A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Africa Independent Television (AIT) to stop further broadcast of alleged defamatory documentaries on the Vice Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Professor Yemi Osinbajo. Justice James Tsoho, who made the order of interim injunction, also ordered the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and any other broadcast station under the control of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), to stop airing similar videos forthwith. The judge made the order in positive answer to the ex-parte application brought before him by Osinbajo through his lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) to the effect. The professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) had complained to the court that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), having adjudged him a threat, sponsored documentaries to cause him disaffection in the eye of the public. AIT and NTA had, for weeks running, aired a documentary detailing the “atrocious” of the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. The stations also had a similar documentary on a national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, chronicling his series of alleged financial misconduct. Osinbajo maintained that the said documentaries, which allegedly contained untrue information and injurious falsehoods, constitute a personal attack on his person. He argued that the videos were being aired in violation of his fundamental human right to dignity of human person, right to privacy and family virtue and right to life and/or livelihood as protected by Sections 33, 34 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution. He had therefore prayed Tsoho for an order of interim injunction restraining AIT, NTA and any other broadcast stations under the control of BON from further disseminating and broadcasting the damaging videos. “Unless the respondents are restrained in the manner requested in this application, damages will be grossly inadequate to compensate or redress the unquantifiable, unwarranted and malicious damage to the applicant’s right to dignity of human person, right to livelihood and privacy guaranteed and protected under Sections 33, 34 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” After listening to submission by Falana, Tsoho ordered that NTA and AIT and any other broadcast station under the control of BON should forthwith stop the broadcast of the damaging documentary which the applicant complained of until the determination of the substantive suit. [myad]
Morocco has recalled its ambassador to Nigeria, in a row over whether the president of Nigeria is trying to use the king of Morocco to win over Muslim voters before Nigeria’s elections this month.
Last week, the Moroccan royal palace said the king had declined a request for a telephone conversation with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. Nigeria’s foreign ministry denied the snub on Monday and said the two leaders had spoken extensively.
“Morocco confirms, in the clearest and strongest terms, that there has never been a phone conversation between the King Mohammed VI and the president of this country,” a statement from the Moroccan foreign ministry said.
The Nigerian foreign ministry said it was “preposterous to suggest that Mr. President’s telephone call to the Moroccan monarch was intended to confer any electoral advantage.”
A spokesman for the ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the recall.
Morocco cited “the hostile, recurrent and unfriendly positions of the Nigerian government with regard to the Moroccan Sahara issue and the sacred Arab-Muslim causes” as a reason for declining Jonathan’s call.
Nigeria is one of the main supporters, along with Algeria and South Africa on the continent, of the independence movement Polisario Front in the disputed Western Sahara.
The territory is a tract of desert the size of Britain that has lucrative phosphate reserves and possibly oil, is the focus of Africa’s longest-running territorial dispute, between Morocco and the Polisario guerrillas.
Nigeria has now qualified for this year’s FIFA Under-20 World Cup which begins on May 30 in New Zealand. They trounced their Congolese opponents today in Senegal by 4-1 in their second game at the ongoing Africa U20 championship.
The Flying Eagles started in brisk fashion and almost opened the scoring after just three minutes at Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor, Dakar.
Nigeria captain, Musa Muhammed stormed down the right and delivered a dangerous cross which was deflected towards a grateful Pavelh Ndzila in goal for the Congolese.
The Flying Eagles did not have to wait too long to celebrate their first goal though as Ifeanyi Matthew latched on a Bernard Bulbwa pass to slot home past Ndzila on five minutes.
The Nigerians could smell blood and pressed for a second goal which they almost got on seven minutes.
Matthew who was causing all sorts of problems for the opposition early on, got behind the Congolese defence but his goal bound effort was beaten away for a corner in exemplary fashion by Ndzila who was working very hard to earn his stripes.
A minute later, Ndzila had to be alert again to punch away a Mohammed free kick from the right.
Nigeria’s two-goal hero from the first game against Senegal, Taiwo Awoniyi burst into life in the 14th minute when his brilliant pass to Matthew completely carved the Congo defence open.
The striker however fluffed his lines and dragged his shot wide off the goal.
The intensity of the game dropped rather dramatically as Nigeria opted to boss possession and build deliberately while the Congolese defended in numbers and waited for their chance on the break.
On 26 minutes, the game changed dramatically with the sending off of Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Joshua Enaholo who simply had to go after fouling Constantin Bakaki who was honing in on goal.
The dramatic sending off occurred just moments after Nigeria almost made it 2-0 but were again denied by the impeccable Ndzila.
Congo sensed their chance and poured forward in numbers in search of the equalizer but made the fatal error of leaving spaces unmanned at the rear.
They paid the ultimate penalty as Nigeria launched a devastating counter attack after a failed Congo attack just after the half hour.
In living up to the rather unpredictable nature of the game, the Nigerians won a penalty on 33 minutes after Grace Miguel Itoua felled Awoniyi in the Congo penalty area.
Nigeria’s skipper, Muhammed, an individual with nerves of steel, was never going to miss from 12 yards and duly put the Flying 2-0 up with an unerring penalty converted with frightening force.
Nigeria’s numerical disadvantage was however surreptitiously creating spaces at the back and Congo looked to exploit.
In the 37th minute, Hardy Binguila’s curling shot appeared to be heading for the top left hand corner but was beaten away for a corner by Nigeria’s substitute goalkeeper, Olorunleke Ojo.
Congo knew they had to begin the second half in positive fashion and did just that, mustering the first goal attempt but Hardy Binguila’s effort just 40 seconds after the restart was wild and off target.
They continued to attack ceaselessly and on 49 minutes, Dorvel Dibekou Silvere delivered a precise cross which Ganvoula Mboussy headed towards the unmarked Deldy Muriel Goyi in the Nigeria box.
Goyi’s unconventional acrobatic effort was however saved by Ojo.
This Nigerian side is however built on attacking principles and on 51 minutes, they really should have made the score 3-0 but Awoniyi’s free header after he was teed up by the indefatigable Muhammed was miserable at best.
Three minutes later, Congo were again made to pay for attacking without minding their rear as Cosme Andrely Atoni fouled Awoniyi in the box to gift Nigeria a second penalty of the night.
Muhammed stepped up and the result was never in doubt as Ndzila was again beaten in comprehensive fashion from 12 yards.
Congo were however not going down without a fight and on 57 minutes, Silvere Ganvoula Mboussy fired a fearsome drive which was deflected away for a corner.
Nigeria however failed for the second successive game, failed to keep a clean sheet as criminal defending allowed Congo pull a goal back on 63 minutes.
Faria Jobel Ondongo was allowed time and space to cross from the right and the unmarked Mboussy smacked home a volley from eight yards.
Nigeria looked for the instant response and on 65 minutes, Abdullahi Mustapha crossed from the left for Awoniyi to head goal wards but this time, was outstanding with a brilliant save.
The Flying Eagles should have scored a fourth and completely killed off the Congolese fight back on 77 minutes but the onrushing Abdullahi shot well wide after been played through by Matthew’s deft pass.
Awoniyi had been full of running, pace and penetration all evening and he saved the best for last with the game’s best goal on 87 minutes.
He received a long range pass from Matthew, turned his marker, Antoni inside out before firing an unstoppable rocket past Ndzila to send the Nigerian supporters in the stadium into fits of hysteria.
Awoniyi almost completed his brace in added time but watched in frustration as his volley flew just wide off Ndzila’s left hand post.
Nigeria will now face the Ivory Coast in their final preliminary game on Saturday knowing that if they avoid defeat at the Stade Caroline Faye, M’Bour, they will finish as winners of Group A.
Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State has admitted that his government took over N80 Billion due to what he called “dwindling economic fortunes” accusing his political opponents for spreading story that the State owes is owing as much as N600 Billion. The Governor said that even out of over N80 Billion which the State had borrowed, N30 Billion has been paid up. Speaking in an interview in Uyo, Governor Akpabio said: “when we realized that the economy was going down in 2013, we decided to go for the first loan, and all we have borrowed as a state amounts to N80billion. So far we have paid back over 30billion.” He said that every penny received by his administration as loan got the approval of the State House of Assembly, adding: “I have not collected any loan without the approval of the State House of Assembly, because you must convince the lawmakers on why you need to collect the loan and of course show them the capability to pay back, and the banks cannot give you the facility when they are not sure that you can pay back.” He said that the debt of the State is minimal considering the quantum of development projects that dot the landscape of Akwa Ibom. According to him, some of the projects are money spinners that are capable of generating revenue for the state. He listed some of them to include the State International Airport, the world class hotels, the specialist hospital, as well as the independent power plant which despite some challenges is now generating 110mw to the national grid. Governor Akpabio said all these were achieved even when the State’s allocation which was over N15billion before he assumed office in 2007, had since dropped to N12billion, a difficult trend considering the State’s salary wage bill of N5billion, pensions and outstanding bank debts and a low internally generated revenue profile.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has said that the governors of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have disappointed Nigerians when they gathered in Lagos only to discussed the personality of the Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari instead of the issues that affect common people in the country.
Oshiomhole, who spoke today in Benin said that it was not in his character to join those who want to move away from the issues focusing on personality and irrelevant issues, but that the issue is about policy choices.
“It is about leadership, it is about security and wellbeing. I would have thought PDP who have addressed how they can justify a regime in which in the name of privatization, they allowed private individuals to collect money, what they call fixed charges when there is no power supply.
“That is how the real rural poor are being defrauded. Why we should trillions of naira be spent on kerosene and yet poor people instead of paying N50, PDP made them to pay N15. So even the poor are being defrauded of N100.
“Those are the issues I expect PDP Governors to address. I expect the PDP Governors to address why they inherited a currency that was exchanging at N75 to a dollar in 1999 when PDP took over Governance and that as they were in Lagos talking about Buhari’s security of tenure, that naira is now N230 to one US dollar and everything is going up.
“IMF is already saying that even this number is not sustainable that you will have to suffer more devaluation. Those are the issues we ordinary Nigerians want the ruling party to address and if indeed they have no answers to these questions, they should not worry about how long Buhari will govern, what matters is how well he will govern.”
Governors Oshiomhole regretted that the PDP showed more worry over the tenure General Buhari would make when he is elected in March 28 election, adding “PDP Governors said many other things that do not make sense. I read one of their statements that General Buhari has signed an agreement that he is going to do only one term, and that the North would be short-charged, that is what they claim. That is fine. That means they accept that Buhari will win the election, but they are only worried about how long he will be there for and if that should be the burden of the PDP, it tells you that they have exhausted everything.
“For me, they have accepted defeat by just saying that it is now their burden whether somebody rules for one term or not but remember that there are many great men, assuming without conceding that that is an issue.
“Mandela is celebrated round the world, American Presidents, European leaders, they all competed for space to attend his funeral. He was in office for only five years. So statesmen are not judged by how many years they occupy an office for but the impact they make in the life of a nation.”
All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation has described Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu as an incurable liar afflicted with the diarrhoea of the mouth.
In a statement, the Director of Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said that claims by Governor Aliyu that presidential candidate of APC, General Muhammadu Buhari signed a single tenure pact is a figment of his imagination, jaundiced, ill-motivated and irresponsible.
Garba Shehu said that Aliyu has made a bad career of misguided claims of this nature in which he presents himself as a clairvoyant fly perching on the walls of political meetings across the country.
The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation Spokesman dismissed Governor Aliyu’s recent vituperation and insinuation as the outbursts of a perpetual rabble-rouser, amateurish ethno-religious propagandist and unrepentant mischief-maker bent on stocking division and disaffection in the APC.
Garba Shehu said that the APC Campaign is, however not surprised at Governor Aliyu’s blatant lies considering that he has also been at the centre of controversy of being in possession of a letter in which his party’s presidential candidate signed onto a one-term pact with governors of the ruling party.
“When has this Governor of a grossly underdeveloped state suddenly become a clairvoyant who knows what obtains in places where he was never present or represented? Is he an APC member? If not, how and where did he get his information from? And what Northern Nigeria is he representing? Nigerians are wiser now and they know what to do come March 28 and April 11. For the time being, our suggestion to Governor Babangida is that he should use the balance of his time in office to right a few wrongs in his state, currently adjudged as the most lacking in the North when it comes to development.”
There was a mild drama today in the Nigerian Senate, when Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators used their majority to clear and confirmed Musiliu Obanikoro as a federal minister, even as the All Progressives Congress (APC) senators who insisted that Obanikoro should be made to answer questions on his role in Ekitigate walked out.
The PDP Senators, led by the Senate President, David Mark asked Obanikoro to take a bow with regard to the fact that he was a former senator too.
Obanikoro, who resigned from the federal cabinet to contest the primaries of PDP for the governorship of Lagos state but failed, was brought back by President Goodluck Jonathan. Obanikoro was subsequently named in a leaked tape as a principal actor in the Ekiti state’s governorship election rigging in 2014. The Nigerian government has refused to investigate the claims.
The Senate approved Obanikoro’s nomination as a minister today after repeated deferments and despite protests from senators from Lagos State and other opposition APC senators who had vowed to stop the clearance until he clears himself from the Ekiti electoral scandal.
A court in Ivory Coast HAS sentenced former first lady, Simone Gbagbo to a 20-year prison term on charges of “undermining state security” during post-election violence in 2010-2011 that left nearly 3,000 dead.
“The court, after deliberation, unanimously condemns the 65-year-old wife of former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo to 20-years in prison, court president Tahirou Dembele stated. Prosecutors had asked for a 10-year sentence.
The trial is viewed as the biggest judicial challenge faced by the post-crisis government of the West African nation.
Violence broke out in Ivory Coast in 2010 when Laurent Gbagbo refused to cede power to his rival Alassane Ouattara, who was declared the winner of a presidential poll.
Laurent Gbagbo himself has been held for three years in The Hague facing charges of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC). But Ivory Coast has repeatedly refused to hand his wife over to the ICC on the same charge.
The presidential couple was arrested April 11, 2011 after five months of fierce fighting following a final push by French forces against their residence.
Fervently Christian but ruthless by reputation, Simone Gbagbo has never sought to deny exercising political influence after her husband rose to power in 2000 elections in which former prime minister Ouattara was barred from standing on the grounds he was a foreigner.
“All the ministers respect me, and they often consider me above them. I’ve got what it takes to be a minister,” she told the French newsweekly l’Express in 2001, justifying her stance after a life she said had been dedicated to activism.
“I engaged in political struggle against the former regime alongside men. I spent six months in prison, I was beaten, molested, left for dead. After all those trials, it’s logical that people don’t mess with me.”
Test for justice
A key issue in her trial was whether she played a part in directing the death squads that ran amok in the weeks after the disputed vote.
Judicial authorities argued that the proceedings were a test of the west African country’s capacity to conduct a fair trial, while contributing to national reconciliation.
As observers noted at the December 26 opening of her case — when Gbagbo appeared in a bright yellow dress, carefully plaited hair and a defiant air — she is not inclined to wilt in the face of adversity.
Born in the predominantly Christian south in 1949 as one of 18 children of a policeman, she studied linguistics and history before becoming a trade union activist.
“God is on our side, God is with us,”
she told a joyful crowd after her husband
rejected electoral defeat. “God has already given us victory.”
Her militancy led to a jail term in the 1970s for openly criticising then President Felix Houphouet-Boigny — Ivory Coast’s first leader after independence from France in 1960 — when he rejected opposition calls for multi-party elections.
She and Laurent Gbagbo married in 1989 after founding the opposition socialist Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), and she was later elected to parliament in the world’s leading cocoa producer.
Her husband sought to change relations with former colonial master Paris, arguing that previous regimes had been servile, and the first lady proved a fierce critic of “neo-colonialism”, once famously describing France’s former president Nicolas Sarkozy — a main mover in her husband’s downfall — as “the devil”.
Supporters of Simone Gbagbo’s commitment to political causes hailed her as “the Hillary Clinton of the tropics”.
But for detractors, the “Iron Lady” became the “Blood Lady”, amid allegations by human rights activists that the regime used teams of killers to deal with opponents.
Those concerns were reinforced when she was implicated by a French judicial inquiry into the sinister disappearance of French-Canadian journalist Guy-Andre Kieffer in Ivory Coast in 2004.
Gbagbo frequently mingled politics with the evangelical faith she practised after “miraculously” surviving a car crash and starting prayer meetings at the presidential palace.
“God is on our side, God is with us,” she told a joyful crowd after her husband rejected electoral defeat. “God has already given us victory.”
Families of victims have said previously they cannot win even if Gbagbo is convicted by a domestic court, while rights monitors had been keen to see how far the trial may venture in tackling crimes against humanity on home ground. [myad]
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has thrown more lights on why it insisted that it will use Smart Card Readers (ACRs) for the March/April elections in the country, saying that apart from ensuring electoral credibility, it would also bring about other benefits.
In a statement by its Chief press secretary, Kayode Robert Idowu, INEC detailed four main objectives of the card reader. They are:
To verify Permanent Voter cards (PVCs) presented by voters at polling units and ensure that they are genuine, INEC-issued (not cloned) cards. From the reports on Saturday’s exercise, this objective was achieved 100 per cent.
To biometrically authenticate the person who presents a PVC at the polling unit and ensure that he/she is the legitimate holder of the card. In this regard, there were a few issues in some states during the public demonstration. Overall, 59% of voters who turned out for the demonstration had their fingerprints successfully authenticated. But the Commission, in agreement with registered political parties, had provided in the approved Guidelines for the conduct of the 2015 elections that where biometric authentication of a legitimate holder of a genuine PVC becomes challenging, there could be physical authentication of the person and completion of an Incident Form, to allow the person to vote.
The SCRs provide disaggregated data of accredited voters in male/female and elderly/youth categories – a disaggregation that is vital for research and planning purposes, but which INEC until now had been unable to achieve. The demonstration on Saturday fully served this objective.
The SCR sends the data of all accredited voters to INEC’s central server, equipping the Commission to be able to audit figures subsequently filed by polling officials at the PU and, thereby, be able to determine if fraudulent alterations were made. The public demonstration also succeeded wholly in this regard.
Only yesterday, Monday, 09th March 2015, top officers of the commission met to consider field reports from the public demonstration of Smart Card Readers (SCRs) conducted in 12 states on Saturday, March 07th 2015. The states were Rivers and Delta (South-South), Kano and Kebbi (North-West), Anambra and Ebonyi (South East), Ekiti and Lagos (South West), Bauchi and Taraba (North East) as well as Niger and Nasarawa (North Central).
The Commission took a serious view of the high rate of the SCRs’ failure to authenticate voters’ fingerprints in some areas, particularly in Ebonyi State, and has decided to thoroughly investigate the cause; as well as repeat the public demonstration in that state. This demonstration will be conducted in the particular Registration Area involved in the last exercise, namely Izzi Unuhu (Abakaliki Local Government Area); as well as in Ibii/Oziza Registration Area (Afikpo North LGA). The repeat demonstration will be on Saturday, March 14th 2015.
INEC said that it is satisfied that the use of SCRs in the 2015 general elections will add tremendous transparency and credibility to the accreditation process on Election Day.
The Commission reassured the public that it will do everything necessary to ensure that the processes of the elections are seamless, free, fair, credible and peaceful. [myad]
Director of media and publicity for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation, Garba Shehu has exposed what he called “the deceit, squander mania and looting associated with this (Goodluck Jonathan) administration.” Garba Shehu, who addressed newsmen today in Abuja began with the lie told by the government regarding the East-West Road, saying that it is on record that work started on the road in 2006, under former President Obasanjo but that due to the activities of Niger Delta militants then, work stopped midway and the initial contractor Julius Berger left the site. He said that in 2009, work was resumed on the road but was given to three construction firms in order to hasten its completion by 2011 as anticipated. “It is pertinent to note that appropriations were made for the construction in 2009 and 2010, but after Yar’Adua’s death, work stopped on the road and money set aside was diverted. I have gone to this length to illustrate to you that the construction of this road has lingered due to the lack-lustre approach of the Jonathan administration. “Their initial promise to complete the road by 2013 never materialised and till today the East-West road is yet to be completed.” Garba Shehu beamed his searchlight on the Second Niger Bridge and that contrary to the strident efforts of the Jonathan team to assure the people of the South East that the Second Niger Bridge has been awarded and now under construction, the truth is that the PDP administration is only deceiving the people. “If you may remember, President Jonathan anchored his 2011 campaign in the South East on the construction of the Second Niger Bridge, but four years down the line, we are now realising that the bridge is still at the drawing board table and may not be realised after all under Jonathan. We recall that the money set aside for the project was channelled into the Presidential election of President Goodluck Jonathan. “The main problem with the Second Niger Bridge and which the Jonathan administration has failed to respond to is why public private partnership should be adopted in constructing the bridge at triple the real cost, whereas government is in a position to bear the full cost, more so as the project falls under the social contract between the government and the people. If this arrangement is not reversed, and the Federal Government takes full responsibility for the funding, the implication is that the South East people will perennially remain at the mercy of the investors for a period not limited to 25 years in the first instance.” On women’s rights and participation in government, Garba Shehu referred to the fact that the Presidential candidate of APC, General Muhammadu Buhari has made women as pivotal to the change he envisaged for the country, quoting Buhari as having said severally: “I will recognise and protect women empowerment and gender equality with special emphasis on economic activities in the rural areas… Women all over the world are playing an ever increasing role in moving their nations forward both in and outside government… In keeping with the times, my government will ensure that Nigerian women are given the opportunity to rise and play an even more prominent role in moving our great nation forward.” The media and publicity chieftain of the APC presidential campaign organisation said that said that General Buhari has shown that he is not a male chauvinist and that he has a definite and robust programme for women if elected President. On corruption, Garba Shehu described it as the major hindrance to the National Development, adding that General Buhari, with a sterling record of fighting corruption, will spare no effort in ensuring that Nigerians have value for their commonwealth. “To underscore the importance which His Excellency, General Buhari attaches to the cankerworm known as corruption, permit me to paraphrase a portion of his speech at the recent visit to Chatham House London: “On corruption, there will be no confusion as to where I stand. Corruption will have no place and the corrupt will not be appointed into my administration. First and foremost, we will plug the holes in the budgetary process. Revenue producing entities such as NNPC and Customs and Excise will have one set of books only. Their revenues will be publicly disclosed and regularly audited. “The institutions of state dedicated to fighting corruption will be given independence and prosecutorial authority without political interference.” He said that openness in employment under APC government will be the norm, “unlike the current arrangement where you need a godfather/godmother, and sometimes you need to gratify government officials to get employment. Only recently over 300 staff were recruited by the National Universities Commission without due process and transparency.” Garba Shehu said that Mrs Buhari, as First Lady, will not be in the habit of having agents in MDAs for the purpose of collecting kickbacks and gratifications for her. On innsecurity, Garba Shehu regretted what he called “the devastating effect of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, and general insecurity pervading the land” saying that it is an issue that has continued to bewilder Nigerians but that the situation was in existence simply as a result of lax attitude of the government. The insurgency, he explained, would not have continued to fester if appropriate steps were taken earlier, quoting General Buhari as having said in his speech at the Chatham House: “Let me assure you that if I am elected President, the world will have no cause to worry about Nigeria as it has had to recently; that Nigeria will return to its stabilising role in West Africa; and that no inch of Nigerian territory will ever be lost to the enemy because we will pay special attention to the welfare of our soldiers in and out of service, we will give them adequate and modern arms and ammunitions to work with, we will improve intelligence gathering.” On South East region, Garba Shehu recalled that some German partners were to be engaged to build standard airports across the country including Enugu but that along the line, President Jonathan discarded the plan. “Today, what is being trumpeted at as Enugu International Airport is a shoddy job done through direct labour and at inflated cost. “To further demonstrate that President Jonathan has serially failed the South East, we want to put it on record that late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had commenced and indeed reached an advanced stage in the dredging of River Niger, and construction of Onitsha seaport. Regrettably this was again truncated by Jonathan as till today the seaport which is expected to promote economic development in the region and beyond is yet to take off and the dredging stopped.” Garba Shehu restated General Buhari’s total commitment to the peaceful coexistence of all Nigerians, as well as to the growth and nurturing of democracy in our land. He added that APC presidential flag bearer is also committed to the peace pact which he co-signed with President Jonathan in Abuja even as he said that the General will continue to use any available forum to impress on his followers on the need for the path of peace at all times. “And this is in spite of serial violations of the latter by the other side. Above all, General Buhari and his administration would practice and promote politics of nationalism, patriotism, character, equity, accountability, religious/ethnic tolerance, morality, justice and fairness and service to humanity.” [myad]
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