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#MainaGate: Maina Should Prove His Innocence In Court, Not To Buhari – Jiti Ogunye

By: Bhodemarz on November 29, 2017 / comment : 0 , , , , ,

Legal Practitioner, Mr Jiti Ogunye, has asked the embattled former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, to present himself before the court rather than requesting to meet with the President.
Mr Ogunye described Maina’s comments and request to meet with the president as “cock and bull stories”, as well as an attempt to evade the justice system.
He made this known on Channels Television’s Sunrise daily, in response to an exclusive interview of Maina in which he insisted that he was innocent of the allegations preferred against him.

READ ALSO: EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Maina Breaks Silence, Begs Buhari For Chance To Prove Innocence
“Maina wants to meet with Mr Presdient over what? Do we even respect our court at all? Do we respect our judicial process? Do you know that in this country, Supreme Court justices are being tried in court? Who is he to be saying that he wants to recover money?
“Present yourself, you are a fugitive from justice. Have your day in court prove your innocence there – that is the law that I know. All this talk about I want to see the president – for what? He has seen the Attorney General of the Federation and he told us that he visited Maina to the knowledge of the National Security Adviser of Nigeria”.

Mr Ogunye, speaking further about the involvement of the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, in Maina’s return and reinstatement, described the situation as a disgraceful and monumental scandal.
The AGF had denied having any involvement when he appeared before the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee, set up to investigate the case, last week.
READ ALSO: Letter For Maina’s Reinstatement Didn’t Come From My Office – AGF
He also gave a detailed report of recoveries made, as well as an existing pension fraud syndicate made up of politicians, legislators and retired civil servants, as well as Maina himself.
Mr Ogunye, however, stressed that “the AGF should concern himself with the role he played, whether legally, morally, ethically, even politically, it was correct for him to have played that role.
“In the course of his testimony before that committee, the AGF was forced to disclose that he visited Maina in Dubai.
“What is the business of the Attorney General of the Federation, visiting a fugitive from justice outside the shores of Nigeria,” he questioned.
“My presumption was that a deal was struck on how to bring Maina back into the country behind the back of Nigerians, reinstate him and then launder him back to service”.
According to Mr Ogunye, contrary to what Malami said, all fingers point at him as being at the centre of Maina’s reinstatement.
“What he said has been disproved by others including the head of service. According to them, he was the one who initiated, instigated and triggered the whole process by writing letters and issuing directives to the Federal Civil Service Commission.”
Giving a suggestion to the government on what should be done, he said rather than taking Maina seriously and having a sit down with him, the government should take itself seriously.
“The government should on the contrary, take Maina seriously by bringing Maina to justice,” he asserted.
Meanwehile, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Robert Clarke, who also spoke on the breakfast show, supported the idea that Maina should be given a chance to speak with President Buhari.


Source: ChannelsTV


#MainaGate: Buhari ordered AGF Malami to meet with me, ensure my reinstatement – Maina

By: Bhodemarz on November 29, 2017 / comment : 0 , , , ,

The embattled former chairman of the Presidential Pension Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, on Tuesday said his reinstatement started with a meeting with the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, as ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a video aired by Channels TV on Monday, Mr. Maina, wanted for alleged corruption, explained how the current administration held meetings with him and returned him to the civil service.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Maina Breaks Silence, Begs Buhari For Chance To Prove Innocence

His secret reinstatement, exposed in October by PREMIUM TIMES, outraged Nigerians and raised questions about the Buhari administration’s seriousness about tackling corruption.
The president responded to the report with alarm, and ordered an immediate investigation as senior government officials directly involved in Mr. Maina’s recall traded blames and denied responsibility.
Despite receiving the report of the investigation, the president has not sanctioned anyone for the scandal till date.
Instead, Mr. Buhari swiftly fired the Secretary to Government, Babachir Lawal, and head of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke, indicted in separate corruption cases. Critics said those sackings were diversionary.
In his first known public comments, Mr. Maina appeared to imply the president merely feigned ignorance to pacify a roiled public as he was not only in the know about his reinstatement, but he ordered it.
Mr. Maina said he initially decided not to return to work despite a court order reinstating him because some people in the past administration did not want him back.
“The letter of dismissal, I didn’t even receive a letter. It was when I heard about it (that) my lawyers went to court. They took the Senate to court and the court quashed whatever was the report of the Senate. The court also removed all the warrant of arrest. The court upheld that I should return to work. That was in April 2013. But the last administration refused to take me back to my job. They refused to obey the court order. The Head of Service was asked not to return me to the office. The Federal Civil Service Commission chairperson at that time did not want me to return to office.
https://ssum-sec.casalemedia.com/usermatchredir?s=183697&cb=https%3a%2f%2fdis.criteo.com%2frex%2fmatch.aspx%3fc%3d25%26uid%3d%25%25USER_ID%25%25
“Now I did not return to office but when this government came in, the president gave his note that go and sit down with Maina, I’ve given you the approval. They sat down with me after the security agencies cleared me of any wrong doing.”
Mr. Maina said he has never been sued in any court of law for any allegation.
“Nobody has ever taken me to court in Nigeria. I want Nigerians to know. I have never been taken to any court of law. Nobody has ever sued me for anything. I’ve never been take to any court of law.
“I have sued all the security agencies that we are talking about and I have won. I have full court judgements. They place my name on INTERPOL, I went to court and removed it. They did this, I did this I removed it. There is nothing they have not done. Even the one they could not do, they went to immigration, put my name on no fly list. I went to the airport. I was in Nigeria, that was in 2015. I went to the court, the court granted me N2 million damages for not flying that day.”
He relayed how he helped the government recover N1.3 trillion through the AGF.
He added that the process of his reinstatement started after the Attorney General, Mr. Malami, visited him.
“As soon as this present government decided to sit with me, and after sitting with, me, I told them I will not leave you to go back to Nigeria without something in your pocket. I’m going to give you something in your pocket and the Minister laughed. The Minister of Justice said what are you going to give us as gift? I gave him a document, I say go here, here, here, there’s N1.3 trillion they are going to steal it because they’ve been stealing every year. He was shocked, he said not possible. I said sir, with all due respect, could you please try it, this is a gift I’m giving you. I haven’t gotten to Nigeria, I’m just giving you a gift. I say try it for you to understand where I’m coming from.
“I’m not a saint but I try as much as I can to help the system. The minister thought that won’t be possible, when he got back, he realised I gave him a correct information. Now, after giving him this information, he asked me, when are you coming back, I said I will soon be back. I said I have a court order. So, I asked my lawyer to write a petition. He now wrote a petition to government and the Minister set up a committee to look at the petition. They looked at the petition and recommended that this is a court order that there’s no question of going back on it, nobody has appealed it since 2013 so government must obey it.
“So, he sent a letter to the Federal Civil Service Commission to say this is the petition I got in my office, I’m attaching the court order which you must respect. I’m hearing people are saying he’s directing people to reinstate me. No, he said you must respect the court order, this is the court order because he is the chief officer of the country. Now, the document was taken to the Federal Civil Service Commission. I went to the Federal Civil Service Commission, they told me they have just received the documents, they are going to see me later and we have a meeting. After that meeting, they wrote office of the head of service. They say we want you to sit down with your Senior Staff Committee and after that you send it to the Ministry of Interior; that was used at that time because they were coerced which I later found out. The Senior Staff Committee was coerced by the then Head of Service, Mr. Isa Bello Sanni to make sure they send me out and packing because I had stopped the inflow of 5.2 billion monthly to the office of the Head of Service.”
The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, refused to comment on the allegation.
Reached Tuesday night by phone, he told PREMIUM TIMES, “Anything on that issue, get in touch with the AGF”.
The Attorney General did not respond to phone calls. His spokesperson, Salihu Isah, could not also be reached as his telephone line was switched off.


Source: Premium Times

Buhari dividing Nigeria along ethnic, religious line – Atiku

By: Bhodemarz on November 27, 2017 / comment : 0 , , ,

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has written the ruling All Progressives Congress APC intimating the party of his decision to quit. 
Though the letter was dated October 18, 2017, the national leadership of the party had last Friday denied receiving any such notice from the former vice president. 
In the letter, Atiku said his decision to quit the ruling party was not about him but about the future of the country as a democratic entity. 
“I am unable to reconcile myself with the dismal performance of the party in government, especially in relation to the continued polarization of our people along ethnic and religious lines, which is threatening our unity more than any other time in the recent past and the unbeatable hardship that our people are currently undergoing”, he stated. 
Addressed to the party’s ward chairman in his Jada 1 Ward, Jada Local Government, Adamawa State, Atiku in the letter said he was disturbed by the dismal performance of the APC, describing the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration as a threat to Nigeria’s unity due to its penchant for polarizing Nigerians along ethnic and religious lines. 
In the resignation letter acknowledged by Usman Muazu, a copy of which was obtained by Vanguard, the Wazirin Adamawa said; “I wish to inform you of my decision to resign my membership of the All Progressives Congress APC in this ward with effect from the date of this letter.” 
Atiku said there has to be a country first before politicians can aspire to lead it. 
“I am resigning from a party we formed and worked so hard, with fellow compatriots across the country, to place in government. I had hope that the APC government will make improvements to the lives of our people and the continued existence and development of Nigeria as one indivisible nation. This hope has now been dashed. 
“As I said in 2006, it is the struggle for democracy, constitutionalism and service to my country and my people that are driving my choice. Let me emphasize again that this is not about me. We have to have a country before people can aspire to lead it,” he said. 
He expressed optimism that APC followers in the state would soon join him in the bid to “defeat impunity and restore vision and purpose” to Nigeria’s politics. 
“While wishing you well, let me express the hope that in the near future, a substantial number of you will join forces with us to once again defeat impunity and restore vision and purpose to the politics of our great country. Please accept the assurances of my highest regard.” 
Atiku had on Friday resigned from the APC citing the pervading undemocratic atmosphere in the party among other issues as reasons for his decision.


How Adamu Mu’azu opposed plan to reject Buhari’s victory - Abdullahi

By: Bhodemarz on November 23, 2017 / comment : 0 , , , , , ,

Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu, chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the historic 2015 presidential poll, furiously reacted to suggestions that he should reject Muhammadu Buhari’s victory after President Goodluck Jonathan had openly conceded.
Jonathan, after congratulating Buhari in an unprecedented telephone call while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was yet to officially announce the winner, told party members that although he had conceded to Buhari in his personal capacity, PDP was free to reject the result.
Before Jonathan conceded, however, Mu’azu had threatened to do so on behalf of the party.
He even stopped picking Jonathan’s calls at some point.
All these are snippets of the intrigues that followed Jonathan’s defeat — as narrated by Bolaji Abdullahi in a new book, ‘On a Platter of Gold: How Jonathan Won and Lost Nigeria’, which will go on sale nationwide from November 30, 2017 after launch.
In the advance copy made available to ONLY TheCable, the author said many of Jonathan’s supporters believed he was too hasty in congratulating Buhari and were looking at ways to undo the gesture.
It was then suggested that the PDP could still challenge the election in spite of the concession statement by Jonathan — but they had to move quickly. A meeting was scheduled for 6pm of Tuesday, March 31, three days after the election.

VOLTE-FACE
“By 6:00pm, all the President’s men and party bigwigs began to gather at the banquet hall of the Presidential Villa. Many had rushed back to Abuja for the meeting, anxious to know the next line of action. They had all heard the audio of the phone call, but opinions were sharply divided on whether the president had thrown in the towel too soon,” Abdullahi wrote.
“One South-South governor disclosed that this banquet hall meeting was not the president’s original idea. He said soon after the president made the telephone call to Buhari, some governors had gone to him to express their reservations about it. They felt he had conceded too cheaply. Their argument was that if the president and the party had rejected the outcome of the election, they would have gained a stronger platform to negotiate their exit.
“If the case had gone to court, probably going all the way to the Supreme Court, the Buhari government would have remained tentative until the matter was decided and this would have also bought Jonathan more time, or even more security out of office. They all agreed that all these were now merely academic. It was at this point that they decided to call a meeting and see if anything could still be done to salvage something from what at the time had effectively become a lost cause.
“Present at the meeting were Vice President, Namadi Sambo; Senate President David Mark and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu; as well as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, who had also just contested and lost the governorship election in Imo State and was challenging the results. Others included: the People’s Democratic Party Board of Trustees Chairman, Tony Anenih; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke; Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, and former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi. All members of PDP National Working Committee (NWC) were also present, led by the party chairman, Adamu Mu’azu. The meeting was chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan.
“The back-slapping, generous banter and raucous laughter that usually preceded such meetings were missing on this day. The banquet hall of the Presidential Villa held several memories of more exciting days for most dignitaries. But what was about to happen was anything but a banquet. There would be no feasting. In the last four days, a funereal gloom had descended on the entire Villa, and the few people that could still be sighted went about with faces turned to the ground. The mood this Tuesday afternoon was not any different. Some made courageous attempts at humour, but these fell flat like a joke made at a burial ground.”

ANENIH’S INTERVENTION
Abdullahi narrated what transpired at the meeting, beginning with the opening speech of Jonathan.
“Gentlemen, about an hour ago, I called General Buhari to congratulate him,” President Jonathan began. He explained that he did not make the call because he believed that the PDP lost the election, but rather, following advice from many people, he decided to concede in order to restore calm to the nation and avoid chaos. He added that, based on information at his disposal, he believed the election had been massively rigged and INEC was complicit in the fraud.
“While I have done my bit as a statesman, I believe the party should issue a strong statement to reject the results and say that PDP will challenge it in court,” he said, and suggested that the National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, should issue the statement.
“At first, many did not know what to make of this. How was it possible to concede defeat and not accept the results? Was the president asking the party to overrule or disown him? And if they went along with his suggestion, would the end result not be the same chaos that he said he was trying to avert by making the phone call?
“Anenih had the answers. He said the precedent for this had been set a few months earlier by the opposition party itself. When Ayo Fayose was declared winner of the governorship election in Ekiti State, the incumbent, Kayode Fayemi, promptly accepted defeat and congratulated his opponent. Even though Fayemi believed the election to be flawed, he said he conceded in order to save the state from chaos. However, this did not stop the APC from challenging the results in court. Anenih expressed the view that the National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, should issue the statement.”

‘STOLEN PRESIDENCY’
An agreement was reached on the way forward, Abdullahi narrated, and all seemed set for the change of tune by the party that had been in power for 16 years.
“Conscious that some others in the room also had their own battles to fight and were not primarily interested in Jonathan’s predicament, Anenih further stated that discussions on other elections and candidates should wait until the ‘stolen presidency’ was reclaimed. Anenih’s position was adopted and a team was put together, chaired by Metuh, to draft a statement for the party chairman. Others in the team were the party’s National Secretary, Adewale Oladipo; the National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon; Pius Anyim and Liyel Imoke. They went to work immediately and by the following morning, the statement was ready. However, the unexpected was about to happen,” Abdullahi wrote.
“When the draft statement was presented to Adamu Mu’azu, he declared that he would not release it. He said he had reflected on the idea of issuing a statement and was convinced it was not the way to go. Words soon got the Villa that the party chairman had backed out of the plan. Another round of panic began. The President himself called Mu’azu’s mobile number several times, but the party chairman did not answer the phone.
“Many around the president had suspected all along that Mu’azu was not altogether committed to the Jonathan project. They started grumbling openly that his appointment, as Chairman, was another mistake by Jonathan because Mu’azu himself wanted to be president. When the Chairman failed to show up for some campaign events, the public saw this as evidence that things had finally fallen apart. The party had to move quickly to deny that there was any crack in the PDP ranks.
“Therefore, for those who had questioned Muazu’s loyalty, here finally was the clear evidence. If he had any objections to the decision taken at the previous day’s meeting, why didn’t he say so? they wondered. How could he have turned around to sabotage a plan that he was technically part and parcel of? But this was not the time for retribution. That could wait a few more days. The party chairman was still critical to their plans. An emissary was immediately dispatched to persuade him to have a rethink.
“Godswill Akpabio marshaled all the arguments he could muster, but Mu’azu would not budge. It was also an opportunity for the party chairman to vent some of his grievances. ‘Look, Akpabio,’ he said, ‘I am not a bastard. I have honour to protect. The man who contested the election had conceded defeat. I should now be the one to say that the party would not accept defeat? When the candidate was picking his phone to congratulate the winner, did he consult with the party?’
“And in case anyone was thinking of blaming him for the president’s defeat, such person should think again. After all, didn’t he warn against the use of religion and ethnicity by the President’s wife and some of his other supporters like Ayo Fayose and Fani-Kayode? Didn’t he also warn that the personal attacks on Buhari would backfire, especially in the North? If no one listened to him then and allowed things to go pear-shaped, how could they now turn around and ask him to fall on his sword for sins committed by others?
“He insisted that asking him to issue a statement that would most likely throw the country into turmoil was tantamount to asking him to commit suicide – if not literally, then certainly politically. If Akpabio liked, he could sign the statement himself. After all, he was the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum.  A few days after this encounter, Adamu Mu’azu left the country for Singapore.  Some said on medical grounds. Some said for security reasons. Others said both.”
How Adamu Mu’azu opposed plan to reject Buhari’s victory


Exclusive from The Cable

President Buhari orders clampdown on Bandits In Zamfara

By: Bhodemarz on November 22, 2017 / comment : 0 , , ,

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday ordered a military crackdown on brigands operating in rural communities in Zamfara.
According to Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President approved the request of the Minister of Defence, Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan Ali(retd.), for the stationing of a full battalion of Special Forces in Zamfara following fresh attacks on some communities in Shinkafi and Maradun Local Government, and the operationalisation of the newly-established 8 Division of the Nigerian Army in Sokoto in the new Order of Battle.

The statement in full:
“President Muhammadu Buhari has described the early Tuesday morning suicide bomb blast in a mosque in Mubi, Adamawa State as “very cruel and dastardly”.
“President Buhari, while commiserating with families of the several victims, government and people of the state, assured that government would do everything required to secure the state from the deadly menace of Boko Haram.
“The President enjoined the people in the entire North-east to be more vigilant and report suspicious persons to security agencies in order to avert further attacks on soft targets by the terrorist group.
“President Buhari has also directed the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to deploy more police personnel to prevent further attacks by armed bandits in Zamfara State.
“Noting the current moves by the IGP to review police personnel and strategy in the state, the President directed him to visit the state and report back his findings about the deadly attacks.
“The directives followed recent killings and wanton destruction carried out by unknown gunmen on communities in Shinkafi and Maradun Local Government Areas of the state.

“President Buhari prayed that God would console the bereaved families in the Adamawa and Zamfara incidents, heal the injured, and grant rest to the souls of the departed.


Source: Ynaija

OPINION: Who Is A Buharists, By Ayantunji Gbenro

By: Bhodemarz on November 22, 2017 / comment : 0 , , ,

This rhetoric question is often asked by Nigerians especially anytime a general election approaches. As we approach the 2019 elections, it’s pertinent that we seek an answer to this important question to avoid  the mistake of 2015 when many questionable characters were elected into public offices just by professing Buharism.
Buharism is often erroneously equated to the support for President Buhari’s political aspiration or membership of his political party. It evokes conflicting emotion from different groups in Nigeria. This conflict arises from the perception of the person of President Muhammadu Buhari whose name gave birth to the word and whose ideology forms the bedrock of the movement.
Like many heroes or villains in history, Buhari supporters glorify him beyond his wildest imagination, while his adversaries demonize him beyond limits. The strong emotional attachment often render the  analysis of the ideology he represents null and void. Analysis of Buharism is often done  through a selective reading of history and opportunistic attribution and misattribution of responsibility. Thus, the question keep reoccurring:  What is Buharism and what does it stands for?
As described on wikipedia, “Buharism is a term rooted in the politics of Nigeria, referring to the economic principles and the political ideology of military lead government of Nigeria headed by General Muhammadu Buhari from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985″.
The political economy of  Buharism as represented by the military government of the period is described by the  rejection of  the approach of the Washington Consensus that the solution to Nigeria’s economic problem inherited lies in the devaluation of the nation’s currency.
The administration on the other hand believes that for a crisis-wrecked country to successfully improve its balance of payments through devaluation, there must first exist a condition that the price of every country’s export is denominated in its own currency. Since such a condition did not exist, as was the case of Nigeria,  Buharism asserted that there are alternate and superior approaches to solving the problem of its economic crisis.
Therefore, instead of applying devaluation to get the then crisis-wrecked economy of Nigeria back on track, Buharism employed a policy of curbing imports of goods deemed unnecessary, curtailing oil theft and improving exports through a counter trade policy of bartering seized illegally bunkered crude oil for needful goods like machinery, enabling it to export above its OPEC quota.
This system was well described by HRH  Muhammadu Sanusi Lamido II in a paper presented in London on the 20th of February, 2003  titled: Buharism as Fascism: Engaging Balarabe Musa. He described the ideology as a right wing nationalist government, similar to fascism, that pursued bourgeois economic programs and curtailed personal freedoms.
He however said, in a constitutional democracy, what is left of Buharism is a fiercely nationalistic political ideology combined with right wing social and economic policies.  The alternative Nigerians have to Buharism is a political ideology characterized by sleaze and corruption; a comical desperation to impress America and the western world; a seeming rush to sell off national assets at much less than fair value; an open-door policy of import liberalization that has destroyed indigenous industry; an economic program lacking in fiscal and monetary discipline that will lead to high inflation, a heavy debt burden, diminished foreign reserves, greater disparities in income distribution, and the consequent social insecurity and poverty.
In contrast, ten characteristics of Buharism were listed as: a policy of zero tolerance for corruption in the Federal Government; a review of the policy of unrestricted import liberalization; privatization to continue but at a fair price for national assets, no asset considered of vital national interest will be sold and privatization will aim at empowering Nigerians and promoting the interests of a domestic capitalist; a shift in our foreign policy from the west; a focus on an educational program that seeks transfer of skills and technology and the development of indigenous human capital; confront oil exploration companies and ensure that they pay for environmental damage and plough a substantial portion of their profits into developing oil producing areas; a trimming of government and a reduction in recurrent expenditure and overheads; greater fiscal discipline and tighter monetary policy to combat inflation; a focus on paying off our foreign debt and reducing the debt overhang through negotiations based on patriotic interests and compliance with agreed terms; a realistic acceptance of the precariousness of our position and a prioritization of our economic projects; and a truly nationalist government that seeks to inculcate pride in every Nigerian of his nationality and deals fairly with all ethnic and religious groups. The paper warned that these policies will set Buhari against international finance capital, against domestic criminals, sundry contractors, commission agents and drug barons, in other words against those who are responsible for the woes of Nigeria.
As further described by the same author in earlier publications: BUHARISM: Economic Theory and Political Economy (LAGOS) July 22,2002 and Buharism Beyond Buhari: A Response to Mohammed Haruna (LONDON), SEPTEMBER 6, 2002, the concept of Buharism is beyond the person of President Buhari. It is a movement of the people that place the nation above self and any other consideration.
This movement is what His Excellency, Prof. Yemi Osibajo was referring to in a Keynote address at the Annual Nation Building Workshop in Lagos last year (2016)  when he said, “To build the new Nigeria, we need a new tribe. A tribe of men and women of all faiths, tribes, and ethnicities, committed to a country run on high values of INTEGRITY, HARD WORK, JUSTICE and LOVE OF COUNTRY. A tribe of men and women who are prepared to make the sacrifices and exercise the self-constraints that are crucial to building a healthy society; who are prepared to stick together.”
This new tribe is what is referred to as “THE BUHARIST”.  They are neither APC nor PDP.  They are neither wailers nor hailers. They are not Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo. They are not Christians or Muslims. They are the antithesis of those responsible for Nigeria’s woes. They are Nigerians committed to progress and development. As we approach 2019, all Nigerians are invited into this new tribe for a better Nigeria.


Source: abusidiqu.com


‘I’m not out to intimidate you’ — Buhari speaks on arrest of judges

By: Bhodemarz on November 20, 2017 / comment : 0 , , ,

President Muhammadu Buhari says the investigations involving some members of the judiciary is not aimed at causing intimidation.
In October 2016, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) raided the homes of some judges.
Some of those arrested are still being tried in court till date.
Speaking in Abuja while declaring open the 2017 All Nigerian Judges conference, Buhari said the action was in no way a prelude to usurping the powers of the National Judicial Council (NJC).
He said he believes that the “majority of judicial officers are learned and incorruptible and day in day out acting in the best spirit of their oath of office’’.
“My lords, the judiciary came under investigation earlier this year. Let me again assure the judicial community, this action taken by the executive was in no way a prelude to usurping the powers of the National Judicial Council or aimed at intimidating the judiciary,” he said.
“Executive and legislative officials were also investigated… I am aware that the majority of judicial officers are learned and incorruptible and day-in-day-out acting in the best spirit of their oath of office.”
Buhari said his administration’s commitment is to accord the judiciary its constitutional rights.
He commended Walter Onnoghen, chief justice of Nigeria, for his recent directive to all judges at lower courts to provide him with a comprehensive list of all corruption and financial crimes in order to designate special courts to handle them.
“I support your action and the public is awaiting the results of this initiative,’’ he said.
He also spoke on the need for fairness, impartiality and speed in the administration of justice by the judiciary.
The president noted that there were huge backlogs of cases waiting to be dispensed especially at the appellate levels.
He said the reform of the judiciary should start “at eliminating these seemingly endless delays in settling what to the layman are apparently simple cases’.’
He lamented that court cases could drag on for years and sometimes decades without resolution.
“I need only mention land cases in Lagos to illustrate my point,” he said.
He added that, “again, litigants expect that higher courts should endeavour to harmonize their rulings.
“There are contradictory decisions of superior courts on the same subject matter in cases where facts are substantially the same without a clear attempt in subsequent cases to distinguish the earlier cases.
“This lack of clarity leads to serious confusion to the lower courts.
“The knock-on efforts of these delays and dis-continuities range from loss of confidence in the judicial system to over-crowding of prisons.’’
President Buhari, therefore, urged the leadership of the judiciary to pay close attention to these challenges in its efforts at reforming the system.
He revealed that he had already written to all state governors urging them to make special visit to prisons in company with chief judges and release prisoners unnecessarily detained without due process.



Source: The Cable

Jonathan govt won gold medal on corruption – Tinubu

By: Bhodemarz on November 20, 2017 / comment : 0 , , , ,

Former Lagos State governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has said that there is urgent need for the country move towards true federalism.
Tinubu stated this while unveiling the book  ‘Making Steady, Sustainable Progress for Nigeria’s Peace and Prosperity’ at the presidential villa, Abuja.
The 360-page book is a mid-term scorecard of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration put together by Presidential Media Team.
The former Lagos State governor said that moving Nigeria in the direction of true federalism remained the ‎best and sure way to grow the economy and improve the standard of living of Nigerians.
Tinubu seized the opportunity as Guest of honour at the launch to explain that President Buhari ‎has changed the Nigerian story for good in the last two years.
He said the country was a sinking ship under the immediate past government of former President Goodluck Jonathan where corruption was the order of the day.
‎Tinubu stressed that Nigeria was now more prosperous than it was two years ago before the coming on board of the APC government.
He told President Buhari that, “the good that you have started, do it more,”.
According to him, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan earned a red card on good governance but won a gold medal in corruption.
The former Lagos State governor explained that so much money grew feet and ran faster than the Jamaican runner, Usani Bolt, under the PDP administration.
In the words of Tinubu, the money that should have ordinarily been spent on development was lavished away causing untold hardship for Nigerians.
“The prior government used the public treasury as a private hedge fund or a charity that limited its giving only to themselves.
“So much money grew feet and ran away faster than Usain Bolt ever could. That which could have been spent on national development was squandered in ways that would cause the devil to blush.
“One minister and her rogues’ gallery picked the pocket of this nation for billions of dollars. While poor at governance, these people could give a master thief lessons in the sleight of hand. In governance, they earned a red card but in corruption l, they won the gold medal.
“It was not that our institutions had become infected by corruption. Corruption has become institutionalized,” Tinubu added.
He continued that “corruption has been won as President Buhari has set an axe to what he called, “the root of this dangerous tree.”
Gone are the times when a minister can pilfer billions of dollars as easy as plucking a piece of candy from the table.
“We have much to do to combat this disease. Not only must we track down the takers. In the long term, we must review the salaries of public servants and create universal credits for our people to reduce temptation,” he added.
In his welcome address, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha said that the publication is not just ‎a book but a practical guide that the government has made to redeem the country.
Mustapha‎ said the book was a work of partnership between a private sector player and the government.


Source: New Telegraph

OPINION: Buhari’s visit to the South-East, by Jideofor Adibe

By: Bhodemarz on November 20, 2017 / comment : 0 , , ,

President Buhari’s two-day visit to the South-east is a proof — if one is still needed — that the race for 2019 has begun in all earnest and that he will — unless God decides otherwise — be a candidate in the election. The late Mandela was the only African leader to decline his right for a second term in office.
Earlier, in what appeared to be more than a mere coincidence, Buhari announced plans to make more political appointments and promised that in doing so he would allow the Governors and party apparatchiks to make in-puts.In his previous appointments, it is thought that he sidelined those groups and chose whoever it pleased his fancy and those of his inner cabinet (or the ‘cabal’) to choose.
What can we expect from the President’s one- day visit to Ebonyi state on November 14, 2017 and another one- day visit to Anambra State the following day?
There is no doubt that the President has image problem in the Southeast. The image problem is often dramatized by vested interests in the number of votes he got in the region – 198,248 as against the 2,464,906 secured by President Jonathan. The politicisation of the disparity in the votes secured by Buhari in the region and the incorrect reading of its import contributed immeasurably inworsening the relations between the region and the President.
It would seem that in the early months of his government Buhari bought into the narrative of being hated by the Igbos by a simplistic reliance on the vote figures he got from the region.We saw this in the exclusion of the Igbos in the early appointments into his kitchen cabinet, his statement about 95 per cent versus 5 per cent, the relocation of 47 Boko Haram prisoners to Ekwulobia prison, Anambra state, without offering any explanation – among others. Obviously groups like IPOB tapped into the situation and worsened matters.
The President’s visit affords him the opportunity to feel the pulse of the people and hopefully re-invent himself in the region. A starting point is to go beyond the simplistic interpretation of the import of his electoral figures in the region as evidence of hate.  The truth is that historically the critical elements of the Igbo faction of the Nigerian elite rarely like to play ‘opposition’ politics – or put crudely to be shut off from the corridors of power. In the First Republic for instance, Zik’s NCNC was in alliance with Sarduana’s NPC just as Zik’s NPP was also in alliance with the NPC’s reincarnate, the NPN in the Second Republic (1979-1983).
In fact, the Igbo political elites’ philosophy of the ‘goat follows the man with the palm fronds’ was dramatized in 1983, when,  despite  the Great Zik’s leadership of the NPP in the Second Republic,  most of the eminent Igbo politicians chose to join NPN,  the ruling party at the centre at that time, abandoning Zik, so to say.  Again it should be recalled that when the late Yar’Adua became gravely ill and a cabal around him did not want power to be transferred to then Vice President Dr Goodluck Jonathan, the South- east Governors collectively aligned themselves with the cabal.
So the decision by the Igbo elites to massively support Jonathan was partly in tandem with their philosophy of the ‘goat follows the man with the palm frond’ and not necessarily anything personal against Buhari as it was being interpreted.If this philosophy is still strong among Igbo political elites, it means that Buhari, as an incumbent President, may also benefit from it – if the size of the crowd that welcomed him in both Ebonyi andAnambraStates were anything to go by (and assuming the crowd was not rented). It can also be argued that the fact that an APC candidate in the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State is regarded as one of the key contenders in the race is already an indication of the softening of attitude in the region towards Buhari and his party, the APC.
But how do we interpret the Igbo political elite’s philosophy of the ‘goat follows the man with the palm fronds’?  Is it reflective of lack of political principle or is it pragmatic politics?
Some have argued that being very diasporic and with homes and businesses in every nook and cranny of the country, it will be unwise for them to play ‘opposition’ politics as they need to be friends with the government at the centre to ensure friendly policies that will protect the group’s interests across the country. Proponents of this view will often point to top business people like Aliko Dangote who seem to be friends with any government in power at the centre. But while it will remain debatable whether this type of politics is crass opportunism or pragmatism, it is however symptomatic of the character of our politics, which hinges on fears that the group that wins power at the centre will inevitably use such power to privilege its in-group or disadvantage others.
There were certainly other reasons for Buhari’s poor outing in the region in 2015 but the point is that some of the structural issues that played against him as a candidate may now also play in his favour as an incumbent – if he manages his relations with the region well, including its optics.
In essence Buhari’s visit affords him the opportunity to soften his mind about the people in the region – and vice versa. It is human nature that sometimeswhen you meet someone you are angry with, the anger has a way of softening on its own – just by a human feeling that the other person may actually not be as bad as you thought from a distance.  It is instructive that during the visit (in which Buhari appeared relaxed and happy with the reception he received in both states) he was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Ochi Oha Ndigbo (Leader of all in Igboland) by the South East Traditional Rulers and Enyi Oma 1 (Number one good friend) of Ebonyi State by the Ebonyi State Traditional Council).
During the visit Buhari did precisely what incumbents on campaign trails do – talk about dividends of their administration for the area they are visiting and commission new projects. Buhari did not miss the chance to tell his guests that he gave four senior ministerial slots to four of the five states in the Southeast and that in the 2018 Budget before the National Assembly the Second Niger Bridge was allocated ten billion Naira. Other projects in the Southeast he unveiled included construction of new international airport terminal in Enugu, a coastal rail line that passes through Aba in Abia State and Onitsha in Anambra State and a promise that the Federal government is todredge the River Niger to satisfy the yearning for maritime access to the sea by the South-east and the North.
Going by the recent statistics of the distribution of appointments and infrastructure by the Buhari government, it will appear there are areas that the Buhari government may not be getting as much credit as it deserves in the Southeast. This could be a result of several factors: Buhari’s communication style, which needs to be changed to recognize the crucial role of optics in politics and these ‘positives’ not being well communicated or communicated by those who have lost credibility in the eyes of the public such that the messenger, so to say, becomesthe message.
A softening of attitude in the Southeast towards the Buhari presidency may not necessarily translate into electoral victory for Dr Nwoye, the President’s  candidate, in the November 18 2017 Anambra State governorship election. This is because the Igbos seem to be currently struggling for a new identity within the Nigerian political space and it remains unclear which of the contending forces in the region will triumph. While in the past all it would have taken to placate the Igbo political elites against opposition to the Buhari government would probably be promises of contract and perhaps land allocations in choice locations in Abuja or Lagos, in the last few years, there are forces in the region pushing for a new form of politics that is antithetical to joggling to be a junior partner with any government at the centre.  While some within this group try to anchor the new identity on ‘marginalization’ some are trying to revolve it around a neo Biafra identity that seeks to build Igbo solidarity on a shared victimhood narrative. In this sense these forces are trying to play catch-up to the Yoruba political elite which for long glamorized opposition politics as ‘progressive’ politics and consequently placed more premium in having the Oduduwa states being under one political umbrella than being a junior partner in any government.
Twitter: @JideoforAdibe

Buhari’s govt lacks political will to fight corruption –Falana

By: Bhodemarz on November 18, 2017 / comment : 0 , , ,

Human Rights Lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, has said that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration lacks the political will needed to fight corruption.
He stated this on Friday while speaking on the topic: “Restructuring, Pros and Cons: The place of the Nigerian youth”, at the 78th International Students Day organised by the Ogun State Government in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Falana noted that the fight against corruption embarked upon by the Buhari government remained a mere scratch on the surface.
He said, “I am sure you are following the anti-corruption war being prosecuted by Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, men and women are involved.
“Christians and Muslims are involved and those who believe in traditional religions are involved. One person has been charged with collecting N4.7bn from former President Goodluck Jonathan for spiritual consultation.
“The point I am making is that if our looters are not divided on the table of ethnicity nothing will happen. The government still lacks the political will, the war now is just a tip of the real iceberg; there is still money to be recovered.”
The human rights lawyer also faulted the Senate for approving $5.5bn loan request put forward by the executive.
Falana, who lamented the state and standard of education in the South-West, argued that the zone seemed to have lost its place to others as evident in the recently released West African Examinations Council results where the region performed poorly.
He said, “After the last WAEC, NECO and JAMB results were released, no state in the South-West made it to the top 10 list and that for me is a shame.
“We need to go back to where we are coming from and where we got it wrong.”
Falana urged the youths not to join those calling for the breakup of the country, adding that those fanning the embers of disunity were only fighting for their selfish interest.
He noted that for the country to move forward, it must have a knowledge-based system.
On his part, the governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, appealed to youths to do whatever they could do to prepare themselves for leadership positions, urging them to show high commitment in nation building.


Source: Punch


Buhari: My Visit to South-east, Strong Expression of My Belief in One Nigeria

By: Bhodemarz on November 15, 2017 / comment : 0 , , , ,

In his visit to the South-east since assumption of office, President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday arrived Ebonyi State where he remarked that the visit was a strong expression of his belief in Nigeria’s unity.
The president also pledged to improve agriculture, power supply and the provision of infrastructure projects in the region when the 2018 budget is passed.
Buhari, whose visit to Ebonyi had been tagged the first presidential visit to the state in the last 17 years, was conveyed by a Nigerian Air Force helicopter with registration number NAF-540 from Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, to the army barracks in Nkwagu in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, at about 11.15 a.m.
He was accompanied by the state Governor, Chief David Umahi.
Umahi was among other South-east governors who had received him at the Enugu airport.
The president, who was received at the army barracks by dignitaries from the state, subsequently commissioned six projects and thereafter proceeded to the Government House where he met notable leaders of the state and traditional rulers from both Ebonyi and the South-east who conferred on him two traditional chieftaincy titles.
The president recalled how some Igbo leaders had visited him at the State House, Abuja, last month to express concern over the poor state of infrastructure in the region, assuring them that resources meant to address their concerns had been captured in the 2018 budget currently before the National Assembly.
The president promised to concentrate on power and agriculture projects as well as other social services in the region when the budget is operational and praised the state governor for the projects being executed by his administration in the state, describing them as laudable.
The president, who was conferred with the chieftaincy titles, Enyioma 1 of Ebonyi, meaning a trustworthy friend of Ebonyi, and Ochioha Ndigbo, meaning the leader of Igbo people, by both the Ebonyi State Council of Traditional Rulers and South-east Council of Traditional Rulers respectively, expressed appreciation for the titles as well as the warm reception accorded him, saying he was glad for the opportunity to interact with people of the state.
He said: “I am delighted to be here in Abakaliki to interact with the good people of Ebonyi State and indeed the South-east region as a whole. I want to express my gratitude to the people of Ebonyi State for their hospitality and warm reception since I arrived the state.
“My presence here today is a demonstration of my strong belief in the unity of Nigeria. As the most populous country in Africa with over 300 ethnic groups, our diversity is almost unique.
“When I met with the leaders of the South-east in Abuja last month, they raised several issues of concern including the state of the roads and infrastructure in the region.
“I will like to commend Governor David Umahi for his vision and commitment to the development of this state. Some of the projects I commissioned since my arrival are laudable.
“I am also grateful to the traditional rulers of Ebonyi State for the honour bestowed on me with the traditional title of Enyioma I of Ebonyi. I thank you for this honour and warm reception.
“I want to assure you that we will deliver on our promises. Our 2018 budget included many projects for the region in the area of power, agriculture and social services.”
The president was emphatic that the Ndigbo is synonymous with Nigeria just as Nigeria is synonymous with Ndigbo.
The president, who celebrated what he described as the ingenuity of the people of South-east and their talent for trade and commerce, said the Igbo ethnic group and Nigeria were inseparable.
“The people of the South-east are known for their ingenuity, industrial and commercial talent. There is no part of Nigeria where you will not find Igbo entrepreneurs, both men and women, contributing to the development of their adopted communities.
“So, I am asking you all not to buy into the senseless propaganda for secession. Igbo is Nigeria and Nigeria is Igbo. Both are inseparable.
“We must therefore continue to commit ourselves to the development of Nigeria, a Nigeria where we sustain our national unity without compromising on our cultural identities, a Nigeria where the aspirations of its people are guaranteed without prejudice to tribe or religion, a Nigeria where we can sleep at night knowing that tomorrow will be better than today.
“The task of nation building is a continuous one. It never stops. Our founding fathers, from all corners of this country, worked together to actualise the creation of one Nigeria.
“After independence, the same founding fathers worked together to maintain this one Nigeria. Yes, they had differences and varied opinions at times. After all, they were only human.
“And yes, they had moments of weaknesses and doubt. But again, no one is perfect. However, one thing they all protected until the end of their lives was having one Nigeria for all Nigerians,” he said.
In his remarks, the Ebonyi State governor congratulated the president on the chieftaincy titles conferred on him and thanked him for his enormous assistance to the state, which he said had resulted in a revolution in the agriculture and solid minerals sectors.
In appreciation of the assistance, Umahi presented 2,000 bags of rice and 2,000 tubers of yams to the president, describing the presentation as the fruit of the state’s prayers that the president would enjoy the fruits of the seeds he planted.
“First is to congratulate our president for this highest honour bestowed on you today. It is an honour that is well deserved, Your Excellency, you have helped us quite a lot especially in the area of the agriculture revolution and solid minerals. And today, sir, you are with us.
“The prayer of everyone is that you plan to see it; you will be alive to tap from the seeds that you are planting. Today, you gave us a giant leap in agriculture and so we have here with us 2,000 bags of rice and 2,000 pieces of yam to give to our president.
“It is a prayer answered because you have sown in the land of Ebonyi and God has given you the strength and health to partake in that seed that you planted. We are grateful to give back to our father who has given so much to us,” Umahi said.
Among the initial projects Buhari commissioned were a 700-metre twin Trans-Sahara bridge linking Enugu and Ebonyi States with Cameroon; the Senator Offia Nwali flyover; the 14.5km Abakaliki-Afikpo road; foundation laying of the Ebonyi city mall; foundation laying of the Muhammadu Buhari bridge; and unveiling of the Akanu Ibiam statue.
Also, at a reception for the president at the state’s stadium, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, thanked Buhari for his visit to the region barely a few weeks after Igbo leaders had visited him in the State House to draw his attention to infrastructure deficit in the South-east.
Nwodo then painted the horrible state of infrastructure decay in the region and appealed to the president to address it.
He said the decay included the rotten state of the Enugu airport, recalling how an Ethiopian Airline aircraft recently lost a tyre while landing as a result of the bad runway.
He also said livelihoods in the region were threatened by the infrastructure decay including the dilapidated state of the Onitsha-Enugu expressway, Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, stoppage of work on the Second Niger bridge, unemployment, hunger and starvation, among others.
Nwodo demanded the concession of collapsed major roads in the South-east to the governors of the region to enable them rebuild such roads the way they want them.
The former minister, however, lauded the president’s decision to pay pensions to ex-Biafran policemen and damages to victims of the Nigerian civil war.
Also speaking at the stadium, Umahi urged the president to call some of his appointees to order, accusing them of frustrating efforts by the state to obtain loans meant for the development of the state under the guise of politics.
He also requested the president’s intervention in certain challenges confronting the state such as non-functioning dams in the state totalling 30 in number, which he said would have boosted rice production.
Umahi pointed out that the dilapidated dams had restricted rice production in the state to only the rainy season.
He also sought the federal government’s intervention in the existing hydropower dams in the state for electricity generation, which he said would go a long way in improving the wellbeing of the people of the state.
He also drew the attention of the president to some federal roads that his administration had constructed, lamenting that such projects were not captured for a refund in 2018 budget.
Responding to issues raised by Nwodo and Umahi, the president who was clad in an Igbo Isi-agu (loin head) jumper with a red cap to match, praised the entrepreneurial skills of the people of the South-east, saying Igbos are found in every part of Nigeria.
He deplored the activities of persons he described as misguided Nigerians agitating for secession, noting that they did not witness the debilitating effects of the Nigerian civil war and counselled that as the founding fathers of Nigeria had sustained the unity of the country despite their differences, the nation’s unity must be sustained.
On issues raised by Nwodo and echoed by Umahi, Buhari said his government was working aggressively to improve infrastructure by building roads and improving power supply, adding that efforts were being made to guarantee food security for the nation.
He told the rather excited gathering that his government had recently resolved to mobilise contractors back to the Second Niger bridge.
He also said N10 billion had been earmarked in the 2018 budget for the Enyimba Industrial Park and the Nnewi Auto Park which he said would be implemented in collaboration with the states and the private sector.
The president also disclosed that payments to ex-Biafran police officers had commenced 17 years after they were pardoned, adding that an upgrade of the Umuahia Diagnostic Centre in Abia State was in the pipeline.
He again commended Umahi for his stewardship in the state and expressed appreciation for the chieftaincy titles conferred on him, saying: “I am Enyioma l of Ebonyi. I am Ochioha Ndigbo,” which earned him further applause.
The president will depart Abakaliki Wednesday for Awka, Anambra State, to lead the grand finale of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) campaign rally for Saturday’s governorship election in the state and will return to Abuja later in the day.
Among those who received the president were the deputy governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Kelechi Igwe; Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu; former governors of the state – Senator Sam Egwu and Chief Martin Elechi; former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; former Minister of Culture and Tourism, Ambassador Frank Ogbuewu; ex-Minister of Health (State), Mr. Fidelis Nwankwo; former deputy governor of the state, Prof. Chigozie Ogbu; the zonal Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Austine Umahi; and Chief Executive Officer of Orient Global Ltd, Chief Chukwuma Odi.
Other dignitaries who visited the state to welcome the president were Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu; Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema; and his Trade and Investment counterpart, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah.


Source: ThisDay
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