TheNewsGuru

Tag: Garba Shehu

  • Presidency reacts to Minister of Environment UN announcement

    Presidency reacts to Minister of Environment UN announcement

    Nigeria’s Presidency has reacted to reports on the alleged appointment of Amina Mohammed, Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, as Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) of the United Nations (UN), saying “she remains our Minister of Environment”.

    TheNewsGuru reported that the Nigeria’s Minister of Environment is to become the new UN DSG to newly elected UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, according a tweet by CBS news reporter for the United Nations, Pamela Falk.

    But, Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari has made a number of tweets to assure Nigerians would be fully informed on any development on the matter.

    “There is a lot of exuberance on the net concerning a UN job for Mrs @AminaJMohammed,” the senior special assistant tweeted, adding that “She remains our Minister of @FMEnvng”.

    He stressed “If there is anything on this that is released officially, we will let Nigerians know”.

    “I am pleased to know that she enjoys so much goodwill,” he added.

    If the reports making the rounds are confirmed, the Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, is expected to be deputy to Antonio Guterres, who will assume office as UN Secretary-General effective January 1, 2017.

    Mohammed, who hails from Gombe State in North-East Nigeria, had formerly served as adviser to the outgoing UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon.

    Mohammed was appointed minister of Environment by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015. She was also recently appointed by President Buhari to serve in the African Union (AU) Reform Steering Committee as Nigeria’s Representative.

  • End of Boko Haram is here – Buhari

    End of Boko Haram is here – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Dakar, Senegal assured the international community that the end of Boko Haram terrorists was in sight, and also hailed the increased cooperation between Nigeria and its neighbours in the fight against terrorism.

    This was stated in a press release issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Tuesday.

    While Speaking at a Panel of Heads of State at the 3rd Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa, the President also assured the international community that the security situation in Nigeria had improved significantly.

    “About a month ago, I spoke with the President of Chad and I was pleased that a number of Chadians and Nigerians that were Boko Haram members are surrendering to him en-masse.

    “The good news I have is that the end of the raining season has come in the North eastern region of Nigeria.

    “Members of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) are in their respective positions and at an agreed time they will move simultaneously and spontaneously for us to see the end of Boko Haram.

    “We are now operating in the Sambisa Forest and as far as Boko Haram is concerned in the Lake Chad Basin area, I think they are done for,” the President declared.

    Highlighting the gains of the cooperation among the Lake Chad Basin Commission countries comprising Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Benin Republic and Nigeria, the Nigerian leader told the gathering that Boko Haram is no longer holding any territory or Local Government Area (LGA) in his country.

    “Those who live in the North East know that Boko Haram is no longer holding a single territory in the 774 LGAs in Nigeria.

    “But they have a system of using IEDs and they indoctrinate mostly teenage girls and send them to soft targets to churches, mosques and market places; that too is becoming very rear.

    “I think Boko Haram shot themselves in the foot when they gave their ideology a religious connotation by killing children in their schools, people in the mosque and churches and shouting Allahu Akbar.

    “This is a major contradiction as no religion advocates hurting the innocent. You can’t kill people and say Allahu Akbar. You either do not know what you are saying or you don’t believe it,” President Buhari said.

    Noting that Nigeria is capable of surmounting its security challenges, he appealed to the international community to focus more attention on addressing piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and unemployment in Nigeria.

    “In the southern part of the country, stolen Nigerian crude is being illegally transported through the Gulf of Guinea and installations offshore are being subverted. We also have the problem of unemployment in Nigeria.

    “With a population of 180 million people of which 65 per cent are under the age of 35, young Nigerians are looking for any kind of job to survive.

    “We are addressing the situation (unemployment) by turning to agriculture and solid minerals because we are lucky to be blessed with arable land, water and resources,” the President noted.