Wednesday 21 November 2018

Ministers angry over ‘twisted’ version of concession call

‘Jonathan lied’ — ex-ministers angry over ‘twisted’ version of concession call

Some ministers who served under former president Goodluck Jonathan have angrily reacted to some of the claims by him in his book, ‘My Transition Hours’, released on Tuesday.
Commenting on his acclaimed concession call to President Muhammadu Buhari while the final results of the 2015 presidential election were yet to be announced, Jonathan said he rebuffed advice from ministers and an aide not to concede.
Those he named as having advised him are Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (then minister of finance), Mohammed Bello Adoke (attorney-general), Osita Chidoka (aviation), and Warpamowei Dudafa (senior special assistant on domestic affairs).
Jonathan wrote: “They were recommending sundry alternatives, but I was quiet in the midst of their discussions. I hugged my thought, figuring out how to do that which was best for the country. My personal interest was receding rapidly and the interest of Nigeria looming large.
“I excused myself and left the sitting room. I walked into my study. Even there, my mantra was a strong circle around me, supporting and comforting me.  Let the country survive. Let democracy survive. My political ambition is not worth people being ‘soaked in blood.”
However, a former minister, who spoke with TheCable, has described Jonathan’s version of the events as a “big lie”.
“Let him enjoy the euphoria of his book launch first, but those he has defamed will surely respond in due course,” the former minister said, adding that Jonathan, by his latest claims, may finally demystify himself over the concession speech “which had elevated his status internationally”.
Another former minster who spoke with the TheCable but also refused to be identified described Jonathan’s version of events as “most unfair and petty”.
“The impression the former president is trying to create is that the people came to tell him not to concede. In truth, Jonathan was being persuaded by a former south-south governor not to concede, so some ministers were quickly invited to come and counter the plot,” the former minister said.
“What would Okonjo-Iweala, Adoke and Chidoka be doing at the villa at that time if not that something was going wrong? Is Jonathan trying to say he was not involved in Elder Godsday Orubebe’s attempt to disrupt the announcement of the results? Is Jonathan trying to claim innocence of a plot to secure a court injunction to stop INEC from further announcing the results? Jonathan needs to be a man of honour.”
Here are the other versions of the concession story as narrated in books by Okonjo-Iweala, who was a witness; Olusegun Adeniyi, celebrated journalist and author; and Bolaji Abdullahi, former minister of sport.

OKONJO-IWEALA’S VERSION


Okonjo-Iweala said she whispered to Jonathan to concede
Okonjo-Iweala wrote that when she got to the villa on March 31, she found a group of politicians urging Jonathan not to accept defeat and another group asking him to throw in the towel.
“At the Villa, I was met outside the residence by Osita Chidoka, who collected my input for the (concession) speech and told me the president was in the residence. When I entered the Villa, the president was in one of the living rooms with the Vice President, some advisers, and a group of politicians who were arguing passionately about the conduct of the elections and irregularities of which they said they had evidence, such as videos of underage voting in certain parts of the country.
“They were urging the president not to concede the election. More politicians came in and joined them. On the opposite side of the room were the Minister of Aviation Osita Chidoka; the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke; and the Minister of Agriculture, Akinwunmi Adesina. They were relaying a dissenting view, arguing that the president should concede.
“I was immediately drawn into the argument as everyone turned to hear my views. I said I thought the president should concede and do so before the announcement of the vote count was completed. The Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Affairs, Dr. Dudafa Waripamo-Owei, a politician, whom I expected to side with the politicians, also said he sided with those who thought the president should concede.
“A heated argument ensued. Throughout the discussion, the president said not a word. He kept his own counsel and just kept welcoming guests and party loyalists who were joining us at the Villa.
“I sat next to the president and whispered to him that if he was going to concede, he probably should do so before the announcement of election results ended.
“Suddenly, he got up and left the room. We all thought he had gone off for a few moments of quiet. He returned about twenty minutes later and sat down without saying a word. I decided to take a chance and press him again on a timely concession. As I whispered again for a second time, the president responded to me out loud, “CME (Coordinating Minister of the Economy), it is done. I have called President-elect Buhari and conceded!”

OLUSEGUN ADENIYI’S ACCOUNT


Olusegun Adeniyi authored ‘Against the Run of Play’
Adeniyi, in his book, ‘Against the Run of Play’, said Dudafa knelt and begged Jonathan to concede.
He wrote: “Kneeling in front of Jonathan were his Attorney-General and Justice Minister, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN; Aviation Minister, Mr. Osita Chidoka and Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Affairs, Mr. Waripamo-Owei Dudafa.
“The mission of the three officials was to persuade Jonathan to call and congratulate his opponent, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), even as the final results were still being collated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Seated a few metres away in the room were Vice-President Namadi Sambo; Akwa Ibom Governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio; Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Mr. John Kennedy Opara and the Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
“Chidoka had co-opted Adoke and Dudafa to make the plea after a conversation he had with Jonathan the previous day. The President had acknowledged that the results were going against him and that he was going to concede.
“This was at a period when Nigerians were unsure who would win, with many politicians within the ruling People’s Democratic Party still betting on Jonathan. He, meanwhile, had asked Chidoka and a few others, including his spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, to give him a draft concession speech.”

BOLAJI ABDULLAHI’S ACCOUNT


Abdullahi wrote ‘On a Platter of Gold’
Abdullahi wrote more comprehensively on the concession in ‘On a Platter of Gold’.
He said Jonathan had told Chidoka earlier in the day that he was gong to accept defeat, but things began to change quickly.
He wrote: “By the time he returned later that day, the sombre atmosphere at the Presidential Villa had become somewhat charged. The president’s media adviser, Reuben Abati had also brought a draft speech. He was asked to go and work with Akinwumi Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture, to reconcile the two speeches. Several other people had also arrived, and now sat around the presidential living room like a delegation of mourners, each trying his best to surpass the other in a show of grief .Among them was the Vice President, Namadi Sambo and the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio.
“Jonathan had by now given indication of his plan to accept defeat. What they probably did not realise, however, was that by asking him not to concede, they were presenting him with a dilemma. He had roundly promised the country a credible election. And if there was one legacy he would like to leave behind in office, it would be that he conducted the most credible election in the nation’s history. Therefore, to contend that the election has been anything but credible was to rob himself the chance to leave even this imprint on history. The alternative of course was for him to simply accept defeat and walk away.
“In the battle for the president’s mind, Chidoka could see that he was hopelessly outnumbered. Many had even started to accuse him openly of working for the former Minister of Federal Capital Territory and APC Governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai. Having taken in the atmosphere, the Aviation Minister quickly summoned two other people he knew could exert significant influence on the President: the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke; and the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. They soon arrived.
“A usually sedate President Jonathan, who appeared like he did not care only a while ago, was now fuming. He ranted about how the election was rigged. How children were used to vote. How Jega had compromised and betrayed his trust. Okonjo-Iweala, whose words normally carried weight with the President, was pleading with him, but he was not listening.
“Abati returned with an updated draft of the speech, which he had started by having the president congratulate the winner, Muhammadu Buhari. But the president said, no, he was not going to congratulate Buhari because he wasn’t convinced that he had won the election fair and square. Chidoka turned to Jonathan and asked, ‘Sir, but are you still going to give the address?’
“President Jonathan said he was going to give the address, but he was not going to congratulate anyone. He would only appeal to Nigerians to remain calm and await the announcement of the final results. It was obvious that the ‘rejecters’ had made an impact and were having the upper hand. And, sensing that they were winning, they pressed their advantage. They reminded President Jonathan of what Buhari was capable of doing to him,and argued that even if he was going to concede, the terms had to be negotiated.Vice President Sambo wanted Jonathan to wait until the full results were announced before he made a statement. Even then, he thought the statement should not be to congratulate Buhari but to say that the president had kept his promise to conduct the elections but the party would meet to review the results and then decide whether to accept the outcome or reject it. Some others argued that even if he must concede, the Peace Committee should be brought in to negotiate some kind of softlanding not only for him, but also his associates. No one gives away power so cheaply, they insisted.
“Okonjo-Iweala and Adoke however countered that if the president issued a statement conceding defeat as he had planned to do even before the final results were announced, he would be snatching a major victory out of the jaws of defeat.
“Sir, why don’t you even call General Buhari to congratulate him?” No one could recall who first made this suggestion. But this was a major tipping point that every one of the ‘persuaders’ would be happy to claim. They all agreed that if the President called Buhari to congratulate him, that would settle the matter and turn him to an instant hero, even in defeat. “You have lost the mortal game, this is the chance to claim immortality,” one of them.
“One person who had been listening to all the arguments but contributing very little was Waripamo-Owei Dudafa, the President’s long term aide. His only previous contribution to the debate was when he said to the president, “Daddy, no matter what, we are leaving here May 29.” He knew President Jonathan more than most. He knew that if all these people pressuring him to reject the outcome of the election had known him half as well, they would have realised the catastrophic implication of what they were advocating and would have known that this man did not have the stomach for carnage and blood. Dudafa knew that when President Jonathan said his ambition was not worth the blood of any Nigerian, he meant it. He also knew what the president meant when he once said, that he was no Nebuchadnezzar. Therefore, the moment the idea of a phone call to General Buhari was mentioned, he started working with some other domestic aides to get Buhari on the phone. He soon got through.
“Your Excellency, sir. Hope I’m speaking with General Buhari, sir. President Goodluck Jonathan would like to speak with you, sir,” Dudafa said to the phone and handed it over to President Jonathan.”

Tuesday 20 November 2018

THE WEAKNESS YOU IGNORE WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU


There was a man in KADUNA who had repeatedly accused Governor El Rufai's Goverment of massive corruption through the Media Houses.

The young man named 'JARFA' was one day invited to the Government house by the Governor, who directed Mr. Jarfa to charter a 'KEKE NAPEP' that he (the Governor) will pay when he arrived and that he had already instructed the security details at the gate for his free passage...

Mr. Jarfa arrived as instructed and the Governor told him to let the KEKE man go and that his men will drop him later...

He gave Mr. Jarfa N200,000.00 to pay the KEKE man as a way of empowering the poor rider as well as to let the KEKE man always remember the very day he brought a passenger to the Government House....

The Governor asked Mr. Jarfa upon his return from paying the KEKE man, ''What was the reaction of the KEKE man after giving him such a huge amount?
Mr. Jarfa answered that the KEKE man was actually dazed with shock!!!

Unknown to Mr. Jarfa, the security details at the 2nd gate had been asked to stop the KEKE man and bring him back...
When the KEKE man was brought back to the Governor, the Governor asked him, ''How much did Mr. Jarfa give you???
And the KEKE man said N2,000.00.
This happened in the presence of 'Holier-than-thou' MR. JARFA!

The Governor smiled and said, ''You see... from N200,000.00 to N2,000.00, you have pocketed N198,000.00 in a space of a second, only you!!!
You have lost the chance to own a brand new car. Look at the key here.
I thought you were a honest man. I was even looking forward to working with you, but you have messed up, you are even worse! You can leave now with your N198,000.00. Thank you very much for coming!!!”

Since that very day, Mr. Jarfa's voice has disappeared from the radar of Media Airwaves!!!

May our loyalty and honesty never be tested!! Most of us are Mr. Jarfa waiting to happen in Nigeria.

This is one of the most challenging stories ever read.

God help our faithfulness to be truly faithful.

That's the kind of followers most of us are, yet demanding much from leaders raised amongst us.
Real change begins with me..

God help us all.

*Posted as received.

Monday 19 November 2018

ROAD PROJECTS IN NIGERIA.

365 roads are under construction in Nigeria.
244 of them were awarded in 2001 yet had stopped being active by 2015, due to lack of funds in an era of oil boom.

In contrast, the remaining 121 roads were awarded in the last three years in a period of oil glut and global hardship.

The first translates to 16 roads per annum in the period of plenty and the latter category represents an average of 40 roads per annum in a tough period.

The difference is crystal clear.

~ Babatunde Raji Fashola
Minister of Works, Power & Housing

Sunday 18 November 2018

IN FULL: Buhari's Address At Launch Of Presidential Campaign

IN

FULL TEXT OF BUHARI'S SPEECH

Four years ago, we promised Nigerians real change – in what we do and how we do it. Nigerians sent a clear message in the last election, and our platform offered a new, ambitious plan for a secure, prosperous and corruption-free country. We have worked hard to fulfil our promises – and while the road may have been difficult, over the last three and a half years, we have laid the foundations for a strong, stable and prosperous country for the majority of our people. Foundational work is not often visible, neither is it glamorous – but it is vital to achieving the kind of country we desire. Judging by the prior depth of decay, deterioration and disrepair that Nigeria had sunken into, we are certain that these past few years have put us in good stead to trudge on the Next Level of building an even stronger nation for our people.

First things had to come first.

We were a nation at war – but we delivered on our commitment to secure the territorial integrity of our nation in the face of a raging insurgency that devastated many parts of the North East. We liberated 17 Local Government Areas from the grip of insurgency. Brokering and sustaining peace in the Niger Delta has also been crucial to stabilising the polity. Despite the difficult circumstances presented by weak oil prices and reduced oil production, we delivered on our commitment to make public investments to spur economic growth, job creation, and broad-based prosperity. Agriculture continues to expand our economic base, as do our investments in deficient infrastructure across the length and breadth of this nation. We implemented a responsible and transparent fiscal plan for the challenging economic times that saw us doing more even with lesser oil revenues. Grand scale corruption perpetrated at the highest level of government is now a thing of the past, just as the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has made it more difficult for ministries, departments and agencies to exercise the unrestrained liberties that helped foster a climate conducive to corruption. The nation’s wealth is now being invested in capital projects to expand infrastructure and connect people, goods and opportunities by rail, road and air. Also, the Federal Government supported state governments with bailouts that enabled them to pay workers on their payroll.

We took an unprecedented step towards creating a fairer and more equitable society by implementing Africa’s biggest social investment programme. Through the National Social Investment Programme, we are providing direct support to over 13 million Nigerians who need it by giving relief and assistance to unemployed youth, our children, the weak and vulnerable as well as small and medium businesses. But even as we lay the foundation for a stable and prosperous nation, we acknowledge there is still much to do. The Next Levelof effort focuses on job creation across various sectors. From an enlargement of the N-Power programme to investing in technology and creative sector jobs to agriculture and revolutionising access to credit for entrepreneurs and artisans, there is scope for over 15 million new jobs. The march away from a mono-economy must continue with our industrialisation plan coming to fore. With specific plans underway to exploit the comparative advantage of the geopolitical zones and different states by developing 6 Industrial Parks and 109 Special Production and Processing Centres (SPPCs) across each senatorial district, our incremental move away from oil dependence is assured. In addition, our development of the Special Economic Zones will quickly concretise our Made in Nigeria for Export (MINE) plan. To sustain food production and value addition, our mechanisation policy for agriculture will make tractors and processors easily accessible and available for farmers across Nigeria. We will continue a wide scale training policy, prioritising technology to reach the demography of young people within the productive sector on a massive scale even as we create jobs and growth within our economy.

We believe that our people who are still in poverty have a direct way out and up through our expanded National Social Investment Programme. We believe we can implement the painstaking and comprehensive policy and work we have done to bring an end to the perennial conflict between farmers and herders – a conflict which is heightened by a struggle for land, water and pasture and the effects of climate change and every now and then, opportunistic and cynical manipulation by political actors. We are implementing a blend of measures that ensures that justice, order, modernisation and new economic paradigms emerge.

Perhaps our biggest ambition yet is the overhaul of our education sector. Every child counts – and simply, whatever it takes to prepare our teachers, curriculum and classrooms to attain the right educational goals that grow our country, will be done. We will remodel 10,000 schools every year and retrain our teachers to impart science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics using coding, animation, robotics to re-interpret our curriculum. We know that to succeed, moral integrity and conscience must continue to form the dominant character of our nation and its leadership. Corruption is an existential threat to Nigeria. Despite the gains we have made in closing the gates, we know that there is still much ground to cover to stop systemic corruption. We are committed to deepening the work we started this first term such that the nation’s assets and resources continue to be organised and utilised to do good for the common man. The next four years will be quite significant for our country. Nigeria is faced with a choice to keep building a new Nigeria- making a break from its tainted past which favoured an opportunistic few. Our choices will shape us – our economic security and our future prosperity.

Nigeria, more than ever before, needs a stable and people-focused government to move the agenda for our country forward. Join us on this journey to the Next Level of a prosperous, strong and stable Nigeria!

Nigerians, we are all going higher!

HERE ARE LINKS TO MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS OF BUHARI OSINBAJO LED ADMINISTRATION... 

TAKE TIME TO READ, SHARE, COMPARE AND CONTRAST TO THE 16 YEARS OF PDP's MISRULE.

http://bosf.ng/security/

http://bosf.ng/economy/

http://bosf.ng/anti-corruption-transparency/

http://bosf.ng/diplomacy-and-international-relations/

http://bosf.ng/ongoing-and-completed-projects-by-the-buhari-osinbajo-led-administration-across-the-36-states-of-the-federation/


http://bosf.ng/list-of-the-25-priority-road-projects-being-executed-by-president-muhammadu-buhari-administration/


http://bosf.ng/press-briefing-by-barr-ismaeel-ahmed-senior-special-assistant-to-the-president-on-social-investment-programmes-november-12th-2018/


http://bosf.ng/efcc-convictions-and-recoveries-under-ibrahim-magu/


http://bosf.ng/sixty-four-achievements-of-president-muhammadu-buhari-in-the-agricultural-sector/

http://bosf.ng/buhari-osinbajo-solidarity-front-presents-100-solid-achievements-of-the-buhari-led-administration/

http://bosf.ng/two-million-nigerians-to-get-collateral-free-loans-in-buhari-administrations-new-micro-credit-for-petty-traders/

http://bosf.ng/kemi-adeosun-driving-far-reaching-reforms-in-nigerias-fiscal-operations-management/

http://bosf.ng/kemi-adeosun-driving-far-reaching-reforms-in-nigerias-fiscal-operations-management/

http://bosf.ng/everything-you-need-to-know-about-itakpe-warri-rail-line/

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2019: Buhari floors Atiku, Ezekwesili last in UK poll 



 President Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate has floored Alhaji Atiku Abubakar the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku and Buhari In an online poll created by CitizenPoll and published on their website, Buhari had 64.52 per cent of the votes with 8348, while Atiku polled only 3,241 votes, representing 25 per cent of the vote. Electronic fraud in banking projected to hit N6.1trn by 2021 — CBN director The Poll which featured only eight Presidential Candidates, has Mrs Oby Ezekwesili of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) trailing at the bottom with only 163 votes being 1.11 per cent of the poll as at the time of this report. In the 3rd position on the poll was Omoyele Sowore of African Action Congress (ACC) who polled 344 (2.66%), followed by Kingsley Moghalu of Young Progressive Party (YPP) with 264 votes (2.04%). Tope Dasua of the Abubdant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) polled 215 votes (1.66%) while in the 6th position as at the time of this report was Donald Duke of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) with 195 votes (1.51%). The seventh position was occupied by Fela Durotoye with 190 votes representing 1.47 per cent of the votes. President Buhari hails Super Eagles for AFCON 2019 qualification The Citizen Poll also had another running online poll of worst performing Governor in Nigeria with Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi topping  the 10-man list. More details on both polls to come later

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/11/2019-buhari-floors-atiku-ezekwesili-last-in-uk-poll/

Saturday 17 November 2018

PRESS RELEASE BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI CAMPAIGN ORGANISATION


PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI PRESENTS "THE NEXT LEVEL" TO NIGERIANS

As campaigns for the Presidential and National Assembly elections officially kick off tomorrow,  President Muhammadu Buhari has decided to first showcase his achievements and projections for the next four years to Nigerians before the official flag-off of the campaigns. The event for this presentation is tagged "THE NEXT LEVEL" which will take place at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa on Sunday,  November 18, 2018, from 5pm to 8pm.  It would be broadcast live from different T.V stations and will be a precursor to the official flag-off of the campaigns.

At the event,  the President is expected to unveil two documents: one that will highlight his achievements in the last three and half years and will also contain other facts to guide supporters in the course of the campaigns; and the other document is titled "THE NEXT LEVEL", which captures the projections of the Buhari administration in the next four years if given the mandate again by Nigerians.

A formal announcement as to the official flag-off of the campaigns would be made in the next few days.

Thank you.

Festus Keyamo,  SAN,  FCIArb (UK)
Director,  Strategic Communications,
President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation
(Official Spokesperson).