News In Brief.
Good morning people! how is the weekend going. Happy Sunday.
Enjoy this morning's news in brief. culled from Punchng.com.
Jonathan still president, says Presidency website
The State House’s (Office of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria) official website, www.statehouse.gov.ng on Saturday still has ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Namadi Sambo as being in charge of the country.
But Jonathan and Sambo had since been replaced by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on May 29.
While the ex-president and the former vice president had returned to their bases, Buhari and Osinbajo are expected to reside in the State House.
SUNDAY PUNCH’s checks on the website also revealed that names of Mrs. Patience Jonathan and Hajia Amina Sambo, were still listed as being the First Lady and wife of the Vice President, respectively.
In the news section of the site, the latest information posted was President Muhammadu Buhari’s inaugural speech.
The official website for the office of the president also listed ministers in the Jonathan administration as current ministers, as pictures and names of 41 ministers were displayed.
The same situation was discovered when our correspondent visited the State House’s principal officers’ and other sections.
Buhari, VP fail to declare assets publicly
President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have declared their assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau as required by the Constitution but failed to make the contents public.
The head of Buhari’s media team, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Saturday, said the President and the Vice President submitted their assets declaration forms separately on Thursday.
Shehu added that the CCB, through its Chairman, Sam Saba, on Friday acknowledged the receipt of the forms.
He gave Buhari’s declaration identity number as “President: 000001/2015.”
Shehu, however, did not disclose the contents of the assets declaration forms.
“By declaring their assets, President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo may have not only fulfilled the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution, but also fulfilled the first of their many campaign promises.
“While seeking election into the highest office in the land, the President had promised Nigerians that he would publicly declare his assets as soon as he took over government,” he wrote.
The Nigerian Constitution states in Chapter VI Section 140 that a person elected to the Office of the President shall not begin to perform the functions of that office until he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in the Constitution.
Though the president’s aide believes the declaration was in fulfillment of Buhari’s campaign promises, analysts claim the President has not done anything spectacular because the contents were not made public.
Appointments: Buhari keeps Nigerians guessing 48 hours after
In what appears to be a clear departure from the past, President Muhammadu Buhari has kept Nigerians guessing with respect to the appointment of key positions like the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the media and his publicity team.
Unlike his predecessors and most state governors, Buhari had yet to announce the names and designations of those he has picked to perform these and other functions on Saturday.
The various statements issued from the Office of the President at the Presidential Villa on Saturday were signed by Mr. Garba Shehu, the erstwhile Director of Media and Publicity of the now defunct All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council.
Shehu told one of our correspondents on Saturday that the presidential campaign media team had continued to work for Buhari pending the official appointment of his spokespersons. “It is the same campaign team,” he said.
When probed on whether Buhari would be addressing the country soon to declare his next course of action, he said the President had said all he had to say in his inaugural ceremony and gala speeches.
We’ll unseat Wike at tribunal—APC
THE All Progressives Congress in Rivers State has said that despite the assumption of office of Governor Nyesom Wike, it was confident that he would be removed by the election petition tribunal.
Wike won on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party during the April 2015 elections.
The state chairman of the APC, Dr. Davies Ikanya, in a statement made available to SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday, said Wike was unjustly declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He advised the governor not to embark on any long term project, adding that he (Wike) has a short time to stay in office.
The state APC chairman also advised the governor not to change the curtains and furniture in the Government House, because he has ‘a very short time’ to stay in power.
He pointed out that the blood of APC members spilled during the elections in the state would never be in vain.
“Mr. Wike was unjustly declared winner by the state INEC, which never hides its connivance with Rivers PDP.
Fayose pays 19 APC lawmakers’ salaries.
There are indications that the embattled 19 members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly of the All Progressives Congress extraction have been paid their outstanding salaries and allowances by the state government.
SUNDAY PUNCH investigations revealed that the lawmakers led by the embattled Speaker, Dr. Adewale Ominrin were paid the said allowances sometime last week.
The development, sources told SUNDAY PUNCH, was a fallout of the peace meeting the lawmakers held with Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The agreement between the warring parties according to sources is that once the lawmakers are paid their outstanding allowances, they will sheathe their sword and jettison their plan to impeach the governor.
The struggle for the soul of the state by the two parties had nearly paralysed the state with both of them threatening to deal with each other.
However, sources disclosed to SUNDAY PUNCH that there is apprehension that the truce may suffer a setback with the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday.
There are concerns that the party might want to use federal might to unseat the governor who was a pain in the neck during campaigns for the president, who was the APC candidate though a court had earlier ordered the warring parties to maintain the status quo.
The Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, has yet to constitute a panel to investigate the allegations of impunity, violence, stalking and other constitutional breaches raised against the duo.
I’ve not banned Jonathan’s ministers from travelling abroad — Buhari.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday said no law abiding Nigerian has been banned from travelling outside the country.
Buhari was reacting to reported cases of VIP stoppages at the nation’s airports. The matter was brought to his attention on Saturday.
A statement signed by the Head, President Muhammadu Buhari Media team, Mallam Garba Shehu said, “Officials of past administrations including ministers, are entitled to their full rights and privileges under the constitution and must not be subjected to any undue harassment and intimidation at the airports or at other points of entry and exit.” It quoted Buhari as saying, “We have not banned anyone from travelling,”
President Buhari subsequently directed all agencies under the government to run their affairs in full compliance with extant rules, regulations and the constitution of the country.
Buhari said, “Unless otherwise directed by the courts, no law-abiding citizens should be barred from travelling abroad.
“We must treat fellow citizens with courtesy and respect. Officials at the borders and other points of entry and exit should conduct their affairs in strict compliance with due process. No one has my permission to bar anyone from travelling abroad.”
Alamieyeseigha made me — Jonathan
Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday identified a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, as the person responsible for the political height he attained in Nigeria.
Jonathan made this known during a special thanksgiving service in his honour at the St. Peters Anglican Church, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
He said, “I will not forget to thank Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Without him, I would not have been talking about being a former president.
“At a time I was not thinking about being a commissioner in the state, he came to me and said I should run with him. That is why I am here today. So, without him, it would not have been possible to hear about Jonathan.’’
Jonathan added that Alamieyeseigha came to him to run with him as deputy-governor of Bayelsa at a time he was not thinking about being a commissioner.
God plans to heal Nigeria through us — Osinbajo
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has said God’s plan was to turn things around for good and heal Nigeria through the new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said his election was ordained by God for the sole purpose of assisting Buhari to build a nation that would be admired by other nations of the world.
Osinbajo said this on Saturday at a thanksgiving service held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.
The service was organised for the Vice President, members of his family, friends and political associates to thank God for the success of his inauguration, which was held on Friday.
He said the desire of God was that Nigeria should be governed in accordance with the rule of law and justice.
Osinbajo said, “I thank the great and mighty God who has chosen me at this time by Himself to assist the President of this nation.
“His plan is to make Nigeria a nation that will be admired and respected amongst the nations of the earth.
“This will be done by ensuring that corruption is eradicated and resources meant for all are not cornered by a few, but are used according to law, justice and equity for the benefit of all.
Bear with us, Buhari appeals to Nigerians
President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to Nigerians to bear with his administration as he and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo begin the work of reconstructing the country.
He said the appeal was necessary because of the collateral damage that had been done to the system before they came on board.
Buhari made the appeal in his remarks on Friday at the inauguration gala night held inside the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The event took place a few hours after he and Osinbajo took their oaths of office and oaths of allegiance before a mammoth crowd at the Eagle Square, Abuja where he promised to be the President of all.
“I ask Nigerians to please bear with us; a lot of damage has been done. You can look at our infrastructure in 1999 and now and you will appreciate this,” he said.
Buhari also regretted the high rate of unemployment among youths who he said represented about 60 per cent of the country’s population.
He said the nation was sitting on a keg of gun powder with that kind of unpleasant situation.
He said his administration would focus on agriculture and mining to engage some of the unemployed youth.
He also asked Nigerians to pray for the country more than they are currently doing
“Nigeria prays a lot; we need to even pray the more for luck so that the expectations our people have, especially the youth, would be met,” he said.
Asari Dokubo faults Niger Delta amnesty
Leader of the Ijaw Youth Council, Mr. Asari Dokubo, has condemned the amnesty granted to the ex-Niger Delta militants by the late president, Umaru Yar’adua.
According to him, this was a bribe to allow oil flow from the Niger Delta region to the North. He said that was the reason he rejected the offer.
Dokubo, who gave the clarification during the 2015 MASSOB day celebration, held in Owerri, Imo State, also faulted the national conference organised by the Federal Government, insisting that the exercise did not represent the views of the Niger Delta region that is yearning for a referendum.
“It only represented the views of the rest of the country. Let us be allowed to have a referendum. We have the right to hold a referendum on where we want to go,” he argued.
It’ll take Nigeria time to stop B’Haram –Campbell.
A former United States of America’s Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, has said that the ongoing insurgency by Boko Haram remains a great challenge for the newly elected President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
According to Campbell, who drew the country’s ire with his book, ‘Nigeria: Dancing on the brink’ published in 2010 believed to have predicted that the country would disintegrate in 2015, the country’s security and economic challenges will take a long time to overcome.
He said, “Nigeria’s challenges are great: Boko Haram and a huge population of internally displaced, a potential renewal of an insurrection in the oil patch, ubiquitous corruption, falling oil prices, labour unrest, and generally, a people by and large alienated from their government and their elites. President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed for patience from the Nigerian people. It remains to be seen whether they will give it to him. Nigeria’s challenges will be there tomorrow and for long after.”
President Buhari had in his 2015 presidential election campaign promised that he would step up the fight against Boko Haram and widespread corruption in the country. Buhari repeated this promise in his inaugural speech on Friday.
Wanted Nyako returns, plans to meet Buhari
Former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako (retd.), returned to Nigeria on Saturday.
Nyako, who arrived from London on a Lufthansa Airline flight, landed at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, around 4:42pm.
The former governor was received at the airport by former governor of Gombe State, Sen. Danjuma Goje; former governor of Zamfara State, Sen. Sani Yerima; his son, Abdulazeez, and other political allies.
One of his aides, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said Nyako decided to return to Nigeria following the inauguration of Muhammadu Buhari as President.
Nyako fled the country following his controversial impeachment by the Adamawa State House of Assembly.
His impeachment, which he is still contesting in court, was said to have been as a result of his disagreement with former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The former naval chief had accused the then President of having hands in the Boko Haram menace ravaging the North-East.
His problem with his former political party, the Peoples Democratic Party, started when the national headquarters of the party in Abuja dissolved the executives of the party in his state.
God is involved in politics — Osinbajo
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has dismissed concerns that religious leaders should not be involved in politics.
Osinbajo, in an interview with Sahara TV on Saturday, which was monitored by our correspondent, was responding to a Twitter post by a Nigerian which read, “The combination of religion and politics is sinful and not the work of God.”
But Osinbajo, who is also a Senior Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, said from the beginning of time, the choice of national leaders had always been the work of God.
“I think that people make a mistake. God has always been involved in the politics of nations. There is no time that God was not involved in the politics of a nation. God has always sought good leaders.
Kwara NURTW members protest Police killing of leader
Pandemonium broke out in Ajasse, Kwara State, on Saturday when members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers stormed the Ilorin/Ajasse Ipo Highway in protest against the killing of the NURTW chairman in Kabba/Omu Aran/Igbaja area of the state, Mr. Akeem Laduba.
The highway is a busy route to Abuja, Kogi State, Ekiti State, Osun State and other parts of the country.
An eyewitness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told journalists that trouble started when an unnamed police officer, who was part of a patrol team that mounted a road block at Ajasse, allegedly shot Laduba on Friday.
He added that Laduba only intervened to plead for a commercial motorcyclist who was in a disagreement with the patrol team.
The source said the police officers were allegedly enraged by what they perceived as Laduba’s ‘effrontery,’ leading to an escalation of the disagreement.
He added that the altercation degenerated into a free-for-all.
According to him, in the process, one of the policemen shot at and killed the NURTW chairman. The injured transporter was said to have died at an undisclosed hospital where he was taken to.
Ambode meets perm secs, banks on workers for continuity
Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, on Saturday held his inaugural meeting with the Body of Permanent Secretaries in the State Public Service, where he explained that the state civil service will drive the change and the continuity which he intends to put in place in the next four years.
The governor, who spoke at the Lagos House, Alausa, said he intends to strengthen the civil service and continue with the reforms through which he would carry out his policies.
He urged the permanent secretaries, who are the administrative heads of the ministries, to see themselves as front runners of the present administration, adding that he would take advantage of the experience he had gathered as a retired public servant.
Ambode disclosed that new offices would be created while existing ones would be streamlined in order to ensure that cost of governance was reduced while ensuring greater efficiency.
He added, “Part of my speech at my inauguration ceremony yesterday(Friday) dwelt on the creation of a Ministry of Wealth Creation, which would ensure that not only do we create wealth but ensure that when investments from foreign sources drops, a pro-active situation is in place to take care of them.”
Ganduje dissolves cabinet, sacks political appointees
The new Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Saturday dissolved the state executive council.
Ganduje, who made the announcement through the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Rabiu Bichi, also relieved all political office holders of their appointments.
The dissolution affected all Commissioners, Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants and Special Assistants.
The governor commended the officers for their various contributions to the development of the state.
The sacked commissioners were directed to hand over the affairs of their ministries to their respective permanent secretaries.
Buhari emergence, divine intervention for development – Cleric.
A cleric, Prophet Christopher Owolabi, has predicted a rapid socio-economic development for Nigeria with President Muhammadu Buhari at the helm of affairs.
Owolabi, is a Prophet in charge of the Christ Apostolic Church, Ori Oke Irapada, along the Omu-Aran-Ilofa expressway, Omu-Aran in Kwara State.
He made the prediction during a special prayer organised by the church for peace, good governance, stability and national development for the country on Saturday.
Owolabi said what the President and its team needed most was the prayer, cooperation, perseverance and support of all stakeholders to achieve the desired change.
He urged Nigerians in all spheres of endeavour to learn from their past mistakes, misdeed and shortcomings by embracing righteousness and godliness.
“This second coming of the newly sworn-in President Muhammadu Buhari, no doubt, is clearly a divine intervention as revealed by God to salvage Nigeria’s battered socio-economic and security.
“It is only left for us as citizens and non citizens alike to be alive to our responsibilities by giving the necessary supports needed by this administration to succeed,” he said.
India heat wave tests water supply, kills 1,800
Dizzying temperatures have caused water shortages in thousands of Indian villages and killed hundreds more people over the past day, driving the death toll from a weeks-long heat wave to at least 1,826, officials have said.
Hospitals were urged to give emergency treatment to people suffering from heatstroke as authorities on Friday cancelled doctors’ leave, set up water distribution points and warned people not to venture out.
“The main thing is prevention in this situation to ensure that preventive measures are being taken,” said Charan Singh, additional director of public health in Delhi, where top temperatures have hit 45 degrees Celsius.
Meteorological officials have called the heat wave “severe” and warned that it would continue for at least another two days across a huge swath of the South Asian country from Tamil Nadu in the south to the Himalayan foothill state of Himachal Pradesh.
Most of those killed by heat-related conditions including dehydration and heat stroke, have been in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where 100 people died on Thursday as temperatures hovered at about 43C.
Thousands of water tankers were delivering supplies to more than 4,000 villages and hamlets facing acute water shortages in the central state of Maharashtra, state officials told the Press Trust of India news agency.
19 bus passengers killed in Pakistan
Armed men have killed at least 19 passengers after forcing them off buses travelling from the western Pakistani city of Quetta to Karachi in the Balochistan province, authorities say.
“The attackers forced the buses to stop, abducted more than two dozen passengers, and then shot at least 19 dead,” said Ismail Ibrahim, a senior official in the province.
The attack occurred late on Friday in the town of Mastung, around 40km south of Quetta.
“The armed men were wearing the uniforms of the security forces,” Sarfaraz Bugti, Balochistan’s home minister, said.
The bodies of 19 passengers had been found so far in nearby hills, officials said.
Akbar Harifal, deputy district commissioner, said security forces had rescued five passengers after an exchange of fire.
“Police and paramilitary have cordoned off the area and an exchange of fire is still ongoing,” he said.
Enjoy this morning's news in brief. culled from Punchng.com.
Jonathan still president, says Presidency website
The State House’s (Office of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria) official website, www.statehouse.gov.ng on Saturday still has ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Namadi Sambo as being in charge of the country.
But Jonathan and Sambo had since been replaced by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on May 29.
While the ex-president and the former vice president had returned to their bases, Buhari and Osinbajo are expected to reside in the State House.
SUNDAY PUNCH’s checks on the website also revealed that names of Mrs. Patience Jonathan and Hajia Amina Sambo, were still listed as being the First Lady and wife of the Vice President, respectively.
In the news section of the site, the latest information posted was President Muhammadu Buhari’s inaugural speech.
The official website for the office of the president also listed ministers in the Jonathan administration as current ministers, as pictures and names of 41 ministers were displayed.
The same situation was discovered when our correspondent visited the State House’s principal officers’ and other sections.
Buhari, VP fail to declare assets publicly
President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have declared their assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau as required by the Constitution but failed to make the contents public.
The head of Buhari’s media team, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Saturday, said the President and the Vice President submitted their assets declaration forms separately on Thursday.
Shehu added that the CCB, through its Chairman, Sam Saba, on Friday acknowledged the receipt of the forms.
He gave Buhari’s declaration identity number as “President: 000001/2015.”
Shehu, however, did not disclose the contents of the assets declaration forms.
“By declaring their assets, President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo may have not only fulfilled the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution, but also fulfilled the first of their many campaign promises.
“While seeking election into the highest office in the land, the President had promised Nigerians that he would publicly declare his assets as soon as he took over government,” he wrote.
The Nigerian Constitution states in Chapter VI Section 140 that a person elected to the Office of the President shall not begin to perform the functions of that office until he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in the Constitution.
Though the president’s aide believes the declaration was in fulfillment of Buhari’s campaign promises, analysts claim the President has not done anything spectacular because the contents were not made public.
Appointments: Buhari keeps Nigerians guessing 48 hours after
In what appears to be a clear departure from the past, President Muhammadu Buhari has kept Nigerians guessing with respect to the appointment of key positions like the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the media and his publicity team.
Unlike his predecessors and most state governors, Buhari had yet to announce the names and designations of those he has picked to perform these and other functions on Saturday.
The various statements issued from the Office of the President at the Presidential Villa on Saturday were signed by Mr. Garba Shehu, the erstwhile Director of Media and Publicity of the now defunct All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council.
Shehu told one of our correspondents on Saturday that the presidential campaign media team had continued to work for Buhari pending the official appointment of his spokespersons. “It is the same campaign team,” he said.
When probed on whether Buhari would be addressing the country soon to declare his next course of action, he said the President had said all he had to say in his inaugural ceremony and gala speeches.
We’ll unseat Wike at tribunal—APC
THE All Progressives Congress in Rivers State has said that despite the assumption of office of Governor Nyesom Wike, it was confident that he would be removed by the election petition tribunal.
Wike won on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party during the April 2015 elections.
The state chairman of the APC, Dr. Davies Ikanya, in a statement made available to SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday, said Wike was unjustly declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He advised the governor not to embark on any long term project, adding that he (Wike) has a short time to stay in office.
The state APC chairman also advised the governor not to change the curtains and furniture in the Government House, because he has ‘a very short time’ to stay in power.
He pointed out that the blood of APC members spilled during the elections in the state would never be in vain.
“Mr. Wike was unjustly declared winner by the state INEC, which never hides its connivance with Rivers PDP.
Fayose pays 19 APC lawmakers’ salaries.
There are indications that the embattled 19 members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly of the All Progressives Congress extraction have been paid their outstanding salaries and allowances by the state government.
SUNDAY PUNCH investigations revealed that the lawmakers led by the embattled Speaker, Dr. Adewale Ominrin were paid the said allowances sometime last week.
The development, sources told SUNDAY PUNCH, was a fallout of the peace meeting the lawmakers held with Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The agreement between the warring parties according to sources is that once the lawmakers are paid their outstanding allowances, they will sheathe their sword and jettison their plan to impeach the governor.
The struggle for the soul of the state by the two parties had nearly paralysed the state with both of them threatening to deal with each other.
However, sources disclosed to SUNDAY PUNCH that there is apprehension that the truce may suffer a setback with the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday.
There are concerns that the party might want to use federal might to unseat the governor who was a pain in the neck during campaigns for the president, who was the APC candidate though a court had earlier ordered the warring parties to maintain the status quo.
The Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, has yet to constitute a panel to investigate the allegations of impunity, violence, stalking and other constitutional breaches raised against the duo.
I’ve not banned Jonathan’s ministers from travelling abroad — Buhari.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday said no law abiding Nigerian has been banned from travelling outside the country.
Buhari was reacting to reported cases of VIP stoppages at the nation’s airports. The matter was brought to his attention on Saturday.
A statement signed by the Head, President Muhammadu Buhari Media team, Mallam Garba Shehu said, “Officials of past administrations including ministers, are entitled to their full rights and privileges under the constitution and must not be subjected to any undue harassment and intimidation at the airports or at other points of entry and exit.” It quoted Buhari as saying, “We have not banned anyone from travelling,”
President Buhari subsequently directed all agencies under the government to run their affairs in full compliance with extant rules, regulations and the constitution of the country.
Buhari said, “Unless otherwise directed by the courts, no law-abiding citizens should be barred from travelling abroad.
“We must treat fellow citizens with courtesy and respect. Officials at the borders and other points of entry and exit should conduct their affairs in strict compliance with due process. No one has my permission to bar anyone from travelling abroad.”
Alamieyeseigha made me — Jonathan
Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday identified a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, as the person responsible for the political height he attained in Nigeria.
Jonathan made this known during a special thanksgiving service in his honour at the St. Peters Anglican Church, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
He said, “I will not forget to thank Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Without him, I would not have been talking about being a former president.
“At a time I was not thinking about being a commissioner in the state, he came to me and said I should run with him. That is why I am here today. So, without him, it would not have been possible to hear about Jonathan.’’
Jonathan added that Alamieyeseigha came to him to run with him as deputy-governor of Bayelsa at a time he was not thinking about being a commissioner.
God plans to heal Nigeria through us — Osinbajo
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has said God’s plan was to turn things around for good and heal Nigeria through the new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said his election was ordained by God for the sole purpose of assisting Buhari to build a nation that would be admired by other nations of the world.
Osinbajo said this on Saturday at a thanksgiving service held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.
The service was organised for the Vice President, members of his family, friends and political associates to thank God for the success of his inauguration, which was held on Friday.
He said the desire of God was that Nigeria should be governed in accordance with the rule of law and justice.
Osinbajo said, “I thank the great and mighty God who has chosen me at this time by Himself to assist the President of this nation.
“His plan is to make Nigeria a nation that will be admired and respected amongst the nations of the earth.
“This will be done by ensuring that corruption is eradicated and resources meant for all are not cornered by a few, but are used according to law, justice and equity for the benefit of all.
Bear with us, Buhari appeals to Nigerians
President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to Nigerians to bear with his administration as he and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo begin the work of reconstructing the country.
He said the appeal was necessary because of the collateral damage that had been done to the system before they came on board.
Buhari made the appeal in his remarks on Friday at the inauguration gala night held inside the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The event took place a few hours after he and Osinbajo took their oaths of office and oaths of allegiance before a mammoth crowd at the Eagle Square, Abuja where he promised to be the President of all.
“I ask Nigerians to please bear with us; a lot of damage has been done. You can look at our infrastructure in 1999 and now and you will appreciate this,” he said.
Buhari also regretted the high rate of unemployment among youths who he said represented about 60 per cent of the country’s population.
He said the nation was sitting on a keg of gun powder with that kind of unpleasant situation.
He said his administration would focus on agriculture and mining to engage some of the unemployed youth.
He also asked Nigerians to pray for the country more than they are currently doing
“Nigeria prays a lot; we need to even pray the more for luck so that the expectations our people have, especially the youth, would be met,” he said.
Asari Dokubo faults Niger Delta amnesty
Leader of the Ijaw Youth Council, Mr. Asari Dokubo, has condemned the amnesty granted to the ex-Niger Delta militants by the late president, Umaru Yar’adua.
According to him, this was a bribe to allow oil flow from the Niger Delta region to the North. He said that was the reason he rejected the offer.
Dokubo, who gave the clarification during the 2015 MASSOB day celebration, held in Owerri, Imo State, also faulted the national conference organised by the Federal Government, insisting that the exercise did not represent the views of the Niger Delta region that is yearning for a referendum.
“It only represented the views of the rest of the country. Let us be allowed to have a referendum. We have the right to hold a referendum on where we want to go,” he argued.
It’ll take Nigeria time to stop B’Haram –Campbell.
A former United States of America’s Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, has said that the ongoing insurgency by Boko Haram remains a great challenge for the newly elected President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
According to Campbell, who drew the country’s ire with his book, ‘Nigeria: Dancing on the brink’ published in 2010 believed to have predicted that the country would disintegrate in 2015, the country’s security and economic challenges will take a long time to overcome.
He said, “Nigeria’s challenges are great: Boko Haram and a huge population of internally displaced, a potential renewal of an insurrection in the oil patch, ubiquitous corruption, falling oil prices, labour unrest, and generally, a people by and large alienated from their government and their elites. President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed for patience from the Nigerian people. It remains to be seen whether they will give it to him. Nigeria’s challenges will be there tomorrow and for long after.”
President Buhari had in his 2015 presidential election campaign promised that he would step up the fight against Boko Haram and widespread corruption in the country. Buhari repeated this promise in his inaugural speech on Friday.
Wanted Nyako returns, plans to meet Buhari
Former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako (retd.), returned to Nigeria on Saturday.
Nyako, who arrived from London on a Lufthansa Airline flight, landed at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, around 4:42pm.
The former governor was received at the airport by former governor of Gombe State, Sen. Danjuma Goje; former governor of Zamfara State, Sen. Sani Yerima; his son, Abdulazeez, and other political allies.
One of his aides, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said Nyako decided to return to Nigeria following the inauguration of Muhammadu Buhari as President.
Nyako fled the country following his controversial impeachment by the Adamawa State House of Assembly.
His impeachment, which he is still contesting in court, was said to have been as a result of his disagreement with former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The former naval chief had accused the then President of having hands in the Boko Haram menace ravaging the North-East.
His problem with his former political party, the Peoples Democratic Party, started when the national headquarters of the party in Abuja dissolved the executives of the party in his state.
God is involved in politics — Osinbajo
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has dismissed concerns that religious leaders should not be involved in politics.
Osinbajo, in an interview with Sahara TV on Saturday, which was monitored by our correspondent, was responding to a Twitter post by a Nigerian which read, “The combination of religion and politics is sinful and not the work of God.”
But Osinbajo, who is also a Senior Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, said from the beginning of time, the choice of national leaders had always been the work of God.
“I think that people make a mistake. God has always been involved in the politics of nations. There is no time that God was not involved in the politics of a nation. God has always sought good leaders.
Kwara NURTW members protest Police killing of leader
Pandemonium broke out in Ajasse, Kwara State, on Saturday when members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers stormed the Ilorin/Ajasse Ipo Highway in protest against the killing of the NURTW chairman in Kabba/Omu Aran/Igbaja area of the state, Mr. Akeem Laduba.
The highway is a busy route to Abuja, Kogi State, Ekiti State, Osun State and other parts of the country.
An eyewitness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told journalists that trouble started when an unnamed police officer, who was part of a patrol team that mounted a road block at Ajasse, allegedly shot Laduba on Friday.
He added that Laduba only intervened to plead for a commercial motorcyclist who was in a disagreement with the patrol team.
The source said the police officers were allegedly enraged by what they perceived as Laduba’s ‘effrontery,’ leading to an escalation of the disagreement.
He added that the altercation degenerated into a free-for-all.
According to him, in the process, one of the policemen shot at and killed the NURTW chairman. The injured transporter was said to have died at an undisclosed hospital where he was taken to.
Ambode meets perm secs, banks on workers for continuity
Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, on Saturday held his inaugural meeting with the Body of Permanent Secretaries in the State Public Service, where he explained that the state civil service will drive the change and the continuity which he intends to put in place in the next four years.
The governor, who spoke at the Lagos House, Alausa, said he intends to strengthen the civil service and continue with the reforms through which he would carry out his policies.
He urged the permanent secretaries, who are the administrative heads of the ministries, to see themselves as front runners of the present administration, adding that he would take advantage of the experience he had gathered as a retired public servant.
Ambode disclosed that new offices would be created while existing ones would be streamlined in order to ensure that cost of governance was reduced while ensuring greater efficiency.
He added, “Part of my speech at my inauguration ceremony yesterday(Friday) dwelt on the creation of a Ministry of Wealth Creation, which would ensure that not only do we create wealth but ensure that when investments from foreign sources drops, a pro-active situation is in place to take care of them.”
Ganduje dissolves cabinet, sacks political appointees
The new Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Saturday dissolved the state executive council.
Ganduje, who made the announcement through the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Rabiu Bichi, also relieved all political office holders of their appointments.
The dissolution affected all Commissioners, Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants and Special Assistants.
The governor commended the officers for their various contributions to the development of the state.
The sacked commissioners were directed to hand over the affairs of their ministries to their respective permanent secretaries.
Buhari emergence, divine intervention for development – Cleric.
A cleric, Prophet Christopher Owolabi, has predicted a rapid socio-economic development for Nigeria with President Muhammadu Buhari at the helm of affairs.
Owolabi, is a Prophet in charge of the Christ Apostolic Church, Ori Oke Irapada, along the Omu-Aran-Ilofa expressway, Omu-Aran in Kwara State.
He made the prediction during a special prayer organised by the church for peace, good governance, stability and national development for the country on Saturday.
Owolabi said what the President and its team needed most was the prayer, cooperation, perseverance and support of all stakeholders to achieve the desired change.
He urged Nigerians in all spheres of endeavour to learn from their past mistakes, misdeed and shortcomings by embracing righteousness and godliness.
“This second coming of the newly sworn-in President Muhammadu Buhari, no doubt, is clearly a divine intervention as revealed by God to salvage Nigeria’s battered socio-economic and security.
“It is only left for us as citizens and non citizens alike to be alive to our responsibilities by giving the necessary supports needed by this administration to succeed,” he said.
India heat wave tests water supply, kills 1,800
Dizzying temperatures have caused water shortages in thousands of Indian villages and killed hundreds more people over the past day, driving the death toll from a weeks-long heat wave to at least 1,826, officials have said.
Hospitals were urged to give emergency treatment to people suffering from heatstroke as authorities on Friday cancelled doctors’ leave, set up water distribution points and warned people not to venture out.
“The main thing is prevention in this situation to ensure that preventive measures are being taken,” said Charan Singh, additional director of public health in Delhi, where top temperatures have hit 45 degrees Celsius.
Meteorological officials have called the heat wave “severe” and warned that it would continue for at least another two days across a huge swath of the South Asian country from Tamil Nadu in the south to the Himalayan foothill state of Himachal Pradesh.
Most of those killed by heat-related conditions including dehydration and heat stroke, have been in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where 100 people died on Thursday as temperatures hovered at about 43C.
Thousands of water tankers were delivering supplies to more than 4,000 villages and hamlets facing acute water shortages in the central state of Maharashtra, state officials told the Press Trust of India news agency.
19 bus passengers killed in Pakistan
Armed men have killed at least 19 passengers after forcing them off buses travelling from the western Pakistani city of Quetta to Karachi in the Balochistan province, authorities say.
“The attackers forced the buses to stop, abducted more than two dozen passengers, and then shot at least 19 dead,” said Ismail Ibrahim, a senior official in the province.
The attack occurred late on Friday in the town of Mastung, around 40km south of Quetta.
“The armed men were wearing the uniforms of the security forces,” Sarfaraz Bugti, Balochistan’s home minister, said.
The bodies of 19 passengers had been found so far in nearby hills, officials said.
Akbar Harifal, deputy district commissioner, said security forces had rescued five passengers after an exchange of fire.
“Police and paramilitary have cordoned off the area and an exchange of fire is still ongoing,” he said.
Morning Kem, Happy Sunday to you.
ReplyDeletethanks for the news. You saving us a lotta money , buying news dailies.
So many expectations of Nigerians from the new president.
ReplyDeleteBiko people should allow him settle down so he can tackle the problems one after the other. he is no magician, and frankly i am not expecting to see drastic changes. Nigeria has since lost its glory, and it will take a lot of washing and shining to bring back the spark. and at least Buhari and Osinbajo are ready to go the ground work.
Lets pray for help from God for them.
God bless Nigeria.
Ty for the news brief.
ReplyDelete