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Tag: BMO

  • Declare where your loyalty lies between Nigeria, IPOB – BMO to Ezekwesili

    Declare where your loyalty lies between Nigeria, IPOB – BMO to Ezekwesili

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has derided the latest outburst by Dr. Oby Ezekwesili against President Muhammadu Buhari on a miscellany of issues, chief of which is the handling of security by the Buhari-led administration.

    The group, in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju, noted that it has become a convention by Ezekwesili to inundate the public space with a noxious chemistry of bad mouthing and ill-mannered pontification in addressing the person and office of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

    “We find it rather curious the way Dr. Ezekwesili, now by convention, storms the public place to vent whatever her frustration or emotion may be. And, even more intriguing is her determination to express her opinion in the most vainglorious manner,” the group said.

    Accusing her of deliberately playing Janus with most of her public interventions, BMO said that at a time Nigerians were expecting individuals of stature from the South East to in the wake of the unfortunate but irresponsible killing of two personnel of the American Consulate and two policemen in an ambush in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra, Ezekesili decided to resort to attacking the person of the President.

    “Ezekwesili hails from Anambra State where this heinous crime was committed but just as other times when such grand wickedness was perpetrated in that zone of the country, silence is the response from Ezekwesili,” the Group observes in the statement adding that.

    “So, for us, this is clearly indicative of barefaced subterfuge. Ezekwesili should come out in the open to declare where her loyalty lies; is it to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) pair of now world’s renowned terrorist organisations or to the good people of Nigeria on whose behalf she hypocritically combusts the public space?

    “We dare to say that her conduct smacks of the hypocrisy of desperately desiring to remove the speck in the other person’s eye when, indeed, she carries a log in her own eye.”

    The BMO, however, acknowledged her allegation concerning the security situation in the country.

    “Of course, her allegation against President Buhari of poorly managing security matters in the country is acknowledged. However, what can be asserted without any equivocation in the management of security matters in the country since President Buhari assumed office, is his undiminished commitment to fighting insecurity wherever it had reared its head in the country.

    “This is evinced by the fact that at no time in the history of this country, even at the time she was a Minister in the federal government, had there been the kind of quantum leap in the record of arms, ammunition and variegated platforms made available for the use of the armed forces and the police in the country. And, for this, the people of Borno and other States in Northeastern Nigeria that used to be theatre of mass killings have continued to show gratitude to the President for returning peace to their states”.

    The BMO added that security narrative in different parts of the country is changing for good.

    “The same narrative is evolving in Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina States in the North West zone of the country inclusive of Benue, Plateau and Niger States in the North Central zone.

    “The pacification of bandits is becoming intense from news constantly emanating from those areas. Unfortunately, the likes of Ezekwesili would, rather, rush to dance naked in the market place anytime there is a single security mishap in all the different theatres of engagement.

    ” Not once have we heard words encouraging the country’s armed forces during the many times they had recorded successes in engagements against bandits and terrorists, from Ezekwesili.

    “Even in the South East, we daily count the numbers of Ipob/ESN operatives that are either neutralised or arrested by security personnel, yet, there had never been a whimper of acknowledgement of the efforts of these personnel from the likes of Ezekwesili,” the group added.

  • Nobody needs your jaundiced political views now – BMO to Obasanjo

    Nobody needs your jaundiced political views now – BMO to Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been advised to keep his political opinions to himself, as they have a history of being “faulty, erroneous and self-serving”

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, that the former President had “more often than not provided political directions to the country that suited only his selfish interests and not the interest of the nation”.According to the group, the former President “is notorious for pursuing self-centred ambition masked as national interest. History is full of examples of how the sneaky leader has made attempts to push, mostly through corrupt means, his ambition through nefarious backdoor channels.

    “The earliest display, since our return to democracy, of his poor sense of political judgment in selecting the country’s president was when he began to think that he was the best thing Nigeria needed, and consequently tried to re-write the Nigerian Constitution and award himself a third term in office.

    “Failing to secure that obnoxious third term agenda, the self-centred leader decided to hand-pick a leader who he could control since he could not be in the office. It was then he foisted on the country a candidate whose state of health was clearly questionable.

    “Upon the sad demise of that candidate, Mr. Obasanjo looked for the next lackey and found one in former President Jonathan, a candidate that came in to further build on the institutional corruption that President Obasanjo had founded.

    “It didn’t take long for President Obasanjo to go back to his vomit, and endorse Atiku Abubakar, a notoriously corrupt individual, by his own admission, and by his former boss-Obasanjo himself.

    “The former President, in the pursuit of his selfish ambition, threw caution to the wind and endorsed the man he once swore never to support”.

    This, BMO said, was further affirmation that Obasanjo’s sense of judgment is “tainted by an unhealthy pursuit of selfish, obnoxious desires.

    The group called on Nigerians not to be deceived by President Obasanjo’s antics and pursuit of a selfish ambition that seeks the collapse of Nigeria.

    “Former President Obasanjo’s latest endorsement of the overhyped Mr Peter Obi, a candidate with no substance or clear vision for the country, whose track record of failure has left a foul stench still suffocating the people of Anambra,  follows the Obasanjo pattern of directing Nigerians to the pit of hell because he does not have the keys to heaven.

    “His political judgment is highly faulty, always erroneous, and naturally self-centred.

    “We urge eligible voters to key into the testimonials of the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who has verifiable record and a vision for renewed hope for Nigeria.

    “Asiwaju Tinubu is the only candidate that offers two good deals for the price of one vote: he will build on the solid foundation that President Buhari has put in place, which is evident to all Nigerians; and he would also usher in a renewed vigour in APC’s progressive agenda.

    “Tinubu is bringing to the table an experience of handling tough environments and a gift of recruiting the best hands to deliver on the job. His achievements and testimonies from Lagos State are strong indications of his capacity to steer the country in the right direction,” the group added.

  • Peter Obi accused of copying President Buhari’s workbook

    Peter Obi accused of copying President Buhari’s workbook

    Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has been accused of lacking originality by promising to do what the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has already put in place.

    Making this accusation, the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju that Obi’s recent interview on the US news network, CNN, showed that he is not in tune with what is happening in a country he is aspiring to lead.

    “Like many Nigerians, we listened to the twice-postponed pre-recorded CNN interview, and we were stunned that a man that had been pontificating about Nigeria’s problems lacks originality when it comes to proferring solution.

    “We first noticed this from Obi’s response to a question on how he would restart the economy which seemed like he was reading from President Buhari’s workbook.

    “The Labour Party candidate spoke about ensuring that Nigerians return to agriculture, pulling millions out of poverty and cutting the cost of governance, which incidentally are part of what the Buhari administration, which he delights in maligning, is doing right now.

    “We make bold to say that the

    massive investment by the present administration in the agriculture sector through various initiatives is a major reason recent setbacks in the oil sector have not had much effect on Nigeria’s GDP.

    “Today, we are Africa’s largest rice producer and also regularly making waves in wheat and maize production, amongst others, on the global stage as a result of some creative funding through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    “So we would have expected Obi to provide some insights, no matter how brief, into what he would have done differently rather than give his interviewer the impression that he was coming to fill a void in agriculture.

    “As for poverty alleviation, Peter Obi was a member of the former ruling party,  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that literally pushed 112m people into the poverty cliff in 2012, which was also a period the country made so much from oil revenue but did little in terms of critical infrastructure, he is promising and did nothing to put a concrete social welfare scheme on the ground.

    “It was not until 2016, on Buhari’s watch, that Nigeria had its first ever efficient social safety net, the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) which has four initiatives targeted at different categories of people.

    “The programme is now in the process of being institutionalized as part of efforts to take 100m Nigerians out of poverty by 2030, but it would be interesting to know what Obi would do differently beyond sheer sloganeering”.

    BMO also argued that the Labour candidate’s comments on insecurity and refineries were also pointers to his lack of depth on governance at a high level.

    “There was also an allusion to security in a mediocre manner, not different from that of a casual political analyst with a vow to change the security architecture, employ more hands and motivate the operatives, but we were not told how all these would differ from what is being done today.

    “On private refineries, we wonder whether Obi did not fully grasp the role played by the Buhari administration in making Dangote Refinery a reality, including having a stake in it as well as all private refineries with over 50,000 barrels per day production capacity.

    “And as for government-owned refineries, it is common knowledge that they are being overhauled and it has since been announced that the Port Harcourt refinery would be operating at a reasonable capacity in December this year, for the first time since the early 1990s.

    “So the Buhari administration is working assiduously to gradually wean the country from fuel subsidy which Obi told CNN could be done in a day without considering the impact on the average Nigerian, ” the group added.

    The group urged Nigerians to challenge opposition elements to be more definite in their campaign promises.

  • How Atiku, PDP engineered mass poverty on Nigerians – BMO

    How Atiku, PDP engineered mass poverty on Nigerians – BMO

    Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar played a major role in pushing millions of Nigerians into the unemployment market and into poverty as Vice President between 1999 and 2007.

    This, according to the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), is contrary to the impression Atiku sold in his presentation at the recent Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Presidential Economic Agenda Forum.

    BMO said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, that the former Vice President and his party were largely responsible for the mess the All Progressives Congress APC-led administration had been cleaning in the last seven years.

    “It was meant to be an economic forum for the Peoples Democratic Party’s flag bearer to give the Organized Private Sector (OPS) an insight into what he has to offer, but he preferred to use it as an opportunity to again demonize President Buhari and his administration.

    “So, not surprising, Atiku went ahead to limit all the problems in the country to the tenure of the incumbent government which he claimed was responsible for massive and regrettable level of unemployment.

    “But what he deliberately left out is the fact that Nigeria’s unemployment figure in the PDP era was 112million out of a population of 160m, inspite of a higher oil revenue for a sustainable period with no global pandemic or a war with grave  worldwide economic implication.

    “It is public knowledge the former Vice President laid the groundwork for that high number of unemployed people as the man who presided over the much abused privatisation programme that led to massive job cuts with no fall back plans for those pushed into the labour market.

    “We find it funny that same man is pledging funding for small businesses when the administration he served and the party were more interested in protecting the interest of the political elite for 16 years rather than providing a social safety net for the poor and vulnerable.

    “The PDP candidate also made it look like Nigeria began running a budget deficit under Buhari, when publicly available information showed that it started in 2011 when the country actually had an oil boom but with little effort at economic diversification.

    “It was also a period that the country’s infrastructure deficit began to rise menacingly with successive PDP administrations doing little or nothing to bridge the gap that Atiku is now pledging to commit 20billion dollars to, with private sector support,” the group said.

    BMO added that it was interesting to see the former Vice President promising things that the Buhari administration has already put in place in a different way.

    “The APC-led Buhari administration has already put in place several Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives in infrastructure on the back of Executive Order 7 which a number of key private sector players have already embraced to reconstruct some roads in exchange for tax credit across the six geo-political zones.

    “This is aside from the National Council on Infrastructure that has already been set up to encourage private sector involvement in infrastructure development and the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) which is already up and running.

    “So what the perennial presidential candidate is doing amounts to seeking to ‘giraffing’ or spying; nothing more, in proposing OPS involvement in infrastructure development.

    “But what we, like many Nigerians, find laughable is Atiku’s plan to propose a legislation to remove electricity from the exclusive list even when it has been in the news for at least three months, that President Buhari and the National Assembly have began a process of decentralizing the power sector.

    “So we agree with those who say that  the former Vice President had stayed too long in Dubai that he has lost track of what is happening in the country.”

    The group said that the former Vice-President simply showed in his LCCI presentation that he has nothing to offer Nigeria and Nigerians.

  • BMO commends Buhari’s social investment programme

    BMO commends Buhari’s social investment programme

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for being the first Nigerian President to take concrete steps to institutionalise a national poverty reduction agenda with the National Social Investment Programme Establishment Bill, 2022.

    The group said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke that failure to check the tide was a major reason the nation’s poverty figure rose beyond 112 million in 2012 in spite of high oil revenue at that time.

    “When the Buhari administration introduced the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) in 2016, it was with a view to tackling the country’s high rate of poverty which was 112million as at 2012, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

    “At the time, the country had no known social welfare programme except for the one-size fits all initiative of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP through which commercial tricycles were handed over to some Nigerians under the ambit of the National Poverty Alleviation Programme (NAPEP).

    “But today, six years after the NSIP was launched with multiple initiatives targeting different categories of Nigerians, the programme is now on the verge of being institutionalized as part of continuing efforts to take 100million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030.

    “We see it as a great step which will give legal backing to an initiative that has been described as the largest welfare scheme in sub-Saharan Africa, in a country that has never seen any deliberate and coordinated effort to lift millions of people out of the cycle of poverty,” it added.

    BMO said that the social investment bill was the outcome of a well-thought-out process aimed at ensuring the continuity and sustainability of Nigeria’s first real social welfare scheme.

    “What many people may not realise is that the NSIP has four programmes; namely the N-POWER Programme, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) and the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (CCT), all designed to cater for different categories of Nigerians in the bottom rung of the social ladder.

    “We make bold to say that since the launch of NSIP in 2016, no fewer than five million Nigerians have benefitted from the four initiatives which independent monitors have since confirmed to be real.

    “It is good to know that this pro-poor bill, if passed into law as expected, makes it mandatory for NSIP to be funded through a budgetary allocation and 5 per cent of recovered and repatriated funds,” it said.

    The group also added that aside from the NSIP bill, the Buhari administration also has in place a National Poverty Reduction Strategy put together by the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).

  • Dasukigate: BMO mocks PDP chair, Ayu over returned N405m loot

    Dasukigate: BMO mocks PDP chair, Ayu over returned N405m loot

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has derided the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu for quietly returning public funds he received from the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

    In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO said the act confirmed its position in November last year that Ayu was a major beneficiary of the PDP-era massive looting of the national treasury.

    “Our attention has just been drawn to the surreptitious return of stolen funds amounting to N405million by no other than the leader of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Iyorchia Ayu.

    “The funds were said to have been returned a few months ago after authorities seized a mansion belonging to the former Senate President, but as soon as he paid up, the property was said to have been returned to him.

    “This information that has just seeped into the public space confirms our position in a statement issued in November last year and titled ‘Ayu, not different from previous corruption-tainted PDP leaders-BMO’, in which we recalled that the PDP Chairman received N350m from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account of the ONSA, ostensibly for security consultancy.

    “But fresh facts gleaned from the Presidential Committee on recovery showed that the PDP chairman actually received N405m without offering any service to the country or government at a time that insurgents were threatening to overrun the country,” the group said.

    It added: “If President Muhammadu Buhari had not been elected President in 2015, no one would have known and the former Minister would have practically escaped with his loot unpunished.

    “This is the PDP legacy so it is not a surprise that a man caught with stolen funds is today at the helm of affairs of that party.”

    BMO added that Ayu’s antecedent as a beneficiary of looted public funds is enough qualification for him to lead the PDP.

    “We maintain that the main opposition party is currently headed by an individual who crookedly benefited from funds meant for arms procurement.

    “In saner climes, he would have been removed from office, but knowing the gathering that PDP is, Ayu earned his stripes because only a politician that is adept at illegally feeding on public funds could lead such a group with the notoriety the former ruling party has.

    “So it beggars belief to hear the PDP chairman and his colleagues pontificating about security challenges that they laid the foundation for in the manner they looted funds meant to boost the operational readiness of our security personnel.

    “We make bold to say that this is what the former ruling party stood for and which its members have missed in the last seven years that President Muhammadu Buhari had been in the saddle,” it said.

    BMO urged Nigerians to be wary when people like Ayu speak on security challenges in some parts of the country, knowing that he is one of those whose activities denied the military of necessary infrastructure support against terrorists and criminal elements.

  • Tucano aircrafts: BMO accuses Saraki of re-writing history

    Tucano aircrafts: BMO accuses Saraki of re-writing history

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has accused the former President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, of re-writing history over the purchase of Tucano light-attack aircraft for the ongoing war against insurgency in the country.
    The BMO made the accusation in a statement signed by its Chairman, Mr Niyi Akinsiju, and Secretary, Mr Cassidy Madueke, on Tuesday in Abuja.
    It said Saraki was re-writing history in a bid to claim credit for the United States of America’s deal with Nigeria on the purchase of the Super Tucano light-attack aircraft for the ongoing war against insurgency.
    This, it said, was in the aftermath of suggestions by Saraki that the $593 million deal might not have scaled through without his intervention as the then head of the 8th Senate.
    The BMO said the facts on the ground showed that former U.S President Donald Trump had given his approval to the deal within one month of assuming office in 2017.
    “It has come to our notice that former President of the Senate and presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bukola Saraki, had been giving the impression that an intervention he spearheaded paved the way for the sale of the aircraft to Nigeria.
    “While we understand that he needed to make himself look good at a time he is seeking his party’s presidential ticket, we make bold to say that the claim is far from the truth,” the BMO said.
    It added that investigations showed that the then President Donald Trump had, within one month in office, assured President Muhammadu Buhari of his readiness to support Nigeria’s plan to procure the counter-insurgency aircraft.
    “By April, there were reports in the international media that the U.S Congress would be notified of the sale in the coming weeks.
    “So it was not surprising that the Defense Security Co-operation Agency notified the U.S Congress on August 2nd, 2017,” the statement said.
    It added that this indicated who the contractors were and how the proposed sale would not have an adverse impact on U.S defence readiness.
    The BMO recalled that the Senate under the watch of Saraki actually threatened to impeach President Buhari for making that move.
    According to it, it all began on Aug. 25, when Buhari notified the Senate in writing that he had granted anticipatory approval for the release of $496,374,470 from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) directly to the Treasury of the U.S Government for the purchase of the 12 aircraft.
    “The presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had explained it, in line with the principle of doctrine of necessity, and cited how previous administrations had taken similar steps.
    “But the Saraki-led Senate threatened to impeach the president for making what it called extra budgetary spending.
    “The impeachment threat was made through a motion by Chairman Senate Committee on Public Account, Sen. Mathew Urhogide,” the statement said.
    It said this was however countered by APC Senators led by Sen. Abu Ibrahim who insisted that since the establishment of the ECA, no government had sent a formal request to the National Assembly for approval for appropriation of funds.
    The BMO said it was not until about four months after the deal was sealed, that the Senate leadership showed any form of support when a U.S congressional delegation came into the country.
    “So it beggars belief that Saraki could seek to claim credit for the purchase of counter-insurgency aircrafts that he tried to block on the grounds of extra-budgetary approval,” the BMO stressed.
    It added that the PDP presidential aspirant should look for something else other than the Tucano jets to convince his party members to give him their support.
  • Real reasons Buhari deferred fuel subsidy removal

    Real reasons Buhari deferred fuel subsidy removal

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to defer the removal of fuel subsidy has nothing to do with the 2023 elections.

    Rather, the President took the decision in the interest of the nation and the masses, according to the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO).

    In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, the group said that the move has more to do with the President’s pro-masses stance than any political consideration.

    “Our attention has been drawn to suggestions by some so-called experts and opposition elements that the Buhari administration’s decision to put fuel subsidy removal on hold has something to do with the next cycle of elections in 2023.

    “We view those comments as misleading, uninformed, unintelligent and an attempt to muddle the waters, especially as the President has always been clear about his opposition to removing fuel subsidy without putting the necessary structures in place.

    “It is strange that not many people could recall how President Buhari expressed his reluctance to remove subsidy in an interview with Arise TV last year.

    “So we’re surprised that some people would read political motives into a decision that is clearly in line with the mindset of a President who has in six years given bailouts funds running into trillions of Naira to States to pay salaries and pensions,” it said.

    BMO expressed concern that the 18 month timeline for subsidy is being misinterpreted to mean that Buhari was shifting the decision to the next administration.

    “What many of the President’s critics have failed to factor into their reasoning is the fact that the ongoing rehabilitation of the nation’s four refineries had a timeline of 18 months for them to be operational.

    “While that of Port Harcourt has a three-phase rehabilitation plan, the first phase of which will take it to a production capacity of 90 per cent by January 2023, those in Warri and Kaduna are expected to be fully operational by the same time.

    “These are the same refineries that previous Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administrations did little or nothing to revive, yet spent trillions of naira on a fraudulent subsidy scheme.

    “Can anyone forget how PDP elements and members of their families turned refineries’ maintenance into a criminal bazaar while making claims for payment for fake imported petroleum products?

    “More surprising is that same party is shamelessly alleging that the current administration is spending too much on subsidy when it is common knowledge that only the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC is importing fuel today”.

    BMO urged Nigerians to ignore any attempt to give political colouration to a well-thought-out decision taken in the national interest.

  • Buhari will not implement anti-poor policies, says BMO

    Buhari will not implement anti-poor policies, says BMO

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) says the President Muhammadu Buhari administration will not implement policies that will affect the existence of the poor while raising revenue to fund the nation’s infrastructure projects.

    Its Chairman, Mr Niyi Akinsiju, stated this on Sunday at the News Agency of Nigeria Forum in Abuja.

    He said the president always considered the consequence of every government policy on the Nigerian people, particular the poor.

    Akinsiju said: “We have a President that is considerate that for every policy, the important thing to him would be the consequence to Nigerian poor and the Nigerian people.

    “The truth is that we are now thinking of building roads, upgrading schools, upgrading hospitals and all that when we have lesser money to attend to such.

    “So, the reality is that Nigeria does not have money and I personally do not delude myself because we do not have money and the only way we can have money is a pure capitalist system that we are running.

    “We would have gone into taxing, removing subsidy and all that, that is what most capitalists of the other worlds are telling us to remove subsidy so that government would have more money.”

    According to him, individuals particularly the very poor will find it difficult to exist if such advice is taken by the present administration.

    “There was just this 2.5 per cent increase in VAT and there was uproar, meanwhile our capitalist economists are telling us that we should have increased it to 15 per cent VAT, you can only imagine the outcome,” he said.

    The BMO chairman blamed the nation’s underdevelopment on the previous administrations to do the needful in terms of basic infrastructure development.

    “If today, we are talking of bad roads, bad hospitals, bad schools, it means that the governments of the past have abandoned their responsibilities.

    “Because we cannot be talking about roads since independence in 1960, how many years after, close to how many decades as a country with governments at various time.

    “If government of each particular period had been constructing 100 kilometers of road per year, you can only imagine how many roads would have been constructed. We should not be thinking of roads now,” he said.