UniAbuja Vice Chancellor Warns Against Breaking Rules As 4,641 Students Are Matriculated

March 15, 2020

No fewer than 4,641 students matriculated over the weekend at the University of Abuja for the 2019/2020 Academic Session.

A statement today, March 15, by the spokesman of the institution, Habib Yakoob quoted the Vice Chancellor, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah as advising the students to be law-abiding and disciplined in line with their matriculating oath.

“Your admission into this prestigious University out of several thousands of candidates who selected the institution as their most preferred option is both a privilege and a game changing opportunity in your life that you should not toy with.”

The Vice Chancellor also advised the students to repose the confidence that their parents and guardians have on them, even as he assured them that the University administration is determined to provide an enabling environment for them to excel in their academic endeavours.

Professor Na’Allah said that the University of Abuja would continue to admit qualified students, recruit competent staff and ensure that they not only add value to the system but make the University proud.

He reiterated that the University administration had zero tolerance for misconduct by both students and staff, vowing to deal with anyone who violates the rules and regulations of the institution.

The Vice Chancellor recalled that the University recently took disciplinary actions and measures on some staff, “who were found to have committed some obnoxious acts, such as sexual harassment, tampering with students examination results and falsification of academic records, among others.”

He said that at the moment, lecturers are being encouraged to deliver lectures, invigilate examinations and mark examination scripts, process and submit results as and when due, adding that there is the increasing digitalization of all the processes in the University, including payments of fees by students, interface with the management and accessing of the results and other information from the system.

He said all these measures were taken to sanitise the overall academic activities and ensure the timely release of credible results by the University.

Professor Na’Allah said the University had, this academic session, introduced the study of foreign language such as Arabic, Japanese, French, Spanish and Portuguese, one of which must be offered by students before graduation.

Tinubu Angry With Those Agitating For Removal Of Oshiomhole, Wants Them To Help Buhari Govt Instead

Editorial staff

March 15, 2020

National leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu has decried what he called “the present ploys and plots to undermine the APC National Chairman,” Adams Oshiomhole, against the backdrop of the 2023 general elections that are still far away.

In a long statement today, March 15, Tinubu said that those who are desperate about removing Oshiomhole should rather concentrate their energy in helping President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle several challenges his government is facing.

He admitted that Oshiomhole, being human, has his merits as well as his flaws.

“Yet his humanity cannot be grounds for his dismissal. If so, the position will forever go vacant.

“The Chairman has been a tireless campaigner and mobilizer for the party. He has steered the party through difficult elections. His contributions should not be undervalued now that the bulk of elections are behind us. To do so would be an act of ingratitude. It is no secret that the Chairman and Edo Governor Obaseki are in dispute. This is unfortunate.”

Part of Tinubu’s statement goes thus:

However, the party has moved through proper procedures within the proper organs of the party to hopefully resolve this spat. All party members know this. Such decisions are part and parcel of internal party governance. Yet, motivated by ambitions that have nothing to do with the quality of the Chairman’s performance, people shunned the agreed party reconciliation mechanism and resorted to other means to oust him. These self-help attempts are unwarranted. These attempts reveal more about the mala fides of their perpetrators than they do about the Chairman.

The plotters launched their attack solely because they perceive the chairman as an obstacle to their 2023 ambitions. People went to court knowing full well the party constitution prohibits such action because these people had not yet exhausted all internal disciplinary procedures.

We even had a national deputy secretary improperly call for a NEC meeting on the basis that he believed himself the acting national chairman. Clearly, this man would not have summoned the temerity to make such a move had he not been instigated by powerful individuals who he thought would reward or, at least, protect him for committing the wrongful act.

Those engaged in these manoeuvres see themselves as clever or cunning. They do so because they only understand the mean craft of political intrigue. They have yet to understand the value and long-term utility of democratic governance. Thus, they embark on the strangest of quest. They would rather dismantle and weaken the institutional core of their party just to gain control of that weakened edifice in order to pilfer the party nomination, which they crave. This is more than sad.

Many of us expended sweat, tears, toil and sleepless nights to build this party. Our personal sacrifices were not insignificant. We built this party not simply as a vehicle for personal ambition. We built the party because we saw it as perhaps the only enduring hope to bring progressive governance to this nation. Those who now seek to abuse the party by using it as their personal device do it great harm. They should not be allowed to sacrifice this collective enterprise at the altar of their self-aggrandizement. Somehow, some way they should find in themselves the bearing to adhere to the democratic spirit on which the party was founded. To be an APC member means more than merely carrying a membership card. It means to believe in a set of ideals and principles geared to our highest purpose as a party and a nation.

In a broader context, those afflicted with the 2023 virus do a grave disservice to President Buhari and his administration. They should be trying their best to help the president. Instead of seeing President Buhari as our present leader and commander-in-chief, their sole contemplation is upon his eventual exit. Yet, not even a full year has passed since his second inaugural. How can they be committed to helping him realise his mandate when the fullness of their gaze is affixed to seizing this very mandate for themselves?

The President is faced with many challenges. He is fighting hard on security to keep the population safe. He is pushing for economic reforms that will augur future sustainable growth. His disdain for corruption remains unwavering. Add to it now the Corona crisis and its resultant social as well as economic impact. Politicians express loyalty to him but the words of too many of our politicians are like butter under a burning sun; they melt quickly away. Better to be loyal in deed. Instead of trying to manipulate party and other mechanisms solely to their political gain, it is time to shelve political intrigue for the time being. It is time for all party members to truly see what is at stake and work with Mr. President for the collective good of the nation.

This means we must rally around President Buhari. Instead of everyone saying they are working for the party and nation but going their separate ways based on their selfish designs, we must help him build a stronger national consensus on policies that will ensure safety and bring greater prosperity. If need be and when called upon, we must offer ideas and suggestions that move policy and progress forward. This is the time for governance. It is not the moment to bring the politics of 2023 into 2020. In due course, 2023 shall come. Nothing can prevent it. However, that time is not today. If we are earnest, the present offers sufficient work and challenges for us without trying to add to it by rushing the future. Let us dedicate our energies to helping President Buhari win the present. In this way, you better secure the future for the nation, the party and even for whatever personal ambitions you may nurture.

I have said what is on my mind in hopes that some people may leave the 2023 frenzy and commit themselves to the harder yet more rewarding task of improving progressive governance, whether within the party or at the local, state or federal levels. Yet, I am not so naïve to think all will heed this counsel. The stubborn, those obsessed with the obsession of their ambitions, will ignore all advice. They will constantly pull 2023 into all that occurs in 2020. Their vision is blurred and judgment made faulty by their ailment. We are democrats so we cannot physically quarantine them. However, we can quarantine their ideas and antics by not falling prey to them. This is the best way we help President Buhari fulfil his mandate and inoculate our party and the nation from grave folly.

SIGNED

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu

March 15, 2020

Buhari Consoles Gov Yahaya Bello Over Death Of His 101 Year Old Mother

Greenbarge Reporters

March 15, 2020

President Muhammadu Buhari has condoled with Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State over the passing of his 101 year old mother, Hajiya Hauwau Oziohu Bello.
In a statement today, March 15, the president prayed to God to comfort her family and loved ones, even as he advised the governor, family members and all associates of Hajiya Bello to find solace in the grace of long life given to the matriarch.
The President acknowledged the strength of character of the departed mother in bringing up her children, grandchildren and great-grand children in fear of God, while promoting strong moral values in her community.
President Buhari believed that the legacies of generosity, kindness and virtue that Hajiya Bello lived by, and consistently advocated will always be remembered.
He advised the family and all citizens of Kogi State to immortalize the matriarch by promoting her values, praying that God will grant her soul peaceful rest.
A statement earlier today, March 15, personally signed by Givernor Yahaya Adoza Bello on behalf of the family, said Hajia Hauwa died at the age of 101 years in Abuja and would be buried tomorrow, Monday16 March,2020.
The statement reads in part said: “With total submission to the will of Allah, on behalf of the family of Alhaji Bello Ipemida Ochi, We regret to announce the passing away of our matriarch , Hajia Hauwau Oziohu Bello who answered the call of Allah this evening after a brief illness.”
“We are relieved that her passing was peaceful and painless. Her funeral will be held on Monday, 16th of March, 2020 by 10am at Her resident in Nagazi, Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State in accordance with Islamic rites. “Until her death, she was 101years and survived by children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Anxiety As World Awaits President Trump’s Test For Coronavirus

Editorial staff

March 14, 2020

Result of the test conducted today, March 14, on the United States President, Donald Trump, for coronavirus is expected to be out in a matter of days.

President Trump went for the test after his close contact with Brazilian officials who were later confirmed to have been infected by the virus some days ago.

The President of the powerful nation in the world, said today at a press conference at the White House, Washington DC: “I also took the test last night, and I decided I should based on the press conference yesterday. People were asking.

“They sent it to a lab and the results would take day or two to come out.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had said that people who come into “close contact with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19” or have experienced “potential exposure through attendance at events or spending time in specific settings where COVID-19 cases have been reported, “should be tested.

Presidential Source Narrates How Buhari Tried Since 2017 To Stop Sanusi’s Deposition As Emir

Greenbarge Reporters

March 14, 2020

File photo of President Buhari and Governor Ganduja of Kano

Information reaching us at Greenbarge Reporters has indicated a number of efforts made by President Muhammadu Buhari in particular and the presidency in general since 2017 to stop the deposition of Muhammadu Sanusi II as Emir of Kano.

A reliable source in the presidency, Abuja who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our reporter that when the Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje made up his mind to remove Emir Sunusi as far back as 2017, he (the Governor) informed President Buhari of this decision, seeking for advice and guidance. “Outrightly, President Buhari said it was inappropriate and requested that the plan be shelved.
“This meeting was followed with a written letter to the Governor dated 17th November, 2017 in which the President’s advice was clearly stated.
“The President directed his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, to follow up for a peaceful resolution of the crisis of confidence between the two.
“This led to the setting up a Committee, made up of five state Governors, led by that of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. They did their best. “Calm returned but occasional flare-ups continued and were aggravated by the tense situations under which the governor re-emerged for his second term in the 2019 general elections.
“In the course of that period, Governor Fayemi, his Jigawa State counterpart, Abubakar Badaru and to some extent, the Inspector General of Police made several expeditions to Kano, to prevail on the Governor to not remove the Emir in those tense moments in the interest of peace and security.

“The main grouse of the administration of Ganduje was that the Emir had failed to stay above the fray of partisan politics, especially as it related to the Governor’s re-election.

“In reaction to the various suggestions by senior citizens, including Generals Babagida, Wushishi and Abdulsalami Abubakar, among others, the Chief of Staff sought for permission and gave the green light for the commencement of work by the Abdulsalami Abubakar committee.
“The committee members sat with the President at the Villa to discuss their mission.
“At this meeting, the President outlined the efforts he put into the resolution of the conflict in Kano and said he had had enough.

“He gave assurances of support and put at their disposal, the use of the Presidential Air Craft, then wished them the best of luck. But he did make clear that if the situation warranted it, he would not hesitate to clamp an emergency rule on the state.

“Governor Ganduje gave conditions for peace, including the withdrawal of court cases by Emir Sanusi against the Kano State Government. “Sanusi allegedly accepted to withdraw some of the cases, but stood his ground on the others, including his refusal to withdraw a court case instituted by Bashir Tofa and his group who the State government alleged to be Sanusi’s proxy in the case.
“The Governor insisted that the newly-created emirates must be kept but acceded to the Emir that four of the five Kingmakers whose districts were excised from Kano be reinstated. The Emir agreed not to appeal the decision to uphold the Emirates by the courts.

“It was clear all this while that the inflexibility to meet some of the conditions for peace by both have added complications that made peace almost impossible. For example, the former Emir had wanted the Kano State Anti Corruption Commission to stop its case against him completely. He stood firmly that the case he instituted against the Code of Conduct Bureau will not be withdrawn because, in his view, he needed to pursue it to clear his name, a demand that Governor Ganduje rejected.”

The source said that the Abubabar Committee report didn’t give any “glimmer of hope” for ending the crisis, adding that “a mediator’s success depends largely on the cooperation of the parties involved.”

Despite these frustrations, the source explained, the President didn’t give up on the efforts for peace.

The presidency official said that when the Chief of Staff led a delegation to condole the former Emir over the death of Ambassador Sunusi, the late Dan Iyan Kano, and the former Emir’s uncle, he (Abba Kyari) met separately with Governor Ganduje and Sanusi in a renewed effort to reconcile the two actors in the conflict.

The source noted that, having gone to this extent for peace, it is uncharitable and baseless to accuse President Buhari of ordering Ganduje to depose Sanusi.

According to the source: “President Buhari holds Sanusi in the highest esteem and has nothing personal against him and, therefore, he couldn’t have told Ganduje to depose him.”

The source said that the allegations that “Abuja,” referring indirectly to President Buhari, is complicit in the Emir’s alleged forceful removal from the palace and exile to Nasarawa are equally “nonsensical.
“Chieftaincy law in Northern Nigeria going back to 1919 makes for the deposition and confinement of Emirs and Chiefs. Sarki Alu of Kano was removed by the colonial administration using this law and was walked to Lokoja on foot start a life of exile. State governments have used that law to full effect dealing with Sultan Dasuki in Sokoto, removed and kept in Zing, Taraba state and Emir Jokolo of Gwandu, Kebbi State who has been kept away from the state now for over two decades. Kano State did not need President Buhari’s authorization for anyone to remove and exile Emirs and Chiefs.”

I Have Done What I Could In 6 Years, I Don’t Want To Go Back – Deposed Emir Sanusi

Greenbarge Reporters

March 14, 2020

“I have done what I could in six years, I’m moving on. I don’t want to go back. The truth is, if I had wanted to go back, the dethronement letter was so badly written, it was not done professionally. The easiest thing is just to go to court.”
These are the words of the deposed Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II in a video that is circulating on social media.
Sanusi observed that the dethronement letter sent by the Kano government was poorly written and could have made it easy for him to proceed to the court to challenge it.
“It’s simple, fair hearing, ‘did you query him? Did you ask him to defend himself? Did you even call him to ask him any question?’ That’s all but I think we should go on to a new phase in life.”
Sanusi said it could be difficult for him, but his removal is not an issue as he has no reason to be sad or depressed.

My Desire To Show My Love For Buhari Made Me To Breach Protocol – Argungu Man

Editorial staff

March 13, 2020

A 30-year old man, Mohamed Gundarre, who was reported in most of the social and conventional media yesterday, March 12 to have attacked President Muhammadu Buhari in Argungu, Kebbi State, has said that he was so excited to see the President he had always loved to meet that he did not know when he charged at him simply to embrace him, thereby breaching protocol.

Reacting to the media reports at a press conference today, March 13 in Birnin Kebbi, Mohamed Gundarre confessed that he had always been emotionally attached to the President’s outstanding virtues of honesty and attempted to shake him when he was prevented by the security.

The man, who is a graduate of Public Administration from Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto however apologized for the breach of protocol even as he denied the media report that he was shot and tortured by the security operatives.

“My name is Mohammed Jamilu Gunddare from Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area of Kebbi state.

“Yesterday was a different day for me because as a graduate of Public Administration who graduated with 2nd Class Lower, It took me a lot of courage and dreams to attempt to get to Mr President despite the fact that there was tight security architecture within the venue.

“I am sorry for the disturbances I caused; it was emotional love I have for Mr. President, the person whom I know is nurtured with integrity and honesty and he is incorruptible and right driven.

“No Nigerian and even beyond has never questioned the consistency and integrity honesty and righteous disposition of the President on either national issue or even his own personal life.

“He has worked as Military Administrator, Minister, Military Head of State and civilian President by all accounts no case of corruption had been attributable to him.

“From the time he became the President no one has ever questioned whether the national resources was squandered by the President.”

Mohamed Gundarre stressed that he had no ulterior motive when he attempted to move close to the President and shake him during a photo session at the agriculture show, one of the events for the 2020 Argungu fishing festival.

He said that he was simply overwhelmed by the President’s virtues and raved to shake him. ‘Even if I was dead yesterday I would have been contented that I have achieved my mission to move close to Mr. President and touch him one on one.

“You know that emotional love can divert and taint your total faculty of reasoning and that was what really happened yesterday.

“I was told about the misinterpretation of my action in the media although I was not opportuned to view the clip.

“Please, I am alive, the DSS did not torture me. Nobody has tortured me apart from what happened at the venue when I was forced to the car.”

He said that he had met the Kebbi state Governor, Atiku Bagudu in 2010 when he was a Senator and it has not been easy for him to have access to the Governor.

Mohamed Gundarre said that he was not a beggar, though currently unemployed, adding that he is comfortabke and believed in working hard to fend for himself and the family.

“When the DSS got to my house, they even asked me who built the house for me. I have always believed that by struggle I can achieve anything”

He appealed to the President not to derail in his good work at repositioning the country for the better.

Inspector General Gives Technical Knock-Out To Amotekun, Introduces Community Police

Editorial staff

March 13, 2020

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu has given a technical knock-out to the recently formed regional security outfit known as Amoteku in the Southwest, asking all parts of Nigeria to key into community policing system that has been introduced.

Addressing strategic police managers today, March 13 at a crucial meeting in Abuja, the police boss appealed to all citizens and particularly, the State Governors to continue to support and partner with the mainstream police organization to implement the community policing strategy across the country.

“It is only when we present a common front that we can, as a people, defeat our common enemy who are the bandits, kidnappers, and armed robbers that are testing our will and attempting to alter our values for peace and security.”

“I wish to assure the citizens that with their cooperation and the blessing of the Almighty Allah (SWT) we shall continue to initiate strategies and undertake coordinated operations that are directed at taking the battle to the door steps of the criminal elements. This has been our strategic approach and it has been effective in decimating the bandits, kidnappers and other violent criminals who have been taking advantage of the natural topography of our nation to threaten our security.”

The Inspector General said that at no time had Nigeria requires the dedication, commitment, resilience and professionalism of the police than now. Consequently, even as he charged police strategic managers to continue to provide courageous and knowledge-driven leadership that is required to advance the attainment of the internal security mandate of the Force.

Mohammed Adamu said that the recent incidents of armed banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery most especially in Kaduna, Niger, Kogi, Katsina and Zamfara States have prompted the need for the full and speedy roll-out of the Community Policing strategy across the country.

He said that as conceptualized, formulated, and approved by the Government, the current effort will be citizen-centered and driven by members of each community.

The plan, he said, will involve the setting up of Community Policing Committees (CPCs) at the Ward, Local Government, and State levels including the Federal Capital Territory, adding that the Committees, when inaugurated, are to identify credible and suitable citizens from across each locality for appointment as Special Constables who will serve as Community Policing Officers (CPOs).

“The Committees are also expected to identify the security challenges peculiar to their communities and partner with the local police in formulating plans that would mitigate the challenges. The Community Policing Officers are to deal with and resolve low-level security issues without necessarily resorting to Police Stations unless the issue is of serious legal and security consequences and require police intervention. The idea is to improve the capacity of communities to develop solutions to local security problems working closely with their local police.

“It is our projection that when fully operational, the citizens would be in control of their security with the guidance of the Police and the Community Policing Committees, while the Nigeria Police would then concentrate on the management of violent and other highly organized crimes with a view to pro-actively responding to them in a manner that engender public confidence, trust, and public satisfaction in police service delivery.

“Faced with increasingly sophisticated and enterprising criminal threats, our Community Policing approach recognizes that the Police alone, as a law enforcement agency, does not have the exclusive capacity to solely manage the security threats. Thus, a multi-agency and citizens-driven approach remains the most potent strategy to deal with the current trends of crime.

“The success of the community policing initiative in Nigeria, like in other policing climes, depends largely on the extent to which strategic police managers, particularly, State Commissioners of Police, Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers understand its concept and practice. This conference shall therefore, dwell extensively on exposing senior police officers to the concept and the implementation plan of the Community Policing Strategy.

“In the course of this meeting, therefore, the specific roles of Police managers at various command levels and other strategic actors in the implementation process shall also be clearly delineated. The senior officers here seated shall also be adequately briefed on the modalities for the vetting and certification of personalities that will be members of the Community Policing Committees. This is with a view to ensuring that only credible and suitable persons are appointed into the Committee.

Soyinka Describes Ganduje’s Action On Sanusi As Authoritarianism Of Crudest Temper

Editorial staff

March 13, 2020

File photo: Wole Soyinka
| PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images)

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka has described Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, who dethroned Muhammadu Sanusi II from the throne as Emir of Kano, as authoritarianism of the crudest temper.

He also described the governor as the most notorious public face of disorder being propelled by the immunity he enjoys.

Professor Soyinka, who was reacting to the dethronement of Sanusi in a statement, explained that confidence in immunity has catapulted Sanusi’s tormentor to the ranks of the most notorious public faces of the disorder that the deposed emir Sanusi strove to eradicate.

The Professor said it is a pity that Ganduje lacked friends who could have saved him from himself, adding: “insofar as one can acknowledge certain valued elements in traditional institutions, the man he thinks he has humiliated has demonstrated that he is one of the greatest reformers even of the feudal order. That is beyond question, a position publicly manifested in both act and pronouncements.

“By contrast, Ganduje’s conduct, apart from the innate travesty of justice in this recent move, is on a par with the repudiated colonial order, one that out-feudalized feudalism itself, and is synonymous with authoritarianism of the crudest temper.”

He said of Sanusi Lamido: “unblinking, he trod on the interests of powerful beneficiaries of a worm-infested sector and, in the process, created permanent enemies. By contrast, confidence in immunity has catapulted his tormentor to the ranks of the most notorious public faces of the disorder that Sanusi strove to eradicate. Obviously, vengeance lay in wait, and he was not unaware of it. The signs were omnipresent and Sanusi acknowledged their imminence.

“Most important of all, and most pertinently for the nation, Sanusi was one of the early warning voices against religious extremism whose bitter fruits the nation is currently reaping.

All Political Forces Have Joined Me After Winning Legal Battle – Guinea Bissau President

Editorial staff

March 13, 2020

The new President of Guinea Bissau, Oumarou Sissoco Embalo has said that with the decision of the country’s courts to give legitimacy to his victory, all matters are now settled, and he now had the support of virtually all the political forces in the country.

President Oumarou Embalo, who spoke today, March 13, when he visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential vial, Abuja, stressed that the controversies that dodged his election have been put behind and everybody’s hand is on deck to take the country to the greater height.

President Oumarou Embalo expressed his country’s deep appreciation for the support it got from Nigeria and President Buhari during “our most difficult moment.”

He praised Nigeria’s role in the region as well as in global politics and urged President Buhari to continue to ensure the survival of democracy in the sub-region.

This was even as President Buhari expressed Nigeria’s recognition and full support for the country, saying: “it is good you have support of West African leaders, President of Senegal Macky Sall and that of Niger, Muhammadu Issoufou who is the Chairman of ECOWAS, behind you. Both leaders have the respect of their countries.

“We, the leaders of West Africa have the duty of ensuring that the sub-region is stabilised politically, economically and security wise. We will do our best to ensure that elections are free and fair and meet democratic expectations.”

President Buhari advised President Oumarou Embalo to always be mindful of his country’s national interest.

zIn these days of high-tech communications, information travels very fast. Be mindful of national interest which is often reflected in economic and political matters.”

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