Buhari’s absence from FEC meetings worrisome—Tsav

Former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s inability to attend the weekly Federal Executive Council, FEC, meetings should be a source of concern to all who care for the country.
Speaking in a telephone interview yesterday in Makurdi, the former Commissioner said: “Since he initiated the fight against corruption and it is going on fiercely and corrupt people are being taken to courts and custody, and then suddenly he is not attending meetings, people who care for the country should be disturbed.
“My worry is that if for any reason the President is incapacitated, the war against corruption may not continue with the drive and vigor like when the President is around.”

Credit: Vanguard

Jonathan, from beginning, was too small for the Presidency – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that former President Goodluck Jonathan from his first days as President showed he was too small for the office, saying he, Obasanjo, acted more as an opponent of Jonathan than a supporter of Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2015 presidential poll.
Ex President Jonathan and Gen. Obasanjo (Rtd)
Obasanjo, who said Jonathan deceived him that he would not give Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke the petroleum portfolio in his cabinet was deceived into believing that he could use money to buy the 2015 presidential election.
Obasanjo in the book, Against the Run of Play: How an Incumbent President was defeated in Nigeria , written by former presidential spokesman, Segun Adeniyi, also revealed that Jonathan was gripped by the fear that Buhari, as president, would jail him or lead him to an early grave.
In the 204-page book, former President Jonathan is himself quoted as saying he could not be held accountable for provocative remarks made by some of his supporters, even as former Senate President, David Mark, is also quoted in the book as alleging that he forewarned the former president about the alleged conspiracy against him in the north but to no avail.
Problems of minority agitation
Obasanjo in the book is quoted as saying that following Umaru Yar’Adua’s death in 2010, he endorsed Jonathan for the 2011 presidential election principally to solve the problems of minority agitation in Nigeria.
The former President said: “I saw the emergence of Jonathan as an opportunity to solve the problem of minority agitation. The three majority ethnic groups in Nigeria can always sort themselves out but not so for the minority. A good example is my state here in Ogun.
“Despite the best of intentions, nobody from Ogun West has been able to become governor because of this minority issue and it will take a conscious effort to make it happen. So, it was in the context of that I had to plead with prominent people in the North to allow Jonathan run for a term.”
I warned him not to make Diezani petroleum minister
But in a tone laden with regrets, Obasanjo pointed out that there were certain things Jonathan did that fell below his expectations as a former president.
“There were certain decisions taken by Jonathan very early in his administration that pointed to the fact that the office was bigger than him and one of them was the appointment of a petroleum minister,” he said.
According to Obasanjo, he cautioned Jonathan not to appoint Diezani Alison-Madueke to such a sensitive sector but the president ignored his counsel.
“Jonathan gave me the impression that he was not going to give her the portfolio but at the end he did and we can see the consequence. He, of course, knew what he was doing,” Obasanjo stated.
Why I opposed Jonathan
The former president also hinted at what riled him against Jonathan and why he parted ways with him in the run up to the 2015 election, a development which has given the impression that he was actively working in support of Buhari’s candidature. But Obasanjo denied any direct support to Buhari.
He said: “I didn’t join them in supporting Buhari; I joined in opposing Jonathan so Buhari was just a beneficiary of my opposition to Jonathan since my position was AOBJ: meaning Any Option But Jonathan.”,
Obasanjo explained that Jonathan and his handlers believed that they could buy the last election and that they were so arrogant about it that the PDP would print only one nomination form for him and him alone. He said: “If he was wise, he would have yielded the ticket to somebody else in the PDP.”
Jonathan was not really afraid about life after office but Buhari
The former president, who also criticised the role played by the military in the last election, said he suspected that Jonathan was not really afraid about life after office but Buhari, his successor.
“I believe the President’s concern or fear is not about life after office per se, because he and I have had occasions to talk about this both seriously and jovially. I believe the President’s fear is particularly motivated by the person he sees as his likely successor, that is General Buhari. I believe the people would have been telling him that Buhari is a hard man; he would fight corruption and he (Jonathan) may end up in jail if not in the grave,” Obasanjo narrated in the book.
The book also placed the defeat of Jonathan at the 2015 poll on the utterances of those close to the former president, chief among them being his wife, Patience.
The book recalls the allegation by former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, accusing the former first lady of insulting the North with incendiary language, thereby alienating them from Jonathan during the election.
It quoted Mrs. Jonathan as making a denigrating remark against Almajiri in the north, by saying “Our people no dey born children wey dem no dey count. Our men no dey born throw way for street; we no dey like people from the other side”, an apparent reference to the concept of Almajiri common in the north.
Reminded in the book that some persons close to him, especially Chief Edwin Clark and Asari Dokubo, were rather vocal and provocative in their utterances, Jonathan wondered why he should be held accountable for their personal opinions.
The former president retorted: “Okay, let us agree for the sake of argument that Chief Clark and the others were offensive, what about those from other ethnic groups who were also making incendiary statement about my person with insinuations about people who wear bowler hats?
“I am not defending whoever may have crossed the line among Ijaw people but let us be fair, why should I be held accountable for that and you would not hold other leaders accountable for what politicians from their own ethnic groups also said? he queried.
On why Jonathan lost the election, former Senate President, David Mark, said that he saw the defeat coming and had pointed out the unrealistic voting projections made by the party about the North to the former president and the conspiracy against him but he was not taken seriously.
He said Jonathan should have seen the handwriting on the wall and done something about what was pointed out to him but no action was taken.
Mark lamented, “I saw it and at difference times, I pointed out to him and the party that the projections being made by some people around the president about what the voting pattern in the north would were wrong.
“I could see the conspiracy and the gang-up building up in the north against the aspiration of Jonathan but my voice was drowned out by those who took it for granted that a sitting president, and one from PDP, could not lose,” Mark said.
The former Senate President also mentioned that the former Vice President, Namadi Sambo, was also aware that Jonathan was not strong in the North but apparently had little to say in the campaign to re-elect Jonathan.
“Some people were deceiving the president with the kind of false scenarios they were painting for him. The VP could see the conspiracy but I don’t know how much influence he had on the campaign. Why Jonathan couldn’t see it until it was too late is what I find difficult to understand,” Mark pointed out.

Source: Vanguard

Bring my files, I “ll work from home – Buhari

Again, President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday stayed away from the meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC which held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Similarly, over 20 out of 36 Ministers were equally absent at the meeting.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo presided over the meeting.
President Muhammadu Buhari signs Instrument of Ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in State House on 28th March 2017
The Opening preliminaries of Wednesday’s meeting were not short of what played out penultimate Wednesday when the already seated Osinbajo and the Ministers who were expectant of the President, appearing to preside over the meeting got disappointed following Buhari failure to show up.
On the same vein, the meeting did not hold last week.
Officials later attributed that to the Easter holiday.
Meanwhile, all expectations that the president would attend yesterday’s edition that featured the acting Secretary to the Government of Federation, SGF, Dr. Habibat Lawan also failed.
At exactly 11 am, Osinbajo got whispers from the State Chief of Protocol, SCOP and thereafter called for the National Anthem and opening prayers, signalling the commencement of the meeting.
Journalists were later excused from the meeting which got underway.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting that lasted only for two hours, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said that the president couldn’t attend because he needed some rest at home.
Mohammed added that the President has requested that all the files on his table be brought to him, saying he would be working from home.
He said: “We just concluded the Federal Executive Council meeting, I’m sure you noticed that the President was not there. He was not there because he asked that he be allowed to rest and asked the VP to preside.
“And he will be working from home. He has asked all his files to be taken to him in the house. He will be working from home today”.
The Minister also repeated the same to Vanguard which sought more clarification in an exclusive interview.
“He was not in that meeting because the President sent word that he wanted to rest and he wanted the VP to preside over and he asked for all his files to be brought back to him that he will be working from the house”.
Told that there was an air of surprise back in the hall when the Vice President called for the recitation of the national anthem, Mohammed said “that’s your own opinion”.
Also asked whether the government would formally apologize to The Punch Newspaper over the “sack” of its State House correspondent, Mr. Olalekan Adetayo from the Presidential Villa as demanded by the organization, the Minister said that the steps already taken by the Presidential Media aides should suffice.
“I think we should blow a matter out of proportion. The special adviser to the president on Media, Mr. Adesina immediately took a step that reversed that. I think that is proof enough that this government is not about stifling the press.
“You forget it is the same administration that restored the pass of Dutchewalle Reporter. I am happy with what the media aides have done. I think that settles it”, he said.

AILING ECONOMY: WE’VE LEARNT OUR LESSON IN A HARD WAY – BUHARI

President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that Nigeria has learnt the hard way on how to diversify its economy.

Buhari made this remark while receiving a Special Envoy from the President of Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif, at the State House, on Monday.

According to him, the current government was working hard to live up to the challenges faced by the Nigerian economy within a short period, saying he would tap from the experiences of countries like Iran which had thrived in adversity.

He said, “The progress made by Iran within a short period of 30 years is really commendable. Within the period, you have been able to harness gas flaring, and you are now exporting. You have recorded strides in security, manufacturing, agriculture and technology.

 

“You have also achieved a lot in nuclear research. I must also congratulate you for successfully negotiating with America and the European countries on the development of your nuclear energy. “In Nigeria, we are learning. We are learning the hard way through hardship, and we are learning very quickly on how to explore other sectors of the economy like gas, solid minerals and agriculture for growth.

“We are grateful for your support and cooperation in opening up the Nigerian economy for diversification,’’ he said.
In his remark, the Iranian envoy who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the Iranian government would support the ongoing restructuring of the Nigerian economy.

“We are very keen to see a better and stronger relationship with Nigeria, which is the largest country in Africa and a major global player,’’ he said.

Source: http://dailypost.ng/2016/07/25/ailing-economy-weve-learnt-lesson-hard-way-buhari/

BUHARI ORDERS NNPC TO FIND OIL ON NORTH EAST

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is stepping up measures to ensure a successful operation in the ongoing search for crude oil in the Chad Basin and other parts of the Inland Sedimentary Basin.

That is even as President Muhammadu Buhari ordered deeper exploration of some hitherto neglected areas in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria.

The Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Maikanti Baru, made this disclosure on Monday while receiving the Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar, who was on a courtesy visit to the NNPC Towers, Abuja.

Mr. Baru said the renewed search for hydrocarbon deposits in the Chad Basin would entail extensive probing of some allocated and non-allocated oil blocks in the region with a view to establishing the magnitude of the deposits.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Abubakar said he was leading a delegation of Bauchi State government officials to the NNPC Towers to felicitate with the new GMD on his appointment noting that Bauchi State was proud of Mr. Baru and his accomplishments so far in the oil and gas industry.

Briefing the visiting governor on the intensification of crude oil search in the north, the NNPC GMD noted that the Corporation had identified specific oil blocks in the area where some of the finds were made and would move to re-invigorate exploration based on fresh strategy.

“You know that very close home, we have exploration activities on the frontier basin in the Chad and some areas close to the Kolmani river where Shell had made some indicative discovery of hydrocarbons and Mr. President has directed me to go into that area to reprove and further explore the magnitude and prospectivity of those finds,” spokesperson for the NNPC, Garba Deen Muhammed quoted Mr. Baru as saying.

“We are taking steps to re-strategize and get into those regions. We will re-invigorate the frontier exploration and see how they collaborate with NNPC that is holding Block A09 where some of the finds have been made and also Department for Petroleum Resources, DPR, for the other blocks that have not been assigned.”

The NNPC GMD implored the Bauchi State governor to collaborate with the Corporation in tackling the menace of pipeline vandalism especially in the wake of reported line breaks along the NNPC products supply line from Jos-Gombe-Bauchi enroute the Maiduguri depot.

Responding, Governor Abubakar said the government and people of the State would continue to support and pray for the GMD to ensure that his dreams for the NNPC come to fruition as he steered the ship of NNPC away from obviously turbulent waters amid tumbling crude oil prices.

Also on Monday, the NNPC flagged off bid opening for the decommissioning and installation of towers and masts in Lagos, Benin and Port Harcourt area offices with eleven companies participating in the exercise.

Speaking during the bid opening ceremony at the NNPC Towers in Abuja, the Manager Telecoms, Michael Ejike, said reputable telecommunication vendors with proven experience and capacity were invited to bid for the decommissioning and installation of towers and masts in some NNPC facilities to give it a facelift.

He noted that the 11 companies that submitted bids were required to bid for any of the four refineries of their interest, adding that the exercise was geared towards providing equal opportunities for all bidders in a transparent manner.

On her part, the General Manager, Supply Chain Management, Sophia Mbakwe, said the result of the bid exercise would be ready in three weeks, assuring that all prospective vendors would receive equal treatment.

Commenting on the exercise, the Executive Director of one of the bidding companies, Anthony Wokocha, applauded the NNPC for the transparent conduct of the exercise and assured the corporation of the readiness of his company to deliver on the mandate if considered.

Source: http://dailypost.ng/2016/07/25/buhari-orders-nnpc-find-oil-north-east/

OBASANJO EXPLAINS WHY HE MET BUHARI

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo while answering questions from State House correspondents explained why he held a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja around noon yesterday.

Obasanjo, who made this known however refused to disclose the content of his message, he said he updated president Buhari on the outcome of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Africa Export-Import Bank, which he attended in Seychelles Island.

“I have some messages for the President.

“Not too long ago, I was in Liberia and the Gambia and the presidents of these two countries had some messages that they would want me to deliver to the President.

“Also, only yesterday I came back from Seychelles Island, where I attended this year’s Annual General meeting of Africa Export –Import Bank.

“And there were aspects of the proceedings during that meeting that I think I should update the President on.” 

BUHARI’S SILENCE MEANS HE APPROVES OF RELIGIOUS MURDERS – REGINA ASKIA

CELEB NEWS

Ex-Nollywood actress, Regina Askia Williams, has reacted to President Muhammadu Buhari’s silence on the recent religious murders.
In a post on her Facebook page, the actress cum nurse suggested that the president’s silence portrays a tacit approval of the killings.
She shared a picture of the president alongside the female preacher who was recently murdered in Abuja.
She wrote in an open letter thus: “Dear Mr President, Yet another open letter on murders. Why are you so silent, Mr. President Sir?
“Your deafening silence is looking like tacit approval.
“We are very worried Mr. President Sir,” the letter read.

Source: http://dailypost.ng/dailystar/2016/07/19/buharis-silence-means-approves-religious-murders-regina-askia/

NOT YET TIME TO CONTEMPLATE BUHARI’S IMPEACHMENT , ANENIH TELLS PDP SENATORS

ABUJA - Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih said Wednesday that those contemplating the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari should jettison that as the time was neither right nor the reasons compelling enough.
In a four-page letter to the Chairman of the PDP National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi and dated July 15, 2016, Anenih urged him to dissuade the PDP caucus in the National Assembly from participating in the alleged “ill-advised adventure” of removing President Buhari from office.
Chief Anenih as Makarfi to personally lead the process of consultation with PDP members in the National Assembly, with a view to getting them to play what he described as a patriotic, rather than partisan role, at this time of national economic and social uncertainty.
The letter, titled: “THE PDP CAUCUS IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND THE THREAT TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI” reads: “I am constrained to write this letter by my love for our great country and my long years of involvement in the pursuit of peace, co-existence and national development.
“I am concerned about the noises coming out of the National Assembly to the effect that some of our distinguished Senators and Honourable Members are contemplating a move to impeach the President.
“I feel even more disturbed that the PDP Caucus is being rumoured to be actively involved in this plan to “go for the jugular” of the Executive. The rumoured role of the PDP Caucus is, indeed, the main reason I have chosen to write this letter to you.
“I wish to appeal to you to use your noble office as the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of our great party to dissuade our party members, in the National Assembly, from embarking on or participating in this ill-advised adventure. I am persuaded, Sir, that the time is neither right nor the reasons compelling enough to contemplate the impeachment of the President.
“I do not doubt that the National Assembly may have its grouse against the President, but I am sure that the options of consultation, dialogue and negotiation have not yet been exhausted. We should all assist in persuading our members to persevere in the pursuit of these options.
“I do not believe an attempt at impeachment, at this time, is in the best interests of the party, or the country. Such a move will create tension, instability and even crisis in our body-politic. It will unleash all those fissiparous forces which, in the last few months, have begun to gain momentum.
“Fundamentally, as the main opposition party, I believe the PDP should concern itself with an inward review of why Nigerians lost faith in us and in our party’s vision for Nigeria; our focus should therefore be on trying to figure out how we can once again regain this trust.
“As a party in opposition, what I expect is constructive criticism of the ruling party when it goes wrong. Playing an active role in the internal power struggles between factions of the ruling party is an unnecessary distraction, and an exercise that appears to promote personal agenda rather than the National Interest.
“I am not unaware that the times are hard; that Nigerians are groaning under the weight of unpaid salaries and astronomical increases in the cost of living, that ballooning security problems are increasingly threatening to rip apart the fabric of our national existence, and that Nigerians feel more divided today than they have ever felt, but it would be unfair to blame this President or this Government for all of these problems. Instructively, none of these problems was floated as justification for the threat of impeachment by the National Assembly.
“On the economy, it is a well known fact that all oil-producing countries are suffering from an economic down-turn because of the radical drop in the price of crude oil. As a mono-product economy, dependent on crude oil, there is no magic bubble that could have insulated us completely from the systemic shocks caused by the attendant loss of revenue.
“Rather than seek scapegoats, the situation demands that all our institutions, political parties and leaders should set aside all partisan interests, and work together to wade through these difficult times.
“It is, therefore, my wish and prayer that you, personally, lead the process of consultation with our members in the National Assembly, with a view to getting them to play a patriotic, rather than partisan role, at this time of national economic and social uncertainty.
“May God continue to bless you with the wisdom to lead our party to its manifest destiny.”