Lifestyle

#LekkiMassacre: Buhari told to sack, arrest Lai Mohammed

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President Muhammadu Buhari has been asked to sack the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed immediately.

The call made by Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) follows the report of the Lagos Judicial Panel of inquiry into the October 20, 2020 massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos State.

The report released on Monday, indicted the men of the Nigerian Army and Nigeria Police Force of having killed and maimed harmless youths protesting police brutality and bad governance in Nigeria.

But the minister, in a series of press conferences has continually denied anyone was killed when soldiers invaded the toll gate and opened fire on unarmed protesters.

Despite the Federal Government’s stance, the report shows obvious evidence that there was indeed a massacre at the Lekki tollgate.

HURIWA advocated Mohammed’s dismissal, arrest, and trial for his appalling falsehood which has now been contradicted by the #EndSARS judicial panel in Lagos.

The group made the demand in a statement issued on Tuesday, November 16, 2021.

The statement reads; “Huriwa is asking President Muhammadu Buhari as a biological father of many well-educated children, to order the arrest and prosecution of his minister of information Lai Mohammed for committing a grave and heartless offence that is equivalent to the denial of the Holocaust of the 6 million Jews by Adolf Hitler which is punishable by nearly half a century of incarceration.”

HURIWA “is also commending the brave members and Chairperson of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the #ENDSARS PROTESTS especially the circumstances surrounding the massive cases of extrajudicial killings by the Army and armed police when these armed forces opened fire with lethal weapons targeted at the unarmed protesters.”

The rights group has asked the President not to sweep the lawlessness of the security agencies under the carpets just as it said if the President allows his information minister to get away with the impunity of denying the massacre that happened before the eyes of the World captured live on video cameras, then he will be remembered long after he has retired from public office as a dictator who oversaw the genocide of young protesters and the generations unborn will never forgive him for this.

“President Muhammadu Buhari must note that as a Father of many Children he needs to ensure that impunity is never tolerated especially the extrajudicial killings of very youngsters of Nigeria by the Army just for protesting police Brutality”, HURIWA added.

Lifestyle

Driver orders man to get out of his bus for supporting Buhari

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A Nigerian lady has narrated how a man found his trip with a commercial bus cut short following his utterance in support of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The lady identified on Twitter as Princess Jenny, revealed she was on her way to work when the passengers in the bus she boarded were discussing the level of hardship under the Buhari-led administration.

However, a man came to the president’s defense and said that Buhari’s enemies will soon be put to shame since he is trying his best.

This angered the bus driver who then stopped the bus and ordered the man to exit.

Jenny’s tweet reads; ”Omo people are angry oooo…

I was in a commercial bus going to work this morning and people were talking how bad the situation of the country is..

A particular passenger just said ‘Buhari is trying his best and with time all his enemies will be put to shame’..

Immediately, the bus driver stopped the vehicle and order the passenger to get out..”

Politics

Nigerians are competitive abroad due to good education they get in Nigeria before leaving – Buhari

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President Muhammadu Buhari has said the competitiveness which Nigerians display abroad is a result of the good education they acquired in the country before travelling out.

According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the president made the comment when he met with the Minister of State Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Shaikh Shakboot Alnahyan, at the sidelines of the Paris Peace Forum on Friday.

Buhari was quoted as saying; “Nigerians are all over the place, very competitive. And the competitiveness starts from home, where they have acquired good education, gone into businesses, and then take all that abroad.”

He also encouraged Nigerians in Diaspora to “subject themselves to the rules and standards of the country in which they live either as working class, or doing businesses.”

The presideny welcomed the offer by UAE to partner with Nigeria in the areas of renewable energy, agriculture, infrastructure logistics, and provision of vaccines to further control the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alnahyan, on his part, said his country thinks very highly of President Buhari’s leadership, noting that he was striving to “build a better future for generations to come.”

He said there were lots of Nigerians in his country who add much value.

On proposed investments in Nigeria, Alnahyan said it would be a win-win situation, “which would bring hope and opportunities for people in both countries. We want to come and add quality and value.”

Politics

French citizens seeking greener pastures are welcome to Nigeria – Buhari

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President Muhammadu Buhari says French citizens who wish to leave France and seek greener pastures in Nigeria would be welcomed with open arms.

Buhari stated this in an published in Paris Daily L’Opinion on Friday, Peoples Gazette reports.

The president who is attending the Paris Peace Forum in France, said Nigeria’s growing population is a huge market for France to take advantage of.

He said; “Those who come from France seeking opportunities in Nigeria are today welcomed with open arms.

“This expansion only augurs more, given Nigeria’s population is projected to grow by 2050 to the same size as the European Union, and further to become the second-largest in the world by the close of the century. This great market is France’s opportunity.”

Politics

Buhari govt to borrow N25.5bn for solar power at NASS complex

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Despite criticism by stakeholders over the country’s huge debt profile, the Federal Government is set to borrow N25.5bn ($62.1m) for the construction and installation of a 17MW hybrid solar power infrastructure for the National Assembly.

This was disclosed on Thursday by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, Senator Clifford Ordia.

According to Ordia, the loan was part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s N7.6 trillion external borrowing request approved by the Senate on Wednesday.

The lawmaker also noted that his panel found that of the $22.8 billion approved by the National Assembly under the 2016-2018 External Borrowing Plan, only $2.8 billion, representing 10 percent, had been disbursed to Nigeria.

The committee, in its report, listed various proposed projects to be financed by the loans.

The $62.1m loan earmarked for construction of solar power plant in the National Assembly would be sourced from SINOCURE/Standard Chartered Bank.

The contract, according to the report, was awarded at a total value of $60.1 million.

However, the report was silent on what the balance of $2 million would be used for.

Politics

Nigerians can look after themselves when infrastructure is in place – President Buhari

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President Muhammadu Buhari, has said that Nigerians would be able to cater for themselves when infrastructure is in place.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina said Buhari made the statement on Thursday while meeting with the President of Islamic Development Bank, Mohammed Al-Jasser, on the sidelines of the Paris Peace Forum in France.

According to the statement titled, ‘When Infrastructure is in Place, Our People can Look after Themselves, President Buhari Tells IDB President,’ the Nigerian leader stated that his administration was committed to an infrastructure renaissance for Nigeria due to sustainability.

“We are struggling very hard on infrastructure because there can’t be sustainable development without it,” the President was quoted as saying.

“Considering the vastness of our country, we need roads, rail, power, airports, housing, and that is what we have engaged ourselves with in the past six years. And our people are seeing the new developments. Relative to the resources available to us, we have not done badly. When infrastructure is in place, our people can look after themselves,” he added.

Thanking the IDB president, Buhari said; “What we are so dependent on (crude oil) has lost a lot of energy. It is coming back gradually, and we are breathing a bit more with some confidence. But we expect greater cooperation from you.”

In response, Al-Jasser told Buhari; “I am impressed by your policies on infrastructure, which will give opportunities to youths, and encourage the private sector. Nigeria is a pivotal country to us, and it deserves all the help it can get.”

The IDB president then assured that the bank will continue to support Nigeria, as its main role was to promote development among its stakeholders.

Politics

Under Buhari, bandits, terrorists now on the run – Femi Adesina

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The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, on Thursday gave his principal a pass mark in the ongoing efforts to rid the country of its security challenges.

In an article titled: “They said nothing was happening…How about these?” the presidential aide said the Boko Haram insurgents and bandits pillaging communities in the Northern part of the country have been put on the back foot by troops through relentless assaults on their hideouts in the region.

He stressed that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was on the right path to achieving multi-sectoral progress.

The government, according to him, has re-assessed and updated the national security strategy, which has contributed to success in fighting insurgents and terrorists and also countering violent extremism.

Adesina said: “Has security not been jigged up in a way that bandits, terrorists, insurgents have been put on the back foot? Are evildoers not being daily sent to God to answer for their crimes? Is the country not being cleaned up, and it is just a matter of time before the sanitation is completed?”

Politics

Buhari advocates equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines at Paris conference

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday charged world leaders and global health institutions on the equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines.

He warned that sidelining less privileged countries in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines would undermine the efforts to safe mankind from the virus that had killed 5.07 million people and infected 251 million others across the world.

The President, according to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, made the call in a keynote address at the Paris Peace Forum in France.

He, however, welcomed the pledges by industrialized countries to share the vaccines.

Buhari said: “Resolving supply-chain constraints would require better coordination within the manufacturing process; and between manufacturers and end-users.

There is a clear need for the expansion of vaccine production capacity in Africa. In this regard, African countries already have a roadmap: the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA) developed in 2007 by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) on the basis of an African Union Summit decision taken in 2005.

“Licensing agreements should be reached with pharmaceutical companies for the transfer of intellectual property and technology to support the production of vaccines in Africa.

“If global vaccination is the only way to end the COVID-19 pandemic, then all stakeholders must act in a coordinated manner to plug the vaccine supply gap in Africa.

The state of vaccine delivery across the world leaves much to be desired has got to a stage where some countries are giving booster third doses for their citizens when millions across the world, especially in the developing world, are yet to receive a single dose.

“Let us compare vaccination rates to give an idea of the dimension of the problem. According to recent data released as of November 4, 2021. 91.3 doses of vaccine had been given for every 100 persons across the world. On the same date, however, only 14.7 doses of vaccine per 100 persons had been administered in Africa – a clear case of lopsidedness.

“According to Bloomberg, countries with the highest incomes are getting vaccinated 10 times faster than those with the lowest income.

“As of 5th November 2021, Africa had fully vaccinated 77 million persons, amounting to just 6 percent of the continent’s population. By comparison, 60 percent of the European Union population had been fully vaccinated by September 2021.

This massive gap between vaccine requirements in Africa and vaccine availability is undermining the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent. Even if Africa were to receive the 600 million doses of vaccine expected to be delivered to the continent by the end of 2021 under the COVAX arrangement there would still be a considerable shortfall when compared to the population of the continent which currently stands at 1.383 billion.”

Lifestyle

Jeff Bezos praises Buhari at climate change conference

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Founder of Amazon and One of the World’s richest men, Jeff Bezos has commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership role in restoring degraded lands in Nigeria.

He gave the commendation during a climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday, November 1.

The COP26 side event themed, “Accelerating land restoration in Africa, the case of the Great Green Wall (GGW) initiative”, was attended by Jeff Bezos, President Buhari, French President Emmanuel Macron, Prince Charles and the Mauritanian President, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.

The billionaire lauded Buhari’s commitment to Nigeria’s climate change actions.

“We are fortunate to have President Buhari of Nigeria with us today.

“Nigeria plays a critical role in the restoration movement and has pledged to restore 4 million hectares of degraded lands.

“This kind of ambition coming from Africa’s largest economy underscores just how vital this issue is,” Bezos said.

Politics

Youths are Nigeria’s greatest asset, require investment – Buhari

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President Muhammadu Buhari declared on Monday that youths are the country’s most strategic asset.

The President stated this at the opening of a three-day national youth conference held in Abuja.

Buhari, who was represented at the forum by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, noted that the country’s most potent ambassadors were young people who are breaking new grounds, records and winning laurels in different areas of endeavour.

He said: “We recognise that our young people are this country’s most strategic asset. Investing in them is investing in the economic strength and development of our nation.

“This is why I recently approved the investing in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme, an over $600 million programme supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB) which will support young tech and creative sector entrepreneurs through the provision of finance, skills development and infrastructure.

While differences of opinion in respect of official policies are normal in liberal democracies such as ours, but out of respect for the rights and sensitivities of others, disagreement must be tempered and channelled through legally and socially acceptable means.

Most importantly, we must keep our faith in our country and remain optimistic that it will serve as the locus for fulfilling our aspirations.

“Building a nation is an intergenerational endeavour; I think this is a particularly important point; governments can be changed in electoral cycles, but the destiny of a nation is shaped across generations.

“This country is ours — above and beyond partisan squabbles, disagreements and everything else — the future will be what we make of it.

“By signing into law of the ‘Not too Young to Run’ bill almost three years ago opened the door for youth inclusion in our political process and by extension, in governance.”

Politics

Buhari to attend Climate Change Summit in Scotland

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday left Abuja for Glasgow, Scotland, where he will attend the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, who disclosed this in a statement, said the President would deliver his national statement at the High-Level segment for Heads of State and Government at the conference on Tuesday.

Buhari will later leave Scotland for France to attend the Paris Peace Forum to be hosted by the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

He will be accompanied on the trips to the European nations by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd) and Director-General of National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.

The statement read: “President Buhari’s address is expected to highlight Nigeria’s key priorities and action to tackle climate change as well as progress on the country’s transition to low carbon economy, consistent with achieving the Paris Climate Agreement.

“The conference, hosted by the United Kingdom in partnership with Italy, will bring parties together to help accelerate action towards the Paris Agreement as well as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“Given Nigeria’s leading role in taking climate action and as a signatory to the Paris Agreement, COP 26 will afford a unique opportunity for the Nigerian delegation to work with other parties to make progress on the main goals of the conference including securing global net zero by mid-century and keeping 1.5C within reach; adapting to protect communities and natural habitats as well as mobilising the much-needed finances to meet the set targets.

In Glasgow, President Buhari will participate in some side-line events hosted by the United States President, Joe Biden and French President, Emmanuel Macron.

President Buhari will thereafter travel to Paris, France on an official visit to reciprocate an earlier one to Nigeria by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, and also attend the Paris Peace forum 2021, the fourth edition to be hosted by the French President.

“The forum will be attended by Heads of State and Government and CEOs of major multinationals as well as several civil society actors, gathering to advance concrete solutions to the enormous challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and to improve global governance in times of COVID-19.

“The Summit will focus on spurring a more solid and inclusive recovery by addressing the various gaps in global governance and offering initiatives to better tend to the global commons, and putting forward new principles of action for the post-COVID world.

While the President is in Paris, the Nigerian government will organize the Nigeria-Paris Forum. The event is expected to pull a crowd of Nigerian and French investors, government and business leaders, diplomats, and the media to showcase opportunities on the two sides as well as bring enlightenment to bear on the prevailing security, economic, and investment climate in Nigeria.”

Politics

Buhari, Tinubu meet in Aso Rock as talks on 2023 elections heat up

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday held a closed-door meeting with the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Although issues discussed at the meeting were not made public they may not be unconnected with the APC preparation for its national convention and other programmes ahead of the 2023 general elections.

But in a chat with State House correspondents after the meeting, Tinubu said he visited the President to thank him for visiting him in London more than two months ago.

He said: “I’m here to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for visiting me in London when I had knee surgery. He demonstrated empathy. He is an exceptional leader.”

The President, who was in London for a routine medical check-up, visited the APC chieftain at his home in the British capital on August 13.

Buhari returned to Nigeria a few days later.

Tinubu, who returned to the country after a three-month stay abroad on October 9, is one of the few politicians eyeing the APC presidential ticket in 2023.

Politics

Buhari urges ASUU to shun strike, embrace dialogue

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President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities to resort to dialogue as a means of channelling their grouses rather than embarking on incessant strike actions.

The president gave the charge through Prof. Ignatius Onimawo, who represented him at the 36th convocation of the University of Ilorin held in Ilorin on Saturday.

Prof. Onimawo is former Vice-Chancellor of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo

Buhari implored the ASUU to embrace peace saying, “No one gains from a crisis. While government alone cannot solve all challenges facing society, this administration is willing to listen to complaints and alternative points of view to managing a situation.

The university system cannot withstand any crisis now considering the time it had lost to Coronavirus pandemic.”

He reiterated the government’s resolve to prioritise and promote teacher education to raise the quality of teaching in the country.

President Buhari also tasked the University of Ilorin to play a leading role in the research and production of vaccines locally.

“The nation expects your university to play a leading role in research efforts to develop COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria.

“The nation expects nothing less from the Nigerian university system,’’ the president said.

Politics

Buhari tolerant, perfect for Nigeria – Lai Mohammed

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The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Friday, praised President Muhammadu Buhari for his tolerance and understanding in the handling of Nigeria’s affairs since he assumed office in 2015.

Mohammed, who addressed a delegation of the African Union Development Agency–NEPAP and Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), who visited him in Abuja, said with the myriad of challenges rocking the country, it would only take a President with “wisdom and special style” like Buhari to rule the country.

He said: “The kind of challenges we faced in the last six years would challenge the most resourceful person. This is a country of about 200 million people, over 500 ethnic groups and tongues, and people with different aspirations, religions, and beliefs.

Running a country like Nigeria is like running a mini-continent and this is why I want to salute the tolerance, wisdom, and peculiar governance style of Mr. President.

I say this because, in the last six years, I have been attending the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings. The President will, on any issue, listen to the submissions of all the 43 ministers if they want to make contributions to any issue without betraying where he stands on the matter.

“Even when we know that some of our colleagues are not making so much sense on a topic, the President will listen attentively and will say thank you at the end of the contributions.

“I believe that it is his background and experience that moulded him that way and till date, you cannot see any minister that will say his view was never heard. No matter how pedestal it might be, the President will listen.

Politics

Buhari arrives Addis Ababa for Ethiopian PM’s inauguration

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President Muhammadu Buhari arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday for the inauguration of the country’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed.

Ahmed will be inaugurated for another term of five years on Monday.

The presidential aircraft carrying President Buhari and some members of his entourage landed at the newly built VIP Terminal of Bole International Airport at 5:06 p.m. (Nigerian time).

The Nigerian leader, who was accorded a full guard of honour by the Ethiopian National Defence Force on his arrival, was received by Ahmed.

He was later treated to a private dinner attended by the Ethiopian President, Sahle-Work Zewde, and his Senegalese counterpart, Macky Sall.

The Presidents of Djibouti, Kenya, South Sudan, Senegal, Somalia, Uganda, and the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo will also attend the event.

Politics

Buhari’s govt not ready to declare bandits as terrorists – Falana

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A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, on Sunday warned Nigerians against branding terrorists as bandits.

The lawyer made the call in a statement in Lagos.

He was reacting to the Federal Government’s refusal to declare bandits as terrorists.

The Senate had last week asked the federal government to declare bandits wreaking havoc in many parts of the North-West as terrorists.

The upper legislative chamber also charged the federal government to go after all known leaders of the bandits with a view to prosecuting them.

In the statement, Falana insisted that the bandits are not different from Boko Haram insurgents who are regarded as terrorists.

He added that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was unprepared to declare bandits as terrorists.

He said: “The failure to ascribe these criminals as ‘terrorists’ as evidenced in the kidnappings of the Chibok and the Dapchi schoolgirls led to the proliferation of the scourge.

It is public knowledge that the dangerous criminal elements who kidnapped the Chibok and Dapchi secondary school girls in the North-East Zone in 2014 and 2017 respectively were not referred to as bandits.

They were called terrorists by the Federal Government and the media. The description was correct as the abductions carried out by the criminal elements were acts of terrorism.

“But for reasons best known to the Federal Government the criminal elements who are currently involved in the brutal killing of innocent people and abduction of thousands of people including primary school pupils in the North-West zone are called bandits and not terrorists.

“Embarrassed by the reluctance of the Federal Government to deal decisively with the so-called bandits, the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, in separate sittings, unanimously passed resolutions last weekend requesting President Muhammadu Buhari to declare the dangerous criminal elements as terrorists and proscribe them in accordance with the provisions of the Terrorism Prevention Act as amended without any further delay.

The federal lawmakers also asked President Buhari to declare all the known leaders of the bandits wanted and track them wherever they are for arrest and prosecution. So far, the Federal Government has ignored the resolutions.

“However, as the Federal Government is not prepared to declare them as terrorists we call on the media and the Nigerian people to stop referring to terrorists as bandits.”

Politics

NADECO rejects 1999 constitution, blasts Buhari

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The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) on Friday faulted the Nigerian constitution, saying the document has entrapped some ethnic groups in the country.

In an independence message signed by its General Secretary, Ayo Opadokun, the group lamented that since the January 1966 military coup, “politicians in khaki” had halted the country’s progress, and development.

It urged the United Nations to supervise the conduct of a referendum to ascertain the wishes and aspirations of entrapped, humiliated, and oppressed ethnic groups in Nigeria.

It said President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has used the flawed constitution to cage Nigerians.

NADECO claimed that the current administration preferred to trivialise the genuine demands of entrapped groups in the country.

The group decried the killing, maiming, and kidnapping of several thousands of Nigerians including school children by herdsman, Boko Haram insurgents, and bandits in communities in the North-Central, North-West, North-East and Southern part of the country without manifest counter-action by the government to check the situation.

The statement read: “It is needless but necessary to restate that the centralisation and unitarisation of Nigeria had since created injustice, unfair play, inequity, wanton disregard, and disrespect for the rule of law.

The Nigerian State has failed to provide security for lives and property a fundamental right which is its primary responsibility under the UNO Protocols, African Charter on Peoples’ Rights, and its domestic legislation.

“President Buhari’s led government had frustrated in Nigeria any legal avenue where the entrapped ethnic nationalities can seek redress for the many instances of humiliation, repression, hounding and subjugation of the majority of Nigerians by the sectional dictates and wishes of his Fulani controlled security agencies and outlaws.

NADECO hereby requests the UN, its Security Council and other Global bodies to critically accept that their failure to act timeously on these legitimate demands for their intervention may tantamount to an invitation to possible national conflagration and unmanageable national crisis which may result into consequential deleterious situations on the West African Sub-Region, the African Continent and the World in general.

“Let it be remembered that Nigeria as the most populous black nation in the world has about 200 million citizens residing in a suffocating geographical and political space, the possible reaction of the entrapped ethnic nationalities who are already overwhelmed with repression, discriminations on religion, gender, ethnicities can quickly result to national upheavals, forced dispersal, and migration with their attendant global consequences.”

Politics

Buhari’s address confirms our position on his govt – PDP

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday described President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as the worst in Nigeria’s history.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP said the President’s independence anniversary address confirmed its position that the government was confused and incapable of moving the country forward.

President Buhari had in his address to Nigerians admitted that the last 18 months had been the most difficult period in the history of the country.

He said: “The past 18 months have been some of the most difficult periods in the history of Nigeria. Since the civil war, I doubt whether we have seen a period of more heightened challenges than what we have witnessed in this period.”

The party noted that Buhari’s admittance in his speech that Nigerians have faced difficulties that are similar to the civil war situation gave credence to the horrible situation in the country.

The statement read: “This grave assertion brings to mind the ugly images of the civil war; the killings, lawlessness, violence, human rights violations, poverty, hunger, starvation and other horrible situations as also being currently witnessed today under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration.

From Mr. President’s admission, it is clear that he has nobody but himself to blame for the sorry situation in Nigeria under his watch.

It is, therefore, a pathetic antithesis for Mr. President to attempt to exonerate himself by claiming that no government, since 1999, has done what his administration has done in six years; a claim that portrays a desperation to parry blame for the consequences of the misrule of his administration.

“What is obtained in the public space is that no government has since 1999 brought our nation to her knees on every facet of life like the Buhari administration.

“It is appalling that in his speech, President Buhari had no concrete assurance on how to revamp our economy and how to end acts of terrorism in our country. Instead, the speech, as usual, dwelt on empty claims that have no bearing on the actual situation in the country.

Such disposition further exposes the insensitivity of the APC towards the plight of millions of Nigerians and confirms that our nation will end in ruins if the APC is allowed to stay in power any moment beyond May 29, 2023.”

Politics

‘Hunger, poverty fuelling secessionist agitations,’ Christian group tells Buhari

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The Southern Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) on Friday charged President Muhammadu Buhari to address hunger and poverty in order to stop the growing secessionist agitations in the country.

The Chairman of YOWICAN, Oluchukwu Green Nnabugwu, who made the call in Owerri, Imo State, as part of the group’s 61st independence anniversary message to Nigerian leaders, noted that the Buhari administration “does not believe in equity and fairness.”

He said: “Celebration of the nation’s 61 years of Independence amidst the increasing security challenges, poverty, different agitations by various groups, poor infrastructural facilities among others, we should rather have a solemn reflection on our existence as one Nigeria, noting that it is time for our leaders to start asking questions to know the way forward to these menace ravaging the country.

Time has come for our leaders to re-examine themselves, their stewardship, and tell themselves the truth. Hunger, poverty, and starvation are the bedrock of the various agitations by various ethnic groups. This is because a hungry man is an angry man. The current leadership doesn’t believe in equity and fairness.

“The country and our leaders must work to protect the nation in areas of employment, healthcare, empowerment among others. As a youth leader, I desire that the leadership of the country see children and youths as the hope of the country and as such invest in them.

“The Christian youths should also get involved in politics too to salvage the country. In Nigeria, youths have the greater population, hence it is time to take over the system so that we can be in the same realm with other developed countries.”

Politics

Ex-APC chieftain, Timi Frank accuses Buhari of nepotism, divisiveness

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A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, said on Friday President Muhammadu Buhari’s independence anniversary address was strewn with mistakes and false claims.

Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, in a statement in Abuja, decried the rising insecurity and deplorable state of the nation’s economy.

He also accused the Buhari administration of nepotism, divisiveness and ethnic bigotry, saying the President attempted to pull wool over the faces of Nigerians in the address.

Frank said: “The country which had been on steady growth and development since 1960 through the spirited efforts of successive administrations, did not only stall since 2015 upon Buhari’s ascension to power but has continued to retrogress irretrievably in all measurable economic, social and political indices.

First, Buhari praised the Armed Forces for their gallantry in curtailing the murderous activities of Boko Haram insurgents, Fulani herdsmen, bandits and other criminal elements, yet, this is the same military that have failed to stop incessant attacks on their formations, killing of its personnel and kidnapping of its Generals across the country.

“The attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy, killing of two officers and kidnap of Major Christopher Datong is a case in point.

“The nation’s currency exchanged for about N180 to a dollar when Buhari took over power, but his administration created multiple foreign exchange rate windows. What is the exchange rate today? About N567 to a dollar at the parallel market and N410 at the official window!

What was the price of fuel, cooking gas and electricity tariff when Buhari assumed office in 2015 and how much are Nigerians paying for these essential commodities today?

“Nigeria was the fastest growing economy in Africa following the rebasing of the nation’s economy under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. Today, Nigeria is the Poverty Capital of the World. However, Buhari would want the world to believe that his regime has recorded appreciable economic revival in the country.

“Insurgency was largely confined to the North-East states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa when Buhari took over, but today farmers in Buhari’s home state of Katsina and North-West states of Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, including Niger in the North-Central pay taxes to bandits to be allowed access to their farms.

Today most schools in the North-West states have been shut down while telecommunication networks have been switched off in Zamfara, Kaduna and Sokoto States as a result of the activities of rampaging bandits and insurgents who have taken to kidnapping innocent school children for ransom. Yet Buhari praises his administration’s efforts at curtailing insecurity. In Southern Kaduna, killing of innocent villagers has continued unabated.

“Today, Buhari and his administration have turned a once peaceful South-East region bubbling with commercial activities to another haven of insurgency and gruesome killings due to the cluelessness with which it handled legitimate protests and agitations by youths in that region.

“Unfortunately, Dr. Chike Akunyili who was husband to late Prof. Dora Akunyili recently fell victim to that heightened orgy of violence now ravaging the South- East.

No doubt that the wanton killing of innocent Igbo youths has now snowballed into undreamt of a killing spree by unknown gunmen. But to Buhari, all is well!”

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