finance, and interest rates. We are working with the CBN and development finance institutions to crack that problem. [myad]

The Presidency has given an indication that President Muhammadu Buhari is set to come up with the final decision on the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal.

Special Assistant to the President on Prosecutions, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla who spoke on the issue to The Punch, said: “the President is in the process of coming out with a report.”

According to him, the issue is an administrative process because it was not clear if what Babachir did was corruption or if it was an infringement on the economic or financial laws in the country.

“An administrative panel of enquiry (the Osinbajo-led panel) has submitted its report to the President. After that, a committee would be set up to review and then come out with a White Paper.

“It is not automatic. A White Paper would be the government’s position on the issue. The committee can make 10 recommendations and the White Paper may accept two. So, the President is in that process of coming out with a report.

“So, the President must follow due process before coming to a conclusion. Even if that report comes out, the President does not have powers to investigate the crime.

“The Nigeria Police Force, EFCC, ICPC, and so on are the only bodies that have powers to investigate the crime. That matter has to be investigated and if a prima facie case is established, then that person can be taken to court. Nigerians must just be patient.” [myad]

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed appreciation to various support groups working for the progress of his administration, saying that posterity will reward their sacrifices for the peace, progress and prosperity of the nation.

The President, who received in audience today, Friday, at the Presidential Villa, members of the National Committee of the Buhari Support Group (NCBSG), led by Senator Abu Ibrahim, assured them of the judicious use of available national resources for the betterment of all Nigerians.

 ”I am grateful for your sacrifices. Your work requires a lot of sacrifices both physical and material. I do not think anybody will join this organisation for material reasons.

”What you are doing is for the nation and not for me as an individual. Therefore, there is no way you can lose because what you are doing is for posterity”

The groups assured President Buhari that they would continue to engage in the production of detailed sector-specific documentaries, programmes, policies and achievements of his administration.

In a PowerPoint presentation, the group told the President that they had a massive, diverse, grassroots base, which would strive to mobilise young Nigerians to become drivers of the CHANGE administration’s programmes and achievements.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had earlier commissioned the Buhari Support Organization (BSO) Secretariat and the re-launch in Utako, Abuja. Professor Osinbajo commended the men and women who have been in the vanguard that produced the government of change that Nigerians wanted.

The Vice President, who was represented by the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, said that the gathering was aimed at focusing on the ideals of the change agenda until it has yielded its full fruits.

The Vice President advised members of the BSO to always consider, as their guiding principle, President Buhari’s words that the change process is a marathon and not a sprint, adding “by the grace of God, we shall make it.”

The FCT Minister who doubled as the Chief Host at the occasion, pledged the commitment of the FCT Administration to remain resolute to the implementation of the change agenda in the FCT.

In his remarks at the occasion, The Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello said that for the country to achieve success, it would need men and women with character, integrity and sense of mission.

“We actually underrated the rot in the system before coming in. What we met on ground was beyond what we heard. That is why it is not going to be a hundred meters dash to quickly turn around the economy.”

Governor Yahaya Bello said that the All Progressives Congress (APC), has done a lot even as he advised members to take personal credit for the number of Chibok girls that have been rescued so far, the security of country, and the degrading and defeat of Boko Haram among others.

The BSO chairman and Controller General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ali charged members to rekindle the journey they started in 2015 that led to entrenching a government of change in Nigeria.

He emphasized that the focus of the organization this time around would centre on the sustenance of good governance which has become the hallmark of the Buhari Administration. [myad]

Soldiers operating under 112 Task Force Battalion of 22 Brigade were said to have ambushed the Boko Haram insurgents as they tried to make their way into Sambisa forest from where they were dislodged earlier this year.

The solders, who were deployed in Dikes on Operation LAFIYA DOLE in furtherance of the ongoing clearance operation caught the insurgents in their tracks as they were attempting to cross into Sambisa forest through Lumda village, some few kilometres away from Maiduguri – Dikwa road in Borno State.

A statement today, Friday, by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman, said that the soldiers sprung the ambush on the unsuspecting terrorist and neutralized three of them, while several others escaped with gunshot wounds.

“The troops further recovered five bicycles, mechanic tools, sacks containing various items and some mosquito nets from the ambush site.”

The army appealed to members of the public in the danger zone to be vigilant and to report suspicious movement of persons to security agencies. [myad]

Former Nigerian military Head of State, retired General Yakubu Gowon has expressed doubt on the workability of the restructuring which some Nigerians are clamouring for.

According to him, carrying out a successful restructuring in a country with over 500 ethnic group, and other divergent socio cultural differences would not be very easy.

“Nigeria is made up of over 500 ethnic groups, languages and dialects and so many various groups called nationalities and they want restructuring.

“This restructuring everybody is asking for, we will have about 500 different ideas of restructuring. There is call for restructuring to reduce the number of states to only a few either back to the old region or to the zones.”

“Those are some of the ideas that I do not know whether it will be possible for any state today to wish to be merged with another state. Let us see whether our politicians will see guidelines to be able to achieve what they want.

“But I have my problem whether the states will be financially capable so they will be able to run their states properly.”

General Gowon spoke yesterday in Minna, the Niger State capital, saying that such diverse ethnic groups would not be able to form a united front for the restructuring.

Saying that each of the groups is likely not going to yield to another in terms of concession of certain benefits, the war-time Nigerian leader stressed that there would be various definitions of what restructuring is by the various ethnic groups and that this would make it impossible for the groups to come to general conclusion as to what it really should be.

General Gowon asked Nigerians to, instead be united because some states as components of the federation are not financially capable of going it alone.[myad]