Crime and Punishment in Nigeria

The Verdict By Olusegun Adeniyi; Email: olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com
Because I would be driving to the airport last Friday morning and I was not sure the fuel in my car would take me there, I decided on Thursday evening to buy fuel from the black market. So I drove to the road linking Asokoro to Garki by Area 11 where many young “fuel merchants” were waiting. After much haggling, I eventually struck a bargain with three boys who agreed to accept N5,000 for a jerry can of 30 litres. That would translate into around N167 per litre (as against the official N87 per litre which you can hardly get anywhere in Nigeria today) but I considered it a fair deal in the circumstance.
Having been told that they were being hunted by policemen, the boys begged me to drive into a poorly lit corner of the road. Notwithstanding that I was a bit apprehensive, I felt that the boys were mere hustlers and not necessarily criminals out to harm me so I obliged their request. Even when they took a while to bring the fuel from where they kept it, I still waited. When they eventually appeared, there was a sense of unease about them that worried me. “Why are you looking scared?” I asked. One of them responded: “The police people are always after us and they have arrested many of our people.”
Although I kept asking questions, wanting to know more about the nature of their trade and the inherent risks, it was evident that they were more in a hurry to conclude their business, collect their money and go. But with almost three-quarter of the fuel discharged into my car, a pick-up van drove in almost from nowhere as seven gun-wielding policemen jumped out of the vehicle to engage the boys in what became a hot pursuit in different directions. With the police vehicle packed beside my car, I saw no fewer than 30 jerry cans of different sizes, filled with petrol which I presumed were seized from the boys selling at black market.
I decided to hang around because I had not paid for the fuel but since the police vehicle also refused to move, the boys never returned. The period of my waiting provided me ample time to reflect on what had just happened. The first question for me was whether it is a crime to be selling fuel at the black market. That question comes against the background that the boys were merely taking advantage of a problem they did not create (and in the process meeting the need of those of us who have neither the time nor the temperament to spend a whole day at fuel station). But it is a hazardous job because one of them was shot dead last month at the intersection between Maitama and Wuse in Abuja during one of such raids. Yet, these basically are young boys who live on the margins of society and cannot be held accountable for the fuel scarcity that has become our lot as a people.


Besides, assuming what the boys were doing was criminal, how many of such people have been arraigned in court in Nigeria? None! Since many of them are arrested every day, it means that their cases usually end up in police stations where they either pay to regain their freedom or are dumped there to swell the list of detained people. A corollary to that is the issue of the “exhibit”. What happens to the fuel usually seized from those boys? Do the police and other security outfits like the Civil Defence Corps whose men also pursue the boys have the right to deploy for their own use “proceeds of crime”, if we assume that selling black market is a crime in Nigeria?
That now brings me to the most important issue. As I watched the drama and waited, I expected to be accosted by the policemen when they returned to their vehicle. If by selling fuel at black market rate, the boys were committing a crime, the implication would be that the person also buying such product should be deemed to be committing a crime also. But the policemen didn’t bother about me as they entered their vehicle to wait. After a while when it occurred to me that they would not leave, I had to drive off.
Now, as I reflect on that incident and the enthusiasm with which the policemen pursued those boys, I cannot but wonder about how we have come to a situation in which the laws (including the ones that may not be in any statutes book) are made only for the poor. The message from the episode was simple: While those boys were pursued like common felons, I (as the big man in the scenario) was left alone because I was deemed to be above the law, even if the crime was an invented one. That unfortunately depicts the story of Nigeria where there is one set of laws for the rich and another set for the poor. And the problem goes even beyond the police to the courts.
Indeed, nothing demonstrates this as graphically as two contrasting verdicts delivered within an interval of five days in January 2013--one in Abeokuta, Ogun State and the other in Abuja. In Abeokuta, a magistrate courtsentenced a 49-year-old man by name Mustapha Adesina to two years in prison for stealing vegetables valued at N5,000. But five days later in Abuja, a former director of the Police PensionBoard, Mr. John Yusuf, who admitted to stealing N2 billion in the N32.8 billion police pension scam, was sentenced to two-year imprisonment with an option of N750,000 fine. From media reports, the man practically dipped his hands into his babanriga, paid his fine and was driven home in a SUV, perhaps with some drummers in tow!
In fact, no case has exemplified the rot in the Nigerian justice system than that of the pension scam. As at the time the man at the centre of the whole tragedy was declared wanted both by the police and the Senate for allegedly stealing several billions of Naira belonging to police pensioners, he was being driven around, including into Aso Rock then, in a long convoy of vehicles with contingents of policemen to guard him. That character, a mere assistant director in the civil service who absconded from duty, is now back in circulation and given the way we are in Nigeria, could even become the minister of police affairs tomorrow! The question therefore is: how can such a system dispense justice?
For sure, I have no problem with the police chasing those who steal chicken and vegetables in the market or those who sell fuel by the roadsides, assuming that is also a crime. But if the police expend a little of that energy checkmating the big men and women who conspire to steal, almost on a daily basis, about 250,000 barrels of Nigerian crude oil or their “petty cousins” who divert tanker loads of petrol from their designated depots, our society would be a better place for all of us, including them.
However, in all of us this, it is President Muhammadu Buhari that worries me. The thinking that he (with his military background and reputation as a no-nonsense man) would restore order while his deputy (also with his academic and professional background as well as reputation for standing by what is right) would help with the law aspect remains no more than mere speculations 62 clear days after they were sworn in. That perhaps explains why the criminal cartels that help themselves to our crude oil are still in business, as revealed by the president himself last week.
Ordinarily, the two most critical appointments any President makes on assumption of office are that of Finance and Justice/Attorney General but President Buhari has given no indication yet that he is ready to name such officials. In fact, he has told Nigerians that we have almost two more months to wait before he makes the appointments. This then raises questions about his recent United States trip since there was no Nigerian team in these two critical areas to engage their American counterparts. We see the same situation at home where the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, is practically left to run both monetary and fiscal policies in an economy that was already in serious trouble even before the change of guards in Aso Rock.
I know this is a touchy issue because one of President Buhari’s spokesmen said recently that it is politicians who are looking for jobs that are using journalists to raise the issue of critical appointments. But Nigerians will not be blackmailed into silence on what affects them. There is no law compelling the president to appoint all his ministers at once and I would want to believe that he cannot still be thinking of who to appoint as his finance minister, chief economic adviser, chief of staff, etc., more than four months after his election which, for the first time in our history, was not even challenged in court. Even the 15 advisers approved for him by the 7th Senate in the first week of June have not been appointed except for the NSA and that of Media while he runs his administration without a policy orientation in any sector which is almost akin to piloting a jumbo jet full of passengers without a compass or GPS.


Today, the gap between the official rate of the Naira to a Dollar and that of the black market rate is almost N50. That is a tidy sum of money to play with by anybody with some measure of connection in a nation where rent seeking is the order of the day. In the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry, it is the same: with an official rate of N87 per litre at a time many Nigerians buy a litre of the product for between N100 and N150. When you create such perverse incentives for malpractices, even if the citizens are paragons of virtue, you are likely to breed more criminals than you can deal with. That is the story of Nigeria today.  
Meanwhile, in their reaction to my piece of last week,The Multi-billion Naira Fuel Bazaar, a management staff of Mobil Nigeria Limited (reported to have diverted five trucks of PMS) called to explain their side of the story. He said the letter the company actually got from the PPMC was that six trucks were diverted and they have sent an official reply to dispute the allegation. Even if Mobil is correct (and I take their word for it), the issue here is the system that allows some operators to engage in such diversions. It is going on because those involved know that there would be no consequences for their action since the police are more interested in pursuing the “retailers” who sell such products by the roadside than the “wholesalers” who are deemed to be above the law.
To the extent that the embarrassing inequality that we have in our system today is the product of a justice administration that places those who ordinarily should be in jail (crooks, paedophiles, plain thieves and sundry others) above the rest of society, the task ahead is very daunting. And as I have stated repeatedly, I sympathise with President Buhari because of the accumulated mess he is inheriting for which there are no easy solutions. But he will succeed only if he realises that he cannot do the job alone. He must therefore learn to find the right people in every sector, especially in justice administration and economic management. And he must quickly put such team in place so that they can begin what will be a most difficult but important task, for the restoration of our country.




Beyond the Road to Arochukwu
My intervention of last week, “The Road to Arochukwu”, has elicited several responses and commendations, especially from Abia State. One young man wrote in, lamenting that his wedding is being delayed because his fiancee comes from Arochukwu and “the state of the road has kept our formal introduction on hold, due to the fact that it is impossible to ferry my aged parents and kinsmen from Imo State to embark on that deadly journey.”
However, in all the mails that I received, the most instructive one is by Mr. Ugo Okoro, who described himself as the Managing Editor of ‘Aro News’. He brought out some salient issues about the road which are very instructive. Here he goes:
“The Federal Ministry of Works on the 14th May, 2012, advertised the Arochukwu/ Ohafia road amongst several others in two national dailies (THISDAY and Daily Trust) and also in the Federal Tenders Journal.  Based on the outcome of a stringent exercise, prequalified contractors were invited to submit financial bids accordingly. The evaluation committee thereafter recommended the award of the contract to Messrs Beks Kimse (Nigeria) Limitedat a total cost of N4,775,583,250.
“On the recommendation of the Federal Ministry of Works, the project was certified and issued with the Certificate of No Objection by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). Out of the amount appropriated for the project, the sum of N346. 5 Million, being 7 percent of the total amount was provided for the commencement of the project in the 2012 budget and was released to the contractor who immediately mobilized to site.
“On 27th March, 2013 the Federal Executive Council (FEC), at its meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, approved an additional sum of N2.2 Billion Naira for the contractors. The flag off of the road project was done on the 29th March, 2013 at Arochukwu end of the road. In attendance were former Governor T.A. Orji of Abia State, late Senator Uche Chukwumerije, then representing Abia North under whose zone the road falls into; Hon. Arua Arunsi, former member representing Arochukwu/ Ohafia Federal constituency and a representative of then Minister of Works etc.
“Presently, the contractors are yet to execute up to one kilometer of the road which is about 30 kilometers and have abandoned the project. The firm is owned by Prof. Kimse Okoko from Bayelsa State. The contract is for a duration of 24 months from the date it was signed. It was however extended by one year by the Federal Ministry of Works on 5th December, 2014 to the 6th October, 2015. The extension granted was due to the failure of the contractors to complete the project within the original 24 months validity period. Indigenes of Arochukwu have set up several committees to liaise with the contractors on the way forward with no positive response. The road can now be described as a failed project.”
The information contained in the mail raises salient issues about our country and why it is now littered with abandoned projects running into several trillions of Naira. The law says mobilization fees should be no less than 15 percent but the contractor was given 7 percent, which was more like a dash because it was not going to be enough to mobilize to site. And that is the story of several of the road projects across the country for which the National Assembly must take a fair share of the blame because of the way they practically “canibalise” budgets just to accommodate their (mostly) questionable constituency projects.
However, as I stated earlier, it is an issue we must revisit because it is at the heart of the corruption, waste and mismanagement in Nigeria today. And until we address the challenge, it would be difficult to fix critical infrastructure, including the dilapidated roads, in our country.

Can Baking Soda Be Used To Cure Cancer?

 
 
Dr. Tulio Simoncini  is famous for his cure for cancer. He said:
“Cancer is a fungus called Candida albicans, and it can be treated with sodium bicarbonate solution. ”
He is an Italian oncologist in Rome that came to conclusion that all kinds of cancer are fed by candida albicans . This fungus is the root of almost all diseases. In many researches conducted on cancer patients, it is proved that cancer and tumors are made of candida.
Simoncini’s cancer treatment is the simplest of all: Sodium bicarbonate.
 946798_382603771848300_1540780277_n_thumbHe says that cancer and tumors thrive in acidic environment. So to put an end to their comfort we should alkalize the body so that they shrink and stop multiplying. Keep in mind, this is a natural remedy for cancer.
First – Individuals with high acidity in their body are related to bad health and cancer.
Second – Individuals with less acidity and more alkaline ph level are able to fight cancer more vigorously.
Sodium bicarbonate alkalizes your body fast. People who are known to have a hard time digesting takes sodium bicarbonate. It is an antacid that is a main ingredient in many over the counter medicines. It is very cheap and can be easily purchased in any food shop or pharmacy .
Third – The friendly bacteria in your gut control 85 % of your immune system. They are responsible for releasing biotin, B-12, folic acid, vitamin K by digesting your food. They also generate the compound sodium biturate which destroys or makes cancerous cells auto destruct. The friendly bacteria will not be as friendly if the ph level the body (intestine) is acidic.
Forth – The friendly bacteria work at night too. They digest large quantities of microorganisms that have been taken from food during day time. The best thing about friendly bacteria is that they feed on yeast or fungus, like candida. These best friends of ours are the number one fighters against yeast infestation.
How does candida cause cancer?
This fungus called Candida has the ability to break out of the intestine and get into the blood stream. It is practically everywhere in the body and outside on the skin as well. It is placed around the outer membranes of the cells, stopping receptor cites from performing.
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Oregano oil and cinnamon are great at fighting candida. 25 % of type 2- diabetes patients showed to improve after using cinnamon. Candida releases toxins and high amounts of sugar, there fore diabetic and cancer patients suffer more or can’t make it compared to the others with normal sugar level. It is known that sugar generates acidity and acidity is a good environment for candida to thrive in.
Candida and yeasts or fungus are anaerobes. They do not need oxygen.
By entering the blood stream, Candida can colonize certain areas in the body and cause oxygen level reduction .
Now, candida being the best food for cancer blocks oxygen from reaching the cells thus making the cells alternate from aerobes to anaerobes . Meaning that they will produce energy for the cancerous cells which is not based in oxygen.
From all this it is clear that Oxygen is a strong anti cancer fighter.
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It is Otto Warburg, the Nobel prize winner in 1931 that told the world that Oxygen kills cancerous cells.
It is obvious that people who often take antibiotics in their life are at risk of getting cancer. Antibiotics make the unfriendly bacteria and candida grow fast while weakening the immune system in the gut by ruining the friendly bacteria. So women that have taken antibiotics more than 25 times in their lives, are at risk of developing breast cancer. This was concluded in a research conducted by  Cancer Watch.
Doctor Simoncini knew all this very well. He proved that yeast thrive in acidic environment. Candida is yeast or fungus and cancer is fed by Candida . Sodium bicarbonate  is the best natural alkalizing product. So if you destroy the acidic environment, Candida can’t survive and cancer cells will die.
It is the discovery of the century that he gave to the world. Of course  he was imprisoned in Italy. The cheap cure was not in favor of the drug industry.

The Buhari Presidency: Behind the scenes.

 By: YUSUF ALLI

 

Since President Muhammadu Buhari took over the reins of power on May 29, his governance style has been a major discourse among citizens. His traducers, especially the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have turned fault finders overnight and won’t give him a breathing space. In this piece, YUSUF ALLI, MANAGING EDITOR, NORTHERN OPERATION explores the ‘slow and steady’ pace of Buhari and his unsung silent initiatives which may turn the nation around.
Contrary to the awkward and uncomplimentary claims of a governor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the countdown to the March general election, President Muhammadu Buhari is waxing stronger by the day. His capacity to cope with the workload has remained amazing to his aides, friends and associates. And in the last two months, it is becoming obvious that a new dawn is imminent for the nation. There can be no better testimony than that of President Barrack Obama, who lodged Buhari at the famous Blair’s House meant for philosopher leaders, and gave Nigerians a lot to cheer about their president. Obama said: “President Buhari came into office with reputation for integrity and a very clear agenda that is to make sure that he has been bringing safely security and peace to his country.”
Trailing Buhari in the last two months has revealed many dimensions of the new President and the how he is laying foundation for a robust future for the country.
Buhari’s unusual schedule causes stir in The Villa
Apart from going through some discomfort (through a make-shift life) before packing to the Presidential Villa, the President lives an austere life. He works from 7am to the wee hours of the night with intermittent time for his five daily prayers. He consults with few underground advisers (close and old associates of many years) in House 7 and aides on daily basis to weigh options. Talking on the tight schedule of the President, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the President, Mallam Garba Shehu said: “Maybe because of his military background, the President wakes up early and he is an avid listener to radio stations. Before he reports for work by7am, he must have listened to all the talk shows on radio and you will be amazed how he picks you up on some national issues discussed on radio. Most times, he starts his day by 6am.
“The President works from the early hours of the day till 1am and 2am. In fact, there was a time the team around him had a meeting and expressed worries that the President was having only three hours of sleep. They therefore redesigned his schedule by saying no more appointment by 9pm. The new policy did not last more than one week. After that, the President worked till 1am.” Responding to a question, Shehu said: “I think it has to do with his military training because it got to a point that one of the youngest staff working with the President could not cope with his schedule.”
Unveiling Buhari’s moral curtains
Coming into power with a hard-earned reputation, Buhari has changed the face of Aso Rock – the seat of government. Unlike in the past administrations, loafers, busy bodies, political heavyweights, multi-colour businessmen masquerading as investors, chieftains of banks seeking to influence financial policies, portfolio investors and money bags do not have easy access to the Presidential Villa again. Instead, they now loiter around the corridors of the Senate and House of Representatives to have a peripheral feeling of what Buhari or the Federal Government is up to. This is the first time since 1999 when those who usually alter the fortunes of Nigeria at night over champagne have been shut out of the Villa. They can no longer drive in and out of the Villa at will; they cannot have gossip dinners with the President and have no access to every file signed by the President or a privileged knowledge of appointments and government policies again.
The situation got to a ridiculous stage under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua that a businessman was always getting the copy of policy statement even before Ministers or Permanent Secretaries knew of the government direction. While ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was in charge, some businessmen and money bags could influence policies within minutes after a shuttle to the Villa. They sought monopoly of everything in the country, they wanted waiver to direct the economy as they like or determine how Nigerians breathe, and some of them manipulated the oil, industrial and financial sectors from the tip of their fingers. At a stage under Jonathan, Ministers feared these money bags and Presidential friends than the ex-President himself. All the luxury is gone with Buhari in charge. A source said: “To Buhari, any businessman, political heavyweight or money bag visiting the Villa must come to add value and not to diminish or deplete the system.”
These men of means are unhappy being on the same pedestal with the poor but Buhari is unruffled. Besides having quality time to meditate on the state of the nation and plan, the Vila is saving huge cost often spent on accommodation at state expense, choice foods and exotic champagne like Vodka which was the delight of some people in the last government.
Instead, Buhari runs a tight administration with a code of conduct for his immediate family and aides. Aides must live above board and keep sealed lips on official secrets, especially crucial policies and itinerary. Once you cross the border line, you are either redeployed or isolated or ejected from the Villa. To the shock of every staff in the Villa, Buhari woke up one day and relieved his Chief Security Officer, Abdulrahman Mani and Administrative Officer Widi Liman of their jobs. Although the government has kept mute on the removal of these confidants, findings revealed that Mani might have been redeployed for allegedly “leaking Buhari’s itinerary to a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke who strove to travel on the same flight to London in May. It was also learnt that Mani was sent out of the Villa following power tussle between him and the Aide-de-Camp of the President, Lt. Col. Muhammed Abubakar Lawal over the security changes effected in the seat of government. Another source said Buhari was unhappy with Mani and Liman on how they mismanaged the ‘opportunity’ to take care of his appointments. He suspected some connivance when unwanted guests or some corrupt elements were placed on appointment list.
Also a desperate businessman looking for an oil block had attempted to bribe a brother-in-law, Musa Yola, to get access to the President but the in-law paid dearly for it. The dubious transaction was not only busted, Buhari ordered the arrest of his in-law in handcuffs. He ordered the State Security Service (SSS) to investigate the scam.
This is the first time that the First Family will be under some restrictions. Buhari has listed no go areas for his wife and children in order to avoid abuse of power. When his wife and children went for lesser Hajj (Umrah) a few weeks ago, he made sure they travelled on Emirates Airline, a commercial flight with a caveat that they must not receive any gift from wealthy Nigerians who are usually using the pilgrimage to curry favours. A top source said: “President Muhammadu Buhari has adopted a strict policy on the use of presidential aircraft in order to save cost. His wife and relations have been restricted to the use of the aircraft in the presidential fleet.
“A situation where the aircraft were used anyhow by some friends, associates of the President during the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan can no longer be applicable in this dispensation.
“For example, the Wife of the President, Hajiya Aisha Buhari and three children travelled for lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia on Emirates Airline instead of using presidential aircraft.
“Buhari is determined to ensure the judicious use of the presidential aircraft to save cost. He is also setting a new template for governance. Do not be surprised if you see the President using commercial flights.”
Findings also revealed that Buhari is blazing another moral trail as a leader because his wife still cooks for him. While hosting some children to Eid-el Fitr festival, the wife of the President, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, made the unusual disclosures. She said: “I’m going to leave you soon. I want to go back home to cook for my husband. Because my children are here playing with you, nobody is at home, only my husband. I want to go back home to be with him and also cook dinner for him.” As at the time of filing this report, Buhari is yet to acquiesce to pressure to make his wife to go about with the appellation of the ‘First Lady’. A source added: “I think the President does not want the Office of the First Lady hijacked by vested interests as the case between 2010 and 2015 when Jonathan was in charge. So far, Hajiya Aisha Buhari is known and addressed as the ‘Wife of the President.’
Awaiting the fate of presidential jets
Going by his level of contentment, it was apparent that the President does not need all the aircraft in the Presidential Fleet but he is yet to make up his mind on what to do. During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, about N9.08billion was spent annually to maintain the 10 aircraft in the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF). The aircraft are two Falcon 7X jets, two Falcon 900 jets, Gulf stream 550, one Boeing 737 BBJ (Nigerian Air Force 001 or Eagle One), and Gulf stream IVSP.
Others are one Gulf stream V, Cessna Citation 2 aircraft and Hawker Siddley 125-800 jet.
A presidency source said: “Do you know that it costs about N747 million to fuel the aircraft in the presidential fleet per annum. President Buhari said his administration cannot afford such a luxury. He has limited the use of presidential fleet by his wife, immediate family and friends.
“The US President, Barrack Obama uses only two Boeing jets and one helicopter. So, Buhari is determined to cut cost. In any case, he lives an austere life. If he can ask his wife to fly on a commercial jet, then other public officers must emulate his standard.”
How he is running government without ministers
Gradually the President is restoring the old glory of the nation’s civil service in line with the 800-page report of Ahmed Joda Committee, which was submitted on June 11. Ahead of his appointment of ministers next month, the President is running the government with the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, Permanent Secretaries (who are the accounting officers of ministries) and the Chief Executives/ Directors-General of parastatals and his key aides like some Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants. The Permanent Secretaries and the CEOs of agencies are enjoying every bit of freedom because for the first time since 2007, they can now make suggestions, rub minds with the President and implement without anyone breathing down on them. The Senior Special Assistant on Media, Shehu said: “The Permanent Secretaries are there to assist him and he has given them independence to take decisions (including financial ones) unless it is something extra-ordinary.”
Reforms/ the coming structure of government and new ministers
Sources in the Presidential Villa confided in THE NATION that the report of the Ahmed Joda Committee and the 2012 document of Steve Oronsaye panel will go a long way in shaping the surgical reforms which Buhari will carry out. These reforms may include merger of ministries and agencies, cutting waste in public service and putting in place a culture of transparency and accountability. In its report, the Joda committee said: “There is no direct relationship between the number of ministries and efficacy of service delivery. The US with a population of 316million and with GDP of $17, 328 trillion (30 times Nigeria’s GDP) has 15 ministries. India has 24 ministries while the UK has 17.
“The current structure of the Federal Government of Nigeria with 28 ministries and 542 agencies (50 of which have no enabling laws) results in very high cost of governance. The portfolios of ministries are not responsive to all the major critical national challenges such as family and child affairs; religious affairs; vulnerable and elderly group affairs as well as the North-Eastern crisis.
“There is an apparent conflict between the desire of reducing the cost of governance through cabinet downsize and the constitutional requirement of a cabinet-level ministerial appointment from each of the 36 states of the Federation.”
More than any group, the new ministers coming into Buhari’s cabinet may not enjoy the same luxury like some of their reckless predecessors in the administration of the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. Shehu said: “The President has said he will cut wastes everywhere. He used to tell us that as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, he was always applying to the Federal Executive Council for estacode each time he was going for OPEC meeting. You can predict his policy.”
But the only challenge Buhari might have is about his plans to reduce the number of ministers from 42 to 18 or 19 because it will amount to a violation of the 1999 Constitution unless the relevant Section 147(1-3) is amended.
The section says: “There shall be such offices of Ministers of the Government of the Federation as may be established by the President.
“Any appointment to the office of Minister of the Government of the Federation shall, if the nomination of any person to such office is confirmed by the Senate, be made by the President.
“Any appointment under subsection (2) of this section by the President shall be in conformity with the provisions of section 14(3) of this Constitution:
“Provided that in giving effect to the Provisions aforesaid the President shall appoint at least one Minister from each state, who shall be an indigene of such state.”
When contacted, one of the strategists of the new administration said: “The President is still keeping the list of ministers to his chest; he has not disclosed any list.”
What has changed in the past few weeks?
Nothing sums up the turn-around being championed by Buhari than a confession by one of the immediate past ministers who said: “I don’t believe that everything can be done in an orderly manner as presently the case. Buhari’s personal leadership qualities, including hard work, have made a difference. Former President Jonathan said he was caged but I have realized that we were all caged.” Without firing any shot as a military General or visiting any establishment, the President’s body language has done much magic in the past few weeks. The system is working in every Ministry, Department and Agency because public servants and government officials know that Buhari will not take nonsense. Since no one wants to incur the president’s wrath, civil servants now report at their desk on time.
The same body language charm afflicts the electricity generating, transmission and distribution companies such that the nation’s power supply is reasonably stable since May 29 when Buhari only inherited a “historic low” of 727 megawatts (mw). According to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on Wednesday, the National Transmission Grid has recorded another peak of 4,662 megawatts (mw) of electricity. The TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs. Seun Olagunju said: “Power generation and transmission have been recording new peaks above 4,500mw following improvements in gas supply to the generating stations as well as equipment/ infrastructure upgrade and enhanced human capacity of system operators.”
Revving up anti-corruption agenda
Contrary to the posture of his predecessors who used to receive brief from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-graft agencies, Buhari has only left these agencies to “read his lips and be on the same page” with him in fighting corruption. A presidential aide, who spoke with our correspondent in strict confidence, said: “Do you know that Buhari has not asked any of the anti-corruption agencies to arrest anyone? He has not called for the file of any suspect or given them a list of the untouchables. Suddenly, these agencies increased their pace because Buhari does not place any inhibitions on their way, no presidential interference at all.” In the last few weeks, some heavyweights either quizzed or arraigned in court were ex-Governor Sule Lamido and sons; ex-Governor Martin Elechi and son; ex-Governor Ikedi Ohakim; Mrs. Oluwatoyin Saraki (the wife of the Senate President); Hajiya Zainab Dakingari (the daughter of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua); ex-Governor Murtala Nyako and son; a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Patrick Ziakede Akpobolokemi and Mrs, Ifeoma Nwobodo, who was the Chief of Staff to the former Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sullivan Chime.
Asserting the principle of separation of powers
For 49 days, the National Assembly was on the verge of brinkmanship because the President refused to interfere in the internal affairs of the Legislature. There were conflicting reports on whether or not ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo prevailed on Buhari to intervene, it was however obvious that the President took a constitutional risk which almost overshadowed his victory and the electoral gains of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In the end, there was light at the end of the tunnel. Speaking on a live interview chat with NTA on Monday, the President explained why he refused to interfere. He said: “I have to be very sensitive to the Constitution of the country. I do not like to be told by anybody, especially the legislators that I am interfering in their matter. There are three arms of government: the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. Over the years, they have developed the system of choosing their leaders.
“There is no way I can directly interfere. All I can do through the party is to appeal to their conscience that what I already observed, we should go over it as soon as possible. When I say we, I mean the APC.”
Corroborating his claim, the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said Buhari stuck to his stand till the end. He said: “Mr. President made it once again clear that everybody has no alternative but to listen to what the party says. He emphasized the fact that all of us were what we are thanks to the platform that the party provided for everybody. I think this message resonated very intensely with all the members of the House. He still did not interfere and his parting words to us were that the leadership of the House and the party should go and resolve whatever issues that were militating against a resolution.”
Buhari’s unique visit to the US
This trip was a major breakthrough for Buhari because it came early in the day of his administration and he can now settle down for work. Besides mending the strained diplomatic ties between the US and Nigeria, Buhari was able to seek support for the nation’s war against Boko Haram and anti-graft campaign which may lead to the repatriation of about $6billion looted funds. The shuttle also fetched a commitment of $2.1billion loan from the World Bank (through its International Development Agency) to rebuild the insurgency-ravaged North-East. While the first 10 years of the loan will be interest free, additional 30 years would attract interest “lower than capital market rate.” On its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) might invest about $300million on immunization against malaria. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is expected to work with Dangote Foundation for a zero polio free system in the country. A former Deputy Minority Leader in the Senate, Sen. Olorunnimbe Mamora told THE NATION’s correspondent during the week that the gains of the trip were significant. He said: “It is a measure of goodwill Obama and the United States have for President Buhari and his administration. That goodwill goes beyond America; it also extends to international community especially the Western world.”
Giving anti-terror war a new bite
Since the appointment of new Service Chiefs, the nation’s counter-insurgency campaign has heightened. Troops have seized many camps of Boko Haram, killed more than 300 insurgents and set free hundreds of captives including a six-day old infant. Buhari has also initiated a military alliance with Chad, Niger Republic, Cameroon and Benin Republic. A military source said: “With the way we are going about the campaign, we will rout out Boko Haram in the next six months if we sustain the tempo.”
Bail out for states
Worried by the collapse of the economy of most states, the President has reeled out some bail out measures including the release of N713.7billion intervention funds for states; N413.7billion represents special intervention funds; and the balance of about N250billion to N300billion as a soft loan to states. While about N413.7b ($2.1b) was sourced from the recent LNG proceeds, the remaining N300b came from a Central Bank-packaged special intervention fund. The Debt Management Office (DMO) is expected to assist states to restructure over N660billion commercial loans crippling their economy.
What should Nigerians do?
National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu during the week asked Nigerians to be patient with Buhari to effect the much desired change. He said: “Change is not by magic, it is driven by the people… You see, we have had so much problem in this country in the past because we run into policy blindfolded without adequate and effective planning. You don’t have results unless you plan well. The time it takes you to plan, examine, re-jig, re-evaluate is more important than the time you just rush into taking action because you are either being sentimental, being emotional and being driven by forces that are not expected.”

 

 

 

 

We Will Defeat Boko Haram by December, Buhari Vows

•      Insurgency in North-east will soon be history, says Osinbajo     
By Tobi Soniyi in Abuja and Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano
Despite the increase in bombing of civilian targets by Boko Haram, President Muhammadu Buhari has given assurance that the Multinational Joint Task Force of the Lake Chad Commission will defeat the insurgents by the end of this year.
Buhari, who was on a one-day visit to Cotonou as the special guest of honour at the 55th independence anniversary of Benin Republic,  said this yesterday at a gala lunch held in his honour by the President of Benin Republic, Boni Yayi.
Similarly, Vice President Yomi Osinbajo, while on an official visit to the IDPs Camp in Kano over the weekend, said that the on-going insurgency ravaging the North-eastern part of the country would in a matter of time become a thing of the past and that those displaced from their homes would soon return to their normal lives.
According to Osinbajo, the scourge of insurgency had disastrously taken a heavy toll on the economic potentials of the North most especially the North-east saying the federal government is doing everything possible to inject succour into the minds of those traumatised by the destructive conflict.
Also, President Buhari commended Yayi for increasing the number of Benin troops to 800 for the MNJTF, saying "and I assure you that we will defeat Boko Haram by the end of this year."
He also said he was completely overwhelmed by the honour of inviting him for the independence anniversary and by bestowing a national honour of the Republic of Benin on him and noted that even when he was a military head of state, Nigeria had always learnt to live peacefully with her neighbours.
He said: "I am impressed by your concern and critical approaches by increasing your contributions to the multinational task force of the Lake Chad Commission. This is a great sacrifice on the part of the Benin Republic.
"Even in my first coming into office under a different arrangement, we have learnt to live in peace with our neighbours. Within the week I was sworn in, I went to Niger, Chad. I was supposed to go to Cameroon but I was summoned by the G7 leaders to brief them about the security situation in Nigeria concerning Boko Haram, which declared allegiance to ISIS which gives it international dimension."
Earlier, Yayi had pledged that his country was ready to send about 800 troops as part of its contributions to the fight against terrorism.
 Yayi said that his country would collaborate with Nigeria in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency, noting that "Your Excellency, I am by your side. You are not alone. We are ready to send about 800 men."
Yayi acknowledged that the Republic of Benin is the 37th state of Nigeria and described Buhari as a man of integrity who, according to him, was concerned about the integration of the sub-region.
He said: "You are a man of integrity. The integration of the sub-region is your concern. Your coming here brings our two countries together. Our customs services should meet about economy. Benin is the 37th state of Nigeria."
Meanwhile, Vice President Osinbajo also assured people displaced and affected by Boko Haram that the Federal Government will remove all mines laid on their farms by the insurgents.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande said the Vice President spoke yesterday in Kano at a reception held at the Kano State Government House in honour of Mallam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant- Media and Publicity to the President.
Osinbajo said the government was doing a comprehensive de-mining of the affected areas to enable the displaced persons to return to their communities to resume their businesses and economic activities, including farming.
According to him, several farms in the North East had been planted with mines by the insurgents and that it was the plan of the Federal Government to remove all the impediments in the land.
Osinbajo had earlier visited the IDP camp in Mariri, Kano where he told the children displaced from Borno State not to lose hope.
 He was accompanied by the Kano State Governor Dr Abdullai Umar Ganduje and other officials and dignitaries from the state.
Osinbajo interacted with the children at the Internally Displaced Persons’ School, where some 100 children from Borno state are receiving education and psychological therapy courtesy of the Kano state government.
According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was committed to the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) to take care of all those affected by insurgency in the country.
He recalled the interaction the President had on Friday with the Victims Support Fund, VSF committee, headed by Gen. Theophilus Danjuma in Abuja, adding that besides the education of the children, the government was also interested in rebuilding places destroyed by terrorists.
He said PINE and the VSF have huge plans that had immediate, medium and long term plans, which the Buhari administration will ensure are well implemented.
At a reception held in honour of Mallam Garba Shehu, the Vice President explained that there was a somewhat ideological question on how to handle the problem of the poor, but that the Buhari administration was very clear on what needed to be done.
He then restated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) social welfare policies of the N5000 Conditional Cash Transfer help for the aged and the disabled among others "are well on target."
Speaking earlier at the reception, elder-statesman Alhaji Maitama Sule said God put President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo together and then added the biblical phrase "what God has joined together let no man put asunder."
The former Nigerian Permanent Representative to the United Nations said the president and the vice president could bring the desired change to the country, adding that the international community had also observed the discipline and integrity of both leaders.
On return to Abuja from Kano, the Vice President later at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport received the President who just returned from a visit to Benin Republic.

Anti-Corruption: Buhari’s first suspect won’t find it funny, says Adesina

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina was until his appointment the managing director of Sun Newspapers and concurrently, the president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE.

In this interview, by  Bashir Adefaka, the presidential spokesman responds to issues on the pace and pattern of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Excerpts:
How do you think the press and the executive arm of government can collaborate to move the country forward?
I think that cooperation is very, very important. You see, recently the relationship between the First Estate and the Fourth Estate had been downright adversarial and if it was not adversarial, it was suspicious. It is better today than it has ever been in the history of the country. We know that the country had been under long military rule during which the executive and the media were never friends.
We still have vestiges of that even now, but then things are fairly better than they have ever been. And I believe that under this administration, it will be a lot better. Don’t forget that the very day that President Buhari resumed at this Presidential Villa was also the day he visited the State House Press Corp in the gallery where they stay. It was some sort of wonderment for them because I heard a lot of them say openly that they had been covering this Villa for six, eight years and that they never received the President.
Adesina, Buhari's SA Media and Publicity
Adesina, Buhari’s SA Media and Publicity
So, for President Buhari, to on the first day of his resumption in the Villa, to have paid the press people a courtesy visit, so to say, I think it foreshadows what is to come. It is going to be a pleasant relationship in the months and the years ahead.   I read the column of one of them, I think Lekan Adetayo of The Punch, he narrated an account of the day they stayed very late at the Villa because there was a political meeting going on and when that meeting finished in the wee hours, the President (Buhari) passed by and he stopped by to greet them.   He said members of the Press Corp appreciated that a lot because in the past, presidents would just walk by and would not give them a glance.
It shows that we are in for a good relationship. It does not mean that they will see the truth and will not talk. No, they are still going to be independent, they will report truly and factually but they are going to be treated as decent professionals.   And it is going to be good for our country.  Enough of adversarial relationship between the press and the executive!
What would be the signature programmes of this government?
Right from the campaign you knew the things that were dear to the heart of the president.   I sat at an interview he also granted a television station and he reiterated those programmes. Of course you know that one of these is anti-corruption. He has always said unless Nigeria kills corruption that corruption will kill Nigeria.
So, anti-corruption is going to be very dear to his heart. I told some people privately that I pity the first person that President Buhari will catch in his anti-corruption drive (laughs). I pity the first person who is going to fall into this anti-corruption trap and that person is not going to find it funny.
And has he not caught the first person yet?
No.   When he catches the first person, you will know publicly that there has been a catch, and he will look for more. If you have evidence that somebody has taken any major fund anywhere, and it comes to the knowledge of the President, you can be sure that he will also be dealt with.  Gone are the days when people would be accused of stealing billions and trillions of Naira and it ends there and nothing comes out of it. You can be sure, not with this President, because anti-corruption is very, very dear to his heart.
Then, one thing that is also very dear to his heart is generating employment.   He is concerned about the rate of unemployment in the country.   He has said that about 60 percent of youths are unemployed.   Youths that are the life blood of the economy, about 60 percent of them are out of jobs, or they are underpaid or disgruntled.
So, he looks forward to a situation where the country will be so fixed that jobs will be available, particularly to the youths and that also is tied to the economy.   When the economy is properly fixed, it will reflect in the employment situation.   So, he plans that the economy must be fixed and Nigeria will become robust. Now when the economy is robust, there will be opportunities aplenty. That is also very dear to the heart of the President. I have so many
references about things that are dear to his heart to be achieved for the good of Nigerians. One day I was talking with the President, if you hear what he expressed about power, he said, “Ah, if this government can fix power, it will touch every aspect of the lives of Nigerians. It will touch the artisans, touch everybody, touch industries everywhere.”   And   saw the passion with which he was talking about that power and I know that he will make it.
Nigerians are saying that power has improved even when it is believed that the Buhari administration has not started working on power. What does it portend?
You can say that he has not done anything yet about power and the refineries, but then, the truth is that things are falling in place. So if things are falling in place naturally, you can then imagine, when he unfolds policies in those areas, you can imagine how better things will get. There is something called the right atmosphere. I believe that the right atmosphere is responsible for the improvements that you are talking about all over the place.
There is apprehension that the failure to appoint ministers may be contributing to economic difficulties especially the slide of the naira?
Before, the talk was that there were no service chiefs but as we sit down and talk today we have service chiefs. Few days ago, we would have said there was no National Security Adviser but as we sit down and talk today there is an NSA.
That shows you that appointment is work in progress just as people expected new service chiefs, and it happened; they expected a new NSA and it happened, the same way ministers will come. It is constitutional to have ministers and this President will never violate the Constitution. He knows that it is constitutional to have a cabinet but this Constitution does not prescribe the maximum or minimum number of ministers for him to constitute his cabinet.
The Constitution, I assume, believes that a President is a responsible person and he will do what is needful. And, for now, things are moving because what the President has done is to empower the Permanent Secretaries to run the bureaucracy. So, all
the ministries are moving.   I was with him when he instructed a permanent secretary that, “What your minister should have done, you must do now that the minister has not come.”   So, he has empowered the permanent secretaries to take decisions but that is not to say that ministers will not come at the soonest of time……
Some are rejoicing that the civil service is getting strong…..?
(Cuts in)   The civil service should be strengthened. The bureaucracy lubricates the system. If the bureaucracy is hampered in anyway, the system will be affected.   So, it is good that the bureaucracy is strengthened.   So, when ministers come, the bureaucracy can work with them, advise them properly and then things will move better. Not that the bureaucracy should be relegated to the background.
So it is good that the President has strengthened the bureaucracy and what ministers will then do is to collaborate with the bureaucracy and then move on. The second part of that question bordering on devaluation or no devaluation of Naira, you know that kind of decision is not a one-man decision.   There must be an economic team which will also come and when the economic team sits down they would articulate a thrust. That policy thrust will determine the direction to take.
What is your reaction to insinuations that the president has tilted the appointments he has made towards the north?
Well, what I would say is that the North is part of this country just like the South is. No part should be marginalized. In the South, South-South, South-West, South-East should not be marginalized. In the North, North-East, North West, North-Central should not be marginalized.   There should be fairness and equity in the country. If there is any President that believes in fairness, it is this one.   He believes in being fair to everybody. The mandate he received is a national mandate.
Muhammadu Buhari and Femi Adesina
Muhammadu Buhari and Femi Adesina
Thankfully there is that portion of our Constitution, which makes it impossible for somebody, who has not scored popular votes, who has not scored enough votes in a broad section of the country to become President.   Before President Buhari emerged, he satisfied that part of the Constitution. So he knows that he has a national mandate and he is going to exercise that mandate nationally.
Before the new service chiefs were appointed, the talk was that there had been nine appointments and only one was from The South.   Ahead we are close to 500 appointments because, Federal boards alone are populated by 601 people. So, all those boards will be constituted, there will be cabinet of which the Constitution says at least one from each state, then ambassadorial postings, there are going to be personal aides, there are going to be so many appointments.   So, when the President has just got nine, it is too early to cry woe!
One would have thought that the recent removal of the service chiefs would also affect the police boss.  Why was he retained?
IGP (Solomon Arase) is one of the best, in fact, the very best in the force now and by virtue of being IGP he is going to be one of the best.   And you know that the IGP is not just holding that office, he is an outstanding officer.
A lot of people pay tribute to him. So, for the President to have retained him, it shows that he knows his onion.   I also pay tribute to him as a man of honour. He is a fantastic officer, and for the President to have retained him, I think it was a good decision.  The President has the prerogative to change anybody  he wants to change.   For him to retain the IG, it means that the IG simply merits being retained.

Reps crisis: How Presidential prestige saved the day

By Levinus Nwabughiogu
For close to two months, they fought endlessly for positions leaving the National Assembly profusely bleeding. Various meetings were summoned at all levels yet no compromise.  But 20 minutes meeting with president Mohammdu Buhari, the imbroglio ended. Read the insider’s account of how a presidential intervention helped to resolve the leadership face off in the House of Representatives.
The meeting was slated for 5pm that Monday. And before the time, they had filled the place. It was one, long awaited, make or mar meeting, and so, no one needed to be left out.
The first to come was the Speaker in his official car and after two different coaster buses that carried the members wheeled in.
House Leader: House Members celebrating with Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila New House Leader House of Representatives in 8 Assembly. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.
House Leader: House Members celebrating with Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila New House Leader House of Representatives in 8 Assembly. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.
The hall was waiting and within minutes, it was filled to the brim. Banters and pleasantries were unprecedented. The smiles were broad but there was still deep seated animosity and aggression within.
Seated on the podium were the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, his deputy, Yusuf Lasun and the national chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Oyegun.
Joining them after a while was President Mohammadu Buhari and then the discussion began behind closed doors.
Within 20 minutes, they were done. Next, the door opened and they started filing out.
One had expected the same broad smiles that flashed across their faces ab initio, the banters and the conviviality that heralded the meeting. But that was all gone. And then, you could obviously behold minds cosmetically covered with subdued and sinister smiles.
Seeing the televisions camera waiting outside, one or two of the lawmakers, presumably footsoldiers of the both the protagonist and the antagonist, the hero and the villain approached them. Fortunately, the story- hungry Journalists obliged them a space and they ventilated their feelings.
From their voices, one could dictate dissension, a clear indication that the meeting was deadlocked. Yes, deadlocked because expectations were high that the lawmakers would have come out embracing each other, saying that the crisis in the House of Representatives was over.
But that was not to be. They wore long faces. But then, Journalists patiently waited there apparently for the big masquerades.
Minutes later, the three musketeers, Oyegun, Dogara and Femi Gbajabiamila emerged from within.
They were in the presidential villa, Abuja at the instance of presidential Mohammdu Bahari to seek ways of resolving the logjam occasioned by the principal officers positions in the House.
Here were their respective answers to Journalists’ questions in a sequential order.
Gbajabiamila “We had a family meeting. We spoke heart to heart. The President was very forthright. It was basically on the party supremacy. I believe that by the end of the day, before the end of this night, you guys will know the outcome. We are still talking. But I think, this is the first time everybody is coming together in a cordial atmosphere as one family. I think we are almost at the point where all of these will be behind us.
Oyegun: “Everything is up. You can see I am smiling. You will be very surprised. A lot was achieved in 20 minutes. You can see the Speaker of the House standing firmly by me. In another three to four hours, we will have good news for the nation. It is never too late to strengthen the past”, he said.
Dogara: “I have always been by the party. There has never been a time that I have never stood firmly by the party. So, like my chairman has explained, sooner or later we will have good news for Nigerians”, he said.
More meetings
Sure, the meetings were not over because the crisis was still unresolved. The meetings continued that night at different locations. The next day, Tuesday, was the resumption date for the National Assembly and having adjourned two times since its inauguration consequent upon the crisis, the sure thing was that it wouldn’t adjourn again. At least, not that day. If they did, Nigerians would have reacted vehemently. And so, whatever happens, the principal officers must be named.
Tuesday, D-Day
On Tuesday, the anxiety was high. Just like the day of inauguration of the National Assembly, everywhere was occupied. The floor and the gallery. No foothold.
Then midway into the plenary, Speaker Dogara temporarily relinquished his seat for his deputy and went into a closed door meeting with Gbajabimila and Hon. Doguwa. Then the anxiety heightened, prompting a flurry of questions. What would happen when he returns? Will he name Gbajabiamila the Majority leader of the House eventually? Will he pooh-poo the party’s directive? What about the meeting with President Buhari? Just a plethora of rhetorical questions.
After about an hour, the Speaker reappeared, took his seat and began to read the names from a paper before him.
Trust Dogara, he started with the last and in this case, least office. This heightened suspense. With some intermittent pauses and calculated silence, he called the names and eventually reached the peak with Gbajabiamila named as the House Majority leader. A wide jubilation on the floor ensued.
With this, the siege was over in the House. APC had crossed the hurdles. Governance can now start.
Some Nigerians react
Following the return of peace, Saturday Vanguard sampled the views of some Nigerians on the matter and what it portends for the country.
We are more united now–Hon. Phillips Shaibu, member representing Estako Federal constituency in the House of Representatives
I feel great. I feel happy. I feel fulfilled. I feel the House of representatives is ready for its business to join Mr. President to drive the change that the people voted for. I am so excited and happy we have put this thing behind us. Yes, I actually felt disappointed. I wasn’t happy because Nigerians are in a hurry to see us to get the ball rolling especially on the mess that we have inherited from the PDP, the insurgency that we inherited from the PDP, the darkness that we inherited from PDP, the Economic crisis we inherited from PDP and the devaluation of our currency that we inherited from PDP. So, there are lots of mess that Nigeria voted against which they are expecting the House of Reps or the National Assembly to join hands with Mr. President and set the ball rolling to make sure all those things are changed. So,I’m wasn’t happy the crisis came.
But I also think the crisis came at the right time and it has put us in a position to understand each other better and I can tell you that from the discussions and dialogues that took place, we now understand each other better than we did at the beginning. So, for me, I think God wanted us to understand each other better so that people will not come in between to derail the change that Nigerians voted for. So, God allowed it to happen so that we would understand each other better and I can tell you that we can tell of the capacity that each us has in terms of issues, in terms of the dreams and focus that influence the National Assembly. So I think it was a period which enabled us to deeply understand each other knowing full well that all of us came from different political parties to form APC. I think this has reunited us and brought us to understand each other better and I can tell you that we are hitting the ball in a very strong footing.
All thanks to President Buhari, Chief John Oyegun, APC national chairman
The misunderstanding in the House of Representatives has been very very amicably resolved thanks to The intervention of Mr. President who again made it quite clear with everybody, that there is no alternative but to listen to what the party says.
I want to emphasise the fact that all of us were what we were, what we are thanks to the platform that the party provided for everybody. I think his message resonated very intensive with all the members of the House. He still did not interfere. I want to make that very very clear and his parting words to us was that the presiding leadership of the House and the party should go and resolve whatever issues there are that was militating against the resolution of the problem and that is what exactly happened. When we were leaving there I promised, the press was very anxious to hear that A, B and C have been appointed to whatever positions but that is not what happened.
I promised that within a few hours, 4 hours as I said definitely by the next morning, the nation will be glad knowing that this issue would have been resolved and put behind us. We left there into consultations and discussions with the presiding officers of the House of Representatives.  Let me take this opportunity to pay tribute to their maturity to their sense of responsibility, tribute to their loyalty of the party and above all tribute to their sense of general good meaning their patriotism displayed by the Speaker and his Deputy. It did not take long, necessary concessions that had to be made were made.
President Mohammadu Buhari’s intervention was key–Dr. Chekwas Okorie, National Chairman, United Progressives Party, UPP.
Most Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief when the lingering, scandalous and embarrassing leadership tussle in the House of Representatives was finally put to rest at the resumption of the House on Tuesday 28 July, 2015.
I have always been of the opinion that President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention in the matter will be a key factor in resolving the conflict. I have also always made it clear that his intervention is not interference as he had pledged not to do. I will therefore give the President and the defacto leader of APC kudos for providing the desired leadership in resolving the problem. I will congratulate the APC for saving its face through the outcome of the negotiations that led to the resolution of the matter.
I advise the leadership of the National Assembly as constituted to drop immediately their loyalties to primordial cleavages outside the House and dissolve into a cohesive team that will serve the best interest of the Nigerian people. Similarly, I advise the APC leaders to consider the profound injunction of President Muhammadu Buhari that they should not allow their personal ambitions and interests to render the APC prostrate and vulnerable to the demolition plot of the rampaging PDP. It is unfortunate and worrisome that the leadership crisis in both the Senate and House of Representatives have caused Nigerians so much anxiety and trepidation so early in the life of the present government.
It is democracy at play–Hon. Victor Ogene, immediate member of the House of Representatives from Anambra State.
It is democracy at play. It is consensus building and at the end of the day even battles that are fought on behalf of the nation always invariably end around on a negotiating table. So, in this instance, for me, it is a win win situation. Both former camps had issues to prove. One: the independence of the legislature in terms of choosing their leaders. That point was eloquently made on the June 9, 2015. For the people who believe that the party ought to be supreme, I think they also scored a major victory on July 28, 2015.
So, invariably, it is a win win situation. But it also tells everyone hereafter that there is a line where party supremacy stops especially when it is in conflict with the independence of an institution or an arm of government. I would simply urge all those involved to move on to deliver on the campaign promises of the party which is to bring about change in virtually all facets of Nigerian life especially in terms of tackling insurgency, fighting corruption and putting the economy on a sound footing. These can only be done when you have a national assembly that is in tune with the policy terms of the party in place. So, I think that from now onwards, we will begin to see the road signs of how the Buhari administration will pan out within the next few weeks.
Bottom line
Obviously, the APC federal lawmakers played bitter politics that held the House, nay, the country hostage for upwards two months. But thank goodness, it is over. Nigerians now expect nothing but action and action flowing the presidency, federal legislature down to the States. No excuse. This is what Nigerians await.

EFCC Boss, Jonathan’s Ministers, Aides Share 500 FG Houses, Presidency Vows To Investigate

Influential ministers and aides of for­mer President Goodluck Jonathan were among those who allegedly shared over 500 Federal Government houses located in highbrow areas of Abuja and Lagos as parting gifts from the immediate past ad­ministration.
Beside the influential ministers and top pres­idential aides, heads of some powerful feder­al agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the armed forces as well as top military officers are also beneficiaries of the last minute largesse of the Jonathan’s administration, as documents sight­ed in the office of the Secretary to the Govern­ment of the Federation (SGF) have revealed.




 Curiously, most of the beneficiaries have one common feature; the allocation of the houses to them was not done in their individual names but in the names of front-companies and/or faceless companies.
Another interesting development is that with the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the Jonathan administration with a view to recovering billions of public funds and assets illegally taken by top officials of the immediate past government, many of the ben­eficiaries of the last minute sharing of public assets have abandoned the properties, most of which are now under lock and key and over­grown with weeds while others have refused to pay for the properties to avoid losing their money in the event that the Buhari government choses to revoke the sales.
A source in the SGF office told Saturday Sun that properties whose owners are now scared to take possession of them are scattered all over Asokoro and Maitama areas of Abuja as well as Ikeja GRA, Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Apapa areas of Lagos.
Investigations by Saturday Sun revealed that the abandoned properties are more in Lagos. They litter Emotan road, Apapa GRA; Liver­pool road, Apapa, Marine road, Apapa; Park lane and Child avenue, both also in Apapa. In Ikoyi, they are located at Oyinkan Abayomi (Former Queen’s Drive) and Bourdillion road where the EFCC boss, Ibrahim Lamorde has his allocation; a mansion and two bungalows on a large expanse of land.
It was also gathered that while some of the former ministers and presidential aides have their allocations in Abuja, top military officers and some heads of government agencies have theirs in Lagos. Further investigations show that the former ministers, presidential aides and Heads of Departments and Agencies were allo­cated Guest Houses and other buildings owned by their MDAs at ridiculous prices.
The source, who is a top official of the SGF office, however, told Saturday Sun that most of the houses were abandoned because “the owners are obviously looking for private sec­tor individuals that can buy them as many of them didn’t really get the allocations to live in the houses, they only want to sell them off and make profit.”
When asked why the allocations were done in the names of companies rather than the names of the actual beneficiaries, the top offi­cial said: “Most of the owners got the houses while still in government and they wouldn’t like to disclose such huge assets in their assets declaration forms with the Code of Conduct Bureau because of the questions on the source of the funds used to pay for such. We’re only the ones who knows who owns what but if you follow the table of allocations, you will only find names of companies as beneficiaries.”
The source, however, exonerated the com­mittee in charge of the houses which is directly in charge of some of the sales of any complici­ty, adding: “Decisions and approvals more of­ten than not, come from the Presidency.”
“The committee also has no control over which name will be used for the purpose of allocation and what such beneficiaries do with the properties afterwards”, the official added.
Beside the sales done by the committee, it was also learnt that some public institutions like the NNPC, PHCN, NPA and CBN handled the sales of some of their properties based on approval from the Presidency. It was said that some of the controversial sales could have been done by the ministries and agencies that have presidential approval to dispose of their own assets.
Another source in the Ministry of Lands and Housing however said that the number of houses allocated was far lower than 500. The source, who is an official of the ministry, dis­closed: “It is true that some requests for allo­cation came towards the end of the last admin­istration but the real allocation was tactically delayed by some officials to avoid running into trouble with the then in-coming Buhari admin­istration.”
Reacting on behalf of the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the commission’s spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren said he was not at liberty to comment.
Although he did not deny the claims, he in­sisted on sighting the document wherein Lam­orde was named as one of the beneficiaries. He maintained that his reaction would be based on what the document alleged, rather than reacting in a vacuum.
He further insisted that the claims could have emanated from anybody who might be out to smear the image of the EFCC chairman.
“I cannot just react to your claims. At least, it is only fair that I see the document you are relying on. I need to study the contents of the document and then react accordingly. You know too well that anybody can make such a weighty allegation just to smear the image of the chairman of EFCC,” Uwujaren added.
But the presidency in its reaction vowed to investigate the development. Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina said the Buhari administration “will investigate such deals.”
President Buhari has said he will not extend his corruption probe beyond the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The President had said during his recent vis­it to the US that he would arrest and prosecute past ministers and other officials who stole Ni­geria’s oil and diverted government’s money into personal accounts.
But the President’s Special Adviser on Me­dia and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the Pres­ident will limit his anti-corruption war to the immediate past administration.
He said even before he was inaugurated on May 29, the President had categorically stated that he would not extend his corruption probe beyond the Jonathan government.
“If you recall, that was already settled before he got inaugurated as President. He has said he will not waste time digging into the far past,” Adesina said.
“The far past will include Obasanjo and oth­ers. But the President has said he will not waste time to go that far.”
Before leaving office, Jonathan had said any probe by the new government would be seen as a “witch-hunt” if it fails to go beyond his ad­ministration.
The Sun