Presidency explains why Buhari is yet to appoint Ministers

The Presidency has explained why President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to unveil his ministerial nominees.

It was widely reported that shortly before Buhari mounted the number one seat on May 29, he had reportedly rejected plans by governors of the All Progressives Congress to submit ministerial nominees to him.

Clearing the air on the controversy, a Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, called on Nigerians to give the new president time.

Speaking with SarahaTV, Shehu recalled that after the 2011 elections, many South-West governors took several months to form their governments.

He said, “The President did say he would hit the ground running, but he has not been given the chance to hit the ground running because the administration that he succeeded — the Jonathan administration — did not deliver the handover notes until two or three days to the inauguration, meaning that these handover notes were submitted at a time when everyone had been consumed by (inauguration) activities.

“Unfortunately, there was no time to look at them until after the President had been inaugurated. The President was left in the dark. He had to understand what the situation was and what was on the ground. That was why he set up a different transition committee. It was only this week that the committee, led by Dr. Ahmed Joga, scrutinised the handover notes and handed over the report to him (Buhari).

“To be fair to him, he would have hit the ground running if the previous government had handed over the notes early. However, the Jonathan government did not even permit any minister to interact in any way with the Buhari Transition Committee. Evidently, we had our hands tied behind our backs until we took over. Thus, there is nothing shady about it.”

Shehu explained that the ministerial appointments was yet to be made because the committee needed to conclude its findings on 800-page report which was presented to Buhari on Friday.

Shehu frowned on recent reports on why the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, was prevented from attending Buhari’s meeting with the Security Adviser on the orders of the President.

In his response, the SSA said, “That is the creation of someone who just wanted to write something. It was on the same day he travelled to Sudan to represent the President, the government and the people of Nigeria at the inauguration of the president of that country.

“He couldn’t have been present in two places at the same time. Osinbajo is the Vice-President of Nigeria. In the absence of the President, he is the President. So, there cannot be dark corners into which he will not be allowed. It is not true,” he added.

Military alone cannot wipe out insurgency – Obasanjo

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that the use of only military operations to fight insurgency and other militant groups across the globe cannot end the disturbing menace.

A statement on Friday by the African Export-Import Bank, quoted the former president as making this remark during the bank’s 22nd Annual General Meeting held in Lusaka, Zambia.

Afrixembank’s spokesman, Obi Emekekwue in the statement quoted Obasanjo as saying that, “He proposed a carrot and stick solution to the conflicts on the continent through an approach involving military solutions and social development since a purely military approach would not work.

“According to Obasanjo, a situation, such as in Nigeria, where one section had an educational attainment level of 79 per cent while another had only 19 per cent, created room for conflict.”

He noted that by pursuing economic growth, each region of the continent would serve as a platform to strengthen Africa.

The ex-president further stressed on the importance of infrastructure in promoting intra-African trade and called for the establishment of a viable coastal shipping line from Dakar in Senegal to Maputo in Mozambique to improve intra-African trade.

The statement added, “Former President Obasanjo added that Africa should start adding value to its commodities rather than exporting raw commodities only for those commodities to be sent back to the continent as finished goods.”

Meanwhile, the Afreximbank on Saturday appointed Benedict Oramah as its new boss.

Oramah’s appointment was one of the key resolutions made during the bank’s AGM.

Jonathan conceded defeat to cover up his atrocities – Kinsman alleges

Bayelsa State leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Godwin Sidi, has claimed that the immediate past president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat to President Muhammadu Buhari to cover up the atrocities he committed while in office.

Sidi, who acted as the Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, berated those commending Jonathan for placing a telephone call on Buhari while collation was ongoing, stressing that the former President had no other choice but to do so.

The former South-South Youth leader of the PDP made this disclosure at a news conference in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital on Friday, where he called on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to commence the probe of Jonathan over the whereabouts of the Chibok girls.

“Jonathan’s conceding defeat is a ploy to cover up political atrocities he committed while in office,” he said.

The APC chieftain went on to accuse Jonathan of taking possession of
property seized from a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieseigha after the later was impeached in 2005 by the state House of Assembly and convicted for money laundering.

This, he said, paved the way for Jonathan to become the governor of the state, afterwards claiming Alamieseigha’s property, home and abroad, earlier confiscated and returned to the state by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC.

Sidi claimed that Jonathan took possession of one of the seized buildings of Alamieseigha at Maitama, Abuja, and later handed it over to his political associate and friend, who is a monarch in Bayelsa.

He also accused Jonathan of confiscating a 5-series bulletproof BMW car bought as a birthday gift for Alamieseigha by a friend.

The APC leader went on to hand a 72-hour ultimatum to the former president for him to return his predecessor’s property in his possession or face a lawsuit.

He further asked the National Assembly to compel Jonathan to give account of the whereabouts of the Chibok girls since he was the Chief Security Officer of the country when they were taken away by terrorists.

He said his group had concluded plans to drag the ex-President to the International Court of Justice over the Chibok girls.

While calling on the Code of Conduct Bureau to make Jonathan’s assets declaration public, he insisted that the former President glorified corruption and allowed graft to cripple the country.

According to Sidi, “Jonathan was
instrumental to the removal of Alamieseigha and prior to his
removal, I remembered vividly that a friend of Alamieseigha bought
him 5-series BMW car salon. Jonathan took that vehicle to Aso
Rock.

“The vehicle is still in his possession. I want him to return that vehicle. Property, the one l know for now,
there are other ones l am trying to investigate, of DSP in Maitama
was given to Jonathan’s associate.

“I am giving them 72 hours to return the house to DSP as we prepare our papers to approach the court. The National Assembly should invite the President to give account of the Chibok girls because he was the Chief Security Officer at the
time the girls were kidnapped.

“We are going to file our case at the ICJ over the Chibok girls. I am calling on the Code of Conduct Bureau to make Jonathan’s asset declaration public,” he declared.

9 pregnant girls arrested in Enugu Baby Factory

The Enugu State Police Command on Saturday raided a “baby factory” and arrested nine pregnant girls in the process.

The operation, carried out by the 9th Mile Division of the Nigeria Police Force, took the police to a baby factory located within Etiti Amankwo Ngwo of 9th mile, Udi local government Area of Enugu state.

The factory is allegedly being owned and operated by one Ikechukwu Onoh of Etiti Amakwo Ngwo.

The spokesman of the police in Enugu State, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the arrest to DAILY POST said the pregnant women and girls later gave their names as “Stella James, 19 years of Ohaozara Ebonyi State, Eze Jennifer, 19 years of Obukpa in Nsukka local Government Of Enugu state, Ugwu Christabel, 17 years of Aku Igboetiti local Government of Enugu state, Happiness Mbaonu, 17 years of Nnewi Anambra state, Ovunna Ifeoma, 20 years of Ezza Ebonyi State”.

Others are Esther Nwankwo, 21 years of Nkalagu Ebonyi state, Onyedika Agu, 23 years of Isuawa Awgu of Enugu state, Blessing James, 23 years of Ohafia Abia state and Chibueze Ujunwa, 24 years of Nenwenta Aninri local Government Area of Enugu state.

Amaraizu added that “they are helping the operatives in their investigations.

“On the part of the owner of the factory, he claimed that he got a provisional approval in October 2007 from ministry of women affairs and social development Enugu State to admit and shelter pregnant women in his hospital called ‘Tex Hospital and maternity home’, and that the hospital is no longer functional, hence he is now running the home from his house.

“He also admitted that under the authority, he was supposed to inform the social development and women affairs within 24hrs of admitting any pregnant woman”.

Meanwhile, some of the girls claimed that they were raped by unknown persons and that they found succour in the home.

One of them claimed that she was raped and that she could not report to her parents until pregnancy resulted, leading to her being forced to marry an old man or leave the family.

This, she said made her to seek for assistance through one of her relations, who directed her to the home.

Lagos State Governor Ambode turns 52 today, June 14

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode is 52-years-old today, June 14, 2015.

Ambode was born on June 14, 1963, to Festus Akinwale Ambode and Christianah Oluleye Ambode as the sixth of ten children.

He was sworn into office as Governor on Friday, May 29, 2015, and previously served as Accountant-General of the state.

While speaking on the occasion, Ambode’s Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna said:

“As we celebrate Ambode at 52 today, the thinking is that he has not arrived, even if materially he is classed as among the Joneses.

He has not arrived in the sense that he wants to be judged more by how he strives to lift the poor from their poverty, how his government initiates and pursues policies to identify the administration as a compassionate one, how his team relates with the man in the street and how state institutions help the people to live their dreams.”

The governor had earlier said that his birthday celebration would be dedicated to the fight against cancer.

we say  a loud happy birthday to his Excellency  Governor Akinwunmi Ambode May God bless and direct you to give us a better Lagos state in the next four years.