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Tag: Shehu Sani

  • BREAKING: Ex-Petroleum Minister, Jibril Aminu is dead

    BREAKING: Ex-Petroleum Minister, Jibril Aminu is dead

    One time Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum and Ambassador to the United States of America (USA), Prof. Jibril Aminu, is dead. Aminu died aged 85.

    Prof. Aminu, who hailed from Song local government area of Adamawa State, was also former Minister of Education, Senator and Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Aminu was born in August 1939 and was Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States from 1999 to 2003.

    According to former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani who confirmed the demise, Aminu constructed the Eleme Refinery and most of the petroleum depots in the country when he was petroleum minister.

    Senator Sani wrote: “Professor Jibril Aminu; he constructed the Eleme Refinery and most of the petroleum Depots in the country when he was the Petroleum Minister.

    “He decentralised and reformed the NNPC. Since he left office, none has been added.

    “As education minister, he established the Nomadic Education Commission and established the School for the Gifted Children among other reforms in Education.

    “He served as the VC of Unimaid and headed the NUC in the 70s. He represented Adamawa in the Senate twice.

    “He was the best medical student at the UCH Ibadan in the 60s, a rare feat for a northerner at that time. The Nation has lost one of its greatest Intellectuals and visionary leaders.

    “May Allah grant him Aljanna firdausi, Amin”.

    TNG reports Aminu served as the Senator representing Adamawa Central senatorial district from 2003 to 2011.

    He held office as Federal Minister of Education and then Federal Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources from 1989 to 1992.

    Aminu studied medicine and obtained an M.B.B.S from the University of Ibadan in 1965. He had a PhD in Medicine from the Royal Post-Graduate Medical School, London in 1972.

    He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri from 1980 to 1985 and Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission from 1975 to 1979.

    While the cause of his death was yet to be ascertained, it was gathered that Aminu’s funeral prayer was held at the Abuja National Mosque on Thursday.

    TNG reports Prof. Aminu is survived by his wife, Fatima Bukar Mulima, and nine children.

  • Shehu Sani reveals reason Tinubu denied El-Rufai ministerial appointment

    Shehu Sani reveals reason Tinubu denied El-Rufai ministerial appointment

    A former senator who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th Senate, Shehu Sani has disclosed that President Bola Tinubu denied former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai a ministerial appointment because he felt the former governor had become too toxic to be accommodated in the cabinet.

    Sani, who has been a political foe of El-Rufai’s, in a widely circulated statement on Monday noted that the former governor failed in the area of security in his eight years as governor, stressing that insecurity became a trademark of his administration.

    He added that Rufai lacked the moral ground to criticise the Tinubu administration, saying that his eight years as governor of Kaduna State remained the worst in the state so far.

    Describing recent political statements by El-Rufai as toxic, Sani said the former governor was one of the individuals who promoted hunger and insecurity in the country.

    Sani said, “The government which El-Rufai and Amaechi served were the precipitators and enablers of hunger and insecurity.

    “El-Rufai is the patriarch of banditry and the godfather of insecurity in Northern Nigeria.
    He was too toxic to work in Tinubu’s administration; hence, he suffered exclusion, the basis for which he is launching verbal attacks against the current administration.

    “El-Rufai’s attacks on Tinubu are an expression of anger over exclusion and a failed sense of entitlement,” he stated.

    The ex-lawmaker who recently defected from the PDP to the APC further accused El-Rufai of weaponising poverty by sacking thousands of civil servants and demolishing houses of poor people, including struggling retirees.

  • Tinubu’s Re-election certain if opposition coalition fails – Shehu Sani

    Tinubu’s Re-election certain if opposition coalition fails – Shehu Sani

    Amid a wave of defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), party chieftain and former senator, Shehu Sani, has predicted a landslide victory for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election if opposition parties fail to form a united front.

    Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Sani emphasized that internal divisions and lack of cooperation among opposition parties could hand the APC an easy win. He pointed out that none of the leading opposition parties PDP, Labour Party, SDP, or NNPP currently appear willing to engage in coalition talks.

    “There’s no realistic way to unseat a ruling party without a coalition,” said Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the 9th Senate. “Unless the opposition parties set aside their narrow political interests and ambitions for the sake of democracy, they stand no chance.”

    He noted that some parties have already ruled out coalition efforts, with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) distancing themselves from any merger talks, while the Labour Party continues to operate in isolation.

    “If they contest separately in 2027, the APC will win by a landslide,” he stated. “But if they unite, they could win significant seats and create a strong impact.”

    Sani argued that the disunity among opposition parties cost them the 2023 election and is likely to do the same in the next cycle if unresolved. He added that Nigeria’s political system lacks ideological depth, allowing politicians to switch parties with ease and little consequence.

    “Our parties are not built on ideology—they’re mere platforms for personal ambition. Most party manifestos are nearly identical, so defections come easily and without ideological conflict,” he said.

    He dismissed suggestions that the APC should bear responsibility for the opposition’s challenges, saying it is up to opposition leaders to keep their members united and motivated.

    “A party that can’t manage its internal conflicts shouldn’t expect loyalty from its members,” Sani said. “The crisis in the PDP, including multiple factions and leadership disputes, is driving members away.”

    He warned that more defections were likely, especially from the PDP, due to its unresolved internal issues and uncertainty about future primaries.

    “When a party has multiple factions, no clear leadership, and legal battles over its structure, it creates instability,” he said. “A first-term PDP governor or sitting senator can’t be sure they’ll secure a nomination. That uncertainty will continue to push more members out.”

  • ‘My wives will not be happy’ – Shehu Sani rejects Miss World pageant judge appointment

    ‘My wives will not be happy’ – Shehu Sani rejects Miss World pageant judge appointment

    A former  lawmaker, Sen.  Shehu Sani ( Kaduna Central) has rejected an  appointment to serve as  judge in the forthcoming Miss World Nigeria Beauty Pageant.

    The pageant scheduled to hold at Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos on April 4.

    The event organiser,  Sen. Ben Bruce, who is  Sani’s friend and former colleague in  the eight Senate  on  his official social media handle on Wednesday , announced  Sani as the judge.

    He stated: “Hearty congratulations to my good friend, Shehu Sani, on his appointment as a judge for the Miss World Nigeria Beauty Pageant, taking place on April 4, at the Federal Palace Hotel.

    “Kindly ensure you arrive on time, 6:00 PM sharp and come dressed in your finest attire.’

    However,  Sani through his social media handle, X on Thursday, declined the invitation,  thanked Bruce  for the honour and gave reasons for rejecting the appointment.

    He said, “My wives will not be happy if I serve as a Judge.

    “I have not been able to pass judgment on the most beautiful between my wives let alone  those I don’t know.

    “I don’t have the knowledge or experience in such events.

    “This is Sallah period where we spend time with family members and friends.  Thank you for the honor and wish them well,” Sani said.

    The former lawmaker, however, apologised for the inconvenience the rejection might have caused  Bruce and other organisers.

  • Why I lost my Senate re-election bid in 2019 – Shehu Sani

    Why I lost my Senate re-election bid in 2019 – Shehu Sani

    Former Kaduna lawmaker, Sen. Shehu Sani, said he lost his senate re-election bid in 2019 because he opposed the former Gov. Nasir El-Rufai’s move to obtain a 340 million dollars foreign loan.

    Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the Eighth Senate, stated this in an interview with NAN in Abuja on Sunday.

    “I was insistent on speaking truth to power, and that was why I lost my re-election bid in 2019. Former Gov. Narsir El-Rufai was going for a 350 million dollar loan and we said ‘No’.

    “Some of us told him that such a venture would impact negatively on our people, but he went ahead and did that, while he perceived us as his political enemies.

    “This political battle with El-Rufai affected several other politicians, resulting in our leaving the party en masse. My own very case was that I stood up to the governor and I paid the price by losing my seat,” he said.

    The popular pro-democracy activist, however, said that today, he had been vindicated.

    “At that time, the governor was opposed to me; the state assembly members were opposed to me and many political figures there were opposed to me.

    “Today, I am vindicated because even the governor of the state today has made it public how the finances and the economy of the state have been strangulated by that loan.

    “Many projects were littered, uncompleted and abandoned all over the state. Kaduna today has become the second highest indebted state in the country. So I am vindicated, even though I lost my seat,” he said.

    Sani said he was satisfied with the role he played on the controversial loan at that time.

    “I’m satisfied that, at least, when I die, nobody will look to my grave and say this is the person who signed an approval for the loan that we are going to pay in 100 years.

    “The vindication is more important to me than my return to the National Assembly,’’ he said.

    The former lawmaker attributed the failure of most members of the national assembly to return to their refusal to be loyal to their governors.

    This, he said, often resulted in high turn-out of lawmakers in each election year.

    Sani, however, said that the high number of new lawmakers in national and state houses of assembly at every election year was not the best for Nigeria’s democracy.

    He said that in the developed world, such as India and the United States, some lawmakers would be in the legislature for 30, 40 and 50 years.

    “But in Nigeria, if you are a senator and you are fond of standing up every time to speak truth to the power, you will hardly come back to that national assembly.

    “If what you are doing or saying is particularly contrary to the interests of the governor of your state, you will not come back to the national assembly,’’ he said.

    The former senator also said that irrespective of a lawmaker’s qualifications, he could only emerge as senate president or speaker of the house if he happened to be the favourite of the executive.

    “It’s only during Buhari’s time that a mistake was made in 2015 which made Buhari lose the election at the national assembly.

    “Then his adversary Sen. Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara took over and you could see what happened for four years.

    “So, if you are elected as a governor of a state, your life is dependent on the state assembly and you cannot allow your enemy to take over.

    “So, you will bring someone whose first qualification is not that he speaks good English, second qualification is not that he is competent, third qualification is not that he is good looking and fourth qualification is not that he knows how to make laws.

    “The first qualification of a person who is going to be a speaker is that he is 100 per cent loyal to the governor or the president,” Sani said.

  • 2027: Uba Sani’s return as Kaduna gov my major interest – Shehu Sani

    2027: Uba Sani’s return as Kaduna gov my major interest – Shehu Sani

    A former lawmaker and civil rights activist, Sen. Shehu Sani, says his major political interest in 2027 is to see Gov. Uba Sani of Kaduna re-elected for a second term in office.

    Sani, who recently defected from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to his former political party, All Progressives Congress (APC), stated this in an interview with NAN on Sunday in Abuja.

    “By virtue of political equation in Kaduna State, if I happen to get ticket to return to the senate in 2027, I will be glad, but if I am not, certainly I will be at peace that we return Uba as governor.

    “I am very much glad that Kaduna State has gotten rid of the tormentor that bedevilled the state politically, and that was the reason most of us who left APC to PDP had to return en masse to APC recently,’’ he said.

    Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the Eight Senate, described power as `ephemeral’, advising those in position of authority to always learn how to treat people well.

    “If God has blessed you with power, try and impact positively on the masses. But when you get intoxicated with power by abusing it, arresting people, unleashing terror on people, a day will come when you will be out of power,’’ he said.

    The former senator said that Kaduna had never been badly governed like it was between 2015 and 2023, saying that a lot of things went wrong in the state.

    “There was very sharp division between the Muslin North and Southern Christians in the state and that fuelled the problems of insecurity, terrorism and other challenges that dragged development down.

    “In Birnin Gwari area of Kaduna State, farmers have started returning to their farmers, where they hitherto used to pay millions of naira fine to terrorists before going to farms.

    “Though the state has not achieved all that it is set to achieve, it is far away from where it is coming from.

    “Since Uba Sani took over as governor, things have improved significantly, in that we hardly hear of cases of mass adoption of people in Kaduna.

    “People are now freely moving from Kaduna to Abuja and we are thankful to Nuhu Ribadu as the National Security Adviser and President Bola Tinubu,” he said.

    Sani, while assessing the security situation in the country, particularly in the north, said that it is better now than it was during the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

    “I must say that Tinubu’s security measures are 1,000 times better than that of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “The problem of the north now is that our own (Buhari) was in power for eight years, he could not do a number of things.

    “The Mambila Hydroelectric Power project, River Niger dredging, the Baro River Port and ending insecurity in the northern Nigeria were not done.

    “And yet, Buhari appointed northerners to head all the security agencies in the country and the slaughtering and killings of our people still went unabated.

    “There are four roads linking the states in the north to Abuja (Lokoja-Abuja, Kaduna-Kano-Abuja, Keffi-Abuja and Minna-Suleja-Abuja). All these roads were not completed for the eight-year tenure of Buhari,’’ he said.

    Sani queried the rationale behind calling Tinubu into account by some northerners when, indeed, they were silent during the time of his predecessor.

    “Many of the challenges plaguing the country today, if the right actions had been taken by the last administration, things wouldn’t have been the way they are today,’’ he said.

    The activist-turned-politician, however, urged the president to ensure that his administration’s various reforms have human face.

    “Nigerians are suffering; they are facing extreme hardship. There should be reliefs for the people; they should not be over-burdened.

    “People are finding it difficult to pay school fees and landlords have raised rents; there should be intervention on school fees and house rents.

    “There should be availability of public transportation system, while our teaching hospitals should be equipped and funded to ensure that our people don’t depend on poorly equipped health facilities,’’ he said.

    Nonetheless, Sani stated that anything that would take Nigeria to a higher ground should be done for the future and interest of the country.

    “This is the first time we are having a president that is beating his chest and saying that he is not controlled by any cabal. We should appreciate that and work with Tinubu,’’ he said.

  • Natasha vs Akpabio: Why Ireti Kingibe cannot fight for Kogi Senator – Shehu Sani

    Natasha vs Akpabio: Why Ireti Kingibe cannot fight for Kogi Senator – Shehu Sani

    Senator Shehu Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the Senate from 2015 to 2019 has come to the defence of Senator Ireti Kingibe representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Senator Kingibe had come under fire for not standing against the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

    Recall that the Senate on Thursday suspended the Kogi Central Senator over total disregard of the rules of the Nigerian Senate.

    Kingibe is a member of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions that suspended Senator Natasha.

    The FCT Senator is also the Senate Committee Chairman on Women Affairs.

    Given her position, many felt Senator Kingibe should have rallied round the embattled Senator Natasha when it mattered the most.

    However, reacting, Sani wrote on Facebook:

    “Some people are attacking Senator Ireti for not standing up to fight in the Senate.

    She is already being fought at home by the FCT Minister. If she now picks another battle in the Senate, she will be at war both front and back.

    “What will be left of her in that situation? You have to put yourself in her shoes to understand her predicament.

    “There are moments you have to choose the battles to fight and the ones to defer.

    “If Ireti fights on both sides, she will be loved by the social media but her constituents will revolt against her that “we didn’t send you to fight, we send you to bring something to us and help us”. Politics is intriguing”.

  • What is happening at Lagos Assembly is not excellence – Shehu Sani

    What is happening at Lagos Assembly is not excellence – Shehu Sani

    Human rights activist and former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani has reacted over developments at the Lagos State House of Assembly.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports ousted Speaker Mudashiru Obasa was reelected Speaker on Monday while incumbent Speaker Mojisola Meranda resigned and was reelected Deputy Speaker.

    “Lagos is supposed to be a Center of excellence. What is happening at the state Assembly is not excellence,” Senator Sani.

  • National Assembly losing its powers – Shehu Sani

    National Assembly losing its powers – Shehu Sani

    A former member of the Senate, Shehu Sani, has cautioned the National Assembly against allowing its influence to be diminished by its actions.

    Sani stated this while speaking at the opening of the National Assembly Legislative Aides’ Forum (NASSLAF) Week on Tuesday in Abuja.

    The pro-democracy activist also urged the legislators to selflessly live up to their responsibilities, for the good of the country.

    According to him, a subservient posture by the legislature is not in the interest of the country, warning that such can impede good governance and undermine democracy.

    Sani compared the current national assembly with the Eighth Assembly, led by Sen. Bukola Saraki, praising it (Eighth Assembly) for standing firm against executive’s overreach.

    He observed, with dismay, that the powers of the national assembly appeared to be eroded with time.

    “In our time, it was unthinkable for heads of MDAs to ignore our summons. They understood the gravity of our oversight functions,” he said.

    Sani warned that the current assembly risked becoming a “rubber stamp” for the executive, sacrificing its independence and weakening democratic checks and balances.

    Sani, therefore, cautioned the lawmakers against prioritising their personal gains over their constitutional responsibilities.

    “This institution needs respect. If you turn yourselves into stooges, you will lose that respect. Our era defended legislative independence, but it came at a cost,” he said.

    The former senator further stated that their insistence on doing the right thing birthed frosty relationships with the executive and caused delay in bills’ passage, warning that excessive cooperation was dangerous, as it could breed tyranny.

    Sani cited instances where heads of MDAs openly challenged lawmakers during oversight functions, a behaviour which, he said, would not have been tolerated by previous assemblies.

    “The senate president must ensure that nominees for appointments and executive proposals undergo serious scrutiny. This is not a place for automatic approval,” he stated.

    Sani reminded the lawmakers that their primary duty was to serve Nigerians, not the presidency.

    Sani also acknowledged what he called the vital but often over-looked roles of legislative aides, describing them as the backbone of the legislature, instrumental to drafting laws and policies for the country’s governance.

  • Why Emir Sanusi should not encourage her daughters to slap their husbands – Shehu Sani

    Why Emir Sanusi should not encourage her daughters to slap their husbands – Shehu Sani

    Former Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Senator Shehu Sani, has said “the very day slapping and slapping back becomes the order of a family, the marriage is irreversibly destroyed”.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Senator Sani said this on Tuesday in response to an advice on domestic violence given by the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II to his daughters.

    Emir Sanusi had while speaking at the National Dialogue Conference on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) disclosed he had advised his daughters to slap their husbands if they dare slap them.

    “When my daughters are getting married, I say to them, if your husband slaps you, and you come home and tell me my husband slapped me, without slapping him back first, I will slap you myself because I did not send my daughter to marry somebody so he can slap her,” Sanusi was quoted to have said.

    Reacting, Senator Sani said the Emir of Kano should not be encouraging this kind of domestic violence in the form of slapping and slapping back and that the very day slapping and slapping back becomes the order of a family, the marriage is irreversibly.

    Sani went on to express sadness over the rate of divorce in the northern region of the country, revealing that most of the divorcees now virtually live a life of glorified prostitution.

    The Senator wrote via Facebook: “His Highness Sanusi should not be encouraging this kind of domestic violence in form of Slapping and Slapping back. Rather, Husbands and wives should learn to control themselves in moments of anger when the Devil temporarily visits their homes.

    “When a husband is angry, he should walk out of the House and come back later. When a husband is upset and shouting loudly, the wife should just keep quiet and allow him to relieve all of his words. The sentence “I’m sorry” has a magical spirit that can evict the demon in the house.

    “Two people shouting at each other is the source of many Divorce. If the man is becoming violent, the wife should protect herself by walking out to his family or her family home. The very day slapping and slapping back becomes the order of a family, the marriage is irreversibly destroyed even if the couple remains together.

    “Most of the participants in those mass weddings are literally divorced wives who believe in this revengeful idea of slapping back their husbands.

    “What is the possibility that when you slap your first husband you won’t slap the second one? Did you grew up from a home where your father slapped your mother and your mother slapped him back? How did your parents resolved their problems? Should that not be your guide?

    “It’s sad that you can now see thousands of Divorcees from the North in Abuja, who refused to be patient with their husbands. They are virtually living a life of glorified prostitution moving from one Honorable to another Honorable, giving them mostly false promises of multi million naira contracts or Supplies and sleeping with them.

    “What they cannot tolerate from their husbands they end up tolerating it with the Honorables whom they cannot slap back under any circumstance. There is no perfect husband and there is no perfect [wife] and there is no perfect family. We live by learning to understand and tolerate our imperfections. Every family poor or rich has its challenges.

    “In every home there are good moments and bad moments, when bad moments come, we should learn to navigate the storms and the turbulence and it will pass.  Most Marriages last not because of love, but because the couples have learned and master the art of overcoming those bad moments and moving on.

    “When you are getting married to a man or a woman, just know that you are not getting married to an angel even though you call each other Angels. You also call yourselves honey and forget that honey comes from a Bee that can sting.

    “Even me, that writes this have my own headache and troubles at home occasionally. Whenever I travel, my wife wants to call me on video call by midnight or 1am and she will not tolerate the excuse that I don’t have enough data sometimes or network problems; and whenever we communicated via that video, she feels happy and life moves on. One day I’ll be gone and the family will miss that moment. That is life”.