A 71- year old retired pastor of a Pentecostal church in Abriba, Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, Rev. Chima Egbochiogum, has been arrested along with his wife, Ugo, for alleged buying a baby for N500,000.
The pastor and his wife were arrested for allegedly adopting the stolen baby whom the suspect sold at the cost of N500, 000.
Delta state Commissioner of Police, Joshak Habila, who paraded the couple in Umuahia, alongside other suspects in connection with the incident, allegedly bought a stolen baby.
According to the police boss, the pastor and his wife were nabbed following a confession by a notorious child trafficker who was arrested last month for human trafficking.
Habila said that the child trafficker, identified simply as Ekwutosi, stole an 11-month-old baby girl belonging to a 21- year -old pregnant mother, who he had pretended to assist.
Police boss said Ekwutosi had approached the young woman, who had a baby out of wedlock, with promise that he would secure a job opportunity for her.
The woman was said to have left her baby in the custody of Ekwotosi when she went to buy food for her.
“But by the time the mother returned, Ekwutosi had disappeared with the baby,” the police commissioner said, adding that the suspect was later intercepted by the police at Owerrinta when he was allegedly trafficking pregnant girls to Port Harcourt.
He added that the suspect confessed to his criminal activities including the stealing of the 11- month old baby during interrogations.
According to Habila, the confession led to the arrest of the pastor who allegedly adopted the stolen baby, adding that the suspect sold the baby at the cost of N500, 000 to the wife of the pastor.
In an interview with journalists, the pastor said he was not aware that the baby adopted by his wife was a stolen child, adding that he had married his second wife following the death of his first wife, who had born children for him. [myad]
The last of the Centenary City project in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory is yet to be heard, as a group which goes by the name Nigerian Unemployed Youth Vanguard (NUYV) has embarked on protest, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the alleged fraud perpetrated in the multi billion naira project. Astatement jointly issued yesterday by Mr. Solomon Adodo, national coordinator and Mr. Suleiman Musa, national secretary, the group said there was some element of truth in the allegation raised by Senator Cairo Ojougboh, National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for South-South on the project.
Senator Ojougboh, had petitioned Buhari in July, alleging that the 18 billion dollars centenary city project was a scam. The Centenary City project was initiated by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan to mark Nigeria’s 100 years of existence.
Ojougboh alleged that government had no equity in the project and that Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation was the sole owner of the 3,000 acres of land on which it is sited.
The group said that it had strong evidence to prove that the project was a scam as alleged by Ojougboh and vowed to drag Anyim to court.
“The entire landmass on which the Centenary City rests was wrongfully acquired under false pretence.
“The free trade zone status granted the city clearly contravenes the sacrosanct provisions of the Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA) Act.
“Its promoters have hidden the Certificate of Occupancy of the said Centenary City since it has been marked as a free trade zone.
“This is contrary to global practice which stipulates that the Certificate of Occupancy of a free trade zone be in possession of the government.’’
The group alleged that Anyim used his position as the SGF to mislead former President Goodluck Jonathan and Nigerians, adding: “what they didn’t know is that the project was a grand plot for further enrichment of greedy elements in the society while further impoverishing the masses.
“The Centenary City project will not translate into employment for Nigerians because our jobs will be exported overseas due to its phoney free trade zone status.”
The group added that it had written the President detailing its findings on the “excessive fraud shrouded in the Centenary City project.
“We strongly believe that Mr President will stand up to his salient promises in this moment of truth and ensure the Centenary City project is revoked.
“The criminal elements behind it are bent on wrecking our nation’s economy and frustrating President Muhammadu Buhari’s drive at generating employment for the Nigerian youth.” [myad]
Some call it the Buhari bounce. Others describe it as the Buhari effect. Yet some others say it is the Buhari aura. One thing is however crystal clear. Things have not been the same in the past 100 days in Nigeria, since Muhammadu Buhari assumed the presidency. A new sheriff has truly come to town. Exactly 100 days ago, he climbed the podium at Eagle Square in Abuja and got inaugurated as president, 30 years after he had been toppled from power as military head of state. He promised to belong to nobody, and to belong to everybody. It is a pledge that still resonates loudly today, and will surely echo for a long time to come. On a day like this, you would expect a presidential spokesman to chronicle the achievements of his principal in office. He has turned stone to bread, slain the dragon, and climbed Mount Olympus in ten seconds. But that is not what I want to do. There are some intangible, almost imperceptible achievements, but which run very deep, and are quite fundamental. Those are the ones I’ll rather talk of, while we leave the tangibles till some other day. Oh, he’s escaping. There are no concrete achievements, some wailing wailers would cry. True? Not true. I could have decided to focus on the bloody nose being given to Boko Haram in the North-east, which would see the country rid of insurgency soon, the rallying of leaders of other neighboring countries to deploy a Joint Multinational Task Force, the openness displayed about government finances and the welfare package instituted for states that couldn’t pay salaries, the Treasury Single Account, which would promote transparency and accountability in governance, the disappeared fuel queues, fast-tracking of the cleanup of Ogoni land, reduction in the cost of governance, and many others. But I will not focus on all those. The day cometh! When a new sheriff comes into town, disorder gives way to order. Chaos flees. Impunity is swept away. Laxity gives way to diligence, and people change their old, unedifying ways. When you have a Wild, Wild West situation prevailing, the new sheriff comes, and stamps his authority. Old things then pass away, behold, everything becomes new. Nigeria had always needed attitudinal change. That was why the Buhari regime launched War Against Indiscipline in the 1980s. And the war was succeeding, till a spanner was thrown in the works through regime change. Buhari was called all sorts of names then: despot, tyrant, iron fist ruler etc But the discerning knew. They understood that it was a change we needed. And that change was postponed for 30 years. But what is bred in the bones never goes out through the flesh. Immediately Buhari returned on May 29, Nigerians knew that discipline was back. The bird of the homestead told the ones in the bush, and they all sat up. No unnecessary chirping. Stealing is now corruption, they whispered to themselves. God help you if you get caught. Now, consider the situation with electricity and with our refineries. Electricity has climbed to about 5,000 Megawatts. Some refineries, which had not produced a drop of fuel for years, have cracked into life. Even the perennial queues in our petrol stations have disappeared, vanished. Is it because Buhari threw billions of dollars at the problems? No. Those things simply responded to the presence of the new sheriff in town. Those who manned those schedules could afford to be laid back in the past. But not anymore! The music has changed, and the dance steps must follow suit. And would Buhari take credit for the newfound zeal and efficiency? Not the plain and honest man from Daura. The broadcaster Omotayo Omotoso had come to the presidential villa to interview him sometime in July. And she had asked what the magic wand he waved was, that refineries, long comatose, had sprang back to life. The President responded that it would be dishonest of him to have claimed he did anything. He had not touched refineries at all. But unknown to the President, he did something. He had swept into town with his reputation for efficiency, and for achieving results. And the refineries, fuel supply, electricity supply, responded to the new sheriff. May things continue to get better till the change becomes enduring and irreversible. Amen somebody! Another imperceptible but momentous achievement is the faith that Nigerians now have in their leader. Yes, the opposition numbers in millions, and naturally so. A political party had held power at the centre for 16 years, and its loyalists would not simply disappear, or get converted overnight. About 12 million Nigerians had voted for the presidential candidate of that party in the March 2015 general elections. Would they just cross over to the winning side? It often takes awhile. But despite all that, a great deal of Nigerians, a vast majority, believe in the new sheriff. And that is great achievement. A big deal. When the citizenry believe in their leader, and almost can swear by him, it is no mean feat. The NOI polls, in a survey in July, revealed that over 70% of Nigerians were happy with the Buhari administration. And I can bet that the percentage would rise, as the months and years roll by. Faith in leadership is something that does not come cheap. And this one! Even our foreign reserve knows that a new sheriff is in town, and has responded appropriately. In June, just one month into office, and with the plugging of some leakages and loopholes, foreign reserve surged from $29 billion to $31.89. Holy Moses! Just in one month. Well, that is what a new sheriff can do. He brings sanity, confidence and probity to the system. And you would agree that Nigeria needs such shot in the arm, if we consider recent past experiences, when our treasury was like a bag filled with holes. An evidence of the believability of the new sheriff, and the confidence reposed in him, is the disclosure that came this week from Ambassador Godknows Igali, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power. He said since Buhari came to office, not a single sabotage of the power infrastructure has been recorded, and it is one of the reasons that electricity supply keeps improving. But did Buhari line up soldiers across the power infrastructure? Did he hire a combination of OPC, Egbesu, MASSOB, MEND and Arewa youths to keep vigil? No. Just believability. Those who are so angry with the country, and would go to any extent to sabotage development, have decided to give the sheriff a chance. They have heard of his reputation. A man that believes in fairness and justice. He would do right to all parts of the country. Can you imagine the respect our sheriff commands on the international scene, and how it redounds to the glory of the average Nigerian? American President, Barack Obama said Buhari came onto his job with reputation of integrity and a clearcut agenda. Ambassador Johnny Carson, also during the U.S trip in July, said the Nigerian President was a man of honour and integrity. Everywhere he goes, the Nigerian President is lauded and garlanded for his virtues. And the image of the country is burnished and repositioned in the process. Surely, greater days are ahead. Some people say the sheriff did not hit the ground running, as he is yet to constitute his cabinet in 100 days. And I usually ask such people: when you hit the ground, and you land in mud, how do you begin to run immediately? You can only sink deeper, if you attempt to run. The thing to do is to first clear the mud, till you get to terra firma, and then you can begin to run. President Buhari has spent time trying to clean the Augean stable he inherited. And he is succeeding. Sheriffs can either come in with guns blazing, shooting malefactors to kingdom come, or simply stamp their authority on the situation by sheer force of personality and presence. The Nigerian sheriff seems to have opted for the second option for now. But we should never forget that sheriffs are licensed to shoot. And those shots can be lethal for lawbreakers. In a matter of months, you can ask those who had bled our treasury to the point of death. They’ll have stories to tell.
Femi Adesina is Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari. [myad]
An undergraduate of Delta State University, Abraka, Bassey Aniekan, has admitted that he used Indian hemp to bake the cake which he gave to his fellow female student, aged 17.
According to the Delta state spokesperson of the police command, DSP Celestina Kalu in a statement in Asaba, after eating the cake, the victim started behaving abnormally and was admitted to hospital for treatment.
The incidence was reported to the police in Abraka on September 2 after which Bassey was reported to have confessed during the interrogation, that he added Indian hemp to the ingredients used in baking the cake.
“We are still investigating the matter,” Kalu said. [myad]
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced the Introduction of anti-corruption and indiscipline Biometric device that would be used to monitor the activities of corps members during their service year. Speaking at the launching of the device in Kuje area council of the Federal Capital territory, Abuja, the Director General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Johnson Olawumi, said the device will check the corrupt practices and indiscipline as well as ensure the security of corps members. General Olawumi said that the device has a way of detecting staff who connived with corps members to engage in corrupt practices, adding that such staff under the new system would lose their jobs. He added that the system will also ensure accountability and transparency in the management of the NYSC scheme. According to the Director General, it has been discovered that a lot of corps members have been in the habit of absconding from their states or places of primary assignment, hence the need for the biometric device to curb such acts. Olawumi said that the device would also address the resort to irregular signatures by the operatives of the NYSC which usually lead to non-payment of the monthly allowances, absenteeism and poor collation and storage of data amongst other challenges. The Director General stressed that corps members now have to be present during their monthly clearance to be captured in the exercise. According to him, the platform will be put to use from this month, September, in the nation’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Lagos State respectively. This was even as the Director, Corps Welfare and Inspectorate, Mr. Michael Ahile has blamed the challenges of monitoring corps members on the increasing number of prospective participants in the scheme. He said that the biometric device will be used to monitor submission of monthly clearance, Community Development Services (CDS) attendance among other activities. [myad]
No fewer than 34,892 Nigerian Muslims have so far been airlifted from various airports across the country to Madinah and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia in 90 flights for this year’s pilgrimage. According to the Director of media and publicity of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Uba Mana, the last flight by Medview aircraft departed Lagos at about 7.27pm today for Jeddah with 138 intending Armed Forces pilgrims from Ogun and Osun states even as MaxWell aircraft earlier departed from Dutse, the Jigawa state capital at about 5.08 this evening with 556 Jigawa state pilgrims for Madinah.
He said that another airline, Topbrass also airlifted about 255 pilgrims from Bauchi to Jeddah at about 3.45 pm today even as the same airline airlifted pilgrims from Katsina, capital of Katsina state at about 6.56am today for Jeddah and that MaxAir had earlier left with 428 Katsina pilgrims for Madinah. Today also, at about 6.18am, a Flynas aircraft flew from Kaduna for Madinah with 387 pilgrims, made up of 356 Kaduna and 30 Plateau state pilgrims. Medview aircraft which is also taking part in the airlift, yesterday, at about 4.57pm, left Lagos with a total of 321 intending Armed Forces pilgrims, even as the same Medview aircraft also flew 221 pilgrims to Madinah at about 8.17pm yesterday, made up of 127 from Lagos state and 93 from Ogun state. The airlift of the Nigerian pilgrims commenced on August 23 and is expected to be completed within three weeks before the pilgrimage begins in the third week of September. A total of 75,000 Nigerian Muslims are expected to perform the hajj. [myad]
Nigeria’s Most Reverend Josiah Idowu-Fearon has been appointed as Secretary-General of the 85 million-member Anglican Communion Consultative Council of the Anglican Worldwide. He emerged after a competitive election amongst all the qualified leaders in the World Anglican Communion. Dr. Idowu-Fearon, who was formally commissioned today in London, also received President Muhammadu Buhari’s Emissary, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who wished him success in his new post.
He beat other applicants from Oceania, Asia, Europe and the Americas to assume the mostly ambassador type post at a time when the worldwide communion remains estranged over homosexuality and same-sex marriages, especially in Africa.
“He is articulate and very well educated,” said Bishop Julius Kalu of Mombasa, Kenya, diocese. “His position on traditional Anglicanism is very firm. This is good for us.”
Kalu said the appointment had come at the right time, when African Anglicans needed a bigger voice within the communion.
“The church is growing fastest here,” said Kalu. “We also have the largest membership.”
Idowu-Fearon, who succeeds Kenneth Kearon, now a bishop in the Church of Ireland, is the first African to be appointed to the post.
In a letter delivered to Dr. Idowu-Fearon in London, President Buhari said that all Nigerians are proud of his elevation into one of the most important offices in the world of faith. The President also applauded Bishop Idowu-Fearon’s emergence, after a highly competitive selection process, as the first African to occupy the office. “With your intellect, with great pastoral zeal and with compassion, you have over the years risen above intolerance and narrow sectarianism and built interfaith and ecumenical bridges of understanding among your countrymen. “We salute your special gift of clearly articulating the essence and beauty of the many bonds that bind us. You have lived up to your calling and attained your self-stated goals of creating a culture of respect for differences, a culture of accepting human beings for what they are and playing down the things that divide them. “Our nation and the world will certainly be a better place if all men of God approach pastoral work with the same patience, compassion and fidelity to higher principles that you have exhibited in the various offices you have held. “It is our prayer that, in your new position, God uses you to counsel and move the entire worldwide Anglican Communion in the direction in which you have taken the Anglican Church in Nigeria—towards an intimate knowledge of others, and sincere fellowship with everyone. “This is the imperative of the moment: it is what the world direly needs today.” President Buhari wished Bishop Idowu-Fearon God’s guidance and success at his new post in the Anglican Communion Office in London. [myad]
Nigerian born Spanish lawyer, Helen Mukoro, has emerged the presidential candidate of an opposition party for the forthcoming election in Spain. She set a new record as the first woman and an immigrant to emerge presidential flag bearer of a political party. She will be running on the platform of Union De Todos, a party she founded earlier this year. Helen, who is also a forensic expert and author of many books, was born in Delta State and worked briefly in the Governor’s Office before she travelled to Spain in 1992. She gained prominence in Spanish politics, when she founded a political party and later became the first Nigerian-Spanish to contest for the Mayor of Denia in May this year. Although she lost the election, her popularity soared higher as several people endorsed him for the highest office in the land. Helen holds several academic qualifications. Apart from graduating in Law at the Spanish National University Alicante, she also holds a Masters Degree in Criminology, Masters Degree in Social Education, a post graduate certificate in Tax and Labor Management, a post graduate certificate in Forensic Psychology, and a post graduate certificate in Immigration and Domestic Violence. She worked as a legal consultant (Immigration Department) at the Red Cross Society, Spain and presently owns a legal firm. She served as the Chief Eecutive Officer (CEO) and President of the African Europe Chamber of Commerce. CEO/President of National Agency of Forensic Experts, Mediators and Technical Professionals of Spain and Europe. Helen had followed the trail of the United States President, Barack Obama, who was the first African-American to win the presidency. The 2015 Spanish general election would be held on or before Sunday, December 20, 2015, as provided by the Spanish constitution and the Organic Law of the General Election Regime of 1985. The ruling People’s Party (PP), led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, will seek re-election for a second term in office, while the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) will struggle to return to power after four years in opposition. The election will be marked by the rise of new parties Podemos (Spanish for “We can”) and Citizens. [myad]
Floods are said to have ripped through seven local government areas of Sokoto state, leading to the death of a seven-year old boy and destruction of farm produce worth N500 million. The Deputy Head of Sokoto state zonal Operations Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Thickman Tanimu announced the flood havoc today in Sokoto He said that the seven-year-old boy was killed when a wall fell on him after a rainstorm in Umbutu village of Kebbe Local Government area. According to him, the local government areas that were worst affected by the flood are Rabah, Wurno, Goronyo, Wamakko, Kware , Binji and Silame. Tanimu said that no fewer than 7, 500 acres of farmland, with maturing farm produce and dozens of villages were completely submerged. He said that the submerged villages were Duhuwa-babba, Dinbiso, Kagara, Rabah, Gandi, ‘Yar-tsakuwa, More, Kware, Kwalkwalawa, Dundaye, Rafi, Marabawa, among others. Tanimu added that some of the destroyed farm produce included rice, maize, guinea corn, millet, vegetables, beans and groundnuts. The official also said the flood had destroyed hundreds of houses in parts of Gwadabawa, Sokoto North, Sokoto South, Bodinga and Binji local governments. He said that some roads including ‘Yar-tsakuwa-Durbawa and the Unguishi- Kuchi were cut-off by the flood. According to him, the flooding became worse after the release of excess water by the Sokoto Rima River Development Authority from Goronyo and Bakolori dams. “This was however done after an alert and notices were sent to the agency, Sokoto State Government and the 23 local governments of the state. “SRBDA had promptly given the alert and notices to all the stakeholders, while NEMA also did the same,” he added even as he said that windstorm had blown off several houses in various parts of Kebbe local government. [myad]
The Global Goals campaign and the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) are set to launch the World’s Largest Lesson aimed at training about 500 Million children from over 100 countries about the new Sustainable Development Goals that will be adopted by the UN General Assembly later this month. A statement from UNICEF today said that as part of the campaign to tell everyone about the Global Goals, the World’s Largest Lesson will engage children and young people in the global effort to build a more sustainable future for every citizen. It said that the initiative has already attracted support from influential leaders and public figures, including Eminent Advocate for UNICEF, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan; UNICEF ambassadors Nancy Ajram and Serena Williams; PLAN International global ambassador Freida Pinto; andDani Alves, Hrithik Roshan, Kolo Touré, and Neymar and the Neymar Jr. Institute. “The World’s Largest Lesson will do more than teach children about the global goals. It will engage them in the effort to achieve those goals – educating them about the challenges that are shaping their futures and encouraging them to drive change in their own communities.” According to the UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake: “Young people can help achieve the global goals by holding their leaders accountable for the promises they are making – and by holding themselves accountable for building a better future for everyone.” The statement said that the World’s Largest Lesson will be held in classrooms on every continent during the week of 28 September, adding that a potential 500 million girls and boys between the ages of 8 and 14 will have the chance to learn about the Global Goals, which range from ending extreme poverty for all people everywhere, to tackling climate change, and giving all children the opportunity to gain a quality primary and secondary education. “Government leaders and ministers from a number of countries will be teaching and participating in lessons. “Specially created lesson materials include an animated film by Aardman and author and education expert, Sir Ken Robinson that introduces the Global Goals, and a downloadable comic book by Josh Elder, Karl Kesel and Grace Allison will be made available. “Some of the public figures backing the campaign have recorded their own introductions to the World’s Largest Lesson, including Serena Williams, Kolo Touré, Neymar and Dani Alves. “Additional lesson plans and information are available for teachers to select based on the themes most relevant for their pupils. “The World’s Largest Lesson is a fantastic opportunity to tell all children, everywhere what the Global Goals are and how they can play their part to make sure they are achieved.” This is even as Richard Curtis, founder of the Global Goals campaign said: “it would be wonderful if all teachers could make sure the World’s Largest Lesson is taught at their school. By making the Global Goals famous, we can give them the best chance of working around the world – and help make us the first generation to end extreme poverty, the most determined generation in history to end injustice and inequality, and the last generation to be threatened by climate change.” The World’s Largest Lesson provides a unique opportunity to foster global citizenship in schools across the world. It supports student learning across a range of subject areas such as science, geography, citizenship and technology and helps teachers explore important global issues such as human rights, poverty and climate change. [myad]
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Buhari, A New Sheriff Is In Town, By Femi Adesina
Some call it the Buhari bounce. Others describe it as the Buhari effect. Yet some others say it is the Buhari aura. One thing is however crystal clear. Things have not been the same in the past 100 days in Nigeria, since Muhammadu Buhari assumed the presidency. A new sheriff has truly come to town.
Exactly 100 days ago, he climbed the podium at Eagle Square in Abuja and got inaugurated as president, 30 years after he had been toppled from power as military head of state. He promised to belong to nobody, and to belong to everybody. It is a pledge that still resonates loudly today, and will surely echo for a long time to come.
On a day like this, you would expect a presidential spokesman to chronicle the achievements of his principal in office. He has turned stone to bread, slain the dragon, and climbed Mount Olympus in ten seconds. But that is not what I want to do. There are some intangible, almost imperceptible achievements, but which run very deep, and are quite fundamental. Those are the ones I’ll rather talk of, while we leave the tangibles till some other day.
Oh, he’s escaping. There are no concrete achievements, some wailing wailers would cry. True? Not true. I could have decided to focus on the bloody nose being given to Boko Haram in the North-east, which would see the country rid of insurgency soon, the rallying of leaders of other neighboring countries to deploy a Joint Multinational Task Force, the openness displayed about government finances and the welfare package instituted for states that couldn’t pay salaries, the Treasury Single Account, which would promote transparency and accountability in governance, the disappeared fuel queues, fast-tracking of the cleanup of Ogoni land, reduction in the cost of governance, and many others. But I will not focus on all those. The day cometh!
When a new sheriff comes into town, disorder gives way to order. Chaos flees. Impunity is swept away. Laxity gives way to diligence, and people change their old, unedifying ways. When you have a Wild, Wild West situation prevailing, the new sheriff comes, and stamps his authority. Old things then pass away, behold, everything becomes new.
Nigeria had always needed attitudinal change. That was why the Buhari regime launched War Against Indiscipline in the 1980s. And the war was succeeding, till a spanner was thrown in the works through regime change. Buhari was called all sorts of names then: despot, tyrant, iron fist ruler etc But the discerning knew. They understood that it was a change we needed. And that change was postponed for 30 years.
But what is bred in the bones never goes out through the flesh. Immediately Buhari returned on May 29, Nigerians knew that discipline was back. The bird of the homestead told the ones in the bush, and they all sat up. No unnecessary chirping. Stealing is now corruption, they whispered to themselves. God help you if you get caught.
Now, consider the situation with electricity and with our refineries. Electricity has climbed to about 5,000 Megawatts. Some refineries, which had not produced a drop of fuel for years, have cracked into life. Even the perennial queues in our petrol stations have disappeared, vanished. Is it because Buhari threw billions of dollars at the problems? No. Those things simply responded to the presence of the new sheriff in town. Those who manned those schedules could afford to be laid back in the past. But not anymore! The music has changed, and the dance steps must follow suit. And would Buhari take credit for the newfound zeal and efficiency? Not the plain and honest man from Daura. The broadcaster Omotayo Omotoso had come to the presidential villa to interview him sometime in July. And she had asked what the magic wand he waved was, that refineries, long comatose, had sprang back to life. The President responded that it would be dishonest of him to have claimed he did anything. He had not touched refineries at all. But unknown to the President, he did something. He had swept into town with his reputation for efficiency, and for achieving results. And the refineries, fuel supply, electricity supply, responded to the new sheriff. May things continue to get better till the change becomes enduring and irreversible. Amen somebody!
Another imperceptible but momentous achievement is the faith that Nigerians now have in their leader. Yes, the opposition numbers in millions, and naturally so. A political party had held power at the centre for 16 years, and its loyalists would not simply disappear, or get converted overnight. About 12 million Nigerians had voted for the presidential candidate of that party in the March 2015 general elections. Would they just cross over to the winning side? It often takes awhile. But despite all that, a great deal of Nigerians, a vast majority, believe in the new sheriff. And that is great achievement. A big deal. When the citizenry believe in their leader, and almost can swear by him, it is no mean feat. The NOI polls, in a survey in July, revealed that over 70% of Nigerians were happy with the Buhari administration. And I can bet that the percentage would rise, as the months and years roll by. Faith in leadership is something that does not come cheap.
And this one! Even our foreign reserve knows that a new sheriff is in town, and has responded appropriately. In June, just one month into office, and with the plugging of some leakages and loopholes, foreign reserve surged from $29 billion to $31.89. Holy Moses! Just in one month. Well, that is what a new sheriff can do. He brings sanity, confidence and probity to the system. And you would agree that Nigeria needs such shot in the arm, if we consider recent past experiences, when our treasury was like a bag filled with holes.
An evidence of the believability of the new sheriff, and the confidence reposed in him, is the disclosure that came this week from Ambassador Godknows Igali, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power. He said since Buhari came to office, not a single sabotage of the power infrastructure has been recorded, and it is one of the reasons that electricity supply keeps improving. But did Buhari line up soldiers across the power infrastructure? Did he hire a combination of OPC, Egbesu, MASSOB, MEND and Arewa youths to keep vigil? No. Just believability. Those who are so angry with the country, and would go to any extent to sabotage development, have decided to give the sheriff a chance. They have heard of his reputation. A man that believes in fairness and justice. He would do right to all parts of the country.
Can you imagine the respect our sheriff commands on the international scene, and how it redounds to the glory of the average Nigerian? American President, Barack Obama said Buhari came onto his job with reputation of integrity and a clearcut agenda. Ambassador Johnny Carson, also during the U.S trip in July, said the Nigerian President was a man of honour and integrity. Everywhere he goes, the Nigerian President is lauded and garlanded for his virtues. And the image of the country is burnished and repositioned in the process. Surely, greater days are ahead.
Some people say the sheriff did not hit the ground running, as he is yet to constitute his cabinet in 100 days. And I usually ask such people: when you hit the ground, and you land in mud, how do you begin to run immediately? You can only sink deeper, if you attempt to run. The thing to do is to first clear the mud, till you get to terra firma, and then you can begin to run.
President Buhari has spent time trying to clean the Augean stable he inherited. And he is succeeding. Sheriffs can either come in with guns blazing, shooting malefactors to kingdom come, or simply stamp their authority on the situation by sheer force of personality and presence. The Nigerian sheriff seems to have opted for the second option for now. But we should never forget that sheriffs are licensed to shoot. And those shots can be lethal for lawbreakers. In a matter of months, you can ask those who had bled our treasury to the point of death. They’ll have stories to tell.
Femi Adesina is Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari. [myad]