The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, has complained of three of his staff – Lawrence Illop, Taiwo Abidogun and N.S. Odusola – who he said filed an affidavit seeking to stop the usage of the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) for the March/April general elections without his knowledge and has therefore issued them queries.
In a statement he personally signed on yesterday night, the Justice Minister said that his attention was only drawn to the existence of such an affidavit through a media report, adding that he was not privy to the content of the affidavit that was filed sequel to a suit by the Society For Advancement & Protection of Public Rights.
He said that the move by Illop, Abidogun and Odusola was contrary to the laid down procedure of the ministry that requires him to see all court papers before they are filed, saying that he had caused a query to be issued to the erring staff.
His statement reads in full: “My attention has been drawn to an article by ‘Sahara Reporters’ an online publication under the caption” Nigeria’s Attorney General Files Affidavit to Scuttle Use of PVCs for Elections” alleging among other things, an attempt by the administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR to undermine the use of permanent voter cards (PVC) in the country’s forthcoming elections and my opposition to efforts by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct free and fair elections using an updated card electronic voters register and permanent voter cards.
“Although, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and the Independent National Electoral Commission are Co-Defendants in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/06/15 instituted by the Society For Advancement & Protection of Public Rights seeking the interpretation of sections 77 (2) and 112 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as well as section 9(5) of the Electoral Act, I wish to categorically state that I was not aware of the contents of the Counter Affidavit deposed to by Lawrence Illop and did not authorize it.
“While, the deponent, (Lawrence Illop) and Messrs Taiwo Abidogun and N.S. Odusola who signed the Written Address in Support of the Counter Affidavit are staff of the Federal Ministry of Justice, I wish to state that the Officers did not avail me the opportunity of perusing or vetting the Affidavit and Written Address before they were filed. The practice in the Federal Ministry of Justice is for the Attorney General of the Federation to be availed copies of all Court Processes prepared in reply to suits against the Office and his opinion first had and obtained especially in sensitive suits such as the one in question before such processes are filed.
“This practice was not adhered to in this instance for reasons best known to the aforementioned Officers. As Head of the Ministry, I must take responsibility for their conduct. However, I have directed the processes to be withdrawn forthwith to enable an appropriate response to be filed to the originating summons. I have accordingly caused a query to be issued to the concerned Officers.” [myad]
Ayo Fayose embodies all the key indicators of aggravated mental meltdown – he has cast off all sense of restraint, he is actuated by an insatiable urge to embarrass himself in public, his utterances run like a surging stream of folly, and he finds delectation in the headshaking attention that his shameful stunts earn him!
So there is possibly no way to frame Fayose’s condition nicely. No way to make it sound tame and politically correct. It must be said as it is: simply and plainly – without a touch of varnish. And this is it: this rascal who insists on making sports of his nakedness, this pretender to the seat of Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, is sick in the head.
Fayose, who the other day, felt compelled to assert his education by brandishing all the paper qualifications he has ever garnered, from primary school to the polytechnic, before a televised campaign rally, is not a medic. Even his claim to basic literacy is suspect because he has proved unable to appreciate a simple reading of the constitution on the count of majority in the Nigerian legislature.
Yet he has sworn himself to pronouncing upon the health of his pet hate, Citizen Muhammadu Buhari, and branding the APC Presidential Candidate as the sickest and sickliest Nigerian, the ripest fruit about to fall.
Ayo Fayose is not quite a new discovery. He has always been Ayo Fayose. His maiden tenure as Ekiti Governor, a tenure that had to be abbreviated by a very urgent impeachment, was a tragedy. Fayose did not excel in any sphere of governance. And certainly, he was no healthcare champion. He could only be justly credited with doing an excellent job of defining himself as a man confused by the habitat of power. He made himself the poster boy of rascality; of delinquent leadership. He wound up scamming the state in the name of a poultry farm.
When he launched a bid for his second advent, Fayose affected to have undergone an inward Transformation. He called in the posture and self-abasing confessions of a remorseful prodigal son seeking to have the runs of his old residence. Many people risked a bet on his affectation of repentance. After all, his outcast blackout should have mellowed his vintage.
Fayose returned. And he has been supplying evidence that the passage of years has only served to crystallize his capacity for leisurely nuisance. The truth subsists in the paradox: the child is the father of the man.
As the viral audiotape reveals, Ekiti people did not demand a Fayose encore. It was actually the veto of toy soldiers that trumped the vote of the citizens. A compromised detachment of the Nigerian Army smuggled Fayose back into power.
We gather from the proceedings of the conspiracy that the electoral coup originated from the person of President Jonathan. Fayose, beneficiary of the successful putsch, is indebted to the man who made him. And in this crucial moment, when the prospect of Jonathan’s re-election is gloomy, Fayose, is in a lather; pressed by good memory, to repay yesterday’s kindness.
Being more inclined to rashness than sobriety, Fayose might have been in a quandary. How could he distinguish himself from the pack? How could he out-compete others in the Jonathan supporters’ club – all those exercising themselves, striving to be decorated the loudest supporter, the most loyal chieftain, the most dreaded ex-militant who cannot bear to experience the defeat of his man in the field of play?
What to do? Not an ingenious thinker and not one to staff his deficiency, he elected to exploit his bad genius. He would just be the most odious of them all. In the name of Jonathan, he would begin to shock everybody, and he would go beyond what any man of good breeding or sensibility would be loath to attempt!
And Fayose has largely succeeded. He has become the hooligan of the hour. He is now the gold standard for aberrant campaigning. And yes- he has procured name recognition for cultivating infamy.
He started off by appropriating the front pages of some newspapers and plastered them with a death wish. He warned, from the spring of clairvoyant powers, of a countdown to Buhari’s certain demise. We dare not give our thumbprint to a condemned man and incur on ourselves the expenditure of a state funeral. He even tagged on a verse of the scriptures, an overt hint that he derived the oracular mandate to publish the postdated obituary from the Godhead.
Fayose, the man who is privy to the schedule of visitation of the harvest of the Grim Reaper, the man who knows the next new corpse on the block, missed out something.
He did not provide a valid counterbalancing reason to embrace the option named Jonathan. Like a warranty for candidate Jonathan. Since his sole agenda is to scare us with the monumental revelation that Candidate Buhari is running for President without first conquering mortality, it would have made sense to guarantee, with the confidence of God’s self-appointed regent, that Jonathan shall see neither sickness nor death.
Fayose has yet to undertake that Jonathan has life and life in abundance. He hasn’t quoted how many birthdays that must pass before Jonathan is due. Perhaps he has not bothered to read the expiry date off Jona’s forehead.
Fayose, the relentless stalker, continues to pursue the health of a man who is leading a normal life and prosecuting a rigorous campaign. Fayose and his ilk would rather have Buhari incapacitated in the run up to the elections so that the 2015 Presidential race will be a veritable solo contest for the incumbent – a Na Only You Waka Come farce.
Their malicious desire, unfulfilled and stubborn, burns within them. Buhari travelled across the states. He showed up at all the rallies and addressed his teeming supporters. And Buhari continues to maintain a busy itinerary. He keeps his appointments, travels overseas to confer with dignitaries and address foreign audience.
The person who has a real problem is Fayose himself. His temperament makes him a mass of obligate restlessness. He cannot sit down and content himself with doing the job he ostensibly campaigned for. He cannot get himself to leap to the level of seriousness required of an occupant of the office of Governor. He would rather fret over far-off apparitions than apply himself to solving concrete issues in his environment.
Most likely, Fayose finds the job boring. And I volunteer to counsel that he doesn’t have to remain stuck. There is an exit. He could resign and make way for somebody who will use the station to tackle the many social woes of everyday people that Fayose cannot see because of his Buhari fetish.
His replacement would then dive into Ekiti problems. He would be burdened with thoughts of serving life changing deliverables: filling the first cup of potable water in one remote village, sending an agricultural extension graduate to teach a struggling widow how to achieve higher maize yield, making an electric bulb shine in a hut so that the study of young boy who has the audacity to dream he would someday become a pilot may stretch a little more into the night.
We look at Fayose and wonder whether a fraction of his supposed love for heath reflects on Ekiti. Has he articulated and crafted a universal healthcare bill, say Fayosecare, to expand access to modern day medicine? Has he budgeted for cottage hospitals in communities where the sick have to choose between staking their survival on the potency of a foul smelling herbal concoction or a bottle of holy water?
Has Fayose proposed Ekiti Cancer Diagnostic Center yet? Does he have a model of the building sitting on his desk?
Fayose thinks that cancer has exclusive fondness for opposition Presidential candidates. He needs to know that Ekiti Government House is not free of cancer bearers. Among the aides and courtiers in his orbit, we can hit at least a dozen humans who need chemotherapy but are walking about in ignorant bliss.
We know Fayose wants to win the gold medal. He wants to be decorated the most ardent Jonathan fanatic. But Fayose would be better off focusing his efforts on mastering the ill health of his own people rather than burn himself out on a Buhari who can take care of himself comfortably. Fayose needs to know that the number one killer disease in his domain is not the ominously sounding cancer but ‘’ordinary’’ malaria. And his kith and kin could use a Governor’s passion for healthcare.
Or if he is not blessed with the gift of compassion, would he not look after number one?
Even Fayose’s favorite reference book, the Bible, recommends positive selfishness: remove the log in your own eyes before offering unsolicited ophthalmology practice on a stranger.
The interaction of Buhari Phobia and Buhari Paranoia has subtracted so much from Fayose’s sanity as to make him a good case for psychiatric redemption!
Former Nigerian Aviation Minister and currently the Director of media and publicity for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode is facing a two-count charge of money laundering before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia. Fani-Kayode arrived the premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday accompanied by a contingent of armed police officers, despite being under prosecution by the federal government for money laundering. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had instituted a 47-count charge amounting to N230 million against Fani-Kayode but the charge was later pruned down to 40 counts of N100 million. In November last year, the judge dismissed 38 out of the 40 counts, leaving the prosecution to dwell on why Fani-Kayode received about N2.2 million “without going through a financial institution.” At the resumed hearing yesterday, a defence witness, Kola Olapoju, told the court, during cross examination, that Fani-Kayode in 2006 requested for N1 million to “urgently” offset debts despite having over N8 million in his bank account. Olapoju who was the administrator of the Fani-Kayodes’ estate, said that he was instructed by the ex-minister to release the money for the payment of artisans who had renovated his property. “That wasn’t the first time the accused (Mr. Fani-Kayode) will be calling (on the phone) for money,” Olapoju, the first defence witness, said during cross examination, noting that the transaction was “unusual and exceptional. “Most of the time monies were requested for projects or for relatives or other beneficiaries and those were to be disbursed directly. And the few instances where he had to use the money, I’d have to pay either into his account, give to a staff, or use as appropriately directed.” On Tuesday, the judge ordered the EFCC to release the former minister’s international passport seized by the commission following an order by Justice Ramat Mohammed when the trial started in December 2008. Mrs. Ofili-Ajumogobia is the third judge to handle the matter since then. Olapoju said that in 2005, when Fani-Kayode joined the government of then President Olusegun Obasanjo, regular communications with him was “no longer as easy as it used to be.” He said that Fani-Kayode asked him to “urgently” provide funds from tenants of their estate to pay the artisans. “He called me by phone for money to pay artisans renovating the building,” Mr. Olapoju, who said he had been managing the Fani-Kayodes’ account for 14 years, said. “To avoid delay of the money, I went out of my way to demand a cheque be prepared in my name, to save more time. “After the second payment, about two weeks after, the accused (Mr. Fani-Kayode) called to enquire if the money had been paid.” According to the witness, he deposited the first tranche of money – N1 million – on September 21, 2006, and the second payment – N1.1 million – was made eight days later. “I had the instructions of the accused’s Chief of Staff to remit the money. In fact, by the time I took the latter one he informed me the artisans had been paid,” said the witness who added that he had a “standing instruction” from Fani-Kayode. “For two weeks, they did not tell the accused money had been paid into his account.” But the witness said he was unaware of his client’s bank account contained far more money that he was depositing for the payment of the artisans. He said that he gave the cash to one Supo Agbaje to pay into Fani-Kayode’s account but was not aware if Mr. Agbaje paid the money because he dropped him off outside the bank on his way to the airport. The EFCC said Agbaje, then Personal Assistant to Fani-Kayode, is now at large. Aderemi Ajidahun, the second defence witness, told the court that Mr. Olapoju had arrived at the accused’s office with cash for his boss. Ajidahun, who was Fani-Kayode’s Chief of Staff during the latter’s tenure as a minister, said they were childhood friends. “One day around that time (in 2006), he (Mr. Olapoju) walked into my office and said he wanted to see the accused. I told him he was not around, in fact, he was not in Nigeria. He told me he had some funds for the accused. “The accused does not handle money. I told him to go deposit in the bank. He said he was in a rush. At that point I called Agbaje and asked him to follow him to the bank and pay the money into the bank. On September 29, Ajidahun said he received another call from Mr. Olapoju informing him he was in their office with cash for the accused. “Again, the accused, and myself, was not in the office. I asked him to call Agbaje who assisted him the other time to go pay the money into the bank.” The judge adjourned the trial to March 26 for the defence’s third witness. [myad]
Chief Coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi is obviously angry with the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick whom he described as a liar by saying that the NFF has settled all his entitlements.
Keshi, who just missed the coaching appointment with the Burkina Faso national team, the Burkinabe said: “I will let Nigerians know what is happening. I don’t understand, how can Amaju, who says he is the president of Nigerian football, be lying to Nigerians? Is that how he wants to run Nigeria Football?
“I heard also Amaju said he has paid us everything, that he is not owing us. It is a lie, big-time lie. He is owing us two months plus our winning bonus for the game against Sudan,” said the coach.
“What is he talking about? Because I am keeping quiet, I don’t want to talk? Now if they want me to talk, I will start talking and let Nigerians know what is happening.”
Keshi made it clear that NFF is not doing him a favour by renewing his contract as Eagles head coach, adding that he is capable of walking away from the post.
“The NFF thinks without Nigerian football there is no other place to coach. This is a very wrong assumption,” fired Keshi in a report on Supersport.com.
“I love to coach Nigeria, but they think they are doing us a favour because that is the message – that they are doing us a favour to appoint a Nigeria coach. But that is not true, if they don’t want us, we would go somewhere else and coach.” Pinnick said last week that Keshi could resume as Nigeria coach if he agrees on a new deal so long as he is prepared to abide by the condition of the new contract.
However, Keshi said that he has unpaid two months salaries as well as the win bonus for the 3-1 home win over Sudan in a 2015 AFCON qualifier from his previous contract as Eagles boss.
“They are owing us money they have not paid and instead of him to say okay there is no money yet or something, he is telling everyone he has paid everything,” stressed Keshi. [myad]
Federal Government has given approval for the establishment of nine new private universities in the country. The approval brings the number of private universities in the country to 59.
The Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, who briefed newsmen today shortly after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Aso Villa listed nine new universities as Augustine University, Ilara, Lagos State; Chrisland University, Owode, Ogun State; Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun State; Hallmark University, Ijebu Itele, Ogun State; Kings University, Ode Omu, Osun State; Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Prose, Delta State; Mountain Top University, Ogun State, Ritman University, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State and Summit University, Offa, Kwara State.
Asked if the federal government will step in to curtail the exorbitant fees being charged in the private universities, Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau said: “As far as government is concerned, all Federal Government universities are tuition-free. Whatever the universities are charging are so minimal for some day-to-day activities: games fees, union fees and some other fees.
“Of recent, I had cause to ask the NUC to regulate kind of minimum because there is a university that is charging as low as N20,000, N15,000. Some charge N30,000 to N80,000 or so which is a composition of a number of different kinds of fees. But basically, no university owned by government is charging tuition fee.
“But the private universities are like any other private institutions: private primary school, private secondary school. All that is the responsibility of government is to ensure that the standards are maintained. [myad]
All Progressives Congress (APC) has alerted international community about moves being made by agents of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to embarrass its Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari when he begins to speak tomorrow at Chatham House in London.
General Buhari is scheduled to speak at 10 a.m. local time on the subject, “Prospects for Democratic Consolidation in Africa: Nigeria’s Transition.”
A statement from the Director of media and publicity for the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Garba Shehu today said that Femi Fani-Kayode, the spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan presidential campaign organizing and other members of PDP members have organized some people in London to stage a protest against Buhari tomorrow when he appears for his Chatham House engagement.
The mission of the organizers of the protest, Garba Shehu said, is to create the impression that Nigerians are happy with President Goodluck Jonathan, and to indicate that Buhari is not welcome to rule Nigeria before the international community.
The former Minister of Aviation, who was until recently a member of the APC, has made many disparaging remarks about General Buhari since he emerged President Jonathan’s principal spokesman. [myad]
The Senate has reduced petrol subsidy from N200 billion to N100 billion and that of kerosene from N91.08 billion to N45.52 billion for the Ministry of Finance the Medium Term Expenditure Framework for 2015 – 2017.
The Kerosene subsidy is the first proposed in the last few years, after criticisms that the government spends hundreds of billions on kerosene subsidy annually without any appropriation.
Chairman of the Joint Committee on Finance and National Planning; Economic Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Ahmed Makarfi, said the reduction was due to the fall in oil prices at the international market.
“The relevant committees of the National Assembly should through oversight, ensure the full implementation of the proposed kerosene subsidy and the availability and of the product.”
Makarfi also said the reduction in the subsidy allocations to petrol reflected government’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the entire oil and gas sector.
The Senate President, David Mark, said there is need for a budget cut across the three arms of government in view of the current economic reality.
Mark said that the government must continue with its reform policy in order to promote the growth of the non-oil sector. He expressed delight on the expeditious passage of the MTEF, adding that “this is the kind of cooperation required to build our nation.”
The Deputy President of Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, said the country must learn from wasteful spending of the past, adding “we must engage in prudent spending in order to build our foreign reserve.”
He said that many countries had survived with fewer resources, adding that “Nigeria must look away from relying on oil and spending on oil wistfully.’’ [myad]
Three Al Jazeera journalists have reportedly been detained in Paris for operating a drone in an urban area. The arrests follow sightings of unmanned aerial vehicles at sensitive locations in the French capital this week. “The first was piloting the drone, the second was filming and the third (was) watching,” a judicial source told AFP news agency. Associated Press reported that the journalists, found near the Bois de Boulogne woodland in western Paris, were foreign nationals aged 70, 54 and 36. The source said there has been no evidence that the journalists were involved in the drone appearances near the Eiffel Tower and the US embassy over the past two nights.
Drone owners require municipal permits to fly UAVs over densely-populated areas, and rule breakers face punishments of a year in prison or a €75,000 ($85,000). [myad]
Federal Government, today, approved series of foreign loans worth a total of about $400 Million (about N800 Billion) to finance various projects in Lagos, Ogun, Osun and Rivers states. The approvals for the loans were given today by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) made up mainly ministers, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Head of the nation’s Civil Service and others. The FEC meeting today was presided over by Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo. Briefing newsmen shortly after the FEC meeting, the minister of state for finance, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda said that FEC approved the President’s anticipatory approval to obtain $100 million credit from the French Development Agency in support of Lagos Integrated Urban Development Project (Eko-UP). The minister, who addressed newsmen along with minister of Aviation, Osite Chidoka, minister of Water Resources, Sarah Ochekpe and minister of Education, Ibrahim Shakarau said that payment period for the $100 million loan is 20 years, including 7 years moratorium, commitment fee of 0.25 per cent per annum and an appraisal fee of 0.25 per cent. He said that the objectives of the project are to improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable urban population of metropolitan Lagos; improve the management and treatment of solid waste, strengthen the capacity of Lagos State and implement urban developments. The projects, he said, has three major components which include slum upgrading in the two local council development authorities (LCDAS) of Ifelodun and Bariga by the Lagos State Urban Renewal Authority (LASURA); construction of solid waste management facilities in Lagos State by Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and providing capacity building and technical assistance for LASURA, LAWMA, Project Management Unit and the two LCDAs. Yuguda said that th second loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) of $200 million is for the proposed Port Harcourt water supply and sanitation project and an African Development Fund ( ADF) credit of $5million to support Urban Water Sector Reform Project. The objective of the project, he explained, is to provide sustainable access to safe driving water and sanitation to the residents of Port Harcourt; Strengthen the Federal Government’s capacity to reform the Urban Water and Sanitation Sector and improve service delivery across the country “The project has five major components including water supply and sanitation infrastructure in Port Harcourt, Institutional support to Port Harcourt water corporation, hygiene, sanitation and environment in Port Harcourt, Urban Water Reform at the Federal Level and project management. “The credit facility will be secured from ADB with a repayment period of 15 years, 5 years moratorium, the interest is enhanced variable spread loan with lending spread of 0.60 per cent per annum which translate to 1.56 per cent “For the ADF, the Principal shall be repaid over a period of 22 years, with 8 years grace period, interest rate of1 per cent per annum “The project is captured in the approved 2012-2014 External Borrowing Plan of Federal Government The finance minister listed other loans as detailed below: An approval for a multi-Donor credits from the international bank for reconstruction and development of world bank, Africa development bank, Germany and French development agency in the sums of 500 million US dollars ,450 million US dollars, 200 million US dollars and 130 million US dollars . This is for the establishment of the proposed development bank of Nigeria . The proposed bank is to give lending credit facilities to micro, small and medium enterprises in the country. World bank version of the loan which is 500 million US dollars has a 21 years maturity period with five years grace period and on 4.25% interest rate. The ADF version attracts 1% interest rate and 30 yrs maturity period. Ratification of the presidents anticipatory approval to obtain USD70 million credit facility from the international development Association for the proposed Africa Higher education Center of Excellence project. The proposed project is meant to build on the efforts made under the previous world Bank Assisted science and technology education in post-Basic projects. One of the components under that project was the centers of excellence,with tremendously improved research and exchange programmes within the Nigerian university system. The proposed ACE project is therefore designed to enhance the effective use of exchange programmes and applied research within the African regional universities and in partnership with international academic institutions,relevant employers and industries. The main project development objective is to support the recipient countries to promote regional specialization among participating universities in areas that address regional challenges and strengthen the capacities of these universities to deliver quality training and applied research.The credit is concessional with a service charge of 0.75 percent, commitment charge of 0.5 percent and 1.2 percent interest rate per annum with repayment period of 25 years and a five year moratorium. Approval to obtain $33.174million credit from the French Development Agency in support of the Ogun State Water supply project. The objectives of the project are to increase the coverage, continuity and quality of service in the state capital, increase the financial viability of existing water utility through increase in revenue collection, providing financing to rehabilitate and build infrastructure needed to increase access to water supply services in the state capital and improve the governance of water sector in the state. The facility will be secured from the FDA on blend terms with an interest rate of six months libor plus margin, a repayment period of 20 years, including seven years moratorium, commitment fee of 0.25 per cent per annum and an appraisal fee of 0.25 per cent. The credit would be on-lend to Ogun State on the same terms and conditions offered by the FDA to the Federal Government. Council approved the anticipatory approval of an Islamic Development Bank Loan of $65 Million for financing the water supply and sanitation project in Osun state. The loan is to be financed under the manufacturing financing. The overall approval of the project is to amongst other things provide safe water, reduce waterborne diseases, improve agricultural output and tackle sanitation and environmental challenges. The terms and conditions of the loan as negotiated and agreed between the ID. And the Nigerian officials comprising ministry of finance and Osun State Government in October 2014 and consequently approved by the IDB Board of Directors as follow: manufacturing financing (IStisna’a): Amount $65 million, repayment period 15 years, gestation period 4 years and markup Libor + 155bps which currently translates to 1.5% per annum. The Project was approved in the 2012-2014 external borrowing plan of the federal government. Council also approved the President’s anticipatory approval to obtain additional financing of $140million credit from the international Development Association in support of the community and social development project being implemented in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT. The Federal Government had in 2009 requested for an initial credit facility of $200million for the community and social development project (CSDP) from the world bank. As at October 2013 98% of the loan amount was disbursed, however the closing date was extended from December 2013 to December 2014 to allow for utilization of the loan. The overall project development objective of the proposed additional credit is to increase access to improved social and natural resource infrastructure services in a sustainable manner throughout the country. The project which will be implemented over a three year period has four components namely: Federal Level coordination and program support, LGA / Sectoral Ministries’ Capacity and a Partnership Building, Community- Driven investment and target on vulnerable group of households and individual in the poor communities . Ratification of the President’s anticipatory approval to obtain $70 million credit facility, associated grants of $15million and $0.48 million in support of the climate change adaptation and agribusiness support programme from International Fund for Agricultural Development The objective of the programme is to increase incomes, enhanced food security and reduce poverty and vulnerability for small holder farmers, particularly women and youth, as well as create jobs and accelerate economic growth on a sustainable basis. The project has four major coo nets namely: Productivity Enhancement and Climate Resilience, Enterprise Development for Women and Youth, Institutional Debelopment, Programme Coordinating and Management.
Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari has called for new security strategies in the battle against Boko Haram, especially in the North East and North Central region of the country even as he condemned the recent attack by the sect on Kano and Yobe states where many people lost their lives. A statement from the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisatin quoted General Buhar as commending the efforts and sacrifices of the nation’s counter-terrorism forces, but that there is the need for greater vigilance and new strategies. General Buhari recognised the complexity of terrorism and its peculiar challenges but called for more and tougher strategies, adding that a situation where the criminals outsmart the system is disturbing. He further advised the Federal Government to take proactive steps to stem the frequency with which the terrorists or suicide bombers penetrate security cordon and checkpoints with maximum ease and strike their targets with extreme cruelty. The APC Presidential candidate said that it is concerned about the effects of frequent terrorists’ attacks on the psyche of the ordinary citizens, who may give in to despair that the government lacks the capacity to protect them. General Buhari regretted the latest Yobe bomb blast which came on the eve of the first anniversary of the Buni Yadi terrorist attack which killed dozens of innocent students of a Federal Government College in their sleep. The General commended the heroic exploits of the officers and men and women of the Armed Forces on their fight against the Boko Haram terrorists that have for several years made life a living hell for many Nigerians while creating the greatest security nightmare ever known by the country, since the end of the Civil war. Buhari of expressed delight with the speed and efficiency with which several towns and villages in the North east region of the country, namely Baga, Konduga, Dikwa etc., hitherto overrun by the terrorists or under their control, have been liberated by the Nigerian troops. According to him, it is refreshing to realize as patriotic Nigerians that indeed we have a military that can hold its own in combat and by so doing be an inspiration, and complement the efforts of friendly forces fighting alongside them. “While we have noted the full display of professionalism and courage in combat exhibited by the gallant officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Armed forces, we also pay tribute to their allies from Cameroun, Chad and Niger who are fighting alongside them. Terrorism being the scourge of today’s world requires the collective effort and resolve of the international community and relevant regional forces to deal with. “As we celebrate the triumph of our forces and look forward to the eventual weakening and possible annihilation of the terrorists from our territory and the sub-region, we urge the Armed forces to do more and ensure that territories already re-captured do not fall again to the terrorists and that reasonable security is provided to encourage the displaced population to return to their homelands. “We want to use this opportunity to remind the entire rank and file of the Armed Forces that under an APC government to be headed by General Buhari, the Armed Forces as an institution would be encouraged and given all it requires to continue to excel and fulfil its Constitutional role of providing reliable and sound security for the nation.” [myad]
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