TheNewsGuru

Tag: Osinbajo

  • VP Yemi Osinbajo presides over FEC meeting after presidential election

    VP Yemi Osinbajo presides over FEC meeting after presidential election

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is currently presiding over the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House, Abuja.

    This week’s FEC meeting is the first after the Presidential elections which saw the emergence of the All Progressives Congress Bola Tinubu as President-elect.

    Present are the Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan; National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; the President’s Chief of Staff Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

    Ministers who are attending include the Ministers of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouk; Finance, Zainab Ahmed; Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo; Agriculture, Mohammad Abubakar; Aviation, Hadi Sirika; Niger Delta, Umana Umana; Power, Abubakar Aliyu; Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare; Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo and Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi.

    Also attending are Ministers of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba; Industry, Trade and Investment, Mariam Katagum; Science and Technology, Henry Ikoh; Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada; Petroleum, Timipre Sylva.

  • 2023 polls: Osinbajo support groups endorse Atiku for president

    2023 polls: Osinbajo support groups endorse Atiku for president

    The Osinbajo Support Groups, a bipartisan organisation has endorsed the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

    The groups stated this in statement signed by Mr. Sunnie Chukumele, Chairman, and Mr. John Elemi, Secretary on behalf of the groups on Thursday in Abuja.

    The groups said they took the decision having considered Atiku`s track record as an astute politician and experienced public servant.

    The groups said Abubakar had shown over time that he does not have a vaulting ambition, as he had made sacrifices for the political stability of the country.

    “In our analysis before arriving at a choice of candidate to support outside the APC candidate, we looked at critical variables, comparing the present and future of our dear country.

    “He is the most qualified of all the candidates based on cognate experience at the presidency of Nigeria, haven served as Vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for years.

    “Abubakar has built and maintained social bridge and networks of lasting friendships across every constituency in Nigeria. He has eternal relationship with all regions of Nigeria’’, the group said.

    The group said it was convinced that Abubakar has the political experience and network to lead the country.

    “At this material time in our national history, the Southwest and South- South and the Northwest have taken shots at the presidency, leaving out the Southeast, North Central and Northeast.

    “The Constitution of Nigeria has always guaranteed equity and fairness as an enabler for a just society.

    “Be it known to everyone, that the leaders of these support groups and stakeholders have undertaken this migration on their own as consenting adults without the prompting and mandate of  Osinbajo,“ the groups said.b

  • Keyamo reveals who directed Osinbajo to stay off Tinubu’s presidential campaigns

    Keyamo reveals who directed Osinbajo to stay off Tinubu’s presidential campaigns

    The spokesman of the Tinubu/Shettima campaign, Festus Keyamo has revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari directed VP Yemi Osinabjo to stay off the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential campaigns.

    APC flagbearer Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday drew the curtain on his campaign rally in Lagos State, with Osinbajo not attending any of them.

    According to reports, Osinbajo had endured a frosty relationship with Tinubu during the APC presidential primaries in 2022 after contesting against his political godfather.

    Many said Osinbajo should have backed Tinubu during the party primaries having served as the Attorney General of Lagos State while Tinubu was governor.

    Speaking on Osinbajo’s absence in all of Tinubu’s presidential campaigns across the nation, Keyamo said the Vice President’s absence was due to Buhari’s directive.

    Speaking with DAILY POST, Keyamo recalled issuing a statement where Buhari directed Osinbajo and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha, to stay off APC presidential campaigns.

    According to Keyamo: “There was an official statement where the president directed Osinbajo and Boss Mustapha to stay off the campaign and work while he campaigned for APC.

    “We issued a statement to this effect last year.”

  • Cashless system helps in tracking election financing – Osinbajo

    Cashless system helps in tracking election financing – Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says a cashless policy, when effectively operated in Nigeria, can help stem the surge of illicit election financing by making it possible to track funds.

    Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said the vice president received a delegation of the EU Election Observation Mission led by Mr Barry Andrews.

    The EU Chief Observer is also a member of the European Parliament.

    “I think that what we should be looking at is to provide more infrastructures.

    “ The cashless thing has been really advantageous and helps with tracking.

    “That sort of infrastructure is useful for more financial inclusion and the more financial inclusion you have, the easier it is to track.

    “So much money can be spent without it being tracked under the current election financing practices in the country.’’

    Osinbajo acknowledged the serious difficulty in controlling election financing because of cash transactions.

    According to him, there are still infrastructure issues required to be in place to ensure an efficient cashless system in the country.

    “With cash transactions, it is still difficult to seriously control election financing.’’

    On electoral offences, the vice president said the Electoral Offences Commission Bill was at the National Assembly.

    He said he hoped that it would begin a new regime of dealing with electoral offences which would be helpful.

    “By and large, one shouldn’t expect INEC to be the investigator of electoral offences.

    “I think that law enforcement agencies should be responsible for arresting and prosecuting offenders, state by state.

    “Electoral offences are always seen through a political prism; people will always feel that they are being prosecuted because they belong to a certain party.

    “What is more important is that we have to find a system where the police could have a special unit for offences during the course of elections.

    “The Federal High Courts could also have a special jurisdiction to deal with offences and not extend beyond the Federal High Courts.”

    On the role of the judicial system, Osinbajo said that more attention should be paid to the monitoring of tribunals and their outcomes, calling for more scrutiny from the National Judicial Council.

    He disclosed that discussions had been had in the past concerning malfeasance on the part of some judges and those found guilty should be brought to the fore.

    “There should be sanctions and that way, we would be able to clean up and correct some of the problems,’’ he said.

    In his remarks, Andrews said that the mission would be monitoring the elections coming up next month and hope for a peaceful and fair electoral process.

    According to him, it is the 7th time the INEC is inviting the EU Mission to monitor the elections, adding that the team had been in the country since Jan 11 and will be around until the end of March, 2023.

    Other members of the delegation include Ms Samuela Isopi, Ambassador, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS and Mr Thomas Boserup, Deputy Chief Observer, EU Election Observation Mission.

  • FEC okays NNPC Ltd to invest N1.9trn in 44 federal roads

    FEC okays NNPC Ltd to invest N1.9trn in 44 federal roads

    The Federal Executive Council(FEC) has approved the recommendation for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC LTD.) to invest 1.9 trillion in the reconstruction of 44 federal roads under the tax credit policy.

    The council gave the approval at its meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, briefed State House correspondents on behalf of the Minister of Works and Housing.

    “The Federal Executive Council approved the recommendation to invest in the reconstruction of selected federal roads under the Federal Government Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Policy phase 2 by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited and its subsidiaries.

    “So, the council approved the proposal by the Ministry of Works and Housing for the reconstruction of 44 proposed federal roads with a total length of 4,554 kilometers in the total sum of N1.9 trillion.’’

    Akande said the council also approved the concession of nine federal roads.

    He said that roads were spread across the country.

    “In another memo, the Minister for Works and Housing also got approval of the council for concessionaires for nine road corridors under the pilot phase of the value-added section of the Highways Development and Management Initiative following the issuance of the requisite full business case compliance certificate by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission for a period of 25 years for each road corridor as follows.

    “The roads that will be under this first phase are the Benin-Asaba corridor, Abuja-Lokoja-Onitsha-Owerri-Aba, Shagamu-Benin, Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Makurdi, Kano-Maiduguri, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta and Lagos-Badagry-Seme.’’

    More so, Akande said that the Minister for Works and Housing got the council’s approval for the augmentation of the contract for the rehabilitation of the Oshogbo-Ilesha road phase 1 in Osun State in the sum of N1.2 billion.

    “The approval thereby revises the subsisting contract sum from N3 billion to N4 billion representing an increase of 33 per cent of the original sum,’’ he said.

  • Aide clarifies VP Osinabjo visit to Tinubu

    Aide clarifies VP Osinabjo visit to Tinubu

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s Spokesman, Laolu Akande, has clarified the purpose of the meeting between his principal and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Bola Tinubu.

    Akande said this visit was to exchange pleasantries in the spirit of the season.

    He made this clarification in a tweet he posted on his verified handle.

    Recall that Osinbajo paid a visit to Tinubu, on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Reacting to inquiries and other political insinuations being linked to the meeting, Akande said “The Vice President stopped by for a friendly visit at the Abuja residence of Tinubu.

    “At the meeting, the vice president and Asiwaju exchanged pleasantries in the spirit of the season.

    “And in response to media inquiries whether this was a political meeting, it was not,” he, said

  • APC crisis: Osinbajo’s wife, Dolapo’s name visibly missing from Campaign council

    APC crisis: Osinbajo’s wife, Dolapo’s name visibly missing from Campaign council

     

    All may not be too well with the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC as the name of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s wife, Dolapo is visibly missing from the list of the party’s Campaign council.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) recalls Osinbajo’s wife missing as Aisha Buhari leads APC women campaign Aisha, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, has been appointed as the grand patron of the Women Campaign Team of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    However, Dolapo, the wife of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, was not included in the campaign list released on Saturday by Rinsola Abiola, daughter of late Chief MKO Abiola, who is also named in the media and administrative committees of the campaign team.

    Speaking on the development, the APC, in a statement, said President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the exclusion of the Vice President and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, to allow them to focus on governance.

    Meanwhile, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, was appointed as chairperson, while Hajiya Nana Shettima, wife of the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, was appointed as co-chairperson of the APC Women Campaign Team.

    A former member of the House of Representatives from Borno State, Asabe Villita, was appointed the National Coordinator of the team with Lauretta Onochie, an aide to President Buhari, appointed as her deputy.

    Olufolake AbdulRazaq, wife of the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, was appointed to coordinate efforts in the North-Central, while the wife of the Lagos Governor, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, will superintend over the South-West region of the 2023.

    The wife of Imo State Governor, Chioma Ikeaka-Uzodimma, was appointed to coordinate the South-East, while the wife of Cross River State Governor, Linda Ayade, will coordinate the women’s campaign in the South-South.

    The statement added that wives of governors in APC-controlled states will serve as state coordinators , while prominent APC women will coordinate the women’s campaign in non-APC-controlled states.

    Florence, widow of the former governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, and the APC Deputy National Women Leader, Zainab Ibrahim, among others, were chosen to coordinate activities in states not controlled by the APC, while all ministers’ wives, all female senators, all female ministers and all APC deputy governors’ wives are members of the campaign team.

    #

  • 2023: Buhari advised us to exclude Osinbajo’s name from APC Campaign council -Keyamo

    2023: Buhari advised us to exclude Osinbajo’s name from APC Campaign council -Keyamo

     

    …to enable him focus on governance

    The ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) Campaign Council on Saturday made clarification on why Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s name was dropped.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) recalls on Friday the Campaign Council released the comprehensive list of their Presidential Campaign team, and in the list the name of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo was omitted as it could not be found.

    But in a statement signed by the spokesperson of the organization, Festus Keyamo made it known that President Buhari requested that Osinbajo’s name be excluded in other to focus on governance.

    However, a verifiable source who happens to be an Ondo State Lawmaker, Tomide Akinribido, who is a honorable member, Ondo State House Of Assembly and also a 2023 Candidate, Ondo West Constituency 1, released a statement via his twitter handle where he noted that Prof Yemi Osinbajo was approached to play a prominent role in the APC campaign team, especially among the Christian Community, he decided and stated that he cannot do such in good conscience.

    Quoting the Ondo State Lawmaker, he said, “VP Osinbajo was approached to play a prominent role in the APC Campaign team, especially among the Christian Community, he declined and stated that he cannot do such in good conscience”.

    See Keyamo statement below:

  • Group bombs Buhari, Osinbajo for leaving Nigeria same time

    Group bombs Buhari, Osinbajo for leaving Nigeria same time

     

    …says Nigeria has been under auto-pilot since 2015

    President Muhammadu Buhari and his vice, Yemi Osinbajo have been carpeted for abandoning statecraft same time while Nigeria wallows in poverty and high inflation.

    Buhari departs Abuja for New York, United States, for ten days to attend the annual meeting of global leaders, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA77) at the same time the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is attending Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in the United Kingdom, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has described their combined absence as disconcerting.

    According to HURIWA, this shows a nation on autopilot since 2015.

    TheNewsGuru com, (TNG) reports HURIWA also stated that the decision of the President and the Vice President to both depart the shores of the country to fritter away resources at a time of hyperinflation and a worrying state of insecurity shows that the current administration does not care about the well-being and welfare of the populace but the duo are simply after satisfying their insatiable tastes for globetrotting and epicurean tendencies.

    A statement from the presidency disclosed that Buhari, among many other activities, will take his turn to deliver an address on the second day of the General Debates on Wednesday, September 21 while Osinbajo joins other world leaders at the funeral service scheduled to hold at Westminster Abbey. Ahead of the service.

    HURIWA carpeted President Buhari for jetting out of the shores of the nation at about the same time as his deputy to attend to ceremonial events that won’t positively or constructively contribute any solution to the economic and security challenges facing Nigeria.

    The group pointed out that the Nigerian constitution did not envisage a situation such as this when both leaders will abdicate their duties for some days to attend to ceremonial events.

    The rights group emphasized that the Constitution expected that either the President or his Vice must be on ground in Nigeria.

    HURIWA stated that if the President loved his nation so much more than pursuing his passion for globetrotting, he could have asked the Vice President to stay back in Nigeria whilst the President attends the funeral ceremonial event for the departed Queen of England and then fly to the United States of America to attend the General Assembly of the United Nations.

    HURIWA said: “We are beginning to believe that President Muhammadu Buhari is scared of joining other invitees to the Queen’s funeral in a bus ride to the venue except the President of the USA who is allowed to ride in his presidential suv cars but all other World leaders are restricted to the use of buses.

    “There is no reason both the President and his Vice will disappear from Nigeria at the same time if not that from the word go, they haven’t been in the right frame of minds to provide quality leadership but have all these while governed Nigeria in an autopilot way which is why armed non state actors are causing unprecedented commotion and bloody insecurity all across the Country and inflation has ballooned out of control at over 20 percent”.

  • Nigeria, bastion of African democracy – Kamala Harris says

    Nigeria, bastion of African democracy – Kamala Harris says

    The Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris, has said that Nigeria remains a symbol of democracy in Africa.

    She stated this when she played host to her Nigerian counterpart, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who led a delegation to the White House to discuss Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan on Friday.

    In a statement released by her office on Saturday, Harris was quoted as saying, “Nigeria has also been an important partner in upholding the international rules-based order, whether it is tackling the democratic backsliding that we’ve been seeing in West Africa or standing up for Ukraine at the United Nations.

    Also Read

    Why I became ‘Obidient’ – retired American mental health counsellor

    “The United States remains committed to supporting free and fair elections in Nigeria next February — elections which we have confidence will be peaceful and reflect the will of the prople.

    “And, of course, we do feel very strongly, as I know you do, that Nigeria is and must remain a bastion of democracy for West Africa.

    Kamala Harris (R) with Prof Osinbajo at the White House

    “More broadly, Africa’s leadership is key to confronting all of the global challenges we face. And to that end, Nigeria is key.”