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Tag: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

  • Abbas urges Tinubu to demand greater performance, accountability from service chiefs

    Abbas urges Tinubu to demand greater performance, accountability from service chiefs

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas has urged President Bola Tinubu to demand greater performance and accountability from Service Chiefs to stem insecurity in the country.
    Abbas made the call in his opening speech at plenary on Tuesday as the house resumed from Christmas and New Year holidays.

    He said that for too long, the nation had been caught in the vicious grip of insecurity, a malaise that spreads its tentacles far and wide.

    According to him, in spite of the numerous security measures, this menace continues to thrive, mocking efforts to build a cohesive, peaceful and prosperous nation.

    The speaker said that the conventional approaches to security espoused for so long are no longer sufficient.

    Abbas said that the time had come to think out of the box and adopt new and contemporary strategies that better respond to the complexities of our current challenges.

    “In these trying times, President Bola Tinubu has exhibited exemplary leadership and a proactive approach.

    “His recent interventions and directives for more action by security agencies are timely and reflective of his deep-seated resolve to restore peace and order.

    “Indeed, the time has come for the President to demand greater performance and accountability from our service chiefs and all security and enforcement agencies.

    “I implore the President not to shy away from making the tough decisions; if necessary, we must not hesitate to enact changes within our security apparatus, for the cost of inaction is far too great to bear,” he said.

    Abbas commended the efforts of security agencies in the country describing them as patriotic and brave.

    He, however, said that the time had come for to review approaches and strategies, innovate and adapt new ones as the enemy evolves.

    “I challenge you to rise to this occasion, to demonstrate the indomitable spirit for which you are known, and to do more in safeguarding the lives and properties of our people,” he said.

    He mandated relevant security-based committees of the house to engage with the security chiefs on some of the most immediate measures and resources needed to improve security across the country.

    The speaker said that Nigeria continues to grapple with numerous hurdles that impede  growth trajectory.

    He said that inflation, unemployment, and infrastructural deficits are issues that touch the core of citizens’s daily lives.

    According to him, the continuous depreciation of the Naira has far-reaching consequences, given that Nigeria relies heavily on imports for many essential items, including food, fuel and machinery.

    “Yet, amidst these challenges, there are signs of resilience and potential. The President’s economic policies, aimed at revitalising key sectors, promoting sustainable growth, and fostering inclusive development, are steps in the right direction.

    “We in the legislative arm must align our efforts with the Executive to ensure that these initiatives are effectively implemented and yield tangible results for every Nigerian,” he said.

    Abbas commended the dedication and commitment of the legislators to deliberations on the 2024 Budget of ‘Renewed Hope’ and its quick passage.

    He urged the lawmakers to focus towards ensuring the judicious and meticulous implementation of the budget.

    Abbas said that the budget is intended to be catalytic in lifting the economy from its current state of stagnation.

    “Every committee is tasked with engaging the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to oversee the effective execution of the budgetary allocations and ensure that every Naira allocated in the budget is utilised efficiently and transparently.

    “Our goal is to provide our people with much-needed relief from the current harsh economic realities,” he said.

  • President Tinubu renews appointment of NITT boss

    President Tinubu renews appointment of NITT boss

    President Bola Tinubu has approved the reappointment of Dr. Bayero Farah as Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria for a second term  of four years.

    This is contained in a statement by the spokesperson of the institute, Mr. John Kolawale, and made available to newsmen  in Zaria on Friday.

    He said the appointment  was with effect from Jan.13.

    ” The reappointment notice was contained in a letter  signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Sen. George Akume.

    According to him, the reappointment is in accordance with the provisions   of the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology Act, 1986  Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.

    He said Farah possessed track record of sterling and exceptional performance which led to the massive and unprecedented transformation of NITT to its  unrivaled status  since  inception in 1986.

    Kolawale said the director-general joined the services of NITT in 1994 as a Senior Staff Development Officer, having earlier worked as a classroom teacher and later as a National Population Census Cartographic Officer.

    He rose through the ranks to the position of a Director in 2013 and  substantive DG/CEO on Jan.13, 2020.

  • Pres. Tinubu celebrates Bisi Akande at 85

    Pres. Tinubu celebrates Bisi Akande at 85

    President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, celebrated former Osun State governor and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, at 85.

    This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.

    It was titled “President Tinubu Celebrates His Longstanding Ally, Chief Bisi Akande, At 85.”

    Tinubu celebrated his long-time ally as both of them were governors in 1999-2003, with the President leading in Lagos.

    Both contested and won under the platform of the defunct Alliance for Democracy.

    The statement read, “With a heart full of joy and gratitude to God, President Bola Tinubu celebrates his long-time confidant, Chief Bisi Akande, as he marks his 85th birthday on January 16, 2024.

    “Chief Akande, CFR, was the governor of Osun State from 1999 to 2003 and the first interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress.”

    Tinubu extolled Akande’s defining principles of integrity, loyalty, truth, and justice, recalling his exemplary leadership odyssey and selfless service to Nigeria.

    “Baba was a principal actor in the founding of our great party, the All Progressives Congress. He has always been a progressive; always noble and disciplined in thoughts and actions, and given to rational and enlightened ideals.

    “He is a cherished friend and confidant, ever so generous with his wise counsel. I celebrate him,” Tinubu concluded.

    Former President Muhammadu Buhari described the former Osun State governor in 2021 during his 82nd birthday statement as “one of the biggest and strongest pillars of democracy in the country.”

    Earlier in December 2023, Akande warned against labelling members who disagree with the ideology or affairs of the APC as agents of the opposition.

  • Edu saga: Don’t spare anybody involved, Obi tells Tinubu

    Edu saga: Don’t spare anybody involved, Obi tells Tinubu

    The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party , Mr Peter Obi says President Bola Tinubu must ensure that those culpable in the alleged scandal involving the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu are brought to book.

    Obi said in a write-up in his X-handle platform on Thursday that the government should go beyond the suspension of the minister, which he described as  a welcomed development, and carry out a comprehensive investigation into the matter.

    According to him, the government must give the problem of public sector corruption the severe urgency it deserves.

    Obi expressed disappointment that a ministry created in good faith to attend to the plight of the suffering masses was being turned into a conduit pipe to steal from the less privileged as seen in the current and previous ministers of the ministry.

    “I like to add my voice with most Nigerians concerned about accountability in government and judicious use of public funds, to welcome the suspension of Edu, and subsequent directives for her investigation.

    “The investigation must be comprehensive so that all those culpable are brought to book,” Obi, a former two-term Anambra governor said.

    Cautioning against taking the issue lightly, Obi added that the suspension of the minister should not be a window-dressing action but should be a peg to get at all those who are deserving of blame, punished just like the minister.

    “By a sad coincidence, the alleged fraudulent diversion of N585 million of public money by Edu broke almost at the same moment that the minister who held the same portfolio in the last administration is being investigated for a whopping N37 billion misappropriation.

    “The ministry may have been created by the system as a conduit pipe to siphon public funds while using the less privileged as a face.

    “Equally worrisome and disgusting is the fact that the missing funds are meant for poverty alleviation in a time of severe suffering among the people.

    “Unfortunately, the ruling elites can shamelessly convert, divert, or misappropriate such huge sums meant for the less privileged and cannot  be trusted to address the severe poverty ravaging the people.

    “It is not only immoral but also insensitive for those entrusted with funds for public welfare to steal from the less privileged,” the Labour Party leader said.

    Obi called on the Tinubu administration to use these cases to initiate a thorough system-wide and systematic investigation of all reported cases of fraud and corruption among high government officials in the country.

    President Tinubu on Monday, suspended  Edu, following controversies about financial transactions she authorised in her ministry.

    The suspension according to a statement by presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale was  with immediate effect.

    The scandal included  the approval of payment of hundreds of millions of naira into private accounts of civil servants.

    Edu had come under criticism from Nigerians for ordering the transfer of N585.2 million into the private bank account of a civil servant, who is the accountant in charge of grants for Vulnerable Nigerians.

    The minister had issued a memo to the Accountant General of the Federation in December 2023, ordering the said amount to be paid into the civil servant’s private bank account.

  • Fish out Betta Edu’s accomplices, APC diaspora chieftain urges Tinubu

    Fish out Betta Edu’s accomplices, APC diaspora chieftain urges Tinubu

    Mr Bola Babarinde, a former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in South Africa, said President Bola Tinubu should fish out accomplices of suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu

    Babarinde, also the deputy director of the Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat Campaign Council, Diaspora Directorate, in a statement on Thursday in Lagos, commended Tinubu for suspending the minister.

    The president on Monday suspended Edu over alleged transfer of N585 million into a private account.

    “I want to commend the president for his actions so far on corruption; zero tolerance policy, which will help Nigeria. This will definitely help our image and encourage investment inflow.

    “The president should not relent on fishing out those bad eggs in his administration that are bent on tarnishing his image

    “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should deploy robust ICT system to channel payments directly to beneficiaries of his palliatives.

    “Such novel innovation should be explored without further delay, enough of excuses to steal fund meant for millions of downtrodden and vulnerable Nigerians by few corrupt officials.

    “This case must not be allowed to drag unnecessarily in anyway as it would determine how this administration would be portrayed in the fight against corruption,” Babarinde said.

    The diaspora chieftain noted that the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of the Tinubu-led government was derived from the aspiration of Nigerians for a better country.

    He recounted that this was actually to relive the dashed hopes of Nigerians since the Hope 93 campaign of Chief MKO Abiola’s bid for the presidency.

    Babarinde said that the agenda played a vital aspect in influencing the outcome of the 2023 presidential election in favour of APC and its candidate, Tinubu.

    “Most Nigerians had lost hope in successive government for failing them as corruption is our bane, we swim in this deadly virus and gradually consuming us into extinction as a sane society.

    “In fact, the amount of money people are stealing and publishing everyday are mind-blowing which sometimes look like fictions,” he said.

    The APC chieftain noted the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari won the 2015 election based on his antecedent as champion of anti-corruption.

    “It was the mantra of Renewed Hope that brought this very young administration to power and its now seems some individuals are bent on putting more efforts to derail it by circumventing the system to enrich themselves at all cost.

    “These impunities are definitely an albatross to the present administration.

    “With recent allegations and revelations of misconduct in the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA), it seems hope is gradually being eroded and lost in our country if decisive actions are not taken to reverse the trend,” he said.

    He equally lauded Tinubu for suspending the Director of NSIPA, Halima Shehu, to allow for proper investigation and especially for obvious reason of championing integrity in the ministry.

    Babarinde said: “The youths of this great country are being let down by these two individuals if finally found guilty.

    “Whoever is found guilty, no matter how highly placed and any party or interest that want to interfere with these case should be exposed.

    “This administration should not be dragged into the mud, we cannot afford these scandals to avoid Nigerians losing hope in the President.

    “When individuals involved are dealt with, there must be an urgent need to upgrade and be serious about fixing our system and lay premium on enforcement of laws and improvement on the existing ones with loopholes which make them easy to circumvent.”

  • NANS urges Tinubu to prioritise security

    NANS urges Tinubu to prioritise security

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Sunday urged President Bola Tinubu to give more priority to the security of lives and properties of the citizens.

    Its senate president, Mr Elvis Ekudina, made the call at a news conference in Abeokuta.

    Ekudina noted that it was important for the students’ body to lend its voice on the state of the nation.

    He  called on the president to find a lasting solution to current security challenges ranging from kidnapping, attacks by bandits and attacks on security men.

    “The recent attack in some villages in Plateau state where innocent citizens were killed remains worrisome,” he said.

    He added that there was need for security agencies in the country to strengthen their intelligence gathering to detect future attacks.

    “We call for comprehensive investigation of this attack and call on the Federal Government to make sure the perpetrators of the crime are brought to book and face the consequences of their inhumane actions.

    “We equally call on President Tinubu to charge the leadership of our nation’s security agencies to improve the intelligence gathering techniques to safe us of future attacks and counter attacks.

    “We call on the president to prioritise the security of all Nigerians and our properties, as our right to live is a fundamental one as enshrined in the constitution,” he said.

    Ekundina promised that Nigerian students would give maximum support to the government to achieve its set objectives.

  • Tinubu celebrates FIRS chairman Adedeji on 46th birthday

    Tinubu celebrates FIRS chairman Adedeji on 46th birthday

    President Bola Tinubu has celebrated the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Dr Zacch Adedeji, as he marked his birthday on Monday.

    A statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity said the President extolled the fine defining qualities of the young first-class graduate of accounting.

    Tinubu noted the steady rise of Adedeji through the ranks in public service by dint of hard work and loyalty, noting his service as the commissioner of finance in Oyo State at the age of 33 to becoming the Chief Executive Officer of the nation’s apex tax authority.

    “Zacch is an innovator who consistently turns his creative ideas into change-making actions. He is a disciple of the ‘think-and-do’ school of change makers.

    “He will reform Nigeria’s tax system for the benefit of Nigerians. Give him a task, and it will be done and done well,” the President said.

    President Tinubu wished the FIRS Chairman more strength and zeal in the discharge of his duties.

  • Don urges Tinubu to curtail corruption in judiciary

    Don urges Tinubu to curtail corruption in judiciary

    Prof. Cyprian Edward-Ekpo, the Director-General, Institute of Law Research and Development of United Nations (ILAWDUN), Washington DC, USA has called on President Bola Tinubu to investigate the alleged corruption in Nigerian judiciary.

    Edward-Ekpo, who gave the advice in a statement in Abuja on Friday, underscored the need for a new approach to stemming the system of corruption and intellectual poverty among judicial officers and court administrative staffers.

    According to the don, judges are the voices of sentencing, but their freedom of choice is limited by the rule of law, good conscience, principles of integrity and morality.

    “Quite appalling, today’s role of the Nigerian judiciary comprising the Judex and the Bar, has been different. It has progressed to an international public ridicule and odium, and quite perilous.

    “The law in Nigeria has lost a constructional role as a guidance and protector of a stable and democratic system – promoting a systemic mass toward desecration of temple of justice and state’s destruction.

    “Beyond debates, this judo-moral crisis demands a critical-mass response, a new approach to stemming the cancerous system of corruption and intellectual poverty among judicial officers and court administrative staffers,’’ he said.

    He also called on National Judicial Council to set up a committee of amicus and retired judges known for integrity and intellectual excellence, to review controversial judgments handed by several courts and tribunals.

    According to him, the committee can receive reports/petitions of glaring disproportionate judgments, review them and invite the judges for questioning, especially where the basis of their judgment is found wanting.

    “Two factors stand as causal elements to the problem of Nigerian judiciary. They include Intellectual poverty of some judges and Corruption.

    “The process of which appointment of judges are made should be reviewed forthwith, due consideration to creating a mechanism for only the best brains and tested characters to be appointed into the Bench,’’ Edward-Ekpo noted.

    He also appealed to Tinubu to consult with the National Assembly and present an Executive Bill to tackle judicial corruption and enhance integrity and independence of the judiciary within the framework of constitution.

  • Tinubu celebrates Nigeria’s creative excellence, congratulates Funke Akindele

    Tinubu celebrates Nigeria’s creative excellence, congratulates Funke Akindele

    President Bola Tinubu has celebrated the ingenuity, creativity, and immense artistic talents of Nigeria’s thriving entertainment industry.

    In a statement by Presidential spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu also congratulated Ms Funke Akindele on her record-setting film and commends the ace thespian for her contributions to the growth of the industry.

    The President extolled the creative industry’s pivotal place as a medium not only for artistic expression but also a source of enormous soft power and viable export.

    “The creative industry is one of the high-employment sectors, providing jobs for our able and talented youths. It is an industry that is crucial to my administration. I salute Nigerians for their enduring support and patronage of home-grown creative efforts. We will provide the conducive environment for the industry to thrive further,” Tinubu said.

  • Tinubu to attend Guinea-Bissau’s independence anniversary Thursday

    Tinubu to attend Guinea-Bissau’s independence anniversary Thursday

    President Bola Tinubu will on Thursday join other Heads of State and Government in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, to celebrate the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary and Armed Forces Day.

    Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

    He said the president would arrive Bissau on Thursday for the ceremony being hosted by Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Embalo.

    Guinea-Bissau marked its 50th Independence Anniversary on Sept. 24, but the Government had scheduled all celebrations for Nov. 16.

    President Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria on Thursday.