Category: Politics

I rejoice with Christians in Nigeria as they join fellow believers all over the world to celebrate this season.

It is a special period that brings peoples of the world together with one purpose; to celebrate togetherness, joy, peace, and above all, to share love with one another through exchange of goodwill and gifts.

For the second Christmas running, the world will not be able to celebrate as we used to in years past.

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its attendant debilitating impact, has remained with mankind, mutating and leaving in its wake devastating consequences on the economy, social interaction, and curtailing certain freedoms.

The silver lining, however, is that humanity has been able to rise up with one voice and purpose, to confront the foisted conditions.

I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our dear citizens to embrace vaccination, which is the best scientifically known bulwark against the pandemic.

Recent events have shown that vaccination greatly reduces the effects of the virus on the human body.

I will also urge those that have taken the two doses to go ahead and take the booster as advised by the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC).

I commend the efforts of members of the PSC under the headship of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as they continue to chart a roadmap out of the pandemic and associated issues.

On security, despite the remarkable successes generally recorded, we still have some challenges.

Our courageous security forces, bolstered by the necessary support from this administration, daily confront the wicked ones amongst us, who continue to threaten the peace of the land.

Recently, during the meeting with fellow Heads of State of the ECOWAS, I discussed the need to intensify efforts to jointly confront this menace causing instability in our sub-region.

I am confident that with the renewed commitment and empowerment of our committed security personnel, all these issues which inflict pain and trauma on us will soon be history.

Let us utilize the opportunity that this festive period brings to encourage ourselves so that the machinations of the wicked ones in our midst will find no place to thrive.

Christmas is a season when hope is rekindled. Hope, Peace, Joy, Love are the recurring themes of this time.

It is in the midst of hardship that the true test of a nation emerges.

I urge Nigerians to invoke the indomitable spirit in us and see the present order of things as a phase that will also pass, just like other unsavory situations in the nation’s history.

This government will not abandon the promises made to Nigerians for a better lease of life.

The diversification of the economy embarked upon is yielding fruits.

We shall continue to create opportunities for our teeming youths to ventilate their tremendous energy.

As we felicitate with family, friends, colleagues, associates, let us spare moments to reach out to the less privileged.

Let us also pray and give words of encouragement to our gallant security personnel fulfilling their oaths to keep us safe.

I assure my compatriots that this administration remains resolute at ensuring that the standard of living of the average Nigerian is elevated.

On this note, I wish Nigerians Merry Christmas!

Muhammadu Buhari
December 24, 2021

Presidential hopeful, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has told leaders of thought in the northern part of the country that his South West Yoruba people will not mind a Muslim – Muslim ticket.

Addressing some elders of the North some days ago in Abuja at a secret meeting arranged by his long time friend Senator Abu Ibrahim Tinubu said they should leave the task of convincing the Yoruba to him if selected by his APC party to carry the banner of the party in the 2023 elections.

The issue of who will be his running mate according to our sources became a major issue. They told him flatly they will not accept a Christian northerner to be his running mate .

He was said to have promised to pick a Northwest politician who will be a Muslim. It was then a prominent politician and former governor asked him how that will be taken in the South.

Tinubu, said our sources , told his guests the South East and South South who are largely Christians will not matter. It is the South West, he was quoted to have said , that could raise issues but he will manage that and they will not mind.

Tinubu , at the meeting was said to have argued that the vote of the North West, North East , some largely Muslim states in the North Central as well as South West were enough to make him President.

“ All I need is your support,” he was quoted as having said. “ Leave the rest to me, I will handle it.” His guests were said not to have been convinced by his assurance as no regime in the country since independence has governed with both head and deputy as Muslims.

It is believed that come February , the party APC , under which he want to seek the office is most certain to pick a Muslim Chairman from the North Central part of the country. Aspirants for this position are already emerging from Niger , Kwara and Nasarawa states . These candidates are all Muslims . If Tinubu therefore emerges as APC candidate
and picks a Muslim candidate from the North West it means all of the important positions in the party are held by Muslims to the exclusion of the Christian.

Part of the argument of the pro -Tinubu elements is that this has happened before when the late billionaire Muslim Aare Moshood Abiola selected Alhaji Babagana Kingibe as his running mate . One of the northern leaders present at the meeting said ,while this is true, that time is different from now. There are all manners of tensions in the land and the security of the nation is fragile.

If anybody does that now it will be like deliberately setting the country on fire. “ The IPOB issue is still raging in the South East, young elements are restless in the SW and calling for Oodua Republic, banditry , Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency has enveloped the North. Why would anyone want to add religious crisis to it”, he asked.

“Only a non patriot will experiment with this. I told him my mind. This will not work. Let him accept this or not but I won’t be part of the effort to set Nigeria on fire”, he added.

President President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that he will hand over to a successor at the end of 2023 general elections and return to his farm.

He gave the assurance in Istanbul, Turkey, where he is to participated in the 3rd Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit, hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Republic of Turkey.

“I look forward to the year 2023 when I will finish, to go home to take charge of my farm. Between now and that time, I will do the best that is possible to advance the interest of the nation and its people, and carry out my duties as prescribed by the Constitution,” he said.

2023 potential PDP Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar shared an update on his verified Facebook page saying;

The #NorthIsBleeding because we’ve been complacent. We need to wake up from our slumber and collectively acknowledge that we face an existential threat. We must never be shy of speaking about our challenges and then engaging to solve the problems.

To #SecureNorth, we need a leadership direction that will mobilise all hands on deck.

The former president of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo, has warned Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, not to direct Yoruba people to support any aspirant for political position, because the race was not known for following a single political party.

OBJ told Ooni to be wary of those that never wanted him to be installed when he was seeking the throne, but now sought his support to gain political favour, said people of the Yoruba race would never follow a single political party,however said the monarch should be careful with political office seekers.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, says Nigerians should stop putting all blames on President Muhammadu Buhari over some of the problems affecting the country.

Chairman, Jigawa State APC chapter, Hon. Aminu Sani Gumel stated this at the Media Engagement Forum organized by the state Correspondents’ Chapel, held at Manpower Development, Dutse.

He said Nigerians should have been thanking God for having a leader like Buhari who was concerned to curtail all the problems he inherited.

“President Buhari has done a lot for the development of Nigeria and we are lucky to have him as president because if it is somebody else, only God knows the situation Nigerians would have been going through now”

“People have forgotten so easily the security situation of the country during PDP era before the coming of APC.

“We all know what had happened then during Jonathan’s administration and what is happening now, at that time people are even afraid to come out from their houses because of the insecurity situation of the country,” he stated.

He added that, “They have forgotten the hardship and the days they used to spend on long ques just to buy petrol.

“We are in a democratic era, so in dealing with issues like these, you have to be extra careful.”

… Says any candidate who doesn’t carry youths along is unlikely to win

Publisher of Ovation magazine and Politician, Chief Dele Momodu has said that the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) does not deserve to be voted into power by 2023.

He averred that APC should be punished for the irregularities and challenges Nigeria is currently faced with, saying that none of the cabinet members and party members can distance themselves from President Buhari’s inactions.

Momodu who spoke as a guest on a radio programme in Osogbo, Osun State capital city on Wednesday, posited that any candidate in 2023 who does not carry the young ones along is unlikely to win.

According to him, “the EndSARS movement has emboldened the youths to know that they have power and that they can use that power effectively to bring about change in Nigeria.

“Things are going to change, those politicians have not seen it yet and they have not accepted it yet. They think it’s politics and business as usual. But something is about to change, there is going to be an eruption and there is going to be a long term revolution when the youths will use the power of their songs to change Nigeria. That I see already, I can feel the vibrations but the politicians are not seeing it. Any party that is not smart enough to see that a change is coming, that party will be swept away.”

When asked if he already has a candidate in mind considering his closeness with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the Journalist declared his allegiance to the candidate of his party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“I will support any candidate of my party PDP as I expect my party to pick the best who can win the election.

“My preference on the next election would be someone who Nigeria needs urgently which is a technocrat who is just coming into politics. Considering Asiwaju who has been in politics for over 30years. He is not qualified to be a technocrat. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has also been in politics since 1999. We need a technocrat who would not carry the liabilities of politicians.

“I believe that APC should be punished severely for the nonsense they have done to Nigeria. APC does not deserve to come back to power. Anybody who is a member of APC now is culpable. They can’t distance themselves from Buhari. They ought to have spoken up even if they are powerless.

“Nigeria now is so broke, so indebted. We need a leader who will treat the country as a business entity. Nigeria cannot afford to play politics again in another four years after Buhari. Our problems need urgent treatment. I will go for someone who is in his fifties or sixties because age is a factor. Even in America, age has slowed down Joe Biden in some certain area.

“I’m a member of PDP and will support my party. I am very close to Tinubu but when it comes to politics, we have our different opinions. I’m also close to Yemi Osinbajo but he is in APC. I will support the candidate of my party. For me, I don’t think after Buhari, APC deserves to govern Nigeria,” Momodu stated.

The Kano Speaker, Hamisu Chidari buttressed the popular slogan of TSG”SAKKAYA,” meaning “Payback” by declaring that “all of us in the North-West are aware of the role he (Asiwaju) played in taking our son, President Buhari, to the villa. So, we are going to reward him; we are going to pay him back. So, I have assured him of victory.

According to him, “My Purpose is to kick-start the journey that will take us to the villa by God’s grace with Asiwaju Tinubu as the number one Citizen of Nigeria. “ He added that “In Kano, being the state with the highest number of delegates, we have already decided and already concluded; we are set to give him at least 98 Percent of delegates in the primaries. Not only that, we are set as usual to give him the highest number of votes so that come May 29, 2023, we will be at the Eagle Square to swear him in as the President”.

The APC Chieftain is reportedly determined to contest in 2023.

The National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said he is aware that Nigerians are angry over years of leadership failure in the country, and the inability of the current government to improve their quality of life.
He however, pleads with the people to not give up, but instead, give the ruling party another chance in the next presidential election to correct the wrongs.

Tinubu who is going all out for the presidency in a potentially political career ending contest, has been up and doing, making consultations and seeking support from influential persons across the country.

His most recent jaunt saw him visit elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, who confirmed that the APC National Leader not only informed him of his desire to contest in the next presidential election, but also “asked for my support.”

“He (Tinubu) just came to visit me but actually I have two of them (presidential aspirants) that I have earmarked right from the beginning and I made a vow that any one of them who came to ask for my support first is the person I would support. Tinubu is the first person, ” he told told Saturday Punch.

It is believed that Tinubu is determined to contest in the next election even if it means running on a different platform should the APC fail to give him the party’s ticket.

Speaking in Kano in what would be seen as a political statement from a man who hopes to succeed Buhari in 2023, Tinubu is already laying the ground work, promising to address the many challenges currently facing the country.

“When you see the social media today, you see the minds of our youths. They are angry, but we appeal to them that we will listen to them,” Tinubu said in the statement.

He said the poor state of the nation’s economy has forced Nigerians into compulsory fasting, adding that the current government need to do more to address these urgent issues.

“Your own employment rate is 33% and you ask us to keep on fasting. The one we are fasting spiritually is voluntary. We have been fasting for so many years.”

He added that sovereignty is that of Nigeria and it is only the federal government that has the sovereign power and must use it to improve the quality of life of Nigerians.

The Minister for Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, who has been linked to terrorists’ activities in the recent past, has stated that in order to secure Nigeria in the next few years, Nigerians should present and verify their National Identity Number even before using a restaurant.

Pantami explained why his ministry insisted on the mandatory use of the NIN in spite of over 44 petitions written against the policy and several court cases in the country.

The minister, who claimed he had since renounced his stance on terrorism, added that the NIN policy was mandatory by law in Nigeria and that it stood to secure the country.

He said, “Without profiling, no country will be secured globally. Criminals don’t like it, and they have been fighting it day in, day out.”

The minister stated this while speaking at a convocation lecture of the Federal College of Education Technical Gombe.