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Tag: Osinbajo

  • N’Delta militants defy Osinbajo’s warning, issue quit notice to northerners

    N’Delta militants defy Osinbajo’s warning, issue quit notice to northerners

    Defying Yemi Osinbajo’s warning against hate speeches and threats from any part of the country or any group, a coalition of Niger Delta militants has insisted on its quit notice to northerners living in the region.

    The militant groups, in a statement on Thursday, also lamented that none of the leaders of the northern groups that issued the quit notice to the people of the South-East living in the North had been arrested.

    Signatories of the statement issued in Port Harcourt, who gathered under the aegis of the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators, are John Duku (Niger Delta Watchdogs), Ekpo Ekpo (Niger Delta Volunteers), Osarolor Nedam (Niger Delta Warriors), Okon Etete (Niger Delta Peoples Fighters), and Asukwo Henshaw (Bakassi Freedom Fighters).

    Others are Ibinabo Horsfall (Niger Delta Movement for Justice), Duke Emmanson (Niger Delta Fighters Network), Inibeghe Adams (Niger Delta Freedom Mandate), and Ibinabo Tariah (Niger Delta Development Network).

    The coalition said, “As a follow-up on our previous press release, a joint meeting between the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators and youth leaders across the Niger Delta region held today (Thursday) in Port Harcourt to review the state of the Nigerian nation and the position of Niger Delta in the Nigerian state. After hours of deliberation; we hereby resolve as follows:

    “All northerners living in the Niger Delta have been given three-month notice to quit the Niger Delta before October 1, 2017. We still stand by our previous decisions and we demand the immediate return of the oil blocs owned by northerners to Niger Delta people.

    “All oil and gas companies operating in oil bloc(s)/well(s) illegally owned by northerners should also vacate such oil blocs/wells/platforms before October 1, 2017.

    “We demand an immediate relocation of the NNPC headquarters to the Niger Delta and the replacement of the Group Managing Director of the NNPC with an indigene of the Niger Delta region. All offices/boards/agencies that have anything to do with oil and gas should be relocated immediately to the Niger Delta region and all non-Niger Delta directors/staff replaced with Niger Delta indigenes.”

  • Buhari hale and healthy, speaks with Osinbajo daily – Presidency

    Buhari hale and healthy, speaks with Osinbajo daily – Presidency

    The Presidency has once again refuted rumours of President Muhammadu Buhari’s deteriorating health condition, insisting the President is doing fine and in daily contact with the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

    This was revealed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on a monitored programme on Channels Television on Thursday.

    According to Mohammed, Buhari has “so much trust” for Osinbajo and also enjoys his maximum loyalty and confidence.

    Asked if President Buhari is in support of the meetings the Acting President is having with leaders of the North and South East amid growing tension in both regions, the minister said there is no concern about that.

    He said, “The Acting President is daily in touch with Mr President so I am very confident that Mr President is in the full know of what the Acting President is doing and there is so much trust between the acting president and the president I don’t think there should be an area of concern at all.”

    On the calls for the restructuring of Nigeria, Mohammed said that was not a priority for the government.

    He said, “I have said at several fora that the priority of government right now is to keep this government one and safe.

    “The priority is to revamp the economy and the priority of this government right now is to ensure that we fight corruption and that we put this country on a very stable footing.

    “The issue of restructuring might come later but right now it is not on our front burner.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that an online news site, SaharaReporters recently claimed that the President’s wife, Aisha who just returned from London wasn’t allowed to see the president due to his deteriorating health condition: “The information came from presidency sources on Tuesday, affirming that the president has been kept away from several of his aides and even those bodyguards who supposedly traveled with him”.

  • Osinbajo, Emir of Kano meet behind closed doors in Abuja

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday met behind closed doors with the Emir of Kano, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting which took place at the Vice-President’s mini conference room, lasted for about two hours.

    When accosted by State House correspondents, the Emir declined to comment on the outcome of the meeting.

    However, NAN reliably gathered that the Emir was on a “Thank You’’ visit to the acting president, who recently joined other well meaning Nigerians to stop the Kano State House of Assembly from its investigation of alleged misappropriation of funds and other infractions levelled against the Emir.

    It would be recalled that the House resolved to drop the probe following a plea through a letter by Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state.

    The letter was read by the speaker, Kabiru Rirum, on the floor of the House.

    In his letter, Ganduje said he was calling for the investigation to be dropped as a result of interventions by highly-placed personalities in the matter.

    According to the letter, the personalities include the acting president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; party leaders; former military President Ibrahim Babangida; former head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar; Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar; and businessmen and indigenes of the state, Aliko Dangote and Aminu Dantata.

    NAN gathered that the Emir’s visit to the Presidential Villa might be part of the ongoing consultations by the acting president with stakeholders which began with foremost Leaders of thought from the Northern and South East States of the federation.

    The consultation was sequel to the calls for secession by youth from different ethnic groups in the country resulting in some asking others to vacate their region before Oct. 1.(NAN)

  • We have powers to alter 2017 budget – Dogara fires back at Osinbajo

    …Says legislature won’t act as rubber stamp to executive

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, on Thursday said that the National Assembly has powers to alter national budget according to the desire of the citizens.

    He stated this during plenary after Rep. Abubakar Lawal (APC- Adamawa) drew the attention of the lower chamber to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo’s remarks.

    Osinbajo’s was reported in the media to have said that the power of appropriation was vested with the executive.

    According to Dogara, it is left to the judiciary to interpret which arm of the government has the powers to alter the budget according to the Constitution.

    “This issue is left to the judiciary to interpret to us as to what arm of government has power to do what. For me, this is not an issue we should dwell so much on.

    “I don’t want to believe that the Acting President made that statement because when it comes to the budget, the power of the purse rests with the parliament.

    “The executive is just one man; every other person in the executive arm is answerable to the president alone. The relationship is that of master and servant, but for the parliament, it is that of equals.

    “Even, when the president hasn’t said anything, everyone is trying to read what the body language is; the basis of democracy is collaboration.

    “In the case of the budget, if the parliament disagrees with the executive, the worst that would happen is that they will refuse to sign the budget.

    “In that case, we can override the veto of the President and pass it into law.

    “The worse the Executive can say is that they will not implement. The question then will be, is that the law of the land? Anyone with honour, who is in the seat, should know the right thing to be done.

    “In case of the executive, everyone knows the consequence and I don’t want to mention it by its name.

    “This house is not going to be a rubber stamp to the executive arm.

    “In the United States where we borrowed our Constitution from, once the president walks into the chamber with the budget proposal, it becomes dead on arrival.

    “It is therefore what the parliament decides that brings it back to life.

    “The priority of the people may not be that of the executive. This kind of talk is not helpful, so we shouldn’t even take a debate on the issue,” Dogara said.

    Earlier, mover of the motion, Lawal, stated that the acting president’s speech had undermined the powers of the national assembly.

    “I read in the media where the acting president was quoted as saying that the national assembly does not have the powers to alter the country’s budget.

    “This will undermine the powers that sections 4, 5 and 9 of the Constitution have given the National Assembly, the power to make laws.

    “Order 12(19) spells out the procedure, so for someone to come out and say that we have no power, it’s a breach of our privilege,’’ he said.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Osibanjo had while signing the 2017 Appropriation Bill on Monday stated that the alteration of the budget by the national assembly had distorted the plans of the executive in implementing the 2017 budget.

     

     

     

     

  • Ethnic tension: Nigeria can’t achieve peace with selective stakeholders, June 12 democratic Movement tells Osinbajo

    …Says Federal Government should;

    Recognize MKO Abiola as a national icon

    Recognize and declare June 12 as National Democracy Day

    Compensate his (Abiola’s) family

    Name Abuja National Stadium and Eagles Square after him

    The June 12 Democratic Movement, an NGO set up to immortalize the life and times of the late philanthropist and acclaimed winner of the June 12 Presidential elections in 1993, Chief MKO Abiola has advised the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to set up a more inclusive peace and reconciliatory committee to bring about a permanent solution to the current secession agitation and crisis rocking the country.

    The Movement stated this in a communiqué issued at the commemoration of the 24th edition of June 12 Democracy Movement held on June 12 2017 at the residence and tomb side of the late businessman cum politician.

    The forum reiterated its commitment to a unified and indivisible Nigeria.

    The movement recommended thus:

    1. The Presidency invoking its powers in section 5 of the current defacto Constitution of Nigeria, should as a matter of urgency, formally, properly establish, an independent intervention Panel to be known as Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Panel, to reconcile Nigerians and douse the growing ethnic acrimony and tension in the country. This initiative should however go beyond the present selective approach of the Acting President to engage only stakeholders from the North and South East on the current ethnic logjam in the country.
    2. The proposed interventionist Panel should however be designed to recognise the popular desire of the diverse peoples in Nigeria for a new peoples’ democratic constitution to drive a fair and just democratic political system and culture in Nigeria.
    3. The proposed Panel, working with Civil Society Groups such as PRONACO, Project Nigeria Movement, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC Nigeria Democracy Platform, Change Agents of Nigeria, KIND including Indigenous and Citizens platforms and organized self determination movements should take profound cognizance of the longstanding popular advocacy and agitations of the various sections of the country towards the Restructuring of the Nigerian State into viable geopolitical regions to contain the lingering acrimony and deep seated animosity among the diverse constituents and citizens of Nigeria.
    4. The proposed Truth, Justice and reconciliation panel should be empowered to invoke the required capacity to mobilise and orientate the generality of Nigerian Citizens to appreciate and imbibe the need for tolerance of one another in a sustainable, just and equitable Union
    5. History and Civic Studies, for the purpose of appropriate trans generational political enlightenment for the citizens of Nigeria should be made compulsory in our primary and Secondary School Curricula.
    6. The Federal Government must as a matter of necessity make Youth and Women Empowerment an irrevocable priority henceforth in the political governance of Nigeria.
    7. The assembly further demanded that the FGN should immortalise Bashorun MKO Abiola as a National icon of Democracy and family be compensated, while the National Stadium in Abuja should be named after him in accordance with the resolution of the 5th National Assembly. Same with Eagle square to be known as MKO Abiola Democracy Centre.
    8. The forum also recommended to the FGN to henceforth recognise and declare June 12 as National Democracy Day in Nigeria.

    10.The June 12 Democracy Movement in conjunction with Organized Civil Society and the Nigerian Government should, as a matter of honour and international advocacy for popular democracy world over, establish a National Institute for Democracy to be named as MKO Abiola Institute for Democratic Studies

     

     

     

  • Anti-Igbo threat: Osinbajo vows to deal with those threatening Nigeria’s unity

    Anti-Igbo threat: Osinbajo vows to deal with those threatening Nigeria’s unity

    The acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on yesterday, read the Riot Act to all those beating the drums of war across the country, saying the full force of the law would be applied where necessary.

    Osinbajo gave the warning while addressing leaders of thought from the northern part of the country at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, was called in the wake of the recent notice to quit some youths from the northern part of the country handed down to people from the South-East to leave their region.

    Osinbajo, in his opening remarks before journalists were asked to leave the venue, said the Federal Government was determined to ensure unity in the country.

    He said hate speeches and other divisive behaviours would be met with the full force of the law.

    He said government would take very seriously any attempts to cause violence or disrupt the peace of the country.

    The acting President said, “As a government, we are determined to ensure the unity of the country along the lines of our constitution and I want to say that hate and divisive speech or divisive behaviour where it is illegal will be met with the full force of the law.

    “I want to ensure that there is no doubt at all that it is the resolve of the government that no one will be allowed to get away with making speeches that can cause sedition or that can cause violence.

    “This is especially so because when we make this kind of pronouncement and do things that can cause violence or destruction of lives and property, we are no longer in control. Those who make those speeches are no longer in control.

    “So I want to emphasise that government will take very seriously any attempts to cause violence or disrupt the peace of this country. And that is very important because you cannot control violence once it begins.”

    Osinbajo likened violence or hate speech to a stone thrown in the marketplace which would hit targets that would be deadly.

    He said Nigerians needed to be fully conscious so that they would not create a crisis that was not intended.

    Osinbajo admitted that as part of living together, misunderstandings and frustrations would always arise and people would always want to get the best part of the deal.

    Those at the meeting included the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin; Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum and former Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Coomassie; spokesman for the Northern Elders Forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi; and a former governor of Sokoto State, Aliyu Wamakko.

    Others are a former deputy governor of Plateau State, Pauline Tallen; the Publisher of Leadership newspapers, Sam Ndah-Isaiah; Paul Unongo, Chairman, Liberty Radio and Television, Tijani Ramalan; and the Editor-in-Chief, Daily Trust, Dan Ali, among others.

    Osinbajo is expected to meet with leaders from the South-East separately before he would eventually meet with both groups together.

    His Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, confirmed this in a series of tweets on his Twitter handle on Tuesday.

    “Acting President Osinbajo will start a series of consultations with the Leaders of Thought from the northern and eastern regions of the country this afternoon (Tuesday).

    “Osinbajo will first meet each group separately on different days this week and then meet them together afterwards,” Akande wrote.

    He also confirmed that the acting President met with security chiefs over the weekend on the need to ensure that Nigerians were protected in every part of the country.

    “The acting President met over the weekend with security chiefs and gave firm instructions on the need to protect lives and property of all Nigerians always, everywhere,” he added.

  • ‘Aisha Buhari did not see her husband when she visited him in UK’

    ‘Aisha Buhari did not see her husband when she visited him in UK’

    President Muhammadu Buhari was not allowed to see the first lady during her recent visit to the UK.

    “The information came from presidency sources on Tuesday, affirming that the president has been kept away from several of his aides and even those bodyguards who supposedly traveled with him.” Online news site, SaharaReporters claimed.

    The President’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari is the ‘manipulator-in-chief’, according to the sources.

    The report also says that Buhari has not spoken to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo for several weeks following his departure from Abuja for a second round of medical treatment.

    Also, that the public declaration by former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, that he met Buhari in London is a complete fabrication as Buhari did not at any time receive Kalu.

    It was also confirmed that Buhari is in a non-speaking mode, and is only reached by two aides, Tunde Saburi and Sarki Abba, who haven’t mentioned any improvement.

    Aisha Buhari returned from her UK trip, we would recall, sending messages to her family members in Adamawa claiming her husband was recovering fast but asked for continuous prayers.

    Kyari is said to be the brain behind all the underground moves. It was he, they claimed, who a few days ago passed a fake document to Garba Shehu, one of Buhari’s spokespersons, claiming that Buhari had given Osinbajo the go-ahead to sign the 2017 budget.

    According to their sources, Osinbajo had already decided on the date he would sign the budget, a decision that was delayed only by a last-minute discussion to include some projects such as the Lagos-Apapa Port road repairs. They said they were not surprised at Shehu’s fake statement claiming Buhari sent a letter granting the Acting President the right to sign the budget.

  • Northern Quit Notice: Osinbajo meets leaders, vows to deal with those behind threats

    Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has said that the Nigerian government is ready to deal with persons who promote hate speech and divisive comments.

    Osinbajo stated this Tuesday while meeting with a cross section of leaders from northern Nigeria at the Aso Rock Villa Abuja.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports the meeting came after some prominent Northern youth associations on Tuesday after a joint meeting tagged ‘Kaduna Declaration’ issued a serious threat to Igbos residing in the region to vacate on or before October 1 (Nigeria’s Independence Day) 2017 or face physical attacks.

    Osinbajo said the government was determined to ensure the unity of Nigeria “along the lines of our constitution”.

    “And I want to say that hate and divisive speech or divisive behavior where it is illegal will be met with the full force of the law,” he said.

    The acting president added: “I want to ensure that there is no doubt at all that it is the resolve of the government that none will be allowed to get away with making speeches that can cause sedition or that can cause violence especially because when we make these kinds of pronouncement and do things that can cause violence or destruction of lives and property we are no longer in control.

    “Those who make those speeches are no longer in control.

    “So I want to emphasise that government will take very seriously any attempts to cause violence or disrupt the peace of this country and that is very important because you cannot control violence once it begins,” he said.

    He called on the northern leaders to take his message down to the people.

    He said Nigerians will continue to live together, adding, “as part of living together I know that misunderstandings and frustrations will always arise and people will always want to get the best part of the deal but we must be careful to recognize that we can only begin to talk about any part of anything if we are together in peace.

    “These days, wars do not end and I am sure that those who have seen or experienced war in any shape or form will not wish it on their worst enemies.”

    “This is not a time to retreat behind ethnic lines, moments like this are not for isolating ourselves, I want to urge all of us here and the entire Nigerian populace to come together and work together,” Osinbajo said.

    The acting president will also meet with leaders from the south east on Wednesday.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that those at the meeting include Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representative, Yakubu Dogara, Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olanishakin, chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum and former Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Coomasie, Ango Abdullahi, former governor of Sokoto State and current Senator, Aliyu Wamako, former deputy governor of Plateau State, Pauline Tallen, Publisher of Leadership Newspapers, Sam Ndah-Isaiah, Paul Unongo, as well as the Chairman Liberty Radio/Television, Tijjani Ramalan and the Editor in Chief of Daily Trust newspapers, Mannir Dan Ali among others.

  • Osinbajo approves release of funds for Super Eagles despite disappointing outing against S’Africa

    Nigeria’s Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has approved the release of funds to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), following a meeting with top officials from the Glass House last week.

    The money is to be used to offset bills, as the Super Eagles prepare to take on Cameroon in a crucial 2018 World Cup qualifying double-header in August.

    “The NFF have the cash for the World Cup qualifiers against Cameroon thanks to the generosity of the federal government.

    “The NFF also got the cash for the AFCON qualifier against South Africa and had the Eagles won, they would have been paid their win bonus immediately after the game,” a top official said.

    Nigeria will welcome the Indomitable Lions on August 27 in Uyo, with the reverse game in Limbe four days later.

    The Eagles are top of their qualifying group for the 2018 World Cup with six points from two matches. Cameroon are second on two points, while Zambia and Algeria are on a point each.

  • 10 Things you need to know about newly signed 2017 budget

    Barely a few hours after receiving the nod from President Muhammadu Buhari, Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, signed the 2017Appropriation Bill into law.

    Here are 10 things everyone should know about the 2017 Budget of recovery and growth as compiled by The Presidency:

    1. The 2017 Budget Preparation process was a much more efficient process than the 2016 process. There was also less acrimony regarding it, between the Executive and Legislature.

    2. The 2017 Budget was collated using — for the first time ever — a web-based application developed by the Budget Office of the Federation (BOF). Instead of the traditional method of hard copy submissions of budget proposals, Ministries, Departments and Agencies were asked to upload their proposals to the new budget preparation portal, resulting in a more efficient and transparent preparation process.

    3. More than 4,000 staff of the MDAs were specially trained to use the new application, across multiple locations nationwide. To support the deployment of the budget portal, the Budget Office set up a Helpdesk, accessible by telephone and email, for authorised users.

    4. President Buhari presented the 2017 Budget Speech to a Joint Session of the National Assembly on December 14, 2016.

    5. The National Assembly passed the Budget on May 11, 2017, five months after it was submitted by President Buhari.

    6. The next step, which should have been the signing of the Budget by the Executive, was delayed because of disagreements regarding some alterations the National Assembly made to the submitted document — for example the National Assembly reduced proposed budgets for a number of critical infrastructure projects (the standard gauge railway projects, the Mambilla Power Project, the Second Niger Bridge, the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway etc), and applied the difference to fund some new projects introduced by the legislators.

    7. What followed were four weeks of painstaking engagement between Executive and Legislature, to resolve the differences.

    8. The conclusion of the matter is that the funding deductions on those critical projects will all be restored during the course of the budget year. The leadership of the National Assembly has assured the Executive that this will be done.

    9. The Executive and the National Assembly have reached an agreement to return the Federal Government to a January–December budget calendar, starting from the 2018 budget. To ensure this happens the Executive has committed to submitting the 2018 budget to the National Assembly by October 2017, and on its part the Assembly has committed to passing the budget into law before the end of 2017.

    10. Budget Highlights:

    a. Total expenditure of N7.44 trillion, comprising N5.08 trillion in revenues and a projected deficit of N2.36 trillion which will largely be financed by borrowing.

    b. N2 trillion for capital expenditure (principally infrastructure).

    c. More than N500 billion for investments in roads, and power and housing projects

    d. N46 billion for Special Economic Zone Projects to be set up in each geopolitical zone.