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  • No business can survive without generators in Nigeria – AfDB President, Adesina

    No business can survive without generators in Nigeria – AfDB President, Adesina

    President of the African Development Bank Group, Akinwumi Adesina, on Tuesday lamented that a paucity of energy was negatively affecting the growth of Nigerian industries.

    Adesina made the comment while speaking at a meeting organised by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in Abuja.

    “Today, no business can survive in Nigeria without generators,” Adesina said. “Consequently, the abnormal has become normal.

    “Unless Nigeria decisively tackles its energy deficiency and reliability, its industries will always remain uncompetitive.”

    Also speaking at the meeting was the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

    Dr Okonjo-Iweala noted that trade was a key part in the global economy recovery and called for more support for micro, small and medium enterprises.

    “Poor countries need access to bigger markets to grow rapidly,” she said. “With trade projected to grow at 10.8 percent this year, more than twice as fast as GDP, external demand will far outpace domestic demand for many countries, especially those on the wrong end of the k-shaped recovery.

    “For Manufacturers, trade is also important because they need better access to imports as well as competitive logistics and other services critical to international competitiveness.

    “Digital is very important here, especially for young Africans and the businesses they create; many businesses have been able to weather the pandemic because they were able to access the Internet and sell online.

    “We should work harder, first to understand the barriers facing micro, medium and small enterprises in global trade and then to lower these barriers.

    “At the WTO, different groups of members are seeking to do just that. One group is working on an e-commerce agreement. Another is working on empowering MSMEs to trade; and a third is working on lowering barriers facing women in global economic trade.”

  • Buhari more popular, respected, accepted than Awolowo, Azikwe, Shagari, other great nationalists – Adesina

    Buhari more popular, respected, accepted than Awolowo, Azikwe, Shagari, other great nationalists – Adesina

    Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, says President Muhammadu Buhari has attained greater acceptance among Nigerians even more than some fathers of the federation.

    Adesina made this assertion on Thursday in an article titled “The Essential Buhari: Vp Osinbajo Got It!”.

    In establishing his argument, the presidential spokesman alluded to a comment made by Professor Yemi Osinbajo in London last weekend.

    Speaking with top officials of the Nigerian High Commission, Vice President Osinbajo said “the President is possibly the most popular Nigerian politician that we ever had in generations”.

    Osinabjo added that “he (Buhari) is possibly the only person, who can go into a place or somewhere without bossing people to gather and they will come and listen to him speak”.

    Building upon this premise, Adesina said he totally agrees with the VP’s assessment of the president.

    “I am old enough to have seen our colourful and even swashbuckling politicians in action. I have seen the great Obafemi Awolowo. The charismatic Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik of Africa). Shehu Shagari. Amino Kano. M.K.O Abiola. Bashir Tofa, and many others in action. But I have not seen anyone with the kind of attraction, magnetic pull, that Muhammadu Buhari has. And that is round the country, north and south. People swarm around him as bees do to honey.

    “I have been around the country with the President. I have also been to several countries of the world with him. I have not seen any other Nigerian leader, past or present, with his kind of allure, pull, fascination, magnetism. And that is why VP Osinbajo is right to have described him as possibly ‘the most popular Nigerian politician that we ever had in this generation,” Adesina submitted.

    The special media aide stressed that he has personally experienced the love, loyalty, and dedication Buhari enjoys from Nigerians irrespective of tribe, religion, or age, adding that it is above the acceptance that has been accorded other politicians both past and present.

    Below is the full article as published on Adesina’s official Facebook page.

    “THE ESSENTIAL BUHARI: VP OSINBAJO GOT IT!

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is an honest man. Whatever he tells you, please take it seriously. You can even take it to the bank, as it’s a cheque that will never bounce.

    Last weekend in London, while speaking with top officials of the Nigerian High Commission, VP Osinbajo said of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Mai Gaskiya (Honest Man): “The President is possibly the most popular Nigerian politician that we ever had in generations. He is possibly the only person, who can go into a place or somewhere without bossing people to gather and they will come and listen to him speak.

    “We need that level of credibility to be able to solve problems in our country. And I think because of his level of credibility, despite everything, he is still the only one that can call everyone, and even people who do not necessarily agree with him know that he is a man of his words.”

    There may be a tendency to say; what else do you expect a number 2 man to say of his principal? He won’t excoriate or flagellate him in public, and because he may possibly need his support for the number one position at a time in the future, so he would say sugary things.

    For a typical politician, ambitious, cold, calculating, scheming, yes. But those of us who work with the duo know that Professor Yemi Osinbajo is not in that mould.

    He is honest, factual, totally dependent on God for whatever the future holds. Nothing is a matter of life and death, and so he could have chosen to keep quiet about the attributes of the President, so that he wouldn’t be misconstrued.

    When he said Buhari was possibly Nigeria’s most popular politician that we have had in generations, I believe it, not just by the hearing of the ear, but because my eyes have seen it.

    I am old enough to have seen our colorful and even swashbuckling politicians in action. I have seen the great Obafemi Awolowo.

    The charismatic Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik of Africa). Shehu Shagari. Amino Kano. M.K.O Abiola. Bashir Tofa, and many others in action. But I have not seen anyone with the kind of attraction, magnetic pull, that Muhammadu Buhari has. And that is round the country, north and south. People swarm around him as bees do to honey.

    I have been around the country with the President. I have also been to several countries of the world with him. I have not seen any other Nigerian leader, past or present, with his kind of allure, pull, fascination, magnetism. And that is why VP Osinbajo is right to have described him as possibly “the most popular Nigerian politician that we ever had in this generation.”

    I remember that day in August 2017, when the President returned to the country finally from his medical vacation. From January of that year, he had been in and out a couple of times, but spending weeks and months outside, attending to his health. And finally, on August 19, he returned home, triumphantly.

    We were at the airport to receive him. I have told the story a number of times, to dispel the idiocy that it was a certain Jibril of Sudan that came back, and not Buhari. The daughter of the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Gabriel Olonisakin, was getting married. And I had attended both the church service and reception, decked in full Yoruba traditional attire of Agbada and a cap to match. Straight from the ceremony, I went to the airport to join the welcome party for the President.

    We the principal aides were on a line to receive the President as he descended from the aircraft. And he shook hands with each person, having one wisecrack or the other to say, as is typical of him. When he got to me, he said, “Adesina, this is the best I’ve seen you dressed.” And we both laughed.

    Jibril of Sudan? How did he know I was Adesina? How would he know how I normally dressed? Idiocy, I say again. But that is just a digression, not the story I really want to tell to support the topic at hand.

    We entered the vehicles lined up, and the convoy moved. It was perhaps the longest journey I’d ever witnessed from the airport to the town. Where did they come from? Like locusts, they swarmed onto the road, at many times forcing the convoy into a crawl. I didn’t know that such huge population resided in the communities along the airport road.

    Not induced or procured in any way, the people trooped out in their thousands to welcome the President back home.

    A multitude of ordinary Nigerians, the ones bearing the brunt of whatever was happening in the country then.. they came onto the roads, waving, cheering, heralding the man they loved back into the country. Many times, the convoy was forced to a dead slow, until the President had to wave at them, and they cheered uproariously.

    It took double or triple the normal time before we could get to the Presidential Villa.

    When about a year later, those who thought they owned the country told the President pontifically to dismount from the horse, and not run for a second term in office, I thought they were overreaching themselves. And so it was. The President ran in 2019, and he won, even with a wider margin than he did in 2015, when he had knocked a ruling party off its perch.

    So, when Professor Osinbajo says we possibly have the most colorful, popular politician with us, it is by no means patronizing. Even now, with all the challenges in the country, let President Buhari make a public appearance anywhere, he is still happily received, against the conjecture of naysayers and evil hearts, who conjure unrealistic things.

    Now, having such a leader in our country, one who wants nothing for himself, and is only actuated by touching the lives of the people positively, how should we utilize him? Give maximum support, and help him to realize his vision, not virulent opposition as we see from certain untutored quarters. It is in our collective interest to support such a man for the glory and benefit of our country.

    VP Osinbajo said only Buhari has the credibility to be able to solve some problems in our country now. Yes, he’s the one the populace chose, voted into power, despite all odds. Hear the VP: “And I think because of his level of credibility, despite everything, he is still the only one that can call everyone, and even people who do not necessarily agree with him know that he is a man of his words.”

    Very true. This is our President, a man out to serve, and not to be served. The virulent opposition we see in the land can only be self-serving, an odious attempt to grab power for power’s sake. I’ll rather follow an honest man, for the sake of our country.

    One more thing. The VP also told his London audience that we are better off as one people, one country. “Yorubas are not better off on their own. Igbos are not better off on their own. The North is not better off on its own. We are better off as one nation, that is why we are strong, and that is why we can face the world.”

    One hopes those beating the drums of discord, evil speech and dismemberment are listening. Nigeria is stronger, better off as one united entity. Issues we have can always be resolved, without breaking into splinters. That is the only way the labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain.”

     

  • Why Buhari gave Fani-Kayode triumphal return to APC despite wishing his son dead – Adesina

    Why Buhari gave Fani-Kayode triumphal return to APC despite wishing his son dead – Adesina

    Buhari had last week received Fani-Kayode at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to officially signify the ex-minister’s defection from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

    The move had sparked mixed reactions from supporters of both the opposition and ruling parties.

    While some criticised Fani-Kayode for joining the APC after years of attacking the party and its members, others said President Buhari shouldn’t have welcomed the former minister because he had said unprintable things about him in the past.

    But reacting to the mixed feelings generated by the former minister’s defection, Adesina called for a ceasefire.

    The presidential aide said even though Fani-Kayode had “ruffled feathers” and became “a rabid hater” of APC members after dumping the party years back, there are blessings in forgiveness.

    In an opinion article titled “Buhari, FFK, and the Quality of Mercy,” Adesina said Buhari forgave Fani-Kayode and received him “at the highest level” because the president has “an attribute of God”.

    Adesina wrote: “He has said things straight from the gutters, things that the natural man would call unforgivable and unpardonable. Against President Buhari, the first family, Yusuf Buhari whom he wished had died when the latter had an almost fatal bike accident, APC as a party, the government, leaders of the party, groups and individuals. Even this writer has suffered horrid descriptions from FFK in many write-ups.

    “Yes, he even said he would rather die than return to APC, but last week, he returned—well and alive.

    “Naturally, a lot of loyal APC members are hopping mad that FFK was readmitted into the party. And not only that, he got back at the highest level. Not at his ward in Ile-Ife, Osun State, but the triumphal entry was at the Presidential Villa, with President Buhari himself as the host.

    “I understand the umbrage taken against the development by teeming APC supporters. It’s the natural thing to do. But then, having vented spleen, raised dust and almost brought down the roof, the next thing is to isolate the issues dispassionately. With the bile displayed towards President Buhari and his family over the years, how did the man find the grace to have received FFK? How was he convinced? Who did the convincing? What were the extenuating factors? How? When? Why?

    “By agreeing to the readmission of FFK to APC as the leader of the party, and hosting him at the Villa, President Buhari displayed amazing capacity to forgive, to show mercy, and let bygones be bygones. How many of us can do that? Not many.”

    The presidential aide said Buhari could have “spat into the sky, collecting the spittle with his own face” when Fani-Kayode was led into the State House by the APC caretaker committee chairman, but instead “displayed an attribute of God: forgiveness.”

    Adesina added, “One of the lies that had been serially told against the President was his alleged unforgiving spirit, a falsehood sold to Nigerians by anti-Buhari forces since the days of military rule. The lie traveled for so long, till it was eventually overtaken by the truth in one day. Nigerians saw through the facade, and elected Buhari as President in 2015. Re-elected him with wider margin in 2019.

    “I have worked with the President for over six years. And I have seen amazing things in terms of accommodation and capacity to forgive. I have visited him at home many times in the evenings, only to find at dinner table with him people who had been abusing his forefathers on television earlier in the day. This President has a capacity to forgive, and forget. And make peace. That was what he displayed in the case of FFK. Nothing short of divine attribute, which me and you should covet and seek to approximate.

    “I think those screaming blue murder and lamenting the injustice and unfairness of it all should hold their peace. They have made their points, and should let things be. Enough! FFK is back, let sleeping dogs lie. He may stay this time round, as he claims to have had a Damascus road experience, which turned Saul to Paul.

    “Many times, FFK has used unprintable words against me. He has deployed phrases from the nether region against me. But after writing those things, and we met in public places, he would embrace me, calling me his “friend and brother.” I agree, we are brothers, though I should hold giant-sized grudges against him. President Buhari has shown us the way . To err is human, to forgive, divine.

    “And come to think of it. Is it pleasant to swallow one’s vomit? Nah. But that was what FFK did. All those foul words against the President, the APC, the government, many people in government. He has swallowed them. Delicious? By no means. Pueh! You would feel like retching. So, let’s salute the courage of his conviction. It is rare, and not many people would do it.”

  • You’re a bootlicker, Gumi blasts Buhari’s media aide, Adesina

    You’re a bootlicker, Gumi blasts Buhari’s media aide, Adesina

    Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has lambasted Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari for describing him as “a bandit lover”.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports Gumi saying “my mission has not failed but it was sabotaged or discouraged by the same influential people that benefit from the chaos”.

    Gumi expressed his thoughts via his known Facebook page on Thursday morning noted that “Only a fool would allow his dwelling to be a theatre of war.

    Read his post below:

    WAR HAS NEVER BEEN A SOLUTION ANYWHERE ANYTIME

    “You bootlicker that called me a bandit-lover! I am not one, but my country-lover, my region-lover, my state-lover, and my people-lover, and humanity-lover.

    “I am a qualified Medical Doctor who knows what it takes to precisely excise a brain tumour without destroying the delicate surrounding brain tissues. I was a commissioned military officer who knows what the military is for and what is the capability of our military. I am an intellectual with a PhD from Abroad. I am an Islamic scholar who knows the immorality of killing innocent lives. So, silence for me in this ocean of oblivion is not an option.

    “Only a fool would allow his dwelling to be a theatre of war. Unfortunately, how many fools are there. Killing rats in your rat-infested sitting room with an iron rod will only end up destroying your gadgets and furniture probably without killing any. We should not mask out poor governance with artillery power.

    “Some disingenuous people say: peace and negotiations with herdsmen bandits have failed, and your mission has failed!

    I said my mission has not failed but it was sabotaged or discouraged by the same influential people that benefit from the chaos or like us to destroy ourselves and leave the herdsmen in perpetual ignorance.

    “Some said we have tried amnesty but it didn’t work. You didn’t try amnesty but tried amnesia. Amnesty without rehabilitation, reconciliation, and reparation is no amnesty. Ask the former Niger Delta Militants who killed security men in the past what an amnesty is. What stops us from having a federal ministry of Nomadic Affairs where their grievances and complaints will be addressed?

  • Sound Sultan was deeply passionate about Nigeria –Buhari

    Sound Sultan was deeply passionate about Nigeria –Buhari

    President, Mohammadu Buhari has bemoaned the passing of popular singer, Olanrewaju Fasasi, popularly known as Sound Sultan, who died on Sunday after a hard-fought battle with Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma.

    The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, made this known on Monday in a statement titled, ‘President Buhari condoles with the Fasasi family on the loss of Sound Sultan.’

    The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari extends heartfelt condolences to the Fasasi family on the death of renowned singer and songwriter, Olanrewaju Fasasi, popularly known as Sound Sultan, aged 44.

    “The President notes that Sound Sultan’s demise is not only a loss to the Nigerian music industry, but to the country as a whole.

    “As a celebrated rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, he lived an exemplary life, achieved several milestones in his career, and contributed greatly to the development of the Nigerian music and entertainment industry through his artistic genius, creativity, and talent, which has inspired many young Nigerians in the industry.

    “The deceased, President Buhari affirms, was kind, generous, and deeply passionate about issues in the country, which reflected in his music and art, and as an avid basketball fan, he made telling contributions to the development of local basketball in the country.

    “The President prays for the eternal repose of the soul of the departed and divine peace and comfort for the family, friends, and associates.”

     

  • Nigeria’s poverty situation unacceptable- AfDB President, Adesina

    Nigeria’s poverty situation unacceptable- AfDB President, Adesina

    The President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has averred that Nigerians deserve wealth, rather than poverty.

    He noted that all the lavish wealth of natural resources, Nigeria’s poverty situation is unacceptable.

    Noting that “there are way too many poor people in Nigeria,” he warned that .

    He said that 38.5 percent of Nigerian youths are unemployed, “lacking skills, economic opportunities, discouraged, angry and restless,” adding, “they look at a future that does not give them hope.”

    Adesina made the comments on Saturday in the convocation lecture he delivered at the American University of Nigeria, Yola, Adamawa State.

    He revealed that Nigerians deserve wealth, not poverty. He also advised the nation to learn how to manage its diversity for prosperity.

    While advising the government to prioritize investing in youth, he noted that “poverty is not just about money.”

    He stated, “I speak to you today as a Nigerian. As I have quite often said, I will live as a Nigerian, die as a Nigerian, and on the resurrection morning, I will ask God for permission to rise as a Nigerian, with the green-white-green flag in my hand!

    “Nigeria is blessed with incredibly rich diversity: of people, of cultures, of religions, of mineral resources, oil, and gas, amazingly rich biodiversity, that should make us the envy of the world. We are blessed with abundantly diverse agro-ecologies that should also make us a land of bountiful harvests with capacity to feed Africa.

    “We are a religious nation, so we should understand that God loves diversity. The diversity of rich and brilliant colours that we see in our forests, oceans, seas, and in flora and fauna, reflect the beauty of the Creator. Therefore, our diversity is not our problem.

    “Diversity is our strength. But when mismanaged, diversity becomes divergence. Rather than unite, we become splintered, with each entity believing that, somehow, it is better without the other. We must manage diversity for collective good.

    “Nigeria must start managing its diversity for prosperity. We must drive for national cohesion, not ethnic nationalities. We must address the fundamental reasons for agitations, by listening, understanding, removing prejudices and allowing for open, national dialogues, without preconditions, but with one goal: build one cohesive, united, fair, just and equitable nation for all, not for a few or for any section of the nation or religion.

    “Nigerians deserve wealth, not poverty. For all the abundant wealth of natural resources, Nigeria’s poverty situation is unacceptable. Today, sadly, there are way too many poor people in Nigeria. The Government is implementing bold social programmess to reduce the number of poor, through interventionist programmes, but the fact of the matter is poverty is not just about money.”

    Adesina said that there should not be a Nigeria for the rich and another Nigeria for the poor, adding that every citizen has the right to a decent life.

     

  • Africa should be be producing, not begging for Covid-19 vaccine, says AFDB’s Adesina

    Africa should be be producing, not begging for Covid-19 vaccine, says AFDB’s Adesina

    African Development Bank Group President Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina has again urged regional leaders to focus on vaccine production and access for the African continent as the Covid-19 epidemic continues to take lives and hurt economies and livelihoods.

    Adesina addressed leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at a special summit held on Saturday, just days before the Bank Group’s 2021 Annual meetings, scheduled for 23-25 June.

    “Africa needs solutions to help it navigate through the very challenging times posed by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Adesina said. “But the rebound will depend on access to vaccines.”

    The African Development Bank will support the continent as part of the vaccines plan of the African Union. It is planning to commit $3 billion to develop the pharmaceutical industry in Africa, Adesina said. “Africa should not be begging for vaccines,” Adesina said. “Africa should be producing vaccines,” he stressed.

    In recent months, the African Development Bank president has publicly emphasized the need to rapidly build a health care defence system for the continent, to tackle Covid-19 and future pandemics.

    The Bank has already channelled $2 million in emergency assistance to the World Health Organization to bolster the WHO’s capacity for infection prevention, testing, and case management. It has also provided $28 million in funding to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) for a Covid-19 response project. This will strengthen the capacity to coordinate the Covid-19 response and future epidemics across Africa.

    This year, the Bank is organizing its annual meetings around the theme, “Building Resilient Economies in Post Covid-19 Africa.” The meetings will provide a platform for its governors to share their countries’ experience in addressing the pandemic and the policy measures they are employing to rebuild economies and livelihoods.

    In their communiqué, the ECOWAS heads welcomed the recent decision by G7 nations to provide additional vaccines to developing countries. They encouraged the West Africa Health Organization to intensify its efforts to mobilize partnerships to produce Covid-19 vaccines in Africa.

    Adesina said the recent decision by the International Monetary Fund to issue special drawing rights (SDRs) provides a real opportunity to rebuild back better and greener and to tackle Africa’s debt challenges, more decisively. “The G-7 Leaders’ summit last week gave the green light for allocating $100 billion of SDRs to Africa. This will open the way for much-needed relief for Africa,” he noted.

    African leaders, at a summit in Paris in May, called for the African Development Bank to receive SDRs on behalf of African countries, and to use them to on-lend to African public development banks. Adesina said it would be important to allocate some of this to buy down Africa’s “very expensive debt” owed to private creditors that will be engaged with the international community.

    The Bank president, who has proposed an African Financial Stability Mechanism to protect the continent against external shocks, said such a mechanism was critical. “It will require that we mutualize our resources, avoid regional spillover effects, regionalize fiscal policy rules, develop homegrown reforms and debt-resolution approaches, and provide a regional safety net that will complement the global safety net of the International Monetary Fund,” he said.

    Adesina also touched on insecurity on the continent, highlighting that terrorist actions affect countries all across the continent, including the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin as well as the Horn of Africa regions which must re-direct huge resources from their development programs.

    He said: “These insecurity situations now pose the biggest risks to Africa’s development. We must now link security to investment, growth and development.”

    The African Development Bank is calling for the development of security-indexed investment bonds. Taking advantage of low long-term interest rates, these bonds will allow Africa to leverage resources on the global capital markets to reinforce its security in support of growth and development, and to protect investments.

    The bonds can be delivered through special purpose vehicles, established on behalf of a pool of African countries. The African Development Bank and other development partners can credit-enhance them. Administering the bond proceeds would be managed under the auspices of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council and regional economic communities.

    The ECOWAS leaders’ communiqué commended the African Development Bank Group for launching a facility to support African countries — including ECOWAS member states — to address the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. It also welcomed the Bank’s support to the G5 Sahel countries as they seek to strengthen national health systems, and for its support to the West Africa Health Organization.

  • Nigeria under Buhari will triumph like Manchester City – Adesina

    Nigeria under Buhari will triumph like Manchester City – Adesina

    Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina has likened Nigeria’s situation to that of Manchester City that rose from grass to win the English Premier League, saying peace and security will be restored to Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Adesina, in his article, titled:: “Lesson for Nigeria from EPL,” said eight weeks into the season, many City fans were angry with the club over poor performance and had given up hope that the club would win the EPL.

    He said forces which he called ‘Aiye’ were against City to bring it down, saying that the forces were already rejoicing until Manchester City bounced back to reckoning.

    “Eight weeks into this season that ends in another two weeks, Man City (as the team is popularly called) was Number 13 on the EPL table, which consists of 20 teams. And 38 games were to be played to complete the cycle

    “Fans of the team were already hissing and cursing. Their opponents were gyrating and doing a jig, saying Man City was doomed for another season.

    “Recall what happened in the 2019/2020 season. Man City was eyeing a treble. Three back-to-back seasons as champions, and a record in English football. But the adversaries knew the record that was to be set, so they arrayed themselves against the team.

    “Just as some forces knew the record that was to be achieved by Muhammadu Buhari as Nigerian President, and which he had begun to show since 2015 when he got into office, and they positioned against the government,” he said.

    Adesina added: “Every team, big or small, strong or weak, set its sights on Man City last season, flexed muscles, summoned superhuman skills and strength whenever they were meeting the champions attempting a treble. The end result? Man City finished a distant second behind Liverpool, which had emerged like a thundering typhoon, to win the laurel in admirable fashion.

    “The lesson? When you are high-flying, the centrifugal forces will come against you, and it would only take the grace of God for you to attain. Yoruba people call those forces Aiye. When Aiye is on your case, as it was against Man City, and it is against the Buhari government, you need God, and God alone. Aiye (meaning ‘the world,’ if freely translated) is the negative part of mankind. The pernicious, baleful, sly and scheming part of humanity. If Aiye gets on your matter, you need God and God alone.

    “Man City failed to make record last season. Because Aiye was there. Liverpool shot out like a bolt from the blues, and won the league for the first time after 30 years. It won new adherents to itself from different parts of the world. Buhari Amazon, Jewel Ifunaya Chika, was one of them. She simply ported from Manchester United, which she had been supporting for years, and pitched her tent with Liverpool. More about that team later.

    “Man City failed to make record in 2019/2020 season. Aiye was in full force against it. And the 2020/2021 season was initially not looking promising either. Eight weeks gone, the team was placed 13th on the table. It had lost 2-5 to Leicester City at home in Etihad Stadium, Tottenham drubbed it by two goals, played draw with teams that couldn’t hold a candle to it in the past, and was generally forlorn and limp. Aiye was having a ball, laughing Man City to scorn.

    “Aren’t they doing the same thing against the government in our country today, due to unrelenting security challenges, some of them possibly instigated by Aiye themselves?”

    Adesina said in November, 2020, the table turned for good for Man. City, just as it would inexorably turn for Nigeria soon.

    “The team beat Burnley by five goals to nothing, and it was the beginning of the turnaround. Victory came after victory, to the extent that the team was unbeaten in 21 consecutive games in the different competitions it was involved in. From the ashes, the Salamander had risen. Fire could not consume it, and today, Man City are champions, fifth time in 10 years.

    “Who says Nigeria will not rise from its current travails? Who says Aiye will always win? Not where God is involved. And God is involved with Nigeria, our own dear native land. Under President Buhari, peace and security would be restored. The economy would rebound.

    “Life would be abundant for the people , and Aiye would be left standing small, holding the rump of the flag of a country it thought had gone into oblivion. The winner takes it all, the loser standing small (apologies ABBA).

    “It was not glory ride for Man City all the way, however. It lost other crucial matches to Man U, newcomer Leeds United, and Chelsea. But did that alter the destiny for the season? No! Nigeria will also attain her destiny, and soon too. Amen, somebody,” he said.

    Still on the EPL, Adesina also drew a vital lessons too from Liverpool, the darling of the last two seasons.

    “It first won the European Champions League, and then the Premiership. The team was simply radiating, making conquests and winning new followers. Till Aiye stepped into her case.

    Liverpool, which won the league last season by a wide margin, has been struggling in a pitiable way this season. It is exerting itself so strenuously, not for number one or two positions, but to end in number four, and book a place in the Champions League. What happened?

    “Aiye went after the team, the way it did to Man City when the team was to set a record. This season, Liverpool has lost not less than eight games, most of them at its Anfield home, back to back. And to comparatively lowly teams. It was humiliated by Fulham (now gone into relegation), Brighton, Burnley, Southampton, and other minnows.

    “Not to be forgotten is the 7-2 shellacking last October by Aston Villa, and the 4-1 pounding by Man City in February. Thy glory oh Liverpool is slain upon the high places. How are the mighty fallen! Just because of Aiye.

    “Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League, losing to Real Madrid, which Chelsea came to beat home and away. On the day it was poised to change position on the league table, making a 4th placement sure, it was leading Newcastle till the very last minute of the game, when it suddenly crumbled.

    “The opponents drew level in the 95th minute, the very last seconds of added time. Aiye in action. Man City bounced back from the ashes to emerge victors. It has won the Carabao Cup this season, and may win the Champions League on May 29, if her luck holds,” he added.

    Adesina is optimistic that Liverpool would be back someday soon, as Nigeria would confound the enemies, and that it would happen under Buhari’s leadership.

    He added: “The Good Book has said it, in Micah 7:8: “Rejoice not against me, O my enemy: when I fall, I shall rise again.” Man City rose. Liverpool will rise. Nigeria will rise. And Aiye would lose. And fall flat on its face. I can hear the Amen.”

  • Despite alarming unemployment rate, Presidency says Nigeria making progress under Buhari

    Despite alarming unemployment rate, Presidency says Nigeria making progress under Buhari

    The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, says Nigerians must stop dwelling solely on the negatives if the country is to forge ahead in the progressive path.

    Adesina made this assertion on Sunday night during an interview on a monitored Channels Television programme.

    He argued that there are silver linings in the sky, stressing that it is typical of Nigeria that when the break in the clouds come, no one talks about them.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Adesina’s comments come on the heels of some assertions made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, following a recent report that tagged Nigeria as the nation with the highest unemployment rate in the world.

    Atiku in a statement on Sunday said the present Nigerian government lacks the capacity to address issues facing the country.

    The PDP presidential candidate in the last election called on stakeholders and elder statesmen to help in rescuing Nigeria which he noted is on the precipice.

    In addressing Atiku and reacting to the negative report, Adesina maintained that all nations in the world experience negatives and if that becomes a focus then there will be more to talk about.

    He, however, declared that there are positives in Nigeria, adding that Nigerians must look out for the positives and encourage themselves.

    According to him, looking at the positives in Nigeria will not only help individuals but will also accelerate whatever the government is doing.

    The spokesman urged critics to cut the Buhari-led administration some slack and give Nigeria some credit. He noted that the nation is making progress, adding that though it may be slower than some want it, things are looking up.

    Meanwhile the presidential spokesman also said claims suggesting that President Muhammadu Buhari promised turning one naira to one dollar is false.

    “It does not exist, it is fake, it is false, it is apocryphal, it doesn’t exist” Adesina said.

    Adesina said the minister of information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has debunked the claim severally and challenged anyone with clips and publications to make them available.

  • Insecurity: Only Buhari can assess, sack Service Chiefs – Adesina

    Insecurity: Only Buhari can assess, sack Service Chiefs – Adesina

    Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has again emphasized that only President Muhammadu Buhari has the prerogative to fire the service chiefs because he appointed them.

    Adesina, who appeared on Hot Seat Special, a live programme on Ogun State Television, OGTV, on Sunday made that statement against the backdrop of the recent clamour for the sack of the service chiefs due to rising insecurity in the country and their seeming incapacity to solve the intractable problem.

    “Now because we are talking about the service chiefs. A commander-in-Chief is the one that has the prerogative to appoint service chiefs and has the prerogative to remove them. Nobody else has it. Nobody else,” he maintained.

    Adesina also accused those clamouring for the removal of service chiefs of expressing a malicious propensity and willful desire to see others fall.

    “Some people like to see people dismissed, not just talking of service chiefs now. They just like to see people fall. They rejoice. ‘En Eh he is no longer there,’ as if they are the ones that would go there. Generally you see that in our society,” he said.

    The President’s spokesman also said no matter what people say, the president would definitely have his way.

    “Other people can have their say, like they are having now. But the Commander-in-Chief would have his way. He would have his way. Other persons can have their say. And they are having that say now. But it is the Commander-in-Chief that would have his way. It is the one that can assess them,” he averred.

    Adesina said it is the president that can assess the service chiefs and likened him to a teacher who assesses his students:

    “The teacher that teaches you is the one that can assess your exam script. Because he knows what he has taught you and he knows what you should deliver back to him. If the man see and feels you have done well, then you have passed. If you have not done well, you have failed. The Commander-in-Chief is the one who can assess the service chiefs.

    “The President has spoken many times about their performance, though he feels they can do better. But if he decides to keep them, it is his prerogative because he is the one that appointed them,” he said.

    Adesina also backed his points by citing the Scriptures: “I can quote the Scriptures. It says: ‘who are you to judges another man’s servant? It is to his master that he stands or falls.’ So it is the president that can judge the service chiefs,” he maintained.