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Tag: Buhari

  • Buhari’s govt interfering in church activities – Pastor Adeboye

    The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God(RCCG), Worldwide, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, yesterday complained that the Buhari-led government is interfering too much in the affairs of the church.

    Adeboye made the disclosure at the annual Ministers Thanksgiving service held at the Redemption Camp, where he also announced a new leadership structure for RCCG Nigeria, to be led by Pastor Joseph Obayemi.

    In the course of the service, Adeboye reportedly began by telling the crowd that the federal government of Nigeria under President Buhari has, lately, formed the habit of interfering in the affairs of the Church.

    He recounted how the government forced the RCCG to abandoned the robust retirement package for their Pastors, where full time Pastors who retired from the employ of the Church collects their full salary and benefits till death, to adopt a statutory contributory pension scheme which has resulted in Pastors, both those in active service and retirees, earning far less than they should have earned under the old scheme.

    Similarly, Adeboye dwelt on the issue of how Christians are not taking advantage of their numerical strength to determine who becomes a political leader.

    He explained that the apathetic attitude of Christians has led to a situation where leaders are now imposed on them.

    His solution: “When you get home, tell every member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God to go and register for a Political Party. I want every member to be a Card carrying member of a political party.”

    “You can register for any party of your choice, but by all means, register. If you register, you will have to attend your party meetings at the Ward level.

    That way you will be part of those to nominate the party delegates who will decide who will run for elections and be our leaders at the national level”. He said

  • Catholic Bishop condemns Southern-Kaduna killings

    Catholic Bishop condemns Southern-Kaduna killings

    The Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, has condemned the recent killings of innocent lives in some communities of Southern part of Kaduna State.

    Kaigama, who is the President, Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), said this in an article titled: ”The Sacredness of Life Versus the Slaughter of Innocent Nigerian Citizens Today”.

    The article was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Jos.

    The cleric, who expressed worry over the wanton destruction of lives and property in Southern Kaduna, added that Nigeria had gone through difficult moments lately, hence in dire need of total peace.

    He said the attacks and counter attacks in southern Kaduna would rather aggravate Nigeria’s challenges, and would further impoverish the poor masses.

    The cleric said that no one had the right to take the life of another person at will, unless God, the creator and giver of life.

    ”At the New Year Mass on Jan. 1, I preached on the need to always show gratitude to God, correct the mistakes of our past.

    “And to value our civil leaders for little acts of mercy we were getting from their programme of political governance.

    “I also reminded Nigerians of the need for hard work and patience.

    “I, however, woke up this morning feeling depressed and angry; this is almost a contradiction to the spirit I had asked people to avoid in the New Year.

    “Many questions propped up in my mind as to our safety in our country.

    “If enough is being done to protect us; how long the hunger I see written on the faces of many widows, children and youths will last.

    “What of the inflation that has made life so miserable. What about the reckless and needless killings. How can human lives are so casually terminated.

    ”It is a pity that the younger generation in Nigeria is growing with an unfortunate impression that life is very cheap and can be taken away by anyone or group.

    ”We have had rough, tough and bad times when innocent Nigerians lost their lives as it is being experienced now in Southern Kaduna.

    ”Before now, it was Agatu, Madagali, Gwoza, Yobe, Plateau, parts of Taraba, Nasarawa, Anambra, Abia and other parts of the country and where next.’’

    He advised government at all levels to proffer solutions to these acts of savagery.

    The cleric commended the security agencies for responding swiftly to the Southern Kaduna crisis, and urged them to be highly professional and apolitical in the discharge of their duties.

    The Archbishop called on President Muhammadu Buhari to break the silence, adopt stringent and proactive measures to end the killings in Southern Kaduna and other crisis prone areas in the country.

  • 1,000 Days: Buhari vows to ensure return of remaining Chibok Schoolgirls

    President Muhammadu Buhari has recommitted the Federal Government to securing the release of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents, 1,000 days ago.

    Buhari gave the reassurance in a statement to commemorate the 1,000th day of the abduction of the schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno.

    The statement was issued in Abuja on Sunday by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina.

    He expressed gratitude to God on this landmark day that the nation was not completely in the depths of despair, but buoyed with hope that the girls would yet rejoin their families and loved ones.

    “We are grateful to God that on this landmark day, we are not completely in the depths of despair, but buoyed with hope that our daughters will yet rejoin their families and loved ones.

    “Three of them have been recovered by our diligent military, while the freedom of 21 others was secured through engagement with their captors.

    “We are hopeful that many more will still return as soon as practicable,” he said.

    He reiterated his pledge, pronounced many times in the past, that government would not spare any effort to reunite the girls with their families.

    “I salute the fortitude of the distraught parents. As a parent also, I identify with their plight. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, months turned to years, and today, it is 1,000 days.

    “The tears never dry, the ache is in our hearts. But hope remains constant, eternal, and we believe our pains will be assuaged.

    “Our hopes will not be shattered, and our hearts will leap for joy, as more and more of our daughters return. It is a goal we remain steadfastly committed to,’’ he added.

    On the occasion of the 1,000 days, President Buhari commended all who have been in the vanguard for the recovery of the girls, both nationally and internationally.

    The president also reassured that the nation’s intelligence and security forces had redoubled their efforts toward ensuring speedy recovery of the remaining girls and others in captivity.

    “Someday soon, we will all rejoice together. Our intelligence and security forces are unrelenting, and whatever it takes, we remain resolute.

    “Chibok community, Nigeria, and, indeed, the world, will yet rise in brotherhood, to welcome our remaining girls back home. We trust God for that eventuality.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that about 276 school girls were abducted when members of Boko Haram terrorists stormed their boarding school in Chibok town in Borno in 2014.

    No fewer than 50 had escaped in the initial days after the abduction, while another one, Amina Ali, was found roaming around the Sambisa forest with a baby and a man who claimed to be her husband.

    NAN also reports that Rakiya Abubakar, another rescued Chibok girls, was the latest recovery made by the Nigeria Army on Thursday in the Alagarno area of Damboa Local Government Area of Borno.

    The Federal Government in October successfully secured the release of the 21 Chibok school girls after months of negotiation with their captors.

  • Group lauds Buhari over payment of N5000 to unemployed

    Group lauds Buhari over payment of N5000 to unemployed

    The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) on Saturday commend President Muhammadu Buhari over payment of N5000 to unemployed Nigerians living below poverty line.

    Addressing a press conference in Abuja, CESJET Executive Director, Joyce Adamu said the implementation of the Conditional Cash Transfer programme is a further testament that President Muhammadu Buhari is a leader who keeps his promises having similarly began the N-Power project that is paying N30,000 monthly to enrolled graduates as well as the home-grown school feeding programme.

    According to her, the various empowerment programmes introduced by the President Buhari led administration is the best way to end radicalization of youths by extremists groups.

    Adamu also appealed to the President to issue a directive that the anti-fraud component of the Conditional Cash Transfer programme and the other initiatives are scaled up to check abuses.

    According to her, it is unprecedented that 10,173 households are benefitting from this intervention that would make a difference in their quest to improve their standard of living.

    She said, “The programme is a confirmation that the administration is committed to safeguarding the interest of the vulnerable in the society.

    “As we salute this feat by Mr President, we see meaningful interventions like these by the federal government as going a long way to de-radicalize youths who fall pray to the wicked hands of terrorists and extremists who usually come from other parts of the world to indoctrinate them into ways that are alien to our culture and tradition as a people.”

    Speaking further, Adamu said, “Our view is that these programmes are too vital to the populace to be allowed to collapse owing to the capacity of corruption to derail them.

    “We count it fortunate that the National Identity Number, BVN and other identity data bases are assets that can and must be deployed to ensure that the bloodsucking demons that had stolen even from pension funds using multiple or ghost accounts are not allow to repeat their trickery with these laudable programmes.”

    She urged Nigerians to engage in self policing and to be whistle blowers to expose officials or individuals that attempt to steal from the poor under any guise as any money stolen from the programme would amount to snatching food from the mouth of hungry children and condemning them to starvation.

    “Law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies must treat any fraud uncovered around the conditional cash transfer programme as heinous crimes that must be prosecuted to conclusion,” she said.

     

  • Buhari set for Ghanaian president elect, Akufo-Addo’s inauguration

    President Muhammadu Buhari will today attend the inauguration of Ghana’s president-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo in Accra.

    The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said this in a statement yesterday.

    Adesina said Buhari would join other Heads of State and Government to witness the swearing-in of Akufo-Addo and the vice president-elect, Mahamudu Bawumia.

    He said President Buhari once again congratulated Ghanaians on the peaceful elections and orderly transfer of power from an incumbent to an opposition candidate.

    He said Buhari also commended out-going president, John Dramani Mahama, for his maturity and statesmanship.

  • Buhari billed for Akufo-Addo’s inauguration

    President Muhammadu Buhari is among the several Heads of Government across the world invited to witness the inauguration of Ghana’s President Elect, His Excellency Nana Akufo-Ado on Saturday, January 7.

    Recall that the outgoing president, John Dramani Mahama lost to Akufo Ado in the nation’s presidential elections held on December 7, 2016.
    President Buhari is scheduled to leave Abuja for Accra on Saturday morning.

    The Nigerian leader will join other Heads of State and Government to witness the swearing-in Akufo-Addo and his Vice President–elect, Mahamudu Bawumia.

    President Buhari had earlier congratulated Ghanaians on the peaceful elections and orderly transfer of power from an incumbent to an opposition candidate.

    He has also commended out-going President John Dramani Mahama for his maturity and statesmanship.

    Buhari will return to Abuja at the end of the ceremony.

  • Buhari orders army, police to end Southern-Kaduna killings

    President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Nigerian Army and the Police Force to bring an end to the recurring acts of violence and destruction in the Southern part of Kaduna State.

    The directive given last week saw the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Abubakar Idris visiting the region on Saturday and Sunday to assess the situation at first hand.

    Similarly, a squadron of mobile policemen has now been stationed in the area in addition to the conventional policemen deployed there.

    Also, the Nigerian army is also in the process of setting up two battalions in Southern Kaduna while the military has continued to carry out air surveillance across flash points of the area.

    A statement by the presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu on Thursday stated that the “President Buhari has equally directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to carry out a joint assessment of the situation with the sister agency in Kaduna, SEMA, to determine the level of response required for urgent aid to the victims of the violence.”

    According to Shehu,”These measures should soon ensure the return of normalcy to the region, while the Kaduna State government continues its peace building efforts.”

    President Buhari also commended the efforts of the State government and the security agencies in the steps taken so far to curtail the violence. He also sent condolences to the people of the trouble zone who have lost loved ones in the recent violence.

  • Buhari rejoices over rescue of another Chibok girl, Rakiya Abubakar

    President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed happiness over the recovery of another Chibok schoolgirl, Rakiya Abubakar, in the Alagarno area of Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State.

    Rakiya Abubakar Abubakar is one of the girl’s abducted from Chibok community, Borno State by the Boko Haram insurgency on April 14, 2014. So far, 22 girls had been recovered and had been reunited with their families.

    In a statement by his spokesman, President Buhari “notes that the recovery raises renewed hope that the other captured girls will one day be reunited with their families, friends and community.”

    President Buhari also “commends the military for the diligent investigation which led to the recovery of Rakiya and urges them to continue in the spirit with which they cleared the Sambisa forest of terrorists.”

    He “assures that the Nigerian Government will continue to do all within its powers to assist the military in locating the rest of the girls and eradicating the menace of terrorism in Nigeria.”

  • Buhari has no plans to Islamise Nigeria – Osinbajo

    Buhari has no plans to Islamise Nigeria – Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday urged faith-based organisations in the country to shun rumours that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was moving to Islamise Nigeria.

    He told religious leaders after receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Student Christian Movement of Nigeria (SCM) in his office, that they should dwell on facts.

    Recall that before the election in 2015, Prof. Osinbajo spoke out that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not secretly plotting to Islamise Nigeria if it won the election.

    Osinbajo He again reaffirmed that stand stressing that the rumour making the rounds about plans to make Islam the official religion of Nigeria were unfounded as the country “can’s be Islamised”.

    Osinbajo emphasised that it was impossible to Islamise the country given the 1999 Constitution that forbids state religion.

    He urged religious bodies to channel their energies towards proffering solutions to the numerous challenges facing the country.

    The vice president also challenged Nigerian youths to wake up from slumber and take advantage of abundant opportunities in ICT, agriculture and other sectors. While noting that the opportunities were far much more now than they were in the past, Osinbajo harped on the need for young people to take responsibility for their future and be creative.

    He also emphasised the importance of using the internet to acquire knowledge as well as learning a second language to boost their global competitiveness.

    Expressing appreciation to SCM for the honour, the vice president solicited the organisation’s assistance in disseminating factual information about the Federal Government’s policies and programmes.

    Earlier, the National President of SCM, Rev, Eric Ighalo, commended the government for its social interventions such as the N-Power initiative and the conditional transfer scheme.

    Ighalo expressed the willingness of the body to partner with government in several areas including serving as government ambassadors in their constituencies.

    The SCM national president said that the award was conferred on the vice president in recognition of his integrity and outstanding leadership he had demonstrated over the years.

    The award presentation, according to him, culminated the 75th anniversary of the organisation.

  • Buhari approves redeployment of 3 permanent secretaries

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday approved the redeployment of three Federal Permanent Secretaries.

    A statement by Haruna Imrana ,Director of Communications, Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), said that the circular conveying the deployment was signed by the HCSF, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita,

    Imrana said that the affected permanent secretaries, include Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan, Federal Ministry of Education to the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

    Dr Jamila Shu’ara, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, was moved to Federal Ministry of Education.

    Mr Christian Chineyekka Ohaa of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports was deployed to Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

    According to the statement, the handing over of the affected permanent secretaries should be completed on or before Tuesday Jan.10.