TheNewsGuru

Tag: President

  • Mustapha Isa returns as President, Guild of Editors

    Mustapha Isa returns as President, Guild of Editors

    Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) on Monday night reelected Mustapha Isa as President to oversee the affairs of the guild for the next two years.

    Announcing the outcome of the results, the Chairman, Screening and Election Committee, Bonnie Iwuoha, said Ali M. Ali, was returned unopposed as the Deputy President, Kila Habibu Nuhu, was also elected unopposed as Vice President (North), while Iyobosa Uwugiaren, emerged unopposed as General Secretary.

    In a keenly contested election, Isa trounced the outgoing Secretary, Victoria Ibanga, 176 votes to 54 votes.

    The final results also showed that Samuel Egbala was elected Vice President (East) after he secured 132 votes against Mr. Sheddy Ozoene who polled 88 votes

    Mr Austeen Elewodalu was elected as Assistant General Secretary with 126 votes against Rose Moses who polled 82 votes.

    Steve Nwosu pummeled all his opponents with 150 votes to emerge as Treasurer, as Catherine Agbo secured 51 votes, and Juliet Njiowhor 26 votes.

    Eze Anaba trounced his sole challenger Chooks Oko after polling 164 votes to 53 to emerge as Social/Publicity Secretary .

    Standing committee members (West) that were elected at the biennial conference include Gabriel Akinadewo, 174 votes, Onuoha Ukeh 174 votes and Wole Sogunle 172 votes. They all emerged as winners.

    Umoru Ibrahim led the pack of North standing Committee members with 202 votes, Adesina Gbenga 113 votes, while Imoni Amarere failed to make the list with 99 votes

    Nguwoke Nguwoke and Boma Nwuke were returned unopposed respectively as standing Committee members (East).

  • Mali’s interim President, Prime Minister resign

    Mali’s interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane tendered resignation.

    Agence France-Presse reported this on Wednesday, citing military and diplomatic sources.

    Late on Monday, a source told Sputnik that Malian military arrested the interim president and the prime minister and transported them to an army base near the capital of Bamako.

    Mali’s interim Vice President Assimi Goita said they were ousted for violating the transition charter.

  • Ortom bombs again: ‘Buhari’s action, inaction shows he is only President of Fulani people’

    Ortom bombs again: ‘Buhari’s action, inaction shows he is only President of Fulani people’

    Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of working for the Fulani tribe to take over Nigeria.

    He made the allegation on Tuesday in reaction to the recent killing of residents allegedly by herdsmen in parts of the state.

    “What is happening now, to me, is very clear; Mr President is just working for these Fulanis to take over the whole country.

    “His body language is what is being played out,” the governor alleged while condemning the activities of herdsmen in the state.

    He added, “The body language, the action and inaction of Mr President shows that he is only the President of Fulani people; I have known this.

    “We are becoming a banana republic, if we have a president who gave the security agencies order to shoot at sight, whosoever is having AK-47 and the Minister of Defence came out to say that they cannot shoot at sight… so who is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces?”

    Governor Ortom insisted that the activities of herdsmen in the country must be condemned while the people should come together to hold the President to account.

    He decried that no fewer than 70 people have been killed in the last two weeks in three local governments of the state.

    This, he noted, was in addition to the recent attacks that left six people dead, while one of the several injured victims later died in the hospital.

    According to the governor, the people of Benue are being overstretched and running out of patience due to the incessant attacks on their communities.

    “Mr President must rise up, he is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and over the 250 nationalities that are in this country; Mr President is their President, we all voted him.

    “He has taken oath of office to secure the country and provide security for lives and property; this is unacceptable, this cannot continue,” the visibly worried governor said.

    He added, “Mr President must rise up to address the nation himself, not Garba Shehu or any of his assistance. Mr President must tell us where we are going in this country, this is too much.”

  • 2023: Orji Kalu dismisses prophetic utterances, says ‘I don’t want to be president but can take the offer’

    2023: Orji Kalu dismisses prophetic utterances, says ‘I don’t want to be president but can take the offer’

    Senator Orji Kalu has said he is not nurturing a 2023 presidential ambition but will not hesitate if considered for the number one public office in the country.

    “I am not having that kind of ambition. But if I am given, why not? I can take it.” the former Abia State governor said on Sunday in a monitored interview on Channels Television.

    There have been prophecies from some clergymen that the 61-year-old will be Nigeria’s next president, but Kalu who dismissed them citing his religious beliefs, admitted that he is capable of leading the nation.

    “I am a Catholic. In the Catholic church, we don’t see visions. Well, if visions are being seen, and people say this and that, if it is the will of God that I will become president, why not? I am very capable mentally and otherwise to do whatever Nigerian people want me to do but not through prophecy,” the lawmaker noted.

    And as the country prepares for the next presidential election in 2023 with calls for the seat to be zoned to the Southeast, the former Abia State leader has restated that it is the turn of the region to be in Aso Rock.

    “I believe if Nigerians and the Nigerian people want to be fair, a Southeast president from Igbo extraction will be the next thing to do,” he explained.

    Senator Kalu who also condemned the recent attack on Imo Governor, Hope Uzodinma’s house, described the incident as barbaric, lamenting the increasing spate of insecurity in Nigeria.

    “I tried to speak to the governor this morning. I sent him a text to tell him that I stand by him because this is very barbaric,” he stated while not ruling out the possibility that the attack was masterminded by politicians. “Whoever did that is very barbaric and is not an act the country should take likely.”

  • Why I want to become Nigerian President – U.S. based Nwankwo

    Why I want to become Nigerian President – U.S. based Nwankwo

    A U.S.-based Mechanical Engineer, Mr Godswill Nwankwo, has declared his intention to contest the seat of the country’s president in the 2023 election.

    Nwankwo made his intention known on Monday in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

    He said that his intention was borne out of concerns to build on existing structures and improve the standard of living in the country.

    According to the intending presidential aspirant, the country needs to be repositioned economically to retain its status of Africa’s best economy and “Giant of Africa’’.

    Nwankwo, who hails from Ukwa East Local Government Area of Abia, also said he would review the country’s constitution and positively review the command structure of the police among others.

    “When I am elected, my first line of action will be to review the constitution.

    “Also, the command structure of the police will be reviewed.

    “There is what we call community policing where you allow people that belong to that community to police or protect the communities that they are serving.

    “For example, you don’t expect an Igbo man to go to Sokoto State and police a community; language will be his or her number one barrier in that kind of structure because he doesn’t understand Hausa-Fulani language.

    “We will want a situation whereby , for instance, people of Sokoto are responsible for their police, Abia communities policed by their people, and in the end you have a state and local government police.

    “This structure must not be influenced by the Federal Government.

    “So, my first assignment will be to begin to address the issue of the constitution and come up with recommendations that will work for Nigerians,” Nwankwo said.

    He said that though he had yet to decide on which political platform to contest, his main obligation would be to the citizenry.

    “I have been contacted by several political parties. In the end, my sole commitment will be the manifesto, agenda and what I promised Nigerians before the election.

    “I will not let anything get in the way of my promise when elected and there will be no shackles holding me down from executing my promises.

    “The 2023 election will be a decision for Nigerians electing a constitutional value that will affect the core values, and the lives of their children and grandchildren.

    “When I emerge as president, it will be about Nigeria and not PDP, APC, APGA or any political party and so on; I will stop at nothing to see that Nigerians are secured and are prosperous.

    “I will also ensure that Nigerians are able to access the opportunity we will provide and also able to have access to law enforcement that is supposed to protect them,” he added.

    Nwankwo added that his manifesto, which can be viewed on “Nigeriapresident.com” , was crafted to ensure that when he becomes president, Nigerians would be entitled to have equal rights, freedom, liberty, justice and opportunity.

    He said that the focal point of his administration would be for every citizen to be happy and safe while going about their lawful duties.

    NAN reports that Nwankwo had previously worked for Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes INTEQ and several national and multi-national companies both in Nigeria and overseas.

    He has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with specialisation in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) from Rivers State University.

    He also has a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Computer Science with specialisation in Cognitive Artificial Intelligence from Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas.

    The aspiring presidential candidate also acquired a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance with specialisation in Private Equity and Investments from the University of Houston CT Bauer College of Business in Houston, Texas.

  • Niger Republic’s Mohamed Bazoum sworn in as president after failed coup

    Niger Republic’s Mohamed Bazoum sworn in as president after failed coup

    Niger’s newly elected President Mohamed Bazoum has been sworn in, a democratic watershed overshadowed by armed groups’ violence and alleged coup bid two days ago.

    The inauguration on Friday marks the first-ever transition between elected presidents in Niger’s six decades of independence from France, a historic moment that has been widely praised.

    Mohamed Bazoum, sworn in on Friday as president of the troubled Sahel state of Niger, worked for years as the right-hand man of his predecessor Mahamadou Issoufou.

    The 61-year-old steps into the world spotlight with one of the toughest jobs around — taking the helm of a deeply poor country battling a double jihadist insurgency.

    Bazoum successfully campaigned in Niger’s elections as Issoufou’s anointed successor, a unifier of the nation and a defender of the rural poor.

    He won the February runoff with 55.6 percent of the vote, according to official results contested by his opponent Mahamane Ousmane.

    But the Sahel country’s instability and insecurity have been deeply underscored in the run-up to Friday’s ceremony.

    In the early hours of Wednesday, after gunfire broke out near the presidency in the capital Niamey, the government announced an “attempted coup” had been thwarted, a “cowardly and regressive act which sought to threaten democracy and the state of law”.

    Bazoum, 60, is a former interior minister and right-hand man of outgoing President Mahamadou Issoufou, 68, who has voluntarily stepped down after two five-year terms.

    But his most formidable rival, former Prime Minister Hama Amadou, was banned from running because of a conviction for baby trafficking, a charge he has branded politically motivated.

    There have been growing attacks by armed groups and political tensions in the country following Bazoum’s victory with more than 55 percent of the ballot in a February presidential election runoff. Former President Mahamane Ousmane, who lost in the runoff, has rejected the results alleging fraud.

    Last week, Niger’s top court confirmed Bazoum’s win, allowing the governing party candidate to be sworn in on April 2.

    Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, according to the benchmark of the UN’s 189-nation Human Development Index (HDI).

    The West African nation has suffered four coups in its history, most recently a February 2010 putsch that toppled then-President Mamadou Tandja.

    A week ago, gunmen on motorcycles attacked villages located near the border with Mali, killing at least 137 people in the deadliest violence to strike Niger in recent memory.

    Those attacks came on the same day that the Constitutional Court certified Bazoum’s electoral victory.

    In January, at least 100 people were killed in villages, the same day that Niger announced the presidential election would go to a second round on February 21.

  • No politician will ignore opportunity of becoming President –Fayemi

    No politician will ignore opportunity of becoming President –Fayemi

    Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has averred that no serious politician will disregard the opportunity of becoming the President of Nigeria.

    Fayemi, said this on a Channel’s Televisions programme, ‘Hard Copy’, which was televised on Friday.

    Responding to a question lightheartedly, Fayemi, who has been endorsed for the Presidency by the Ekiti State House of Assembly said, “I am laughing. You know why? I get asked this question all the time. I don’t know any serious- minded politician who will have the opportunity to govern a country with the blessings that we have – in spite of the challenges – that will not give it a shot but we are not there yet.”

    He however, refused to state emphatically if he would be contesting for the Presidency in 2023.

    “I am considering finishing well in Ekiti in 2022. I have a job. Frankly, I am eternally grateful to Ekiti people for giving me the opportunity to govern the state twice and I still have a lot to deliver on that agenda.

    “So, the future will take care of itself. I have no means of knowing what is going to happen but for me, the certainty is that I am the Governor of Ekiti State and that term expires in October 2022. That is the job I have for now,” Fayemi said.

     

  • 77-year-old Nguesso re-elected Congolese president, to continue 36-year rule

    77-year-old Nguesso re-elected Congolese president, to continue 36-year rule

    Denis Sassou Nguesso has been re-elected president of the Republic of the Congo with 88.57 percent of the vote, according to provisional results.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the 77-year-old has been in power for an accumulated 36 years, first taking the helm in 1979 and then again in 1997 after losing the country’s first multiparty elections in 1992.

    His victory, announced on Tuesday by the interior minister citing figures from the electoral commission, was widely expected after a March 20 ballot boycotted by the main opposition.

    The Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (UPADS) said in January it would not to field a candidate in Sunday’s vote, arguing the conditions were not conducive for holding elections and that it would only lead to more divisions in the country.

    “Rights activists say there’s no freedom of speech and there was no chance of having any democratic process in the first place,” said Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb, reporting from the capital, Brazzaville.

    The election was also overshadowed by the death – reportedly from COVID-19 – of Nguesso’s only main rival, Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas, who secured 7.84 percent of the vote.

    One of the losing candidates, Mathias Dzon, has said he plans to appeal to the Constitutional Court to cancel the official results, citing an article of the constitution “which provides for the cancellation of the ballot when a candidate dies or is unable to vote”.

    However, the head of the national independent electoral commission said that the article in question does not apply this time.

    “Kolelas died after the vote in Paris so Article 70 cannot be evoked in these conditions,” said Henri Bouka, who is also president of the Supreme Court in Congo.

    After retaking power in 1997, following a brief civil war, Nguesso was elected in 2002 and then again in 2009, for what was to be his second and final seven-year term.

    But in 2015, he pushed through constitutional reforms that removed the 70-year age limit that would have barred him from contesting polls the following year. The referendum also removed the two seven-year term limit and introduced three five-year terms.

    Congo’s economy has been in crisis since 2014 when oil prices collapsed. That caused the country’s external debt, much of it owed to private oil traders such as commodities giant Glencore, to soar to more than 100 percent of gross domestic product.

    The coronavirus pandemic and resulting drop in oil prices last year has made matters worse.

    The economy contracted by more than 8 percent last year and is expected to grow by less than 1 percent this year.

  • President sacks Central Bank Governor after interest rate hike

    President sacks Central Bank Governor after interest rate hike

    Turkey’s president has fired the central bank governor, who in his four months in office had won the praise of investors for hiking interest rates and promising tighter monetary policies.

    In a decree published in the Official Gazette early on Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the departure of Naci Agbal, a former finance minister.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the sacked bank chief will be replaced by a banking professor who has argued for lower interest rates.

    Agbal was brought in to lead the central bank after the Turkish lira hit record lows and inflation soared. In his months in office, Agbal had hiked the benchmark rate a total of 875 basis points, working to rebuild the credibility of the central bank after it was damaged by years of unorthodox policies.

    Agbal’s most recent hike of 200 points on Thursday took the rate to 19 percent, which was higher than analysts expected.

    The bank said tight monetary policy would be maintained until inflation, which has hit 15.61 percent, was brought under control.

    Erdogan is openly averse to high interest rates, claiming high rates cause inflation, which stands in opposition to mainstream economic theory.

    He has pressured the central bank to keep rates low to fuel borrowing and growth. Critics say the independence of the central bank has been severely damaged through political pressure.

    Erdogan’s decree on Saturday appoints Sahap Kavcioglu as the new central bank head. Kavcioglu is a banking professor and a columnist in a pro-government newspaper where he has argued for low interest rates.

    He previously served as a politician in Erdogan’s ruling party.

    Past central bank managers before Agbal have burned through most of Turkey’s reserves trying to support the currency while rates remained well below that of inflation.

    A modest recovery in the lira’s value since Agbal’s appointment in November had given the impression he had won Erdogan’s blessing to keep the rate high for some time to ward off inflation and help the lira recover.

    But Erdogan’s dislike of high interest rates has remained consistent, with him saying as recently as January that he was “absolutely against” them.

    “I know our friends get angry but with all due respect, if I am president of this country I will keep saying this because I believe that high interest rates will not help develop this country,” he said.

  • Bill seeking to empower NASS to summon president, governors passes second reading

    Bill seeking to empower NASS to summon president, governors passes second reading

    A Bill that will empower the National Assembly to summon the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Governors of States has passed second reading in the House of Representatives.

    The bill, sponsored by Representative Sergius Ogun, seeks to amend the constitution to compel the President and governors to respond to issues of security or any other matter before parliament.

    Although the bill was not debated during plenary on Tuesday, it was referred to the constitution review committee.

    This is sequel to the controversy that trailed the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to honour the invitation of the House in December, last year.

    The House of Representatives had earlier in December passed a resolution to invite President Buhari to brief the house on the true state of the security situation in the country.

    The decision to summon President Buhari was taken when the House considered a motion moved by members from Borno State on the massacre of 43 rice farmers in the state by Boko Haram insurgents.

    The debate turned rowdy after Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila appealed that it would be inappropriate to invite the president to disclose the actions being taken towards handling the security situation in the country. The Speaker described it as counter-productive.