Nigeria at 57: Buhari sneaks into Maiduguri, celebrates Independence anniversary with troops

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, sneaked into Maiduguri, the Bormo state capital on Sunday, to Commemorate the 57th Independence Day celebration with troops and people of the state. The visit by the president, though a quiet one has rejuvenate the spirit of love the people have for the number one citizen. During his visit, Buhari congratulated the military for the efforts they were making to return peace to Borno State and indeed the northeast. He appreciated the people of Borno state for being patient with the government and for their support to the Nigerian military in the fight against insurgency in the region.

Fani-Kayode reveals those he is fighting

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has said that his fight is against,, “the fascists, the hegemonists, the supremacists and internal colonial rule”. In a tweet on Sunday afternoon, Fani-Kayode again insisted on the restructuring of Nigeria. He wrote: “My father, Chief Remi Fani-Kayode, fought against British colonial rule and successfully moved the motion for Nigeria’s independence in 1958. “I am fighting against the fascists, the hegemonists, the supremacists and internal colonial rule and I insist on a restructured Nigeria.” Earlier in the week, Fani-Kayode stated that the greatest challenge Nigeria faces in the next two years , is not the issue of who becomes president, but the question of whether the country will be restructured or not.

Biafra: Buhari should tell Nigerians if he has killed Nnamdi Kanu – Fani-Kayode

Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to tell Nigerians about the whereabouts of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu. In a post on Twitter, the former Minister insisted that Kanu has not been seen nor heard from ever since the army under the military Operation Python Dance, invaded his home in Umuahia, Abia state. He said Buhari should be bold enough to tell Nigerians if the army killed the pro-secessionist leader or not. Fani-Kayode wrote, “Happy independence day Nigeria! Can @MBuhari now tell us what his army did to Nnamdi Kanu after invading his house and killing the people and dogs that were there? “If they arrested and detained him they MUST tell us. If they killed him they MUST release his body to his family.”

Toyota, Mazda Team Up On Electric Vehicles

Japanese auto giant Toyota said Thursday it was teaming up with Mazda and parts-maker Denso in a new joint venture to develop electric vehicles. The move came as Toyota, producer of bestselling hybrid vehicle Prius, steps up efforts to develop clean technologies, including electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid systems that use both petrol and electricity as energy sources. Joint research — sharing cost, engineers, and knowledge — is necessary to meet increasingly stringent but varying environmental standards around the world, the three firms said in a joint statement. “With (electric vehicles) yet to find widespread market acceptance, the huge investments and time required to cover all markets and vehicle segments is a pressing issue for individual automakers,” the statement said. Toyota will take a 90-percent stake in the venture, to be launched next month in the central city of Nagoya, near the automaker’s headquarters. Toyota and Mazda agreed in August to a capital tie-up to facilitate joint development of electric vehicles.

Why Nigeria won’t break up under me – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed that Nigeria will not break up under him. Buhari said this while noting that the clamour for restructuring gave some groups which he described as “highly irresponsible” the opportunity to call for the nation’s breakup. Buhari noted that under his watch, he had witnessed political freedom which has made opposition parties winning elections at the state and National Assembly levels. The president’s position is part of his speech to mark the nation’s 57th independence anniversary and he is expected to address the nation at 7am. Buhari lamented that those currently agitating for another civil war that claimed two million lives were not born by 1967 and had no idea of the consequences of the conflict because they were not born then. He, however, expressed his disappointment in some community leaders who witnessed the war and still failed to warn their “hot-headed” youths of the consequences of the war. Buhari called on the National Assembly to ensure a swift passage of anti-corruption laws. “We have signed multilateral agreements on criminal matters with friendly countries. There are signs of increasing cooperation from the judiciary. “Recently, the Chief Justice of the Federation directed heads of all our courts of first instance and Appeal to accelerate hearings of corruption cases and dismiss any judicial officers found to have been compromised. “Justice Salami has just been appointed to chair the Judiciary’s anti-graft committee. Government expects a lot from this committee. “I commend the National Assembly for refocusing on its oversight committees,” he added.

Buhari’s Government Requested For User Information From Facebook, Google And Twitter

A new report has confirmed what many Nigerians have long suspected to be true: that the federal government is spying on its citizens through the social media and email accounts. The report titled, “The Growing Trend of African Government’s Requests for User Information and Content Removal from Internet and Telecoms Companies,” was released last month by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) established under the Catalysing Access to Information and Communications Technologies in Africa (CATIA) initiatives funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID). The organization analyzed transparency reports released by telecommunications and social media companies. The reports by these companies including Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Twitter and others showed that there has been a surge in African governments’ requests for user information. According to the report, African governments’ requests are for subscribers’ data, content preservation, and content removal. Facebook listed Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Sudan as the African countries that made the highest requests. The social media giant said that the government of Nigeria had specified the highest number of user information on its user information requests with 113 accounts. South Africa made 32 requests for user accounts, Egypt (31) and Sudan (24). Facebook said that Nigeria also made requests for content in six user accounts to be preserved. It said that Nigeria made requests for 96 users’ information during the second half of 2015, meaning that the requests were made after President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office on May 29, 2015. The report stated: “It is worth noting that the number of requests to Facebook by African governments is small when compared to the United States of America which made nearly 50,000 user information requests relating to over 80,000 user accounts and 69,437 preservation requests in 2016. “Facebook’s compliance rate with the U.S.’ requests last year was over 80 percent.” Tech giant, Google, also declared that Nigeria in 2015 made requests to it. Google launched the first transparency report in 2009, followed by Twitter in 2012, and Facebook and Yahoo in 2013. The report stated: “Since 2013, Google has received user information requests from 10 African countries – Algeria, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, The Seychelles and South Africa. “Over three years, Kenya made the highest number of user information requests to Google – 21 relating to 32 user accounts – followed by South Africa and Nigeria. “Aside from eight requests made by the Kenya government during the second half of 2013 relating to 11 user accounts, of which Google complied with 63 percent, all the other requests were rejected. “Nigeria is the only government in Africa to have made a user information request to Google and it was fully complied with. The emergency disclosure request was made by the Nigerian authorities in the second half of 2016 and it related to five user accounts. “Google had rejected all of Nigeria’s seven previous requests,” it explained. Twitter, in its transparency declaration, stated that Nigeria made three emergency requests, of which two were complied with. It stated that the first request was made in the second half of 2015 while the second was made in the second half of 2016.   Yahoo, however, did not list any request made to it by any African countries. The report described MTN as not being transparent because it refused to provide details of requests made to it by governments of the 19 countries where it operates in Africa. The report added: “In its 2016 Annual Sustainability Report, MTN reaffirmed its support for human rights including access to information, freedom of expression, privacy and security of its users’ communications and information. “However, the telecommunications company, one of the largest service providers in Africa with a presence in 19 countries, provides no information about how it handles requests from governments and private parties for user information or surveillance support. “Similarly, MTN provides little information about its processes for handling such requests. “The South Africa based company also does not disclose any data about the number of requests it receives or complies with, which places it a rank lower than the likes of Millicom, Vodafone and Orange when it comes to transparency about its policies relating to users’ freedom of expression and privacy.” Recently, the Nigerian Army had said it was monitoring social media site as part of its surveillance programme. However, following a backlash, it recanted.

Buhari: Nigerian States get N1.64b bailout… See list

President Muhammadu Buhari said his administration released a bailout of N1.64 trillion to states and local governments between 2015 and 2017 as part of measures to stabilise the polity. President Muhammadu Buhari revealed this in a broadcast to commemorate Nigeria’s 57th Independence anniversary on Sunday in Abuja. He said that the funds were released to enable the states and local governments to “pay outstanding salaries, pensions and small business suppliers who had been all but crippled over the years. “Furthermore, in order to stabilize the polity, the Federal Government gave additional support to states in the form of State Excess Crude Account loans, Budget Support Facility, and Stabilization Fund Release to state and local government as follows: “N200 billion in 2015, N441 billion in 2016 and N1 trillion in 2017, altogether totaling N1.64 trillion. “This was done to enable states to pay outstanding salaries, pensions and small business suppliers who had been all but crippled over the years.’’ The president disclosed that the Federal Government’s current N500 billion Special Intervention Programme targeted groups through the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme and the N-Power Programme as well as providing loans to small-scale traders and artisans. He said that the intervention programme also covered the Conditional Cash Transfer, Family Homes Fund and Social Housing Scheme. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that civil servants and retirees in some states are still being owed by their governments, backlog of unpaid salaries, pensions and other benefits. These had led to strikes and work stoppages. Buhari had on Sept. 11, appealed to state governors to pay all understanding salaries of their workers, and accumulated pensions of ex-workers from the additional funds provided to them by the Federal Government. He made the appeal when he met with members of the National Council of Traditional Rulers at the new Banquet hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja. He had frowned at the inability of the concerned state governments to pay retirement benefits and outstanding salaries of workers with their shares of Paris Club Loan Refunds paid to them. “We have to digress this much because I would like to convince you that I’m living with the problems of this country day-by-day, and mostly those of the ordinary people. “There are Nigerians that haven’t been paid for six months; there are Nigerians that have not been paid their retirement benefits for years. “I’m appealing to the governors (that was why we voted money, we borrowed money), please make sure you pay anybody under you, pay them because most of them depend on that salary to pay rent, school fees,’’ he had said.

Buhari: Biafra campaigners irresponsible

President Muhammadu Buhari devoted part of the 57th Independence anniversary speech to remind campaigners for the dismemberment of Nigeria of the horrendous experience of Nigeria’s civil war between 1967 and 1970. Although he did not mention Biafra specifically in the broadcast, the reference was unmistakable as the Indigenous People of Biafra has been the champion of a new Biafra nation, to be excised from Nigeria. President Buhari restated that the dismemberment campaign, part of the wider legitimate call for restructuring of the Nigerian federation, has violated the red line. He said his government will never allow such advocacy, being pushed by “irresponsible groups”. ” We can not and we will not allow such advocacy”, he said. “As a young Army Officer, I took part from the beginning to the end in our tragic civil war costing about 2m lives, resulting in fearful destruction and untold suffering. Those who are agitating for a re-run were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through. “I am very disappointed that responsible leaders of these communities do not warn their hot-headed youths what the country went through. Those who were there should tell those who were not there, the consequences of such folly. “At all events, proper dialogue and any desired constitutional changes should take place in a rational manner, at the National and State Assemblies. These are the proper and legal fora for National debate, not some lop-sided, un-democratic body with pre-determined set of objectives”.

History Calls- Independence Speech By Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa – October 1, 1960

Today is Independence Day. The first of October 1960 is a date to which for two years every Nigerian has been eagerly looking forward. At last, our great day has arrived, and Nigeria is now indeed an independent sovereign nation. Words cannot adequately express my joy and pride at being the Nigerian citizen privileged to accept from Her Royal Highness these Constitutional Instruments which are the symbols of Nigeria’s Independence. It is a unique privilege which I shall remember forever, and it gives me strength and courage as I dedicate my life to the service of our country. This is a wonderful day, and it is all the more wonderful because we have awaited it with increasing impatience, compelled to watch one country after another overtaking us on the road when we had so nearly reached our goal. But now we have acquired our rightful status, and I feel sure that history will show that the building of our nation proceeded at the wisest pace: it has been thorough, and Nigeria now stands well-built upon firm foundations. Today’s ceremony marks the culmination of a process which began 15 years ago and has now reached a happy and successful conclusion. It is with justifiable pride that we claim the achievement of our Independence to be unparallelled in the annals of history. Each step of our constitutional advance has been purposefully and peacefully planned with full and open consultation, not only between representatives of all the various interests in Nigeria but in harmonious cooperation with the administering power which has today relinquished its authority. At the time when our constitutional development entered upon its final phase, the emphasis was largely upon self-government. We, the elected representatives of the people of Nigeria, concentrated on proving that we were fully capable of managing our own affairs both internally and as a nation. However, we were not to be allowed the selfish luxury of focusing our interest on our own homes. In these days of rapid communications we cannot live in isolation, apart from the rest of the world, even if we wished to do so. All too soon it has become evident that for us Independence implies a great deal more than self-government. This great country, which has now emerged without bitterness or bloodshed, finds that she must at once be ready to deal with grave international issues. This fact has of recent months been unhappily emphasised by the startling events which have occurred in this continent. I shall not labour the point but it would be unrealistic not to draw attention first to the awe-inspiring task confronting us at the very start of our nationhood. When this day in October 1960 was chosen for our Independence it seemed that we were destined to move with quiet dignity to place on the world stage. Recent events have changed the scene beyond recognition, so that we find ourselves today being tested to the utmost We are called upon immediately to show that our claims to responsible government are well-founded, and having been accepted as an independent state we must at once play an active part in maintaining the peace of the world and in preserving civilisation. I promise you, we shall not fail for want of determination. And we come to this task better-equipped than many. For this, I pay tribute to the manner in which successive British governments have gradually transferred the burden of responsibility to our shoulders. The assistance and unfailing encouragement which we have received from each Secretary of State for the Colonies and their intense personal interest in our development has immeasurably lightened that burden. All our friends in the Colonial Office must today be proud of their handiwork and in the knowledge that they have helped to lay the foundations of a lasting friendship between our two nations. I have indeed every confidence that, based on the happy experience of a successful partnership, our future relations with the United Kingdom will be more cordial than ever, bound together, as we shall be in the Commonwealth, by a common allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, whom today we proudly acclaim as Queen of Nigeria and Head of the Commonwealth. Time will not permit the individual mention of all those friends, many of them Nigerians, whose selfless labours have contributed to our Independence. Some have not lived to see the fulfilment of their hopes on them be peace, “but nevertheless they are remembered here, and the names of buildings and streets and roads and bridges throughout the country recall to our minds their achievements, some of them on a national scale. Others confined, perhaps, to a small area in one Division, are more humble but of equal value in the sum-total. Today, we have with us representatives of those who have made Nigeria: Representatives of the Regional Governments, of former Central Governments, of the Missionary Societies, and of the Banking and Commercial enterprises, and members, both past and present, of the Public Service. We welcome you, and we rejoice that you have been able to come and share in our celebrations. We wish that it could have been possible for all of those whom you represent to be here today: Many, I know, will be disappointed to be absent, but if they are listening to me now, I say to them, “Thank you on behalf of my Thank you for your devoted service, which helped build Nigeria into a nation. Today we are reaping the harvest which you sowed, and the quality of the harvest is equalled only by our gratitude to you. May God bless you all. This is an occasion when our hearts are filled with conflicting emotions: we are, indeed, proud to have achieved our independence, and proud that our efforts should have contributed to this happy event. But do not mistake our pride for arrogance. It is tempered by feelings of sincere gratitude to all who have shared in the task of developing Nigeria politically, socially and economically. We are grateful to the British officers whom we have known, first as masters, and then as leaders, and finally as partners, but always as friends. And there have been countless missionaries who have laboured unceasingly in the cause of education and to whom we owe many of our medical services. We are grateful also to those who have brought modern methods of banking and of commerce, and new industries. I wish to pay tribute to all of these people and to declare our everlasting admiration of their devotion to duty. And, finally, I must express our gratitude to Her Royal Highness the Princess Alexandra of Kent for personally bringing to us these symbols of our freedom, and especially for delivering the gracious message from Her Majesty The Queen. And so, with the words “God save our Queen”, I open a new chapter in the history of Nigeria, and of the Commonwealth, and indeed of the world.

Buhari not responsible for Nigeria’s problems – Peter Obi

Former Governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi, has insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari or any single individual, is not responsible for Nigeria’s problems. Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra state, says it is wrong to blame President Muhammadu Buhari or any single person for the country’s problems. Obi stated this on Saturday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state capital, where he delivered a lecture on the nation’s 57th independence anniversary. Speaking on the topic ‘Change and changing Nigeria through harnessing of investment potentials of Ebonyi State: yesterday, today and tomorrow’, he said it was time for Nigeria to shift its focus to solid minerals and embrace economic diversity. OBi said the world was moving to an era of knowledge, while Nigeria still depends on oil “which is already destined to finish one day”. “Nigeria should queue into sustainable development goals (SDG), not in signature. The country is there in signature and it is the only country that got involved in millennium development Gogl (MDG) and did not achieve one goal because as soon as we signed the signature, we threw it away and came here and started doing things wrongly,” Obi said. “China put MDGs in their developmental agenda, they mainstreamed it in their developmental agenda and they are targeting to lift 16million people out of poverty but I don’t know how many people Nigeria will lift in the next 10 years because there is no such measurable goals, everything is done in confusion. “Our reserve is weak today and we are not talking about savings rather we are borrowing more. “We are moving from baggage economy to knowledge economy. So, the country should stop dwelling on solid minerals because it is a baggage economy and nobody lives with it. “This is what Nigeria is doing and we are still talking about oil which is already destined to finish one day.”

Biafra: Orji Kalu reveals Nnamdi Kanu’s location, how he escaped from Nigeria

Former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, has claimed that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is hiding in London and escaped from Nigeria through Malaysia. In an interview with thePunch, Kalu also revealed that he went looking for Kanu, ever since he was declared missing, following a Military raid in his home in Abia State. He said: “Kanu was not taken away by the military. Kanu went to Malaysia from where he travelled to the United Kingdom. Nnamdi Kanu is in London right now as we speak. He was not arrested by anybody. He left the country on his own. “One of his relations has spoken to me and explained everything because I wanted to see him and talk to him wherever he was and see how I could meet some Federal Government officials on his issue. I also wanted to see ways of talking to the President about him, and find common ground but his family told me that he has left the country, unless they are lying to me. “I believe, whether he had left the country or not, he is not with the military because I asked the Commander of the 14 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. A.K Ibrahim, who is a very fine and good soldier, well educated and dedicated, and he told me that they don’t know his whereabouts and I am sure, the Department of State Services have the same information. I also visited the commissioner of police and he said he didn’t know his whereabouts and that they are also looking for him.”

Why Igbos should not bother about presidency in 2019 – Orji Kalu

Former Governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor Kalu, has said that Igbo people should not bother about producing Nigeria’s president in 2019. Speaking to Punch, Kalu stated that if President Muhammadu Buhari doesn’t want to run, another candidate from the North should be pikced to complete their eight-year tenure. “We have a sitting president in the All Progressives Congress and if he is not running again in 2019, the North should complete their eight-year tenure but I would advise President Buhari to run because he is entitled to a second term under the constitution,” he said. Kalu also told Igbos to wait until 2023, before they think of producing a president. He added: “Yes. The Igbo will produce the president in 2023. If Buhari is not running in 2019, another Hausa man should be allowed to complete his second term. When Yar’Adua died, Jonathan came but if he had listened to the people’s advice, this situation will not be there because if I were Jonathan, I would have ruled for six years and allowed other people to run. “Other tribes have produced a president, so it is the turn of the Igbo too. Obasanjo was elected president in 1999 despite the fact that the Yoruba did not vote for him. He lost in his ward; I was there on the Election Day. So, any Igbo man that is widely accepted can be president of Nigeria. How did Obasanjo and Buhari become president? Are they better than any Igbo man? The answer is no! The issue is that if they know how they made Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan and Buhari president, they should also make an Igbo man president so that there can be complete unity and we would forget about the civil war because not making an Igbo president will still remind our people that the marginalisation which started after the civil war has not ended.”

Nigeria at 57: Why we must remain united – Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians that the country will surmount all it’s challenges and emerge stronger. Jonathan gave the assurance in his message to mark Nigeria’s 57th independence anniversary . In a statement signed by his media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan called for oneness and accommodation. He said, “As a nation we are moving on. On October 1, 2010, we celebrated our golden jubilee as an independent nation. “Again, in January 2014, we celebrated our centenary. And, today, October 1, 2017, we are celebrating our 57th independence anniversary. “It may seem as though we are passing through insurmountable challenges, but I am very intimately aware of the can-do Nigerian spirit which will help us surmount our present challenges. “Let me also seize this opportunity to call for togetherness, oneness and accommodation for all. We must accept the fact that none of us is as great as all of us”

Full text of Independence broadcast by President Muhammadu Buhari

My dear Nigerians, October 1st remains a special date for all Nigerians as this marks the day when we attained one of the most precious of human desires — freedom. Over the years the country has gone through trials and tribulations, but October 1st is always a day for celebrations. It is a day for thanks giving, reflection and re-dedication. It is also a day for remembrance. We should remind ourselves of the recent journey from 1999 – 2015, when our country happily returned to democratic rule. However, in spite of oil prices being an average of $100 per barrel and about 2.1m barrels a day, that great piece of luck was squandered and the country’s social and physical infrastructure neglected. We were left with no savings and huge infrastructure deficit. The APC Government’s Campaign rallying cry to restore security, re-balance the economy and fight corruption was not all rhetoric. The country must first be secured. The economy must be re-balanced so that we do not depend on oil alone. We must fight corruption which is Nigeria’s Number One Enemy. Our Administration is tackling these tasks in earnest. In the past two years, Nigeria has recorded appreciable gains in political freedom. A political Party at the Centre losing elections of State Governor, National Assembly seat and even State Assemblies to the opposition parties is new to Nigeria. Added to these are complete freedom to associate, to hold and disseminate opinions. Such developments clearly attest to the country’s growing political development. But like all freedoms, this is open to abuse. Recent calls on re-structuring, quite proper in a legitimate debate, has let in highly irresponsible groups to call for dismemberment of the country. We can not and we will not allow such advocacy. As a young Army Officer, I took part from the beginning to the end in our tragic civil war costing about 2m lives, resulting in fearful destruction and untold suffering. Those who are agitating for a re-run were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through. I am very disappointed that responsible leaders of these communities do not warn their hot-headed youths what the country went through. Those who were there should tell those who were not there, the consequences of such folly. At all events, proper dialogue and any desired constitutional changes should take place in a rational manner, at the National and State Assemblies. These are the proper and legal fora for National debate, not some lop-sided, un-democratic body with pre-determined set of objectives. Government is keeping up the momentum of dialogue with stakeholders in the Niger Delta to keep the peace. We intend to address genuine grievances of the communities. Government is grateful to the responsible leadership of those communities and will pursue lasting peace in the Niger Delta. SECURITY On security, Nigerians must be grateful to our gallant Armed Forces for rolling back the frontiers of Boko Haram’s terrorism, defeating them and reducing them to cowardly attacks on soft and vulnerable targets. Nigeria is grateful to its neighbours and the international community for the collective efforts to defeat this world-wide menace of terrorism. Not even the most organized and most equipped police and security forces in the world can escape the menace of modern day terrorism, as we have seen in recent years in Europe and other parts of the world. But we are not letting up. Our Armed Forces in an effort to enhance the operational capability of troops of OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE have established Mobile Strike Teams in the North East. These will ensure the final push to wipe out the remnants of Boko Haram. In addition, through targeted air strikes most of the leadership and identified logistics bases and routes of the insurgents have been neutralized. The Armed Forces have established a Naval presence in the Lake Chad Basin as part of the coordinated military efforts to curtail the movements or re-emergence of the sect in the area. Government is working round the clock to ensure release of the remaining Chibok girls, as well as other persons in Boko Haram captivity. Government will continue to support the Armed Forces and other security agencies to fight not only terrorism, but kidnapping, armed robberies, herdsmen/farmers violence and to ensure peace, stability and security in our country. ECONOMY With respect to the economy, the Government has remained pro-active in its diversification policy. The Federal Government’s agricultural Anchor Borrowers Programme, which I launched in November 2015, has been an outstanding success with: · N43.92 billion released through the CBN and 13 participating institutions, · 200,000 small holder farmers from 29 states of the federation benefitting, · 233,000 hectares of farmland cultivating eight commodities, namely Rice, Wheat, Maize, Cotton, soya-beans, Poultry, Cassava and Groundnuts, in addition to fish farming. These initiatives have been undertaken in close collaboration with the states. I wish to commend the efforts of the Governors of Kebbi, Lagos, Ebonyi and Jigawa States for their support to the rice and fertilizer revolutions. Equally commendable are contributions of the Governors of Ondo, Edo, Delta, Imo, Cross River, Benue, Ogun, Kaduna and Plateau States for their support for the Presidential initiative for palm oil, rubber, cashew, cassava, potatoes and other crops. With the abundance of rainfall last year and this year, agriculture has enjoyed Divine intervention. Since December last year, this Administration has produced over 7 million 50Kg bags of fertilizer. Eleven blending plants with a capacity of 2.1 million metric tons have been reactivated. We have saved $150 million in foreign exchange and N60 billion in subsidy. Fertilizer prices have dropped from N13,000 per 50Kg bag to N5,500. Furthermore, a new presidential initiative is starting with each state of the Federation creating a minimum of 10,000 jobs for unemployed youths, again with the aid of CBN’s development finance initiatives. Power remains a huge problem. As of September 12th, production of power reached an all — time high of 7,001 Megawatts. Government is increasing its investment, clearing up the operational and financial log jam bedeviling the industry. We hope to reach 10,000 Megawatts by 2020. Key priorities include better energy mix through solar and Hydro technologies. I am glad to say that after many years of limbo, Mambilla Power Project has taken off. Elsewhere in the economy the special window created for manufacturers, investors and exporters, foreign exchange requirements has proved very effective. Since April, about $7 billion has come through this window alone. The main effect of these policies is improved confidence in the economy and better investment sentiments. The country has recorded 7 consecutive months of lower inflation, Naira rate is beginning to stabilize, appreciating from N525 per $1 in February this year to N360 today. Broad-based economic growth is leading us out of recession. Furthermore, in order to stabilize the polity, the Federal Government gave additional support to states in the form of: · State Excess Crude Account loans, · Budget Support Facility, · Stabilization Fund Release to states and local governments as follows: · N200 billion in 2015 · N441 billion in 2016 · N1 trillion in 2017 Altogether totaling N1.642 trillion. This was done to enable states to pay outstanding salaries, pensions and small business suppliers who had been all but crippled over the years. In addition, the Government’s current N500 billion Special Intervention Programme is targeting groups through; · Home Grown School Feeding Programme, · N-Power Job creation to provide loans to small-scale traders and artisans, · Conditional Cash Transfer, · Family Homes Fund and · Social Housing Scheme. CORRUPTION Fellow Nigerians, We are fully aware that fighting corruption was never going to be a straightforward task. We expected corrupt elements to use any weapon to fight back, mainly judicial obstruction and political diversion. But we are determined to eradicate corruption from our body politic. In this fight, the Government has: · Empowered teams of prosecutors, · Assembled detailed databases, · Accelerated the recovery of stolen funds. The Administration’s new institutional reforms include: · Enforcing Treasury Single Account, · Whistle-Blowers Policy, · Integrated Payroll Personnel and Information System. We have signed multi-lateral cooperation agreements on criminal matters with friendly countries. There are signs of increasing cooperation from the Judiciary. Recently the Chief Justice of Nigeria directed Heads of all our Courts of first instance and Appeal to accelerate hearings of corruption cases and dismiss any judicial officers found to have been compromised. Justice Salami has just been appointed to chair the Judiciary’s anti-graft committee. Government expects a lot from this Committee. I commend the National Assembly for refocusing on its oversight committees. They should, in addition, ensure swift passage of enabling corruption laws. But fighting corruption is a bottom to top operation. I call on all Nigerians to combat corruption at every turn. By not asking for and refusing to accept a bribe, by reporting unethical practices or by blowing a whistle, together we can beat corruption. The government for its part will work for accountability at all levels – Federal, State and Local Governments. CHANGE will then be real. As we enter the second half of our term of office, we intend to accelerate progress and intensify our resolve to fix the country’s challenges and problems. Thank you and a happy holiday to all of you.   God bless our country.

10 things you need to know this Sunday morning

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers: 1. President Muhammadu Buhari has said the clamour for restructuring gave some groups which he described as “highly irresponsible” the opportunity to begin to call for the breakup of the country. He, however, vowed never to allow such happen under him. The President made this known in a national speech to mark the nation’s 57th independence anniversary on Saturday. 2. The National Chairman of the Joint Health Sector Unions, Mr. Biobelemoye Josiah, has announced the suspension of the strike embarked on by the union about 10 days ago. He discussed that national executive council of the union would meet on Tuesday to make its final decision on their agitation. 3. Report says Boko Haram terrorists made a fresh attempt at a military outpost in Bama, killing two persons, including a policeman and an Internally Displaced Person. The Director, Army Public Rations, 7 Division, Colonel Kingsley Samuel, confirmed the development. 4. Men of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) have uncovered a truck yard belonging to kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwumadike, a.k.a Evans. The police detectives have also arrested secretary to the billionaire criminal, Ngozika Ezeokoye, who had since gone into hiding. 5. There was confusion in Agodi zoo, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Saturday after one of the lions in the zoo attacked an attendant, Mr Hamzat Oyekunle, who eventually died of injuries sustained from the attack. Report says Oyekunle had been feeding the lion for over five years, and had built a very good relationship with the wild animal. 6. President Muhammadu Buhari had in a nationwide broadcast marking the nation’s independence anniversary blamed leaders of the South East for not cautioning those agitating for the independence of Biafra. He said the leaders who witnessed the civil war should have narrated to their youths what actually happened then and how horrendous it was. 7. The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has expressed displeasure at Nigeria’s “tale of conundrum” coupled with various crises since her independence 57 years ago. TUC in its independence message on Saturday, said Nigeria at this stage still “dances naked to the full glare of the whole world while its roof is on fire”. 8. National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Akure Division, has ordered MTN Nigeria Communications Limited and MTN International, Mauritius, to pay its former Network Group Operations Manager, Mr Paul Odunewu, $13,419,728.54, £10,000 and N2,540,000 (N4,825,036,735.9) over wrongful termination of employment. Justice Oyejoju Oyewunmi made the order following Odunewu’s suit challenging his 2006 termination and the deprivation of his entitlements including share options valued at $13,144,512.00. 9. The Nigeria Labour Congress in Ekiti State has faulted Governor Ayodele Fayose over his claim that he owes workers in the state only four months’ salaries. The State Chairman of the NLC, Ade Adesanmi, said state workers were owed about eight months’ salaries and not four months as claimed. 10. Former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, has claimed that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is hiding in London and that he escaped from Nigeria through Malaysia. Kalu said this in an interview.