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Tag: President Buhari

  • June 12: Sani berates president Buhari over democracy day speech

    Former lawmaker and  sociopolitical activist, Shehu Sani who represented Kano Central district  has criticized president Buhari over his 2022 democracy day speech.

    Sani posited that Buhari’s speech has been the same, full of “promises with delivering”.

    According to Sani, the President’s speech is coated with empty promises just as those of previous years

    One of the key points of Buhari’s speech was when the President said he lived daily in grief and worry over victims of terrorists attacks in Nigeria and this was not the first time he has expressed grief over the security situation of the country with little or nothing done to bring it under control.

    Buhari concluded his speech, being his very last as President, by further assuring of his commitment to protect Nigeria and Nigerians from all enemies from within and outside.

    He also promised Nigerians a free, fair and transparent electoral process come 2023.

    And in reacting, the former lawmaker, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District at the Senate, tweeted, “The President’s democracy day speech is not different from all his previous speeches, other than this one is the last; full of assurances and promises and empty in delivery.

    Anyway,this time he was shy to blame ‘16 years of misrule’.”

  • Buhari commends gov. Bagudu for a successful APC convention

    President muhammadu Buhari has commded Kebbi state governor, Atiku Bagudu, for his efforts in making the APC Convention a success.

    The special adviser to Gov. Bagudu Atiku on Media made this known to newsmen on Friday in Birnin Kebbi.

    Sarki said the commendation was contained in a letter by the president addressed to the Chairman, Progressives Governors’ Forum, on  his role in the recently conducted APC national convention.

    At the convention, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was elected the party’s standard flag bearer for the 2023 elections.

    While describing the presidential primary as one of the most competitive and peaceful in the history of Nigeria’s democracy, the president extolled Bagudu’s invaluable efforts.

    He said: “I was pleased to see how you were very professional and efficient in handling the sensitive political position of Chairman, Progressives Governors’ Forum.

    “Your commitment in pursuit of equity and fairness speaks volumes in the cooperation displayed by APC governors.

    “This indeed demonstrates the camaraderie that brought us together over eight years ago.

    “The party primaries were peacefully conducted and the delegates have selected the candidate to carry the APC flag in the 2023 presidential poll.

    “Today, as a patriotic APC member and stakeholder, I trust that you will come together to work with our candidate to win the 2023 elections.

    “In the past seven years in government, we have achieved a lot.  However, we have a lot more to do. The APC project is far from over and we need all of you to come together to ensure our progressive journey to peace and prosperity is sustained.

    “Our candidate, His Excellency, Sen. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is no stranger to you.

    “He is our friend and brother. We know his commitment, his track record and his capacity to lead our party to success. So now is the time for all of us to come together and march forward, as we did in 2015, to a convincing APC victory,” the president said.

    The president also said that he looked forward to working closely with APC governors to support Tinubu and all other APC candidates.

  • Buhari inaugurates Presidential Council on Digital Economy, e-Government

    President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated the Presidential Council on Digital Economy and e-Government, promising that his administration will continue to take advantage of digital technologies to transform every sector of the economy.

    Speaking at the event on Friday in Abuja, the president directed the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, to chair the council on his behalf and give regular updates.

    He tasked members of the council to work towards further strengthening the capacity of government to develop, adopt and deploy digital technologies to make government more efficient and transparent, thereby improving Nigeria’s global standing in the ease of doing business index.

    The president noted that the council, whose members have been arrived at after a painstaking and thorough process, would provide the oversight needed to bring about a veritable structure for accelerating achievements in digital economy and in the implementation of e-government in the country.

    He enjoined every member of the council to consider the task as a national assignment and justify the trust reposed in their ability to support and significantly enhance the digital transformation of Nigeria.

    ‘‘I launched the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) on the 28th of November, 2019, and expanded the mandate of the then Ministry of Communications to include Digital Economy.

    ‘‘The implementation of that policy and mandate has enabled us to achieve significant progress and record a number of unprecedented achievements.

    ‘‘The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy showed that the steps we took in developing and implementing NDEPS were indeed timely.

    ‘‘For example, the Information and Communications Technology sector was the fastest growing sector in both the fourth quarter of 2020 and the entire year 2020, based on the Report by the National Bureau of Statistics.

    ‘‘The sector’s 14.70% double-digit growth rate was instrumental in supporting our country to exit the recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, far earlier than predicted by experts.

    ‘‘The significant contribution of 17.92% by the ICT sector to our GDP in the second quarter of 2021 is another example of the important impact of the digital economy on the overall economy.

    ‘‘In the same vein, the growth of our digital economy sector enabled us to cope with the effect of the lock-down as both activities of the government and private sector, as well as educational activities, were able to move to online platforms,’’ he said.

    Furthermore, Buhari expressed delight that the approval of the National Policy on Virtual Engagements for Federal Public Institutions had helped to formalise government online meetings.

    According to him, statutory meetings like the Federal Executive Council (FEC), Council of State, and other meetings can now effectively and legally take place online.

    He added that Nigeria’s progress in e-governance had been noted by the international community, eliciting recognition from international stakeholders, including the appointment of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy as the Chairman of the 2022 Forum of the highly regarded World Summit of the Information Society.

    While congratulating the minister, the president acknowledged that the ministry has partnered with the Korea International Cooperation Agency to develop a National e-government Master Plan, approved by FEC in August 2019.

    The president listed benefits from the partnership, including “the training of over 1,400 Nigerian public servants in both Nigeria and South Korea on e-governance; the launching of an E-Government Training Centre handed over to the Federal Government in November 2019, and the signing off of Phase II of the e-government Project – ‘Project for Building Foundations Towards Digital Governance in Nigeria (2020-2026)’.’’

    In his remarks, Pantami noted that NDEPS launched in 2019, made provision for the establishment of the Presidential Council to coordinate the development of an indigenous digital economy.

    While describing the implementation of NDEPS for a digital Nigeria as very successful, the minister said in the last two years, the sector had provided ICT intervention to no fewer than 1,667 institutions at the federal and sub-national levels.

    He stated that the recent auctioning of spectrums by the ministry generated over 400 per cent revenue to the Federal Government coffers while two virtual institutions established by government had trained some 500,000 Nigerians on digital and emerging technologies.

    The 27-man committee chaired by Pantami on behalf of the president has the following members: Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State; Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State; Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State; Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo; Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and Sen. Hope Uzodinma, Governor of Imo.

    Others are Dr Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning; Adeniyi Adebayo, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of Civil Service of the Federation; and Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO Nigerian Communications Commission.

    Prof. M.B. Abubakar, Managing Director/CEO, Galaxy Backbone Limited; Dr Abimbola Alale, Managing Director/CEO, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited; and Aliyu Aziz, Director General/CEO, National Identity Management Commission, are also members of the council.

    Also in the committee are Mr Oswald Guobadia, Senior Special Assistant, (Digital Transformation) to the President; Olufemi Olufeko, Director, e-Government Dept, Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy; A.B. Okauru, Director General, Nigeria Governors Forum; Prof. Simon Sodiya, President Nigeria Computer Society; and Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).

    Other members are Prof. Kabiru Bala, rRepresentative of Academia and Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Prof. Nnenna Oti, representative of the Academia and Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Owerri; and Kashifu Abdullahi, Secretary and the Director General/CEO, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

    Mr Sungil Son, Country Director (KOICA); Dr Olufemi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant (Research & Development) to Minister of Communication & Digital Economy; and Abubakar Dahiru, Special Assistant (Cyber Security & Digital Identity) to the Minister are also members of the Committee.

  • Pastor Tunde Bakare disgraced, as delegates shun voting for him

    As more than 2,300 delegates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Wednesday gather at Eagle Square, Abuja, to select their presidential candidate, one of the presidential aspirants, Pastor Tunde Bakare, could not secure a single vote.

     

    Bakare, who is a Nigerian Prophetic-Apostolic pastor, had vowed to transform Nigeria if elected as the next Nigerian President.

     

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Bakare had a “zero” vote, alongside the former governor of Imo State, Rocha Okorocha and Ikeobasi Mokelu.

     

    However, his bid, having been quashed by the party’s delegates, would have to return to pastoring the Latter Rain Assembly, which later metamorphosed to Global Citadel Community Church (CGCC).

     

    On stepping down for another presidential aspirant, Bakare had strongly maintained that he would not let go of his political ambition.

     

    According to Bakare, rather than stepping down for another presidential aspirant, he would step up.

    Bakare
    Pastor Tunde Bakare

     

    In his words: “I am not here to step down for anyone. I am here to step up as the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

     

    The clergy became more famous after he was reportedly arrested in March 2002 after preaching sermons critical of then-president Olusegun Obasanjo.

     

    He was the running mate of the Nigerian presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari in the 2011 Nigerian presidential election.

     

    Bakare was a member and also Legal Adviser at the Deeper Life Bible Church before he left to join the Redeemed Christian Church of God where he not only became a Pastor but also originated and founded the Model Parish before he received the call to start the Latter Rain Assembly.

     

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that Bakare also said he would develop Nigeria like a genius if elected.

     

    The delegates of the APC gathered to vote on Tuesday in a primary election to choose the party’s candidate for next year’s election to replace the President Muhammadu Buhari.

     

    Buhari, who is stepping down after the two terms he is allowed in the constitution, arrived at the Eagle Square convention centre early in the evening of Tuesday before voting was to start.

     

    The Nigerian leader has spent days leading up to the convention in negotiations with the APC’s leaders seeking unity over a party candidate.

     

    He said: “The fate of the party depends on what we do here,” APC party chairman Abdullahi Adamu said, echoing Buhari’s call for unity in the ranks.

     

    “We cannot go into the general election next year without putting our house together.”

  • Consensus candidate: APC Governors rally round Osinbajo

    After president Muhammadu Buhari revealed his plans to pick a successor to be the All Progressive Congress APC’s flag bearer in the forthcoming 2023 general election.

    The APC Governors are beginning to rally round Vice president Yemi Osinbajo to be the consensus candidate of the party.

    Several APC governors were sighted in the Presidential Villa meeting with Osinbajo and the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, in what sources say may be a move likely to result in a consensus presidential candidate for the party.

    It was gathered that governors of Ogun, Ekiti, Gombe, Nasarawa Ebonyi and Kano were sighted in the Villa between Wednesday and Saturday..

    Findings show that  a clear majority of the 22 governors on the platform of the ruling party under the aegis of Progressive Governors Forum appeared to have agreed on supporting the candidature of Osinbajo, ahead of the primaries commencing on Monday.

    The governors held series of meetings at the Kebbi State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, on Tuesday, after meeting with the president.

    Reports say that  more northern governors including those of Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa and Gombe are said to be opposed to a northern presidential candidate for APC.

    The meetings were initially deadlocked on who to support as APC presidential flag bearer.

    However, after reconvening, reports emanating from the meeting indicated that the governors had agreed that the presidency should be zoned to the South, with Osinbajo as candidate.

    ” The heroes of this whole thing are the governors of Borno, Nasarawa and Gombe who even though are from the North, argued that the vice president from the South fits the bill perfectly.

    ” Kaduna and Borno governors were also of the same view but the Kaduna governor has not been seen in the Villa this week.

    ” He was represented by his deputy at the meeting with the president on Tuesday,” the reports quoted a source as saying.

    The source, according to the reports, said that some governors had first insisted that the party’s presidency should be zoned to the North because the main opposition party had settled for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar at its convention.

    “It was a very heated argument between the governors.

    ” Some governors wanted a northern candidate to challenge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate but some other northern governors kicked against it.

    ” They said that the it is morally right for power to return to the South.

    “The governors represented different interests at the meeting and were all pushing for their candidate but there were more governors who were loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari and who wanted to reciprocate the president’s gesture.

    “There were others who also insisted that Mr VP was the most popular candidate based on the feedback that the governors got from delegates in their states and they were almost certain and very confident he would defeat candidates from other parties including Atiku,” the source was quoted as saying.

    The reports also quoted an aide of one of the governors present at the meeting as disclosing that certain governors were asked to reach out to some notable aspirants to urge them to step down for the vice president.

    “It was indeed a difficult call as some governors were asked to reach out to their candidates to relate the choice of the governors and to also tell them to step down their ambition so that the party can present a united front at the convention,” the aide was quoted in the reports as saying.

    It would be recalled that the president at Tuesday’s meeting with the governors had called for reciprocity in choosing his successor.

    “In keeping with the established internal policies of the party and as we approach the convention in a few days, therefore, I wish to solicit the reciprocity and support of the governors and other stakeholders in picking my successor, who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023.

    “I wish to assure you that the consultation process shall continue to ensure that all aspirants and stakeholders would be brought on board right through to the convention.

    ” This would also ensure that any anxiety occasioned by different factors are effectively brought under control and that our party emerges stronger,” Buhari said.

  • Why I stopped Tinubu from being Buhari’s running mate – Saraki

    Former Kwara state Governor and Senator  Abubakar Bukola Saraki has denied that he opposed the ambition of the former Lagos state governor and the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu to become President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in 2014 .

    Saraki said he opposed the muslim-muslim ticket as at then.

    Saraki made this revelation while reacting to accusations by Tinubu that he stopped his ambition to become president Buhari’s running mate.

    Recall that Tinubu had during a meeting with delegates in Ogun State, claimed that Saraki and others opposed his desire to be Buhari’s running mate in the 2015 elections because he was a Muslim.

    Saraki,  who spoke through  a statement signed and released  by the head of his Media Office, Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that he would always oppose any plan that is capable of causing a religious crisis in a multi-religious country like Nigeria.

    According to Saraki, President Buhari was a Muslim and shouldn’t have another Muslim man as his running mate.

    “When I and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014 stood against having a Muslim-Muslim ticket, it was not a decision targeted at any individual or group but one taken in the national interest.

    “Let me make it clear that the decision to oppose the plans by some people to make APC present a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2015 was in the national interest and I will take the same stand today, tomorrow, and any other day.

    “My stance is based on the fact that such a ticket is not good for the unity of the country and will further accentuate one of our fault lines.

    “The opposition to a Muslim- Muslim ticket was not targeted at Tinubu or any other person. It was a decision that even all party leaders know helped the victory of the party and also worked for the unity of the country”, he said.

    Saraki was a member of the ruling party when President Buhari won the 2015 presidential election.

  • Consensus: Shettima gives hint on president Buhari’s choice

    Former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, has hinted that  President Muhammadu Buhari will likely endorse the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, if he eventually goes for a consensus candidate.

    Shettima  made  the statement while making an appearance on Television Continental Lagos on Friday.

    According to him, it will be “catastrophic” for APC if Tinubu isn’t elected as the party’s presidential candidate.

    “We are in a democratic situation but I’m afraid it might be catastrophic for the party.

    “I’m not a prophet of doom; I’m an internal optimist. We have done our own bidding and by God’s grace, our candidate will emerge as the presidential flagbearer of the APC in the next 72 hours,” Shettima said.

    Asked who the president’s choice would be, Shettima added: “People are underrating the president a great deal and they are equally underrating the depth of his friendship with Tinubu. They have come a long way.

    “The President Buhari I know sufficiently, if at all the president is going to endorse anyone, that person is going to be Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Forget about all the charlatans and distractions and political contractors.”

    ThenewsGuru.com reports that 10 out of the 23 aspirants have been disqualified from the presidential race.

    All Progressive congress (APC) is yet to announce the names of the 10 disqualified aspirants.

    But presenting his report to APC national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, Oyegun said: “I won’t want to read the names, I’d leave that to you, but we brought the number down to 13.

    “We could have cut it a little shorter but we wanted the younger elements to surface.”

  • Super Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo presents gift to president Buhari in Spain

    Super Eagles and Leganes football club of Spain defender , Kenneth Omeruo has caught up with president Buhari in Spain.

    The defender presented a signed jersey and ball to Nigeria’s number one citizen, President Muhammadu Buhari as gift for his visit.

    President  Muhammadu Buhari, who left Nigeria on Tuesday shortly after meeting APC governors in Abuja  is on a three-day visit to the European country.

    The centre-back presented the jersey to the president in company of sports minister, Sunday Dare, former Super Eagles forward Daniel Owofen Amokachi and other top government officials.

    Special assistant to President Buhari on digital and new media, Tolu Ogunlesi posted pictures of the event on social media on Thursday afternoon.

    “@MBuhari X @omeruo22 X @AmokachiTheBull
    #PMBinSpain,”Ogunlesi tweeted.

    Omeruo was a member of the Super Eagles squad that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

    The former Golden Eaglets’ defender also won bronze with the Super Eagles at the 2019 AFCON finals in Egypt.

    He has represented Nigeria 57 times, with two goals to his name.

    Omeruo signed for Chelsea from Standard Liège in January 2012 and upon signing went on loan to Dutch top-flight side ADO Den Haag.

    He currently plies his trade for Leganes of Spain.

  • President Buhari felicitates Bishop Okpaleke on appointment as Cardinal

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Bishop Peter Okpaleke of Ekwulobia Diocese, Anambra State, on his appointment as a Cardinal in the Catholic Church by Pope Francis.

    Buhari stated this in a statement signed on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

    The President commended the Pope for finding Bishop Okpaleke a capable individual to be one of the two nominees from Africa.

    ALSO READ: Pope wades into ethnic crisis in Catholic Church in Imo

    In the statement which reads, “President Buhari congratulated the Nigerian Christian Community on this choice, describing the Cardinal-designate as ably qualified, and that having him in that position will benefit the country.

    “The President also commended the commitment of the Catholic Church to the unity, peace, and progress of the Nigerian state. He also highlighted the effort of the Church in combating the COVID-19 pandemic as well as its support and commitment in favour of the poor and most vulnerable members of the society.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Bishop Okpaleke becomes the fourth Cardinal from Nigeria, apart from Francis Arinze, Anthony Okogie, and John Onaiyekan.

    Okpaleke is one among the 21 new Cardinals Pope Francis announced on May 29 by the Pope.

  • Melaye accusses Buhari of trying to impose president on Nigerians

    Former lawmaker,  who represented Kogi West at the red chamber Senator Dino Melaye has accused  President Muhammadu Buhari of trying to impose a successor on Nigerians come 2023.

    Dino who lost the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Kogi west  senatorial primary to posited that the country is practicing democracy and would not allow the imposition of a president.

    The former lawmaker stated this in a video on his social media handles where he reacted to comments made by the president asking APC governors to support him in choosing his successor

    Recall that that Buhari, who met with the governors on Tuesday, had asked them to allow him to choose his successor as they did in their various states.

    But Dino, in the video, tackled the president for using the word ‘successor’ and not party flag bearer, alleging that Buhari is aiming at imposing the next president on Nigerians.

    He said, “Yesterday the president made a statement that is unconstitutional and showed some inhumane tendencies. The president said the APC governors should support him to choose his successor. The president used the word successor and not flagbearer or candidate of the APC.

    “That statement has some negative effects and the negative effect is that Buhari wants to impose a president on Nigerians.

    “We are in a democracy and so we will not allow imposition, we will not allow the president to handle this country as if we are in a monarchial or hereditary system of government.

    “It is abominable and undemocratic for the president to be talking about a successor in an election that has not been conducted. I am calling on Nigerians to be at alert because the battle the salvage this country from economic scavengers is a battle of no retreat, no surrender”.