President Muhammadau Buhari has sent a warning to those he called ‘successive cabals of corrupt leaders and their cronies’ to stay clear of his government as the business as usual has gone forever.
Said the President: “there is indeed much work to be done, but we must do it well and carefully to ensure that the great opportunity which we now have is not lost to the “business as usual” group who selfishly or shortsightedly prefer a status quo that panders to their personal or group interests.”
President Buhari, in his Eid-el-Fitri (Sallah) message to Nigerians today, said that he remained wholly committed to giving the required leadership towards undoing the wrongs of the past and to ensure that Nigeria truly begins to unlock its great potential and that the benefits of its immense national resources are shared and enjoyed by all, “not just by successive cabals of corrupt leaders and their cronies.
“I was very aware of your high expectations when I assumed office and I reassure you, my fellow citizens, that since my inauguration on the 29th of May this year, I have been working with utmost dedication to meticulously plan and tackle the many national challenges which we identified and promised to resolve. To succeed however, I need your continued support, understanding and patience.
“I fully understand and share the thirst of my long-suffering compatriots for corruption-free government institutions that work efficiently to deliver visible development for the benefit of all citizens. I also share the feelings of those who think that we should be moving faster.  But I urge them and all Nigerians to trust that my commitment to  real and positive change in our nation is as firm as ever.”
President Buhari noted that the adverse effects of years of rot, corruption, inept and bad governance on our nation are immense, but that they are not insurmountable if we all resolve now to place the well-being of our nation above all other considerations and work whole-heartedly with the present administration to achieve greater peace and security across the nation, and reposition our country for faster economic development and progress.
The President rejoiced with Nigerians, especially those who have successfully completed the Ramadan fast in keeping with the injunction of our Creator.
He said that though we have come to the end of this year’s month of Ramadan, but that the acceptance by Nigerians of its key lessons, of self-denial and sacrifice will serve our dear country well as we strive to overcome our present challenges, undo the damage done by years of bad governance and accelerate the pace of national development.
According to President Buhari, some commentators and observers have reviewed our dire circumstances and the many missed opportunities of the past and have concluded that this time is Nigeria’s last chance to get its act together and finally begin to fulfill its God-given potential for greatness. [myad]

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the dissolution of the Governing Boards of Federal Parastatals, Agencies and Institutions with effect from today, July 16.
A statement by the special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina today said that until the boards are reconstituted, Chief Executive Officers of the affected parastatals, agencies and institutions are to refer all matters requiring the attention of their boards to the President, through the Permanent Secretaries of their supervising ministries.
The statement said that while the dissolution does not affect Federal Executive Bodies listed in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it covers administrative or technical committees and other similar organs established by the now dissolved boards. [myad]

Nigeria has formally declared support for the agreement between Iran and the six world powers on its nuclear programme which was concluded early this week.
At a meeting with visiting Iranian Vice President for Executive Affairs, Mohammed Shariatmadari at the Aso Presidential Villa today, President Buhari applauded the agreement, saying that it was  a major step toward ensuring peace and stability in the Middle East.
The President said that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Nigeria looks forward to the faithful implementation of the terms of the agreement by all concerned parties.
President Buhari, who received an invitation from the Iranian Vice President to attend an upcoming  Summit on Gas Exporting Countries in Tehran, remarked that it  was in the interest of developing countries to maximize the use of their natural resources for the improvement of the living conditions of their people.
Mr. Shariatmadari congratulated President Buhari on his election and assured him of Iran’s support in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
“The government of President Hassan Rouhani of Iran advocates moderation and departure from any form of extremism,’’ he said.

[ul class=”list list-point”] [li]Landmark Deal Reached On Iran Nuclear Program[/li] [li]Iran Nuclear Deal: Israel Fumes, Says West Has Surrendered To ‘The Axis Of Evil’ [/li][/ul] [myad]

A member of the House of Representatives, Iduma Enwo Igariwey, (Peoples Democratic Party, Ebonyi) has made a move at the Federal High Court, Abuja to stop President Muhammadu Buhari from giving out the sum of N413.7 billion to states to pay arrears of salary to government workers.

Igariwey is asking the court to declare Buhari’s approval of the bailout “unconstitutional, illegal, unlawful and null and void.”

He is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction to restrain Buhari from further allocation, distribution, and disbursement of public revenue from Nigeria’s distributable pool account to federal, state and local government without the prescription of the National Assembly.

The lawmaker, representing Afikpo North and South, joined the Attorney-General of the Federation, Ministry of Finance, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Accountant-General of the Federation and Auditor-General of the Federation in the suit.

Addressing newsmen shortly after returning from court, Igariwey declared that his suit had no political undertones. Instead, he said, it was informed by the need to defend the constitutional provision for separation of powers.

At least 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states owe their workers arrears of salaries. Some had not paid workers for as much as seven months.

Although he sympathized with the plight of such workers, Igariwey said the President had no power to unilaterally disburse money without the approval of the National Assembly.

According to him, the power of appropriation rests squarely with the National Assembly, and the federal government cannot appropriate public funds without recourse to the National Assembly.

“To do so will be for the Federal Government to act in a cavalier or perfunctory manner, and I believe that that is not what the drafters of the Constitution intended when the Constitution of this country was predicated on the separation of powers.

“Section four of our Constitution clearly vests the power of appropriation on the National Assembly. Section five vests the Executive with its own powers and Section six vests the Judiciary with its own powers. So, there is a clear separation of powers,” he said.

Igariwey submitted that Section 160 of the Nigerian Constitution makes it mandatory for the National Assembly to be involved in any form of revenue distribution in the country; the decision of government on the recent bailout, he said, amounted to boycotting the parliament and alienating it in the scheme of things in a constitutional democracy.

“I am doing this because I feel that this is a constitutional democracy. If you allow this kind of thing, no matter the good intention of the Federal Government, the country’s democracy will be threatened,” Igariwey said.

Asked if he took into consideration the possible reaction of Nigerians on the suit, he said, “This is a country of laws. Everything the government does ought to emanate from the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria. Every step the government intends to take must be backed up by the Constitution.

“Any day we set ourselves away from the Constitution, we will be inviting anarchy. What I am saying is that you cannot sacrifice constitutionalism on the altar of political expediency.

“The Constitution does not say that our president should be a Father Christmas. Our President is a democratically elected president who swore to abide by the dictates of the Constitution.

“We did not elect an Ayatollah or a monarch who would sit in his office and do good to all manner of men the way he or she desires. Every act of the President, the legislature or the judiciary must emanate from this Constitution and other statutes and legal instruments.

“No matter how well-intentioned the action of government may be, the moment it is not backed up by the Constitution it is a nullity.” [myad]

Former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku has vouched for the anti-corruption credential of President Muhammadu Buhari which he said he would put into good use as President to cleanse Nigeria of the endemic disease.

Chief Anyaokun who met with the President today at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, ahead of the President’s official trip to the United States at the weekend said that he had confidence in Buhari, recalling that the President was well known for his strong aversion to corruption.

“I can tell myself, talking to a President who is very determined to effect a real change in the circumstances of our country and very determined too to bring to bear on his administration the generally perceived attributes of his character, which I believe many Nigerians would support.

“I believe that before he became President, he was known as somebody who has very strong passion for anti-corruption. I believe that he is determined to fight it and he would go a long way in doing so.

“Corruption is a very endemic issue in our society and I’m quite impressed of his determination to do something about it.”

Chief Anyaoku told newsmen that during his close-door meeting with President Buhari, they talked international affairs, particularly the President’s impending visit to the United States.

“We touched on some national issues because of the strong link between foreign policy and domestic issues.

“I put at his disposal the benefits of my long experience on governance matters with heads of governments of the 54-member countries of the Commonwealth and also other issues related to internal affairs.”

Meanwhile, the Presidency has disclosed that the governors of Imo, Nasarawa, Oyo, Borno and Edo states would accompany Buhari on the trip to the United States.

Buhari would leave Abuja on Sunday for Washington DC on the four-day official visit during which he will hold high-level talks with President Barack Obama and other senior officials of the United States government, with issues of security and economy topping the agenda.

The talks will also aim to strengthen and intensify bilateral and international cooperation against terrorism in Nigeria and West Africa, according to an Aso Rock statement signed by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina.

“President Buhari, who will meet  with President Obama at the White House on Monday, July 20, will later hold further discussions with the Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, and the Deputy Secretary of Defence, Robert Work, on military and defence cooperation.

“The President will also meet with Vice President Joe Biden and confer with the U.S. Attorney-General, Loretta Lynch, the U.S. Secretary of Treasury, Jack Lew, the Secretary of Commerce,  Penny Pritzker, and the U.S. Trade representative, Michael Froman, on United States support for his administration’s war against corruption as well as  fresh measures to boost Nigeria-United States trade relations.

“The President, who will be received by the United States Secretary of State at the State Department in Washington DC, will later hold meetings with the United States Senate and Congressional Committees on Foreign Relations, as well as the Black Caucus of the United States House of Representatives.

“Before leaving Washington DC, President Buhari will address the United States Chamber of Commerce and Corporate Council for Africa.

“The President, who will be accompanied by the Governors of Imo, Nasarawa, Edo, Borno and Oyo States as well as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs, Industry, Trade and Investment, will also host an interactive session with Nigerians in the American Diaspora.

“The U.S. trip will also afford President Buhari the opportunity of a reunion with members of the American War College Class of 1980 in which he was a distinguished participant.

He is  due back in Abuja on Thursday, July 23,” the statement from the Presidency said. [myad]