Independence Day speech by PMB

BROADCAST BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI ON OCTOBER 1, 2017

My dear Nigerians,

October 1st remains a special date for all Nigerians as this marks the day when we attained one of the most precious of human desires — freedom.

Over the years the country has gone through trials and tribulations, but October 1st is always a day for celebrations.

It is a day for thanks giving, reflection and re-dedication.

It is also a day for remembrance. We should remind ourselves of the recent journey from 1999 – 2015, when our country happily returned to democratic rule.

However, in spite of oil prices being an average of $100 per barrel and about 2.1m barrels a day, that great piece of luck was squandered and the country’s social and physical infrastructure neglected.

We were left with no savings and huge infrastructure deficit.

The APC Government’s Campaign rallying cry to restore security, re-balance the economy and fight corruption was not all rhetoric.

The country must first be secured. The economy must be re-balanced so that we do not depend on oil alone. We must fight corruption which is Nigeria’s Number One Enemy. Our Administration is tackling these tasks in earnest.

In the past two years, Nigeria has recorded appreciable gains in political freedom. A political Party at the Centre losing elections of State Governor, National Assembly seat and even State Assemblies to the opposition parties is new to Nigeria. Added to these are complete freedom to associate, to hold and disseminate opinions. Such developments clearly attest to the country’s growing political development. But like all freedoms, this is open to abuse.

Recent calls on re-structuring, quite proper in a legitimate debate, has let in highly irresponsible groups to call for dismemberment of the country. We can not and we will not allow such advocacy.

As a young Army Officer, I took part from the beginning to the end in our tragic civil war costing about 2m lives, resulting in fearful destruction and untold suffering. Those who are agitating for a re-run were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through.

I am very disappointed that responsible leaders of these communities do not warn their hot-headed youths what the country went through. Those who were there should tell those who were not there, the consequences of such folly.

At all events, proper dialogue and any desired constitutional changes should take place in a rational manner, at the National and State Assemblies. These are the proper and legal fora for National debate, not some lop-sided, un-democratic body with pre-determined set of objectives.

Government is keeping up the momentum of dialogue with stakeholders in the Niger Delta to keep the peace. We intend to address genuine grievances of the communities.

Government is grateful to the responsible leadership of those communities and will pursue lasting peace in the Niger Delta.

SECURITY

On security, Nigerians must be grateful to our gallant Armed Forces for rolling back the frontiers of Boko Haram’s terrorism, defeating them and reducing them to cowardly attacks on soft and vulnerable targets.

Nigeria is grateful to its neighbours and the international community for the collective efforts to defeat this world-wide menace of terrorism.

Not even the most organized and most equipped police and security forces in the world can escape the menace of modern day terrorism, as we have seen in recent years in Europe and other parts of the world.

But we are not letting up. Our Armed Forces in an effort to enhance the operational capability of troops of OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE have established Mobile Strike Teams in the North East. These will ensure the final push to wipe out the remnants of Boko Haram.

In addition, through targeted air strikes most of the leadership and identified logistics bases and routes of the insurgents have been neutralized. The Armed Forces have established a Naval presence in the Lake Chad Basin as part of the coordinated military efforts to curtail the movements or re-emergence of the sect in the area.

Government is working round the clock to ensure release of the remaining Chibok girls, as well as other persons in Boko Haram captivity. Government will continue to support the Armed Forces and other security agencies to fight not only terrorism, but kidnapping, armed robberies, herdsmen/farmers violence and to ensure peace, stability and security in our country.

ECONOMY

With respect to the economy, the Government has remained pro-active in its diversification policy. The Federal Government’s agricultural Anchor Borrowers Programme, which I launched in November 2015, has been an outstanding success with:

·        N43.92 billion released through the CBN and 13 participating institutions,

·        200,000 small holder farmers from 29 states of the federation benefitting,

·        233,000 hectares of farmland cultivating eight commodities, namely Rice, Wheat, Maize, Cotton, soya-beans, Poultry, Cassava and Groundnuts, in addition to fish farming.

These initiatives have been undertaken in close collaboration with the states. I wish to commend the efforts of the Governors of Kebbi, Lagos, Ebonyi and Jigawa States for their support to the rice and fertilizer revolutions.

Equally commendable are contributions of the Governors of Ondo, Edo, Delta, Imo, Cross River, Benue, Ogun, Kaduna and Plateau States for their support for the Presidential initiative for palm oil, rubber, cashew, cassava, potatoes and other crops.

With the abundance of rainfall last year and this year, agriculture has enjoyed Divine intervention.

Since December last year, this Administration has produced over 7 million 50Kg bags of fertilizer. Eleven blending plants with a capacity of 2.1 million metric tons have been reactivated. We have saved $150 million in foreign exchange and N60 billion in subsidy. Fertilizer prices have dropped from N13,000 per 50Kg bag to N5,500.

Furthermore, a new presidential initiative is starting with each state of the Federation creating a minimum of 10,000 jobs for unemployed youths, again with the aid of CBN’s development finance initiatives.

Power remains a huge problem. As of September 12th, production of power reached an all — time high of 7,001 Megawatts. Government is increasing its investment, clearing up the operational and financial log jam bedeviling the industry. We hope to reach 10,000 Megawatts by 2020.

Key priorities include better energy mix through solar and Hydro technologies. I am glad to say that after many years of limbo, Mambilla Power Project has taken off.

Elsewhere in the economy the special window created for manufacturers, investors and exporters, foreign exchange requirements has proved very effective. Since April, about $7 billion has come through this window alone. The main effect of these policies is improved confidence in the economy and better investment sentiments.

The country has recorded 7 consecutive months of lower inflation, Naira rate is beginning to stabilize, appreciating from N525 per $1 in February this year to N360 today. Broad-based economic growth is leading us out of recession.

Furthermore, in order to stabilize the polity, the Federal Government gave additional support to states in the form of:

·        State Excess Crude Account loans,

·        Budget Support Facility,

·        Stabilization Fund Release

to states and local governments as follows:

·        N200 billion in 2015

·        N441 billion in 2016

·        N1 trillion in 2017

Altogether totaling N1.642 trillion.

This was done to enable states to pay outstanding salaries, pensions and small business suppliers who had been all but crippled over the years.

In addition, the Government’s current N500 billion Special Intervention Programme is targeting groups through;

·        Home Grown School Feeding Programme,

·        N-Power Job creation to provide loans to small-scale traders and artisans,

·        Conditional Cash Transfer,

·        Family Homes Fund and

·        Social Housing Scheme.

CORRUPTION

Fellow Nigerians,

We are fully aware that fighting corruption was never going to be a straightforward task. We expected corrupt elements to use any weapon to fight back, mainly judicial obstruction and political diversion. But we are determined to eradicate corruption from our body politic.

In this fight, the Government has:

·        Empowered teams of prosecutors,

·        Assembled detailed databases,

·        Accelerated the recovery of stolen funds.

The Administration’s new institutional reforms include:

·        Enforcing Treasury Single Account,

·        Whistle-Blowers Policy,

·        Integrated Payroll Personnel and Information System.

We have signed multi-lateral cooperation agreements on criminal matters with friendly countries. There are signs of increasing cooperation from the Judiciary. Recently the Chief Justice of Nigeria directed Heads of all our Courts of first instance and Appeal to accelerate hearings of corruption cases and dismiss any judicial officers found to have been compromised.

Justice Salami has just been appointed to chair the Judiciary’s anti-graft committee. Government expects a lot from this Committee.

I commend the National Assembly for refocusing on its oversight committees. They should, in addition, ensure swift passage of enabling corruption laws. But fighting corruption is a bottom to top operation. I call on all Nigerians to combat corruption at every turn. By not asking for and refusing to accept a bribe, by reporting unethical practices or by blowing a whistle, together we can beat corruption. The government for its part will work for accountability at all levels - Federal, State and Local Governments. CHANGE will then be real.

As we enter the second half of our term of office, we intend to accelerate progress and intensify our resolve to fix the country’s challenges and problems.

Thank you and a happy holiday to all of you.

God bless our country

President Buhari's speech at the 72nd UN General Assembly in New York

The president of the United Nation’s General Assembly, Your Excellencies, Heads of States and governments, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen.

On behalf of the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election to preside over the 72nd session of the United Nations’ General Assembly. I also wish to express my country’s appreciation to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres, for his steady leadership and this body’s dedication to the search for a peaceful and equitable world through the charter of the United Nations.

Every year we gather here to deliberate on the affairs of the world. Sometimes we implement what we talked about and move humanity an inch closer to that ideal relationship as members of the world community. At other times, we have our talks and end up not implementing anything to the disappointment of millions and millions of people around the world who look up to this body to provide leadership in a world that is constantly oscillating between advancement and doom. In all of these, we often forget that what we have accomplished in the last 72 years is unprecedented in the annals of human history. The world may be badly governed, but the fact that there is a form of governance agreed upon by all is an accomplishment in and of itself. So, I congratulate us all.

Mr. President, as we say in Nigeria, he who does not look ahead remains behind. Our charge now is to aspire to make this world better for the next generation. We, the generation that knows how the world was before the United Nations was formed, must bequeath to those coming behind us a better United Nations that would be in a position to deal with the challenges of tomorrow. To accomplish that, we need to fast forward the reformation long proposed in this chamber.

To restructure or not to restructure is no longer the question – the United Nations must be restructured for it to remain relevant in years to come. How to restructure the United Nations should be our priority number one. Several ideas are out there. All that we need is to get them together and agree on what works for majority of the people of this world. As a leader of one of the leading African nations, I want to see a United Nation’s Security Council that is expanded to have one or two African permanent members with veto powers. It is a fair thing to do – one that will benefit the world by giving it a chance for a more balanced outlook to matters of importance to us all. As we have learned in Nigeria, sometimes you need to change in order to remain the same. It is the first principle of renewal.

In the continent of Africa, the post-colonial era is going into a new phase. In another generation, there would not be any African alive who could remember when European powers once governed Africa. That emerging generation is creating new challenges for the African order left behind by the colonial powers. My generation is managing that challenge with the hope of leaving behind nation states that are less prone to crisis. We cannot continue to pretend that conflicts that emerged as a result of our colonial heritage have been resolved. Across our continent, they are still there. In some cases, bad governance is exacerbating these conflict points.

Here are some of the things we are doing to make sure that we bequeath to the upcoming generations of Africans a continent that is healthy, wealthy and well grounded in law and order. We are close to enshrining in the African Union’s creed the fundamental principle of democracy, which says that a credible people’s mandate should determine who governs any nation across Africa. We are taking it a step further by pushing to make that mandate limited. We believe that Africa has numerous talents and no man or woman should be in the leadership saddle for an inordinate timeWe are also working hard to expand the African market and open it up for our people to benefit from the free flow of goods, services and knowledge across the continent. It is the only path to prosperity for over one billion people in Africa yearning for opportunities to show the world the potentials they have.

As Africans, we will continue to build partnerships across the world. As we stretch our hands out for friendship, we do so with the expectation that our hands would be met not with pity and charity but with respect and dignity. Africans have a lot to offer the world, not just its minerals and human potentials. We are committed to resetting that old perception with a new one that proclaims Africa as a land ready for business. Those who have taken the steps to invest in Africa can attest to the mutual benefit that comes with it.

In areas of infrastructural developments, research and security, we urgently need a respectable and mutually beneficial partnership with the world. Integration of the continent and expansion of prosperity can only come when there are good roads, constant electricity, clean water and descent healthcare for our people. The United States government, The European Union, private investors and non-governmental organizations are getting involved in these ventures. Africa will continue to welcome the world in every enterprise that will uplift our people.

It is only when we add value and build capital that we will reduce the grim statistics of Africa’s child mortality rate from preventable deaths. It is only then that we can reduce deaths on the Mediterranean Sea of African youths running away from conflicts and poverty. The challenge is ours. We accept the responsibility. As in the past, we know that we do well when we share skills and expertise. That was how we were able to work together with partners around the world to reduce the AIDS epidemic. That was how, in the last two decades, we were able to defeat diseases like polio, tuberculosis and ringworm in several parts of Africa. Africans have always been appreciative of the assistance we receive. We have also paid back to the international community with our involvement in Peace Keeping missions across the world.

Mr. President, on matters of security, there is no gainsaying that when one part of the globe is insecure, all parts of the globe become potential victims of that insecurity. The activities of several extreme groups jeopardize not just the nation where they emanated but everyone far and in-between. The free movement of fighters and weapons has all but made the issue of security a global problem. As we have learned in Nigeria, you compromise the security of the whole when components of the sum are not fully valued, appreciated and integrated with the whole.

We in Africa have been partners in the quest for a secure world. We will continue to be committed to the mission until all threats to peace across the world are eliminated. In Nigeria, we have degraded the capability of the Boko Haram terrorist group. We are on the path to eliminating the last of their safe heavens. We have also secured the release of some of our abducted Chibok Girls. We are working hard to secure the release of the rest and to finish the job of closing the Boko Haram chapter and get the North East of Nigeria back to a peaceful region that it used to be.

Along this line, Mr. President, we at the United Nations need to do more to bring about a more equitable world where a large group of people does not feel suppressed, undervalued and alienated. Last year, I talked about the need for Palestinians to have their own state. Progress has not been made on that matter in the past one year. It is one of those problems that we must not punt to another generation. Any glaring unfairness, like the Palestinian case, diminishes our moral authority to preach and lecture the world on other cases. As we have learned in Nigeria, our stubborn self-righteousness blocks our ears from hearing the cry of those that we left on the fringe of society and blocks our eyes from seeing and reading the handwriting on the wall.

In the urgent matter of the nuclear stand off with North Korea, we hope that calm heads prevail. And as our ancestors say, that the disobedient fowl does not wait to be put into a pot of soup before it obeys. We in Africa hope that North Korea and, indeed, all the nations with nuclear weapons will hasten to eliminate them all. We don’t aspire to have nuclear weapons in the continent of Africa, the cradle of mankind. We will preserve Africa in case the nuclear-armed nations of the world decide to destroy themselves in their so-called mutual assured destruction. Should that happen, be assured that there will be a place in Africa for those of you who will be lucky enough to survive your self-inflicted annihilation. While we do not wish for that, we have this saying in Nigeria that, “na when soldier slap you, you go sabi say police na your friend.”

Mr. President, Nigeria is always willing to work with the United Nations and other international organizations to advance human progress. May the United Nations continue on its challenging task of being an instrument for peace, and may the goals that this General Assembly “for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet” be accomplished in our time.

Thank you all for listening.

Muhammadu Buhari,
President, Federal Republic of Nigeria

ARIWA Youths suspend quit notice

The Coalition of Northern Groups CNG has withdrawn the “quit notice” it issued Igbos resident in the region, but asked the Federal Government to arrest the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu saying the time has come to curtail his excesses.
At a press conference attended by the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Borno state Governor, Kashim Shettima, Sen. Kabiru Gaya and other northern leaders, Thursday in Abuja, the group however said it would continue to pursue its other demands up to the United Nations. “Mindful of the concerns generated by the clause in the Kaduna declaration that advised the Biafran Igbo to relocate from northern Nigeria and for northerners in the South East to do likewise, and our commitment to the unity of our dear country,n we immediately opened channels for dialogue and interaction with government agencies, national and international groups, institutions and figures. “Admittedly, we came under intense persuasive pressure from genuinely concerned national, political, traditional, religious and cultural leaders prominent among which were; a section of the Northern Governors Forum under its Chairman, Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno state, northern traditional rulers and the Department of State Services DSS. “Most significant was our correspondence with the then Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and most recently our interface with the Presidency through the Special Assistant to the President on Political Matters. “As a consequence of these vigorous engagements and as cultured people with a tradition of respect for our national values, leaders and elders, we are today pleased to announce the immediate suspension of the relocation clause otherwise referred to as the quit notice from the Kaduna Declaration”, the CNG said in a speech read by its spokesman, Abdulaziz Suleiman. We’ve achieved our aims The CNG also said with the Kaduna declaration, it had achieved most of its aims, “chief among which include forcing the hitherto deliberately neglected dangerous Biafran issue to the front-burner of national discourse”. “In the meantime, we shall firmly pursue our petitions to the United Nations and the Nigerian federal authorities calling for the appropriate sanction of Nnamdi Kanu, other IPOB leaders and their sponsors in addition to labelling them a terror outfit”. The CNG also listed several terms which it asked the government to consider. It said the federal government should allow and support the Igbo to hold a referendum on secession. “Taking all other issues raised in the Kaduna Declaration over the past few months, vis a vis the effort by various government and non-governmental bodies to engage us in dialogue, we submit that there is the need to look at the following issues holistically as safeguards against future ethnic tensions: “Allow the Igbo and support them to hold a referendum to decide their future either as Nigerians or as Biafrans in view of the fact that the population of the Igbo that supports Biafra is far larger than the few who appear to be against it. Failure to do that will only douse this tension temporarily while they regroup to prepare for the war, they have always craved and openly called for. We are opposed to war with any part of this country and we are opposed to any situation that will lead to war. “One of the key reasons why Biafra should be allowed to hold a referendum is because the principle of self-determination has, since World War 11 become a part of the United Nations Charter, which states in Article 1 (2), that one of the purposes of the UN is “to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of people.” “And by virtue of Nigeria being a signatory to the various international conventions that entrench the right of a people to self determination; we submit that it is only proper for Nigerian authorities to reflect that right in the ongoing constitution review or in the alternative, rescind its endorsement of the said conventions. “If for any reason a referendum cannot be held for the moment, we insist the Igbo both in the Southeast and in other parts of Nigeria including all elected and other office holders be made to discard totally any idea of Biafra and to show practical actions to prove that they believe in one Nigeria. “Relevant law enforcement agencies, should carry out a careful, lawful and purposive search of all suspected premises in the north in which IPOB sympathizers might be amassing arms. This is necessary because since the declaration of war by IPOB, there had been cases of interception of caches of arms concealed and smuggled into some parts of northern Nigeria. Let it be known, that it is illogical to wait in this obvious and clear state of danger until the secessionist unleashes terror on innocent people and communities. By extension all unlicensed arms and ammunition should be mopped up by the authorities. And if there is a counter suspicion of northerners in the East amassing arms, they should also be searched and confiscated. “We insist on immediate steps to be taken for the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu and for his appropriate prosecution while calling on the Nigerian Senate to demand that all Senators who stood surety for him in court rescind their bond or be suspended accordingly. “Total closure of all the open drug markets operating in Northern Nigeria and the immediate implementation of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines NDDG as contained in the 2nd Edition 2012 developed by the Federal Ministry of Health which did not include the Co-ordinated Wholesale Centres CWC. This is the guideline which provides a distribution channel which is in consonance with the national drug policy and the implementation of which is empowered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. To achieve this, all the states in northern Nigeria, should establish and strengthen the state task force on counterfeit and fake drugs and unwholesome processed foods, revoke all land titles where drugs are being sold and review the laws to provide stiff penalties for offenders. “The government should come up with clear laws on hate speech, which should remain in place to contain other individuals or groups whose way of agitation is to engage in hate speech capable of disrupting peace and harmony”. Arrest Perpetrators of Hate Speech -APC Meanwhile, the National Executive Committee NEC of the youth caucus of the All Progressives Congress APC has asked the federal government to immediately arrest perpetrators of hate speeches in the country. Chairman of the caucus, Comrade Markk Joseph Nsimbehe said the group supports all the core issues as stated by the president in his Monday’s nationwide broadcast. “We are in support of every effort targeted at unifying all the ethnic nationalities. We are for peace, we are for progress and we are one Nigeria. We urge the federal government to step up and arrest these disgruntled elements and their sponsor accordingly. We acknowledged the effort of the federal government for wanting to establish special court for hate speech. “We urge those clamouring for restructuring to take a second look at it while channeling their reasons for the call to the appropriate quarters. Political structures evolve over time. Nigeria has been restructured at various times and the agitations have not stopped. Let us therefore restructure our hearts and minds so that the real restructuring of the country can be meaningful”. Kanu acting out of Ignorance -Gov. Shettima Gov. Shettima on his part said Nnamdi Kanu was “acting out of ignorance and immaturity”, saying the Biafran agitation is only the past-time of a tiny but vocal minority, and urged other Nigerians not to label all Igbos as agitators. Shettima said the northern governors believe in the unity of this country, adding that, “I would personally prefer to be a small fish in a big pond than a big fish in a small pond”.

Source: Vanguard Newspaper

Femi Fani Kayode Reacts to Reports of Rat Invasion in President Buhari’s Office

See  Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Shehu Garba yesterday, disclosed that President Buhari was forced to work from his home office because his main office was invaded by rats while he was away in the UK and so it is now been renovated.
The Former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani Kayode, took to his twitter handle to react to the news.
See his tweets below..

Source: Information Nigeria

Trump sacks his Nigerian economic adviser

Nigerian born international CEO, Adebayo Ogunlesi has now ceased to be an adviser to embattled US President Donald Trump. Trump sacked him today along with other distinguished CEOs counselling him via two councils on how to “Make America Great Again”.

Trump sacked Ogunlesi on Twitter, when he announced the dissolution of two business advisory councils, in one fell swoop.

Ogunlesi was a member of Strategic and Policy Forum, one of the two disbanded by the unpredictable president. The other group was the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative Council. Ogunlesi, heads Global Infrastructure Partners, a private equity firm and one of Fortune 500 companies. He was the only African on the panel. The New York Times reported before Trump’s tweeted dissolution, that members of Ogunlesi’s panel were debating dissolving the body entirely as Trump wallowed deeper into bigotry quagmire. But Trump preempted their move. “Corporate leaders had hoped that President Trump would help businesses by slashing taxes and gutting regulations. It is not clear how much he will deliver on that score. On top of that, he is putting many chief executives in the position of answering for a president with an unparalleled track record of outraging people, most recently at a contentious press conference on Tuesday when he drew a false equivalence between the white supremacists who protested in Charlottesville, Va., last weekend and counter-protesters.”, NYT reported. Trump had earned rebuke and isolation from business leaders for supporting racial bigotry, White Supremacists and the KKK, following his remarks that failed to blame the tragic violence in Charlottesville, Virginia on the group. Instead, he blamed all the sides and the group that challenged the racists. The leaders of three companies — Kenneth Frazier of Merck, Kevin Plank of Under Armour and Brian Krzanich of Intel — were the first to resign from the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative Council. They resigned on Monday because Mr. Trump was slow to condemn the white supremacists during the weekend and blamed “many sides” for the violence. When Trump moderated his tone on Monday by saying “racism is evil” and condemning neo-Nazis, he did not assuage some of the CEOs working with him. Scott Paul, the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, an organization backed by the steel industry and the United Steelworkers resigned. he was followed on Tuesday by Richard Trumka and Thea Lee, the president and deputy chief of staff for the union group A.F.L.-C.I.O.. The latter’s resignation followed Trump’s reversed position at a press conference at Trump Tower in New York, in which he said that “not all of those people were neo-Nazis, believe me,” referring to the white nationalists who were chanting “Jews will not replace us” as they marched with tiki-torches. Ogunlesi’s Strategic Forum, composed some of America’s most highly respected and successful business leaders. Members of the body were expected to meet with Trump frequently to share their specific experience and knowledge as the president implements his plan to bring back jobs and “Make America Great Again. ” The other members of the forum were: Stephen Schwarzman (forum chairman), chairman, CEO, and cofounder of Blackstone Paul Atkins, CEO of Patomak Global Partners, former commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission Mary Barra, chairwoman and CEO, General Motors Toby Cosgrove, CEO, Cleveland Clinic Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Larry Fink, chairman and CEO, BlackRock Bob Iger, chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company Rich Lesser, president and CEO, Boston Consulting Group Doug McMillon, president and CEO, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Jim McNerney, former chairman, president, and CEO of Boeings Ginni Rometty, chairwoman, president, and CEO of IBM Kevin Warsh, Shepard Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow in economics at the Hoover Institute, former member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Mark Weinberger, global chairman and CEO, EY Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO, General Electric Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize winner, vice chairman of IHS Markit Apart from being managing partner of Global Infrastructure Partners, Ogunlesi also serves on the boards of Callaway Golf Co. and Kosmos Energy Ltd. At the same time he’s the chairman of Africa Finance Corp. and serves on the boards of various not-for-profits ranging from New York Presbyterian Hospital to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

Source:  Vanguard News

Bill Gates joins IG

The richest man in the world, Bill Gates, has joined trending social media platform, Instagram.

Gates made his debut on the photo-sharing platform on Friday morning with the username “thisisbillgates” as Bill Gates have been used by another Instagram handler.

The 61-year-old first Instagram post is a slideshow of three photos with kids from Tanzania with the caption “Hello from Tanzania, Instagram! I just had a great lunch with some amazing kids at Kicheba Primary School in Muheza and met Upendo Mwingira, a remarkable physician who has dedicated her career to fighting neglected tropical diseases.

“Whenever I travel to places like this, I wish others could come along and meet the people I get to meet.

“I have no doubt it would leave them as optimistic as I am about progress happening around the world. I’ll be sharing photos from my adventures here on Instagram, and I hope you’ll follow along.”

He currently has 188 followers and following 25 people.

Gates is on Facebook and also an active Twitter user since June 2009. Gates also has a personal blog where he shares about the people he meets, book recommendations to a 360-degree video of Gates interviewing President Jimmy Carter.

Source: Punch Newspaper 

Breaking: President Buhari returns from London

Nigeria president on Wednesday 2nd August returned from London where he had been receiving treatment. SEB wishes him quick recovery.

Breaking News: Peace Corps's bill passed by the Senate

The Senate on Tuesday finally passed a bill to make the Nigerian Peace Corps a para-military agency.

The Senate adopted the conference report on the bill to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps, after it was so advised by its committee on judiciary, human rights and legal matters.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives had separately passed the bill last year.

However, after the harmonisation of the two separate bills, the Senate had rejected the harmonised version, which has now been approved.

The bill will be sent to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent after the House also approves‎ the harmonised version.

It is not clear if the presidency will approve of the bill as several departments in the executive including the police and the military are opposed to the legalisation of the Peace Corps which is currently a private NGO.

Copyright: Premium Time

Glo introduces data free day

Globacom has introduced a new data offer, which guarantees its data subscribers a free access to the Internet for a whole day.
The telecommunications company said that the new offer, ‘Free Data Day’, had been programmed to give subscribers on the network that met the threshold of voice or data usage, 200 megabytes, usable throughout the day for all data-related activities.
“The offer is open to all Glo subscribers,” a statement from the telecoms company said.The Globacom’s Zonal Business Coordinator, Lagos, Adebola Omoboya, said that the offer would allow subscribers on the Glo network to browse the Internet free of charge for a whole day. According to him, subscribers who want to enjoy the Free Data Day are expected to spend a certain amount or more on calls in the preceding seven days to a free data day or spend at least N150 on voice calls.
“They are also expected to use a minimum of 100MB of data in the preceding seven days to the free data day from any or a combination of methods such as ‘Pay as you use’, purchase of data plan’ and usage from existing data plan,” Omoboya said. He said that the offer “is easy to access as the qualified customers will be notified when they have met the threshold for the Free Data Day.” He said that they would not be required to dial any code to opt in or subscribe to any platform before enjoying the benefits. "When a customer qualifies for the offering, the customer will be able to enjoy free data usage throughout that day,” he said.Similarly, the company announced the launch of ‘Glo Welcome Back’, an offer that will give customers who have not utilised the Glo network in 30 days, with free credit when they recharge their lines. “The credit can be used to browse, send text messages and make calls,” the telco said. Details of the offer showed that subscribers could access the free airtime based on the amount of recharge made and subject to a maximum amount.

Copyright: Punch News

NPower releases new timetable for test

For those who are yet to take the 2017 Npower Test, do not worry.  The test has been rescheduled to take place between 15th July and 16th August. Meanwhile, the Ag. President has extended the registration by two weeks. This implies that the registration will end on 27th July, 2017. 

Etisalat Nigeria gets new name

Etisalat Nigeria, Thursday sustained its march towards turning around its fortunes with the adoption of 9Mobile as its new brand identity.
The new brand name was decided at a meeting held in Lagos by Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services (EMTS), which had been trading as Etisalat Nigeria before the withdrawal of Abu-Dhabi-based Emirates Telecommunications Group Company (Etisalat Group) as a shareholder in the Nigerian telecom. 

Shortly after the meeting, where the new name was adopted, the management sent notification to its staff, informing them of the name change.
EMTS on Tuesday had proposed the name change to its customers and assured them that the change would not affect its operations in any way.
Although EMTS was yet to officially make the name change known to the public, sources close to the network operator said EMTS does not intend to announce the change with much fanfare.

Etisalat Nigeria had said it would soon change to a new brand identity that would reflect its new aspirations and philosophy.
The sudden decision to change its brand identity was sequel to the three weeks ultimatum given it by Etisalat Group to phase out the brand in the country.
It, however, said discussions were ongoing with its former Nigerian subsidiary to provide technical support.

The Abu-Dhabi-based firm relinquished its shares in Etisalat Nigeria last month, following the inability of the Nigerian firm to repay the $1.2 billion loan it took from 13 local banks in 2013 for network expansion and upgrade. 

Further proofs that Moen is alive

Don Moen yesterday tweeted picture of himself celebrating four generations. 

           Don Moen, his father, son and grandkids

Don Moen is not dead

Nigerian gospel singer, Frank Edwards has dismissed report circulating report of the death of veteran American gospel artist, Don Moen.

It was reported this yesterday  by Houston News that the American singer-songwriter, pastor evangelist is dead. The outlet reported, “BREAKING, America gospel music maestro dies after brief illness.”

Reacting immediately, Frank Edward shared a chat with Michael which said, “Hey Michael how’s dad?” Michael responded, “Dad is great and in good health. That article is false and just getting people to click through their website. I will have Dad post something on social media shortly so that people know. Thanks for reaching out.”
Houston news also had quoted President Donald Trump and Bishop T.D. Jakes as paying tribute to the gospel artiste and worship leader.

Breaking News: former governor of Taraba State, Dambaba Suntai is dead

Dambaba Suntai, a former governor of Taraba State, who survived an air crash at the Yola Airport in Adamawa State in 2012 has died. He was 55 years old.

Suntai died at home where he was undergoing rehabilitation for brain injuries arising from the plane crash.

A former commissioner of information in the state, Emmanuel Bello confirmed the news of his demise to an online news platform.

He ran for governor and won on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party in 2007. He was sworn in as governor on May 29 of that year. He was re-elected in 2011.

Suntai, a trained pilot, was flying the plane when it crashed in neighbouring Adamawa State in 2012. Some of his aides passed away in the tragic incident.

He never returned to office after the accident and his deputy served out his tenure as acting governor.

In 2015, it was reported that the former governor had suffered a stroke. In the last days of his life, his wife was reportedly his only constant companion.

Credit:  Nigeria Today

Israel heat back at Syria

An Israeli aircraft carried out a strike on Syria after 10 projectiles fired from the war-torn country hit the occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, an army spokesman said.

The Israeli Air Force also targeted two tanks of the “Syrian regime” in the northern part of the Golan, the spokesman said, adding the projectiles did not cause any casualties.

Irony; US citizen jailed in Nigeria

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, convicted two Brazilians, Lima Pereira Diego, and Dias Dos Santos Marcia Cristina, for bringing into Nigeria 23.895 kilogrammes of cocaine. Meanwhile, Justice Josephine Oyefeso of an Ikeja high court also remanded in Kirikiri Prison an American national, Marco Antonio Ramirez, for allegedly defrauding three Nigerians of $565,000. Trial judge, Justice Cecilia Olatoregun, convicted the two Brazilians after they had pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA. The convicts were earlier arraigned before the court on April 26, on a three-count charge of conspiracy and unlawful importation of the said narcotic. They, however, declined to take their plea, on the grounds that they do not have confidence in the interpreter, one Mr. Adeniran O., provided by their country’s diplomatic service. Upon the objection raised against the interpreter and refusal to take their plea, the court had adjourned till yesterday, for re-arrangement and plea taking. At the resumed hearing yesterday, the prosecutor, Mr. Abu Ibrahim, told the court of the agency’s decision to withdraw the charge of conspiracy against the Brazilians. Consequently, they were arraigned on charge of unlawful importation of the said prohibited drug. They pleaded guilty to the charges, following which the court ordered the prosecution to review the facts of the case. Following the pleading of their lawyer, the court adjourned till July 5 to pronounce sentence and ordered that they be remanded in Kirikiri Prison. 

Source: Vanguard News

The Hard Way, The Better Way; The Nigeria Question

Mr Emmanuel Agada Abah believes that the current hardship being experienced by Nigerians  is a pathway to sustainable development that we long needed. Mr Abah who is a social and political activist bore his mind in an exclusive post on his Facebook wall on Monday.

"THE HARD WAY, THE BETTER WAY.

Nigerians have of late resorted to the shouts of hunger all over the country and laying all the blames on the present administration. Yes it is true. The masses are hungry, the people are not smiling and lots and lots are happening but can we look at it from one other angle?

As much as I am not a member of either APC or PDP, I think when I see some things happening, I should either praise or criticize not minding who is involved. I see the present situation as a way Foward for Nigeria not because I'm eating comfortably my three square meal or driving in my comfortable cars or being happily in charge of an office, a contract or in hope for any of these at sight but because I feel that at times it is important to sacrifice our today's comfort for the betterment of our children yet unborn. There is an adage that "my father walked for me to run and I'm running for my child to fly." Can we run today for our children to fly tomorrow?

I was surprisingly happy recently when some young guys who were niggers, big boys in their rights and clean town boys were proudly asking to take me out not from monies from dash or government salaries but from that which they referred to as ATM. In my quest to know more about the ATM, one of them told me that ATM was their cassava farm and went further to explain that he recently realized that he was all the while wasting and had he known what he knew today, he would have been a millionaire today. As apt as his explanations were, I knew he wouldn't have been a millionaire if he had gone to the farm three or four years ago because the necessary platform to make a Nigerian farmer a millionaire was yet not there then.

The case then was like that of a rich untrained child who has neither financial discipline nor trade. If the father dies, he becomes a poor child within a very short period but because the father is still alive, people think he is the best child on earth. Same people who praise him LL be the ones to insult him if his situation gets worse for any reason.

The past periods in Nigeria especially after Nigeria moved from agriculture to oil based economy, when the cocoa from the west, the groundnut pyramid from the north, the cotton and all the cash crops no longer brought money into the economy but just oil, that became the beginning of Nigerian future hunger days which could only be averted by a hard willed individual.

Granted that the past administrations especially those between 1999 to 2015 made millionaires and billionaires, it is also noteworthy that the middle class that existed and bridged the gap between the rich and the poor became eradicated. The poor got getting poorer and the rich got getting richer. The relationship between the poor and the rich became mutually exclusive. The rich no longer has much need for the poor as they can at will import the least thing that the poor could produce and earn living. Farming which was the most viable employment industry became dead and  hope became deem for the poor.

This whole thing created a situation very convenient for electoral malpractices, thuggery, and other social vices as an impoverished man is a vulnerable man who accepts anything that comes his way. This is one major reason for the insecurity in the country today as well as corruption divisiveness, cessation struggles and every vices in the country today.

With the inception of this administration and the policies accompanying it, people have decided to go back to those little things that were yielding livings for them. People now know their unused talents and can now independently go about making ends meet. Nigerians now know the value of farming and crafts again though with a painful restart.

NOTE:
I say this only with regards to the government at the center and few state governments (mine excluded).

Biblically it happened; taking Israelites from Egypt met Moses and the people with this situation as recorded in the book of Numbers. And precisely chapter 11vs 5 recorded how the Israelites complained of not seeing cucumber and other things to eat.

(Numbers  11:5  We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick)

In my study of  development, I came to understand that development is either at the expense of stability or vice versa. Development in the eyes of Karl Max is not the building of sky scrapers and driving in the most luxurious car or other means in the society but the situation where everyday is made to have a livelihood and be happy at last.

We can't continue to eat ourselves to death. I think what we need to do as a people is to criticise approaches that are not good in the current movement so as to pave a better way forward than looking at the hunger of today at the expense of tomorrow and the lasting succor to come.

In Singapore, Keen Kuan  Yew  (1923-2015) the first Prime Minister from 1959-1990 came up with such a policy, people cried and shouted for hunger and all that we are shouting for in Nigeria today but after a while, Singapore became better for it and the country is not just called an Asian country today but Asian Tiger.

 I write this piece even with an empty stomach this morning but after sitting to make a critical analysis of the current situation in relation to other countries in the world. It is easier to destroy than to repair. Like the mad man about to be cured, it is difficult to accept or cope with the journey to better destination because it is always rough.

Let us hold the state governors to account for the hunger because they are the closer governments to the grassroots and the federal allocations and other entitlements to the people are always paid them from the federal purse. Our governors are the wicked ones not the people at the centre. Let's flush them in 2019.

Enough for today."

No mosquito net, no wedding – Sokoto state proposes new law

In recent times, Sokoto state government embarked on a special scheme to curb malaria in the state because the high rate of the ailment in the state.

Following the outbreak of malaria in Sokoto state, the commissioner for health Balarabe Kakale has proposed a new law which states that any man ready for marriage must provide a treated mosquito net to his wife’s family as part of bride price or there will be no wedding.

Daily Trust also reported that the new law proposes that both man and wife intending to get married will undergo sickle cell gene test and also enroll for a state community contributory health scheme to reduce the cost of medical treatment.

The health commissioner also stated that the law makes it compulsory for couples to undergo testing for HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B. However, the state is set to sponsor a private bill before Sokoto state legislature.

Kakale further revealed that this law would help the state curb these diseases in their state.

Source: Eagle News

Breaking: A policeman on killing spray kills Self, Wife and Maid

A police officer simply identified as ‘Agada’ this morning in Masaka, Nasarawa State, killed his wife, maid and later shot himself. He and his wife are said to hail from Orokam district in Ogbadibo Local Government area of Benue state while his maid hailed from Akpakpa, Okpoga, in Okpokwu. It is not yet clear why he did this. We shall bring you details later.

Right now, the victims and the perpetrator are said to be receiving emergency treatment at Asokoro Hospital, Abuja from the gunshot wound.

We shall bring you details later.

Credit: IPN News

A lady aged 26 became the best doctor in Ghana to save children’s hearts

At the young age of 6, her career path had already been destined when tenants in her compound started to call her Doctor Ellen, possibly due to her excitement whenever there was a new birth in the compound she grew up in.

The doctor that swept 10 outstanding awards at the University of Ghana’s medical school graduation set the bar high, with a riveting story to go with it. And it all started, with a nickname.

“I don’t remember, but for some reason they began to call me Doctor Ellen at the age of 5 or 6. At the time I did not dream of becoming a doctor but I went to secondary school with the intention of studying science,” she says.

During her studies in secondary school, she discovered she loved Biology, and added to her nickname ‘Doctor Ellen’, it seemed her destiny was already set and so she went on to pursue medicine, and she has never looked back.

Ellen came from a family of six with two older brothers and a sister, born to parents with no formal education of their own but believed that their children deserved the education they never had.

From a basic education at Petra International School in Breman to a secondary school education in Yaa Asantewaa Girls Secondary School, scoring As in all subjects except English.

Due to a delay in the results from her November/December, her application to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology’s medical school was switched to a Pharmacology program. After two weeks, she realized the school was not going to switch her courses and that sparked her decision to move to the University of Ghana medical school.

Credit: Line.com