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2019: Buhari ’ll Seek Re-Election – SGF …‘North Won’t Vote For Buhari’ …Emulate Zuma, Resign, ADP Tells President
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha yesterday affirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari will seek re-election in 2019.
He stated that there is no alternative to Buhari, stressing that other presidential aspirants have nothing to offer.
The SGF spoke at the Unity Fountain in Abuja, while addressing a rally organised by the Democratic Youth Congress led by its National Chairman, Kassim Mohammed.
The group had urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare his intention to contest in the 2019 elections.
Mustapha said, “We do not have an alternative to President Muhammadu Buhari for now. I will present your entire message to him. I congratulate you for your support for President Muhammadu Buhari to run in 2019.”
The SGF, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political Matters, Gideon Sammani, said Buhari was widely known for his stance against corruption and indiscipline, noting that many people feared him because of his uncompromising position on graft.
Mustapha argued that it was the corrupt individuals that were against the President because they were apprehensive they may be brought to book.
He added, “We all know that Buhari is transparent, honest. He has come with the change philosophy. He has lived for this, to bring change to this nation. Since his military days, he stood to fight corruption, indiscipline.
“Many people fear him because he does not compromise corruption and corrupt people are afraid that they will be brought to book. And those who have already looted the treasury of this nation are followed by the security agencies. By the grace of God Buhari will not relent in this fight.”
”He will continue; The politics of this nation is no more the politics of money or do-or-die politics. Anybody who wants to lead this nation must make sacrifices. Buhari has already transformed and changed the image of leadership and that of our leaders this country, both locally and internationally,” the SGF noted.
The convener of the rally, in his remarks, stated that his team was ready to work for Buhari’s re-election in 2019, adding that they were working with over 15 state governors to actualise the goal.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Satumari Kudla has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari will not get any vote in the North, come 2019.
Kudla, who gave reasons for his declaration said Buhari’s government has been tested and has failed, adding that Nigerians have come to the understanding that the former ruling party is the “strongest party”.
Speaking with newsmen, the APC chieftain said, “Everything that is happening today is to the advantage of the PDP. The party respects the rule of law and gave an opportunity for freedom of expression.
“Just like someone said, ‘you are free to say what you want to say and you are also free after you have said it’. We cannot say the same of this present government. There is the freedom of speech. But it depends on what speech that is made and by whom. Freedom after your speech is no longer guaranteed in this government. PDP is the only party that is national in character and composition.
“Just like the issue you raised on statements made, they may not have understood the complicity when they were making those statements. Otherwise, someone would not say that if there is no electricity after certain period of time ‘you should stone them.’ That it is only a bad government that won’t be able to provide electricity in six months. We are running to almost 25 months and nothing is being done differently. So, the lack of appreciation may have made those people to say that, and it was out of bitterness and anger over certain things. We are only talking to Nigerians to weigh the difference.
“Most of those people may not return to the position they are occupying because the election of the president was predicated on three major things in 2015. The first is that he was not tested. He was only tested when he was military Head of State. Two, people experienced PDP and not APC. Another issue is that of tribalism. The North felt short-changed following President Umaru Yar’Adua’s death, whom they saw as an extension of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, who was responsible for the victory. The last issue is religion. Buhari is a Muslim. So, in 2015 election, there was no sentiment that was not thrown into the election to the extent that some of the Muslims in the North were seeing him as their candidate. I am not going to blame him also. Even some Christians saw Dr Goodluck Jonathan as theirs. The issues led him to get those votes.
“2019 may be different in the sense that we have tested his (Buhari) governance, and we know how it is. Again, the PDP, which is the strongest party, has announced that their candidate would emerge from the North. It is going to be North versus North, and not South versus North. The last is that the candidate that will emerge on the platform of the PDP, from the North will also be a Muslim. All the states in the North that gave him (Buhari) high votes will not return the same thing next year.
“For instance, in Kano, where Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, comes from, the votes are likely going to be divided into two. Also, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau is also a factor in Kano. So, if they come together, there might not be two million votes coming from Kano for one party.
“I also heard that Senator Ahmed Makarfi has closed ranks with former Vice President, Namadi Sambo in State, and the reaction of southern Kaduna to the way issues of insurgency and attacks on their people was handled by Governor Nasir el-Rufai is not going down well with them, and they form a major block of votes. So, Kaduna may not give Buhari the kind of votes he got in 2015.
“In Bauchi, we hear ‘8 o’clock’, what that means is that on Election Day, the party would be voted out because they don’t like their Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, and it is rubbing off on their love for the president. Going to Sokoto, we do not know where Governor Aminu Tambuwal is at the moment. But his name is being featured as a likely candidate that may come to PDP or form the ‘third force.’ We hear story about him being tipped as a possible presidential candidate. Recall that when Buhari was in London, the members of the cabal saw him as a disloyal member of the party. He is seen as not being loyal to Buhari. Should he move, he is most likely to move to the PDP. And Attahiru Bafarawa, whether you like it or not, is a factor.”
In another development, the Action Democratic Party (ADP) has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to emulate the immediate past President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, who resigned over his recall by his country’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC).
In a statement, yesterday, the Lagos spokesperson for ADP, Prince Adelaja Adeoye, noted that Buhari should go because Nigerians are tired of under-development under him.
ADP said, “ANC is a party of notable politicians who cannot be intimidated by their president or other elective leaders, unlike Nigeria’s governing All Progressives Congress (APC) filled with sycophants.
“Party leaders have turned themselves to “yes men” for a president they are supposed to hold accountable, make sure he delivers and ensure that he does not derail the country’s democracy,” Adeoye said.
The party recalled that it had made several calls, counselling the president to quietly step down and allow another Nigerian with the capacity to govern.
Adeoye stressed further that the widespread violence, ethnic clashes, and unabated spread of poverty due to the bad economy in the country is alarming.
ADP hailed South Africans “for speaking in one voice and not allowing politicians to divide them with religion or ethnicity because no matter where a bad leader comes from, all citizens suffer the misrule.”
It said Nigerians have a lot to learn from Zimbabwe, South Africa and other countries who changed leaders that have disappointed them.
“President Buhari should see his position as a privilege to serve; it is not his birth right. If the same people who shouted “Sai Baba” and elected him are saying enough is enough, he should heed their calls and not turn himself into a sit tight leader.”
ADP charged credible and competent Nigerians to begin to show interest in 2019 election, and warned INEC that any conduct below free and fair polls in 2019 would be resisted.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a security outreach to the hotbeds of recent killings in Plateau, Benue and Borno States, to restore peace to areas wracked by mass killings and bomb attacks.
National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, disclosed this to State House correspondents after a four-hour security briefing with the President at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Wednesday.
“We listened and we took instructions from him. We got new directives…to go meet with the political authorities there,” Ribadu told reporters, adding that Tinubu directed them to engage state-level authorities in the worst-hit regions.
Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed; Chief Defence Intelligence of the Nigerian Army, Gen. Emmanuel Undianeye; Director-General, Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, appeared for the briefing.
The Tide’s source reports that in Plateau State, inter-communal violence between predominantly Christian farmers and nomadic herders spiralled into gory slaughter when gunmen stormed Zikke village in Bassa Local Government early on April 14, killing at least 51 people and razing homes in a single night.
In Benue, at least 56 people were killed in Logo and Gbagir after twin assaults blamed on armed herders.
Meanwhile, in Borno State, eight passengers perished and scores were injured when an improvised explosive device ripped through a bus on the Damboa–Maiduguri highway on April 12.
Ribadu explained that after an extensive briefing, intelligence chiefs received fresh instructions to restore peace, security and stability across Nigeria.
“In particular, Tinubu had ordered immediate outreach to the political authorities in Plateau, Benue and Borno States, and the defence team had gone round those States to carry out his directives and report back.
“We gave him an update on what has been the case and what is going on, and even when he was out there, before coming back, he was constantly in touch. He was giving directives. He was following developments, and we, in charge of the security, got the opportunity today to come and brief him properly for hours. And it was exhaustive.
“We listened and we took instructions from him. We got new directives. The fact is, Mr. President is insisting and working so hard to ensure that we have peace, security and stability in our country. We gave him an update on what is going on, and we also assured him that work is ongoing and continues.
“We also carried out his instructions. We went round, the chiefs were all out where we had these incidents of insecurity in Plateau State, Benue State, even Borno, these particular three states, and we gave him feedback, because he directed us to go meet with the political authorities there,” the NSA explained.
Ribadu described Tinubu as “worried and concerned,” and said he directed that all security arms be deployed around the clock.
The government, he added, believes these steps have already produced measurable improvements, even if the situation is not yet 100 per cent safe and secure.
“He’s so worried and concerned, he insisted that enough is enough, and we are working and to ensure that we restore peace and security and all of us are there. The armed forces are there, the Civil Police, intelligence communities, they are there.
“They are working there 24 hours, and we feel that we have done enough to believe that we are on the right course, and we’ll be able to be on top of things,” Ribadu stated.
The NSA emphasised that combating insecurity was not solely a Federal Government responsibility.
He stated, “The issue of insecurity often is not just for the government. It involves the subunits. They are the ones who are directly with the people, especially if some of the challenges are more or less bordering on community problems.
“Not entirely everything is that, but of course it also plays a significant role. You need to work with the communities, the local governments, and the governors, especially the governors.
“The President will continue to direct that. We should be doing that, and that’s what we are able to. We are very happy and very satisfied with the instructions and directives given by Mr. President this evening.”
In Borno State, the NSA noted that while violence had surged in recent months, the insurgents refused to accept defeat.
He warned that most recent casualties there resulted from improvised explosive devices—”cowardly” IED attacks targeting civilians—and from opportunistic raids that follow any lull in fighting.
“We are getting the cooperation of the leadership at the state level, and everybody. It’s not 100 per cent…but we are going there.
“When you are having peace and you are beginning to get used to it, if one bad incident happens, you forget the periods that you enjoyed peacefully,” he added.
He paid tribute to the “many who do not sleep, who walk throughout, who do not go for any break or holiday”—the soldiers, police and intelligence officers whose sacrifices have created the fragile calm Nigerians now experience.
“They will continue to be there,” he said, adding, “Things have changed in this country…we are on the right track and we will not relent. We will not sit down; we will not stop until we are able to achieve results.”
A Federal Government agency – the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, has decried the low patronage of Nigerian-made products by Nigerians.
The agency identified some challenges leading to the low patronage of the local products as affordability and public perception, among others.
Speaking during a stakeholders meeting organised by the agency in Akure, Ondo State capital, yesterday, the Deputy Director of Engineering at NASENI, Mr Joseph Alasoluyi, said Nigerians preferred buying foreign goods compared to local goods.
Alasoluyi, however disclosed that the agency had trained over 50 participants in the production of hand-made products, in a bid to ensure Nigeria-made products are patronised.
He explained that NASENI was set up to promote science, technology, and engineering as a foundation for Nigeria’s development and currently operates 12 institutes nationwide to achieve its objectives.
According to him, the aim of President Bola Tinubu, who is also the overall chairman of NASENI, was to ensure high production and patronage of “our local products thereby creating employment opportunities for many.”
He said, “The idea of this programme is to interface to ensure we produce products using our indigenous technology. This is what NASENI is out for, to ensure that homegrown technologies are encouraged.
“We are out there to ensure we integrate efforts to ensure that local technology is used to develop products within the resources we have.
“ The NASENI’s ‘3 Cs’ – Creation, Collaboration, and Commercialisation – that define NASENI’s strategic mandate: Creating innovations through research, Collaborating with partners to develop and refine products, and Commercialising these solutions to benefit the economy.
“Our achievements include the development of solar irrigation systems, CNG conversion centres, building machines capable of producing up to 1,000 blocks per hour, 10-inch tablets, locally made laptops, and electric tricycles (Keke Napep) set for market launch.”
In his remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Prof. Samuel Oluyamo, blamed the Federal Government for not properly funding research in the varsities, also noting that many research outputs were left halfway due to lack of funding and weak linkages between research institutions and industry.
Oluyamo also queried the Federal Government’s commitment to funding research and development, saying many academic innovations remained on the shelve due to a lack of support for commercialisation and poor infrastructure.
“Until we upscale research into mass production, technological growth will remain elusive. The government is not funding research in the universities enough. Thank God for TETfund that is trying in this regime. The major interest in beefing up research in universities and research institutions is really not there,” he said.
The Director-General of the Debt Management Office, Patience Oniha, has said that Nigeria is in advanced discussions with JP Morgan to re-enter the Government Bond Index and renew investors’ confidence.
Oniha disclosed this on Wednesday at a Nigerian Investors’ Forum on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C.
The DMO boss explained that Nigeria has enjoyed favourable credit assessment among rating agencies in recent times on the back of the sweeping reforms initiated by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Fitch Ratings recently upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings of seven Nigerian banks and two bank holding companies to ‘B’ from ‘B-‘, noting that the outlooks are Stable.
The affected issuers are Access Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Limited, Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, First HoldCo Plc, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd, Fidelity Bank Plc and Bank of Industry Limited.
The upgrades of the Long-Term IDRs of the banks followed the recent sovereign upgrade and reflect Fitch’s view that Nigeria’s sovereign credit profile has become less of a constraint on the issuers’ standalone creditworthiness, the rating agency said.
Fitch also upgraded Nigeria’s Long-Term IDRs to ‘B’ from ‘B-‘ on 11 April, a decision that reflected increased confidence in the government’s broad commitment to policy reforms implemented since its move to orthodox economic policies in June 2023, including exchange rate liberalisation, monetary policy tightening and steps to end deficit monetisation and remove fuel subsidies.
“These have improved policy coherence and credibility and reduced economic distortions and near-term risks to macroeconomic stability, enhancing resilience in the context of persistent domestic challenges and heightened external risks,” Fitch said.
Nigeria was removed from the JP Morgan index in 2015 ostensibly due to its deviation from orthodox monetary policies and influence of capital control in its management of foreign exchange.
Principally due to reduction in oil revenues at the time, Nigeria introduced currency restrictions to defend the naira after it failed to halt a dangerous slide with burning of dollar reserves. The bank had earlier warned Nigeria to restore liquidity to its currency market in a way that allowed foreign investors tracking the index to conduct transactions with minimal hurdles.
“Foreign investors who track the GBI-EM series continue to face challenges and uncertainty while transacting in the naira due to the lack of a fully functional two-way FX market and limited transparency,” the bank said in a 2015 note.
Nigeria was listed in JP Morgan’s emerging government bond index in October 2012, after the Central Bank removed a requirement that foreign investors hold government bonds for a minimum of one year before exiting.
The JP Morgan Government Bond Index reflects investor confidence and opens doors to billions of investment flows, making Nigeria’s proposed re-entry a positive signal to the market and investors.
Oniha explained that talks with JP Morgan were ongoing and had gained momentum in recent times due to the stability created by the FX market reforms.
“With all the reforms that have taken place, particularly around FX, we have started engaging JP Morgan again to get back into the index. We think we are eligible now,” the DMO DG said.