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Tag: Presidential

  • Things I will do differently if elected president – Saraki

    Things I will do differently if elected president – Saraki

    Former President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki has said he will bring his experience over the years to bear and do things differently than he has done before if elected president in the 2023 general election.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Saraki, who is vying for the presidential ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 presidential election, said this when he interacted with journalists in Abuja on Thursday.

    He revealed that his desire of becoming Nigeria’s President is to rediscover the country and make it great for the children and generation yet unborn.

    He said, however, that joining the government as Special Assistant to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 made him realise the limitless possibilities for service through government.

    He said that also made him realise how political power in the hands of a committed, competent and courageous leader could solve real problems and uplift the destiny of a nation and its people.

    Saraki said that motivated him to contest and win the election as the Governor of Kwara in 2003, leaving the state better than he met it after eight years of service.

    Saraki, was served as Governor of Kwara from 2003 to 2011, said that as a senator, he was able to rise above ruinous partisanship and challenged the massive scam perpetrated under the cover of fuel subsidy.

    “As Senate PresidentSenate President, I defended the integrity of the National Assembly, sometimes, at great personal cost,” he said.

    The former Senate President said that in all the positions he occupied, he was driven by the deep conviction to serve, to help, to proffer solutions and to leave behind a legacy of courage, hard work and unyielding commitment to making a difference.

    “Perhaps, more importantly, I have gone into each of these positions with clearly thought-out plans, decided well in advance, ” he said.

    Saraki said that if elected he would assume the office of the president with a well-thought-out plans, implement them with courage and conviction.

    He said that while he acknowledged the great efforts of all former Nigeria leaders over the years and thank them for their service to the nation, be believed more still needed to be done

    He said that if elected he would ensure that the law on compulsory basic education was enforced and quality of teaching improved in all public schools.

    He also promised to push for compulsory health insurance cover from the current seven per cent to 50 per cent in the first two years, while also addressing insecurity.

    “I will do everything to protect the lives and properties of every Nigerian and everyone that live within our borders.
    “I will ensure that all our men and women in uniform are well-trained, are well-paid and are well-equipped.

    “I will work every single day as if it were my last. There will be no excuse for the justification of failure. This is what will make the difference,” he said.

    Saraki also pledged to diversify the economy to raise the revenue from the non-oil sectors to the same level as the country currently earned from oil.

    “As long as there are still people in this country who believe that they can break the laws of Nigeria with impunity; who think that crime has no consequences, then the job is not done.

    “And this is why I want to be President because I will ensure strict compliance with the rule of law and guarantee consequences for crime.

    “As long as we still import tilers, plumbers and electricians from neighbouring countries, then the job is not done.

    “And this is why I want to be President because I will collaborate with the industries, and train one million of our youths in technical and vocational skills each year,” he said.

    He said that 65 million Nigerians still live in slums in cities and urban centres, promising to deliver half a million affordable housing units every year to low-income earners and eliminate urban slums.

    The former senate president also promised to invest massively in skills, cloud computing, data analytics, programming and other such in-demand skills to drive innovation and competitiveness among youths.

    Saraki also promises to create the Nigeria Creative Industry Initiatives to protect leadership positions on the African continent and position Nigeria to be a global leader in the cultural production economy.

    “As long as our university lecturers still have reasons to embark on strike; as long our universities still rank outside the top 1000 in the world, then our job is not done.

    “And this is why I want to be President, because I will ensure that our universities and higher education institutions are competitive and well-funded, adopting models and approaches that have served the most successful higher education systems in the world.

    “ As long as some of our best and brightest brains still relocate to other countries to find fulfilment, then our job is not done.

    “And this is why I want to be President because I will develop targeted incentives to reverse the brain drain and keep our professionals in the country,” he said.

    Saraki said that his experience at the executive level and at the highest legislative institution of the country made him a unique asset in democratic leadership at a time that called for consensus building, cooperation and for compromise.

    “I know how business works. I know how the government functions. And I know how the legislature operates. This diverse experience stands me out.

    “And I will bring the experience to bear in getting the most critical constituencies behind the tough decisions that we must take if Nigeria must survive,” he said.

    Saraki promised to be a president for all, a bridge between the young and the old, a bridge between the private sector and the public sector.

    “I will be the bridge between Muslims and Christians.I will be the bridge between the north and the south. Because I am the Nigerian for all Nigerians,” he said.

  • 2nd term: Macron defeats Le Pen in French presidential election

    2nd term: Macron defeats Le Pen in French presidential election

    French President Emmanuel Macron defeated his far-right rival Marine Le Pen on Sunday by a comfortable margin, securing a second term and heading off what would have been a political earthquake.

    Cheers of joy erupted as the results appeared on a giant screen at the Champ de Mars park at the foot of the Eiffel tower, where Macron supporters waved French and EU flags. People hugged each other and chanted “Macron”.

    In contrast, a gathering of dejected Le Pen supporters erupted in boos and whistles at a sprawling reception hall on the outskirts of Paris.

    Le Pen admitted defeat but vowed to keep up the fight, with the June parliamentary elections in mind.

    “I will never abandon the French,” she said to supporters chanting “Marine! Marine!”

    The first pollsters’ projections showed Macron securing around 57-58 per cent of the vote.

    Such estimates are normally accurate but may be fine-tuned as official results come in from around the country throughout the evening.

    But Macron can expect little to no grace period after many, especially on the left only voted for him reluctantly to block the far-right from winning.

    Protests that marred part of his first mandate could erupt again quite quickly, as he tries to press on with pro-business reforms.

    “We will not spoil the victory … but (Le Pen’s) National Rally has its highest score ever,” Health Minister Olivier Veran told BFM TV.

    “There will be continuity in government policy because the president has been reelected.

    ”But we have also heard the French people’s message,” he added, pledging change.

    A first major challenge will be the parliamentary elections in June and opposition parties on the left and right will immediately start a major push to try to vote in a parliament and government opposed to Macron.

    Philippe Lagrue, 63, technical director at a theatre in Paris, said earlier in the day he had voted for Macron after voting for the hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon in the first round.

    He said he would vote for Melenchon again in June. “Melenchon Prime Minister. That would be fun. Macron would be upset, but that’s the point.”

    Ifop, Elabe, OpinionWay and Ipsos pollsters projected a 57.6-58.2 per cent win for Macron.

    Victory for the centrist, pro-European Union Macron was immediately hailed by allies as a reprieve for mainstream politics that have been rocked in recent years by Britain’s exit from the European Union, the 2016 election of Donald Trump and the rise of a new generation of nationalist leaders.

    “Bravo Emmanuel,” European Council President Charles Michel, wrote on Twitter.

    “In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union,” he added.

    Macron will join a small club – only two French presidents before him have managed to secure a second term.

    But his margin of victory looks to be tighter than when he first beat Le Pen in 2017, underlining how many French remain unimpressed with him and his domestic record.

    That disillusion was reflected in turnout figures, with France’s main polling institutes saying the abstention rate would likely settle around 28 per cent, the highest since 1969.

    Against a backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing Western sanctions that have exacerbated a surge in fuel prices, Le Pen’s campaign homed in on the rising cost of living as Macron’s weak point.

    She promised sharp cuts to fuel tax, zero-percent sales tax on essential items from pasta to diapers, income exemptions for young workers and a “French first” stance on jobs and welfare.

    Macron meanwhile pointed to her past admiration for Russia’s Vladimir Putin as showing she could not be trusted on the world stage, while insisting she still harboured plans to pull France out of the European Union – something she denies.
    In the latter part of the campaign as he sought the backing of left-leaning voters, Macron played down an earlier promise to make the French work longer, saying he was open to discussion on plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 65.

    In the end, as viewer surveys after last week’s fractious televised debate between the two testified, Le Pen’s policies – which included a proposal to ban people from wearing Muslim headscarves in public – remained too extreme for many French.

    Ex-merchant banker Macron’s decision to run for the presidency in 2017 and set up his own grass roots movement from scratch up-ended the old certainties about French politics – something that may come back to bite him in June’s parliamentary elections.

  • Whistle-blowing: Presidential committee says citizens need to raise voices against official corruption

    Whistle-blowing: Presidential committee says citizens need to raise voices against official corruption

    The Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) has identified fear of victimization and lack of trust as major bottlenecks of Whistle-blowing Policy in Nigeria since its launch in December 2016.

    The committee however says citizens must continue to raise their voices against incidents of corruption in official quarters to save Nigeria from the evils of the Vice.

    An official of PACAC, Segun Adesanya who is also a lawyer and policy analyst made his observations known during a Radio Town Hall Meeting on Whistle-blowing and Whistle-blower Protection organized by the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) in collaboration with the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development (PRIMORG), Friday in Abuja.

    While revealing that the Federal Government is ready to wrestle corruption down through whistle blowing and protect citizens who blow the whistle against corruption, he noted that duplicity of whistle blowing, and some Nigerians exposing corruption for personal vendetta were other challenges facing the policy.

    “Some of the challenges we have observed since the policy has been in place is cynicism, and citizens find it difficult to trust the government.

    “When you have new inventions and policy, people tend to be skeptical about it but what we continue to do is encourage them and most especially when it comes against the backdrop of people being afraid of victimization. The fear of being victimized also dampens public morale to blow the whistle.

    “Also, the mode of disclosure and when a citizen reports a corruption case in different anti-graft agencies there will be duplicity of whistle blowing with personal interest.

    “One other issue we see as a challenge is people using the whistle blowing policy as an opportunity for personal vendetta,” Adesanya said.

    Adesanya called on Nigerians to trust the system, advising whistleblowers against taking their complaints to multiple anti-graft agencies in order to reduce victimization. “Do your best as much as possible to hide your identity, if you do that then the issue of victimization would be reduced, try as much as possible to protect your identity. If you have reported to ICPC and they give you feedback I think you should take that as the position of the government, rather than duplicating the reportage across all available channels,” Adesanya warned.

    A Development Programming Strategist and Promoter of Inclusion and Diversity, Ene Ede stated that cultural, environmental, and religious factors were limiting women from reporting corruption, stressing that the enthusiasm when the whistle blowing policy was introduced has gone down due to lack of political will to tackle corruption.

    According to Ede, “There are a lot of women who would want to blow the whistle but the framework, politicians, religious leaders don’t do much to encourage them.

    “The laws are not strong enough, not biting enough to deter corruption, women are most affected by corruption, unfortunately.”

    Ede said the civil service is one area that needs to be purged of corruption and called for women to be given more leadership opportunities as that will help in routing out corruption in Nigeria.

    Her words: “If women are given more political power it will help in reducing corruption because they have a fleshy conscience. Also, the civil service should be reformed, we noticed that the civil service impacts one another, and citizens should ensure that we don’t constitute a liability to those in positions of authority.”

    On his part, Public Policy Analyst, Babatunde Oluajo faulted the Federal Government mechanism of protecting whistleblowers following rising fear of victimization. He lamented that the adverse effect of corruption knows no gender, tribe, or religion, hence, Nigeria has gotten to the point where corruption is now killing citizens.

    “It is individuals who feel the pain that blows the whistle, insisting that whether an individual is exposing a corrupt act due to vendetta or any other reason, the government and relevant agencies must focus on the crime committed and not the sentiment that led to the expose.”

    Oluajo said for Nigeria to fully take advantage of whistleblowing, the country must make the protection of whistleblowers paramount and ensure the system guarantees the anonymity of a whistleblower and deploy information and communications technology in tackling corruption.

    On how to overcome issues of sex-for-mark in universities, He had these to say: “we need a collective committee of the council of the senate, students and independent individuals in Nigerian schools who can be made to be the arbiters, receive corruption cases in university anonymously and can go ahead and investigate,” Oluajo stated.

    While Co-founder, Amputee Coalition of Nigeria, Florence Marcus said that Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) have the capacity of blowing but are the most marginalized and vulnerable people, hence unable to do it.

    Marcus stressed that PWD’s needs to be assisted to understand the whistleblower policy through technology and accessible information: “there is need for the brail but there are a lot of technology that they use to read and it will be better if they are put in audio format for the blind; visual or video for the deaf.

    “This policy can be in simplified versions, like in pidgin English and in our local languages for them to have access to and through billboards.”

    Marcus urged the government to implement anti-corruption laws that give assurances and protection to whistleblowers, ensure transparency and accountability of the funds recovered from corruption.

    The Radio Town Hall meeting Series is a collaborative effort between AFRICMIL and PRIMORG, aimed at increasing citizen’s active participation and involvement, and encouraging the government to institutionalize the whistle-blowing policy.

    The project is supported by the MacArthur Foundation.

  • How 2019 presidential election in Nigeria was massively rigged – Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    In the 2015 presidential election, Muhammadu Buhari of the APC was awarded 15,424,921 votes by Attahiru Jega’s INEC; while Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP was awarded 12,853,162 votes.

    In that election, Buhari presided like a colossus over the North, which was stoked up to insist on a Northern presidency. Bola Tinubu presided over the South-west, in coalition with Buhari; while President Goodluck Jonathan prevailed in the South-south as its native-son.

    Suppression of South-eastern votes

    However, the South-eastern states were regarded as orphans, they had no real godfather. As a result, APC succeeded essentially through INEC suppression of the votes of the South-east; and the exaggerationof the votes of the North; especially the North-west. INEC ensured that, far more disproportionately relative to other geopolitical zones, millions of South-East voters disappeared between 2011 and 2015.

    INEC registered only 7.6 million voters from the entire South-east for the 2015 election, and only 5.6 million PVCs were reported as collected. But in Buhari’s North-west, there was an incredible figure of 17.6 million voter-registrations and 15.1 million PVCs were reported as collected.

    While in the South-west, there were 4.2 million votes in 2015, relative to 4.6 million in 2011 (more or less the same number): in the South-east, there were only 2.6 million votes in 2015, relative to 5 million in 2011; a drastic drop of 2.4 million votes. That drop was virtually the APC margin of victory in 2015. Buhari defeated Jonathan with a plurality of 2,571,759 votes.

    While Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Jigawa and Bauchi posted humongous figures in 2015; Imo, Anambra and Abia posted disappointing figures. While the card-readers failed in many parts of the South-east, suggestive they were programmed to fail; they worked in most parts of the North. In places like Lagos and Kano, many non-indigenes, especially the Igbo, were not even given their PVCs and so could not vote.

    APC master-plan

    Once Buhari was elected, APC started preparing the grounds for the manipulation of the 2019 presidential election. During the congratulatory visit of a delegation from Benue, the newly-elected president said jokingly: “I beg Senator Akume and the governor-elect not to make my 2019 attempt too difficult.” The plans hatched included releasing trumped-up EFCC anti-corruption dogs against possible PDP 2019 presidential hopefuls, such as Sule Lamido of Jigawa.

    However, the heart of the APC master-plan required the party to refocus its machinations from the South-east to the new orphan; the South-south, which remained a PDP stronghold. Otega Emerhor, APC governorship candidate in Delta State, spoke the mind of the party during a congratulatory visit to newly-elected Buhari in Aso Rock. He told the president:

    “As you are aware, Delta State, along with Akwa Ibom and Rivers, are rich in oil resources and PDP is determined to hold on to these states at all cost to utilize the huge revenue base of these states to re-launch itself to national reckoning. It is, therefore, strategic for APC and your administration to pay particular attention and to assist us put in place modalities to break the stronghold of PDP in Delta and the other states.”

    APC went ahead to execute this master-plan with a vengeance. The party challenged the outcome of the 2015 elections in the South-south in the courts. It then embarked on an onslaught of intimidating attacks on the judiciary to make it fall in line with its agenda.

    Using the over-bearing power of the presidency, some South-south tribunal chairmen were summarily dismissed, replaced with more malleable choices. Some cases were even transferred to APC’s presidential stronghold in Abuja on spurious grounds. In the process, APC secured the cancellation of the elections in Rivers, Abia and Akwa Ibom. The appeal courts required them to be re-taken.

    Supreme Court firewall

    However, APC met a firewall in the Supreme Court. The apex court overturned the doctored verdicts of the appeal courts in Rivers, Abia and Akwa Ibom, restoring the mandate of their PDP governors. As a result, the “Supremes” immediately became public enemy number one of Buhari and the APC, who were incensed by the verdicts.

    President Buhari complained that the Nigerian judiciary is his major “headache” in the fight against corruption. There was nothing wrong with the judiciary when it ruled in favour of the APC in Yobe, Ogun, Lagos and Benue. But when it ruled against the APC in Rivers, Abia and Akwa Ibom, something became fundamentally wrong with it.

    It is not surprising, therefore that, on the eve of the 2019 presidential election, and in an act of outright constitutional illegality and rascality, Buhari suspended the chief justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen; a South-south man from Cross River, and replaced him with Justice Tanko Mohammed; a Northerner from Bauchi.

    So doing, the president laid the foundation for more successful future judicial verdicts for the APC; in the expectation that the results of the 2019 presidential election would end up in the courts and might be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court.

    Suppression of South-South votes

    The next bus-stop for the APC was the outright suppression of South-south votes especially, as well as the votes in other areas of PDP strength in the 2019 presidential election.

    Bombs went off in PDP-controlled areas, destroying election materials. Bullion vans appeared on the eve of the election in Lagos, carrying money for dubious purposes. Igbo Lagosians were threatened with fire and fury if they dared come out to vote. Thugs were unleashed on areas of PDP strength to cart off ballot boxes and disrupt the vote. Over 30 people were killed in election-related violence, mostly orchestrated by APC supporters.

    Take a close look at the result in the South-south. In 2015, the PDP stronghold of Rivers State shared a total of 1,556,313 votes between the PDP and the APC, giving the PDP the lion share of 1,487,075 votes. In 2019, this was suppressed to 624,681, a decrease of 931,632 votes. Out of this, PDP only obtained 473,971 votes; making a total decrease of 1,013,104 votes between 2015 and 2019.

    In 2015, the PDP stronghold of Delta shared a total of 1,260,315 votes between the PDP and the APC. But by 2019, this had been suppressed to 815,360; a decrease of 444,955 votes. In 2015, PDP secured a whopping 1,211,405 votes from Delta. But by 2019, this had been suppressed to 594,068; a decrease of 617,337 votes between 2015 and 2019.

    With Obi on the PDP vice-presidential ticket, there was also APC assault on Igbo votes, which were expected to be overwhelmingly in favour of the PDP. As observed, Igbo votes had been depressed by 2.4 million in 2015. Now with an Igbo son on the PDP ticket, surely more Igbos would come out to vote in 2019 than did in 2015. But no! Igbo votes were depressed even more.

    In 2015, 567,160 votes came from Enugu. But in 2019, this shrank to 409,976. In 2015, 381,697 votes came from Abia. But in 2019, this shrank to 304,756. In 2015, 678,688 votes came from Anambra. But this shrank to 558,036 in 2019. In 2015, 692,438 votes came from Imo. But this shrank to 475,386 in 2019. The only exception was Ebonyi, but the exception was insignificant. In 2015, 343,171 votes came from Ebonyi. But in 2019, this increased marginally to 349,299; an increase of only 6,128 votes.

    In effect, the Igbo states of the South-east that had lost 2.4 million votes between 2011 and 2015, lost another 565,701 votes between 2015 and 2019. Kaduna alone, with 1,643,057, had more votes than the combined Igbo votes of Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Anambra states; all with only 1,622,067 votes. At this rate of continuing decrease, Igbo votes are now virtually redundant and might soon disappear completely in a few years down the road.

    Agenda of Northern supremacy

    While Southern areas of PDP strength were experiencing voter-suppression, Northern areas of APC strength were increasing in voter-strength, even against all possible odds. Where APC won, it won largely with inflated margins. Where PDP won, it won with narrow deflated margins. PDP’s Atiku could only prevail in his home-state of Adamawa by a flimsy 32,188 votes. But Buhari won in his home-state of Katsina by a whopping 924,077 votes.

    As a result, a president who presided over Nigeria becoming the poverty-capital of the world with some 90 million people now hungry-poor, ended up with an implausibly increased majority on election day. In 2015, Buhari won by 2,571,759 votes; but in 2019 he increased this to 3,928,869 votes. Even those areas ravaged by the scourge of Fulani herdsmen were apparently well-pleased with his government’s neglect, if we are to believe INEC’s bogus election results.

    On election day, Boko Haram bombs were exploding in Maiduguri. But this did not prevent Borno residents from providing the largest voter-increase of all in 2019. In 2015, Borno provided 499,183 votes to all PDP and APC candidates combined. But now in 2019, it provided 908,284 votes; an incredible increase of 409,101 votes. 92% of those votes (836,496) went to Buhari, in spite of his failure to tame Boko Haram as he had promised to do in 2015.

    Just think about it. While war-ravaged Borno was posting this massive voter-increase, votes in cosmopolitan Lagos, a city of over 20 million people, were depressed by the flagrant exclusion of PDP votes, especially in the Igbo-populated areas. As a result, votes in Lagos shrank between 2015 and 2019 by 395,947 votes; virtually the same figure as Borno’s fictitious increase. In 2015, Lagos posted 1,424,787 votes. But in 2019, Lagos shrank to only 1,028,840 votes.

    In 2019, Lagos mega-city was not first, second or third in national vote-size. It could only manage fourth, behind the new Northern juggernauts of Kano, Kaduna and Katsina; all of them APC strongholds posting 50% or more votes than Lagos. Of the 10 highest-voting states nationwide in 2019, only Lagos comes from the South: all the other 9 are from the North. Only one (Plateau) was awarded to the PDP.

    In 2015, the spread between North and South was suspicious. The North provided 16,227,005 votes to the South’s 12,051,078 votes; a difference of 4,175,927 votes. But now in 2019 the spread has grown to alarming proportions. By the time the total votes were tabulated, and with 13 million votes needed to win, the North had provided a fictitious 17,259,624 votes. The South was left with 9,195, 201 votes; making a difference of 8,064,423 between North and South.

    That is virtually double the difference in the 2015 figure. You begin to wonder if Southerners like Bola Tinubu who are complicit in the APC agenda are too naïve to see this ominous writing on the wall. It means the North no longer needs Southern votes in order to prevail in future presidential elections.

    Between 2015 and 2019, Northern votes among the two main APC/PDP contenders increased by 1,032,619 votes; while Southern votes decreased by 2,854,977 votes. This gave the North an advantageous margin of 3,887,596 votes.

    It is not a coincidence that Buhari won by virtually the same margin: 3,928,869 votes.

  • JUST IN: Top INEC officials meet to review 2019 presidential, NASS elections

    JUST IN: Top INEC officials meet to review 2019 presidential, NASS elections

    The management team of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) are locked in a meeting to review last Saturday presidential and National Assembly polls.

    In his opening remarks, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said that the processes and procedures deployed will be reviewed in a bit to make amends where necessary.

    He also noted that the meeting will help to finalise arrangements for the forthcoming governorship elections in 29 states of the federation and the council election in FCT.

    Details shortly….

  • INEC lifts ban on 2019 presidential, NASS campaigns tomorrow

    INEC lifts ban on 2019 presidential, NASS campaigns tomorrow

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will tomorrow (Sunday) lift ban on campaign for 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections slated for February 16, 2019

    A statement by Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, INEC Director Of Voter Education and Publicity, on Saturday in Abuja said that political parties who fielded candidates for both elections would commence campaigns across the country.

    Osaze-Uzzi said that the commencement of campaigns was in line with the Timetable and Schedule of Activities issued by the INEC.

    He added that it was also in accordance with Section 99 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) which provides that “the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day”.

    “Political Parties are expected to conduct their activities in an organized and peaceful manner, devoid of rancour, hate and/or inflammatory speeches.”

    He reminded political parties and their candidates that campaigns for Governorship and State Houses of Assembly would commence on December 1.

  • Danjuma’s call for self defence shocking, scary – Presidency

    The Presidency on Saturday reacted to recent calls by former Defence Minister, TY Danjuma urging Nigerians to pick up arms and defend themselves against killer herdsmen.

    It noted that such unpatriotic call by a senior citizen were both ‘shocking and scary’.

    It also has appealed to prominent Nigerians, who have national influence, to desist from making inciting statements but rather use their influence wisely.

    Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, made the appeal in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday.

    The presidential aide said the appeal became necessary to caution Nigerians against engaging in public declarations that were likely to inflame emotional passions and threaten national security.

    He said: “The Presidency is very worried that criminal gangs will feel justified in defying legal governing and democratic institutions, and authority of legitimately elected democratic government if unrestrained pronouncements are made.

    “Silence can be dignified, but sometimes it can be misinterpreted and exploited. It is both shocking and scary to hear the recent comments by a senior citizen calling for Nigerians to defend themselves.

    “The Presidency commends the Nigerian military’s efforts to maintain peace and stability, despite being pulled in various directions by elements determined to destabilize the country and government for their selfish reasons.

    “What country would survive if its citizens rise against the country’s organized, trained and equipped military?’’

    Shehu, therefore, advised former leaders to use the various fora where people with a history of national security could offer advice to the government without resorting to the exploitation of emotional sentiments.

    “The civil war motto: “TO KEEP NIGERIA ONE IS A TASK THAT MUST BE DONE” rings very timely at this time in our nation’s history. We must be careful to avoid the mess that destroyed other African countries like Somalia,’’ he concluded.

    Recall that the statement by a former minister of defence, retired Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, that the military was failing to protect Nigerians from attacks had continued to attract reactions from prominent Nigerians.

    The latest of such reactions came from the Coalition for Nigeria Movement led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which raised concerns that security agencies in the country may have been corrupted ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    A spokesman for the group, Mr Akin Osuntokun, who stated this in an interview with a national newspaper, said the statement credited to TY Danjuma that the security agencies were allegedly failing in their duties should not be dismissed.

    Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba had on Tuesday also blamed the nation’s security heads for allegedly doing nothing to check security threats in the state.

     

  • 2019: We must ascertain health status of presidential, other candidates before elections — NMA, CMA

    2019: We must ascertain health status of presidential, other candidates before elections — NMA, CMA

    Bothered by the medical tourism embarked upon by some Nigerian presidents, the Nigerian Medical Association and the Commonwealth Medical Association have said presidential candidates should henceforth be made to undergo compulsory health tests before elections.

    This, they said, would help reveal the health status of presidential aspirants starting from 2019 elections.

    The medical associations also said they would love to be involved in assessing the candidates’ health status, asking Nigerians to push for the exercise to be made a part of the electoral process.

    Though they believed that any leader could fall ill at any time, they said knowing the candidates’ health status would help to avoid a situation whereby the President’s illness would hold the country “hostage” as experienced in the past.

    The Vice-President of the Commonwealth Medical Association and a former President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, said that his position had always been that presidential candidates should be subjected to health test so that Nigerians would know if they were medically fit to hold the office.

    Saying he was in full support of the test, Enabulele said it should be a requirement in the country’s electoral process.

    He said, “I even canvassed for this at the National Conference. However, the selfish interest of the political class has not allowed this to happen and so they have been holding us hostage. Nigerians have always borne the brunt of this selfish interest. The case of President Buhari is not the first and may not be the last unless Nigerians push harder and back compulsory health test for presidential aspirants.

    “The time has come for us to ascertain the health status of anyone who aspires to lead us. And this is not about a candidate just presenting a medical certificate to the public; medical reports can be purchased. The health test should be conducted by trusted persons and I’ll love to be involved. Though ill health is something no one proposes, at least let’s start getting things right. It’s a way of moving this country forward.”

    During the first two years of his administration, President Muhammadu Buhari’s frequent medical trip to London had generated so much controversy amid calls that his health status should be revealed to the public.

    First, the President had on February 5, 2016, barely a year into his administration, gone on a six-day vacation to London, the United Kingdom, to see his doctors.

    Then, on June 6, 2016, four months after he returned from his first trip, he took another 10-day vacation to London to see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. Two days after the trip, Buhari confessed that he was suffering from a “persistent” ear infection.

    On January 19, 2017, he again jetted out of the country to London for a 49-day medical break. After he returned, he admitted that he had never been that sick in his life, adding that he would again embark on another medical trip in the future.

    Similarly, late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had left the country on November 23, 2009, and was reported to be receiving treatment for pericarditis [an inflammation of the pericardium, the membrane enclosing the heart] at a clinic in Saudi Arabia.

    He was not seen in public again until February 24, 2010, when he returned to Abuja in the dark.

    He eventually died on May 5, 2010.

    In order to avoid such situations in the country again, the President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Mike Ogirima, said the NMA was willing and ready to carry out the medical test for all presidential aspirants so as to ascertain their medical fitness.

    He said, “If Nigerians want us to subject presidential candidates to medical test, we are ready. It’s a welcome idea. You know recently that the Emir of Kano [Muhammadu Sanusi II] called for a law to compel Nigerian political and religious leaders, including lawmakers and governors, to undertake drug test, saying that he too would be happy to subject himself to the test.

    “He said anybody with an element of drug abuse found in him should quickly resign as he is not fit to hold a public position.

    “Ideally, if anyone is about to be employed in an organisation, they are subjected to a pre-employment medical test. Similar tests should be carried out on all presidential aspirants seeking to hold the most important office in the country. And the test should be as comprehensive as possible.”

    Asked if the NMA would be willing to assume the responsibility of assessing presidential candidates’ health status, Ogirima said the association had the facilities to conduct the exercise.

    He said, “NMA is capable of conducting the test for all presidential aspirants. We have highly qualified and intelligent personnel all over the country who can handle it. And we also have the equipment to carry out the exercise. If Nigerians can push for it to happen and the lawmakers sanction it, we are ready too.

    The Director for the Centre for Research and In-house Training, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, who is also the National President of Association of Public Health Physician of Nigeria, Prof. Tanimola Akande, said since anyone who is above 40 is expected to undergo regular health test, those seeking public office should also undergo it.

    “Hence, it will not be wrong for presidential aspirants to undergo the test. But apart from that, what is more important is that politicians should fix the medical facilities here at home to avoid travelling out when sick,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services) of the University of Lagos and Professor of Medical Microbiology, Folasade Ogunsola, said the declaration of the health status of presidential aspirants should be by choice.

    “We could request that they should do the test and make it public, but I don’t think it should be compulsory due to the limitations. For instance, someone who is certified ‘fit’ today can be unfit tomorrow,” she explained.

    What I desire is that public office holders should invest in the medical facilities at home and stop seeking treatment overseas,” she said.

     

  • JUST IN: INEC fixes date for 2019 Presidential, NASS elections

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the date for the conduct of 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    According to the timetable released by the commission, Nigerians are expected to elect the president on February 16, 2019.

    Also scheduled for the same day is the election into the Senate and the House of Representatives.

    News of the election dates was broken by INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, at an induction retreat for Resident Electoral Commissioners in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

    The Governorship, State Assembly and Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory will follow on 2nd March 2019,” Yakubu said.

    The implementation of the 2019 Election Project Plan is to begin on January 1, 2018.

    He said an additional 3,630,529 voters were registered in the recent continuous registration.

    “This is an important development in our efforts to ensure that electoral services offered to Nigerians are better, more frequent and easier to access than ever before,” he said.

    This exercise will continue until 60 days to the 2019 General Elections, as a provided by the Electoral act.

    The INEC Chairman said the commission was “working assiduously to ensure 100% performance of the Card Readers. That is why there is an ongoing pilot to upgrade it by enhancing its features including new superior processors.”

    He added: “At the same time, the Commission is exploring ways of improving the integrity of the collation and results transmission processes and has begun to deploy the electronic result collation and transmission platform on a pilot basis.

    “Our ultimate aim, learning from the pilot and consequential improvement of the supporting infrastructure, is to deploy the system for all forthcoming off-season elections and, ultimately, the 2019 General Elections. The Commission is working to ensure that this goal is achieved.”

    The commission said it has conducted 175 elections across the country in the last two years.

    These include 79 Court-ordered re-run elections, 73 end of tenure elections and 23 bye-elections.

    Yakubu said that even where electoral tribunals overturned two of the elections conducted, the commission was never asked to do a fresh election.

    He also noted that to the credit of the commission, outcomes of most recent elections were not challenged in court.

  • JUST IN: Don’t partake in tomorrow’s presidential re-run election, Odinga tells supporters

    Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga urged his supporters to boycott Thursday’s presidential re-run election, claiming it would not be free and fair.

    “What we do tomorrow: one, do not participate in any way in the sham election, two, convince your friends, neighbours and everyone else not to participate,” he told a crowd in Nairobi Wednesday. He called on them to “hold vigils and prayers away from polling stations, or just stay at home.”