President Buhari Reassures Nigerians, Read What He Said
After reports emerged on Tuesday, June 16, that President Muhammadu Buhari, while speaking with Nigerians residing in Johannesburg, South Africa, after he attended the African Union Summit, made a bitter revelation that his age will limit his performance in office and solicited the support and encouragement of Nigerians in order to succeed.
The president, who didn’t know the comment would spark negative reaction from Nigerians, most of whom took to social media to lambast him, quickly retrieved the statement and reassured Nigerians that old age won’t affect his job as the leader of the country.
President Buhari reassures Nigerians, National Assembly borrows to pay lawmakers because its broke, governors move to recover funds spent on FG projects, governors shove bailout, want FG to pay debts owed states, den of ritualists discovered in Ogun state makes front pages of the national dailies for Thursday, June 18, 2015.
VANGUARD on Wednesday, June 17, reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has reassured Nigerians that old age won’t affect his job as the president. The president in a statement issued in Abuja, by Femi Adesina, his special adviser on media and publicity, said at 72, he has in quantum, the wisdom, patience, temperance and forbearance that age brings and has brought all these virtues to the presidency to make a difference in our national life.
The media aide said Buhari’s remarks in South Africa were totally taken out of context to mean that he was too old for the demands of the office. The ruling APC while defending him, Lai Mohammed, the party’s national publicity secretary, issued a statement accusing a group that called itself the PDP Media Watchdogs, after it demanded the President’s resignation due to the comments he made in South Africa on Monday night.
Mohammed, who accused the group of mischief and poor understanding of English language, said what Buhari meant is that “only his love and passion for the country could have made him, at his age, to come out of retirement to seek the office of President, over 30 years after he presided over the affairs of the country.”
Meanwhile, Abdukadir Abdulsalam, national chairman of the Labour Party, who spoke to journalists, yesterday in Abuja, also condemned the president’s statement, describing it as an admission of failure. He said: “This is an expression of failure on his part because when he was campaigning, he gave us the impression that he was hale, healthy, and not fragile, has the capacity, ability and agility to carry out the function of state as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
After the leadership tussle that recently occurred in the country’s 8 National Assembly has been peacefully resolved and the federal lawmakers gearing up to fully commence plenary and make profitable laws for Nigerians, THE GUARDIAN reports that the drop in the nation’s revenue that occurred from the fall in crude oil price at the international market has started taking its effect on Nigerians, including federal lawmakers.
The National Assembly Service Commission which used to get about N150 billion yearly to run its affairs, On Wednesday, June 17, revealed that it is broke and can’t pay salaries of its legislators most of whom have completed their term and were either voted out or did not seek re-election.
A top management official of the commission, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said NASS account is in the red. He said to effect the payment of salaries of the 7th legislators that wind up their duties June 9, the commission has to obtain loans from banks to be able to pay them, adding that nobody is even talking about the allowances of the 8th Assembly right now.
He denied reports that the federal lawmakers were to be paid almost N9 billion for wardrobe allowance. He said whoever is peddling that rumour is really doing a disservice to the new presiding officers and members of the 8th Assembly who may unduly come under pressure from their constituents. He said nobody knows when the 8th Assembly members are going to get paid.
He said: “in fact, our financial situation is compounded by the inability of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) to meet last Tuesday or yesterday as is normally the case, because even after the meeting, it takes more than two months before the Federal Government would source for money to its agencies. That is why you see that salaries of some agencies too are in arrears.”
Well, it is not only the National Assembly that is unable to pay salaries as it was earlier reported that some states governors also owe workers’ several months of unpaid salaries. THIS DAY reports that after being divided for the past two years, a reunited Nigeria Governors’ Forum of the 36 states, decided at a meeting in Abuja, on Wednesday, June 17, to meet President Muhammadu Buhari and discuss the financial crisis crippling the states, which has delayed the payment of workers’ salaries as well as meet other obligations.
The NGF chairman, Abdulazeez Yari, who was also confirmed at the meeting as the leader of the forum, viewed the financial crisis in the states as a national issue, noting that there were federal government agencies that also owe salaries of workers for seven to eight months. He said they decided not to talk of the bailout, because the problem is not only a state matter; but national too since workers of some of the federal agencies are being owed for seven months and above.
According to him, the federal government cannot do it alone because of the dwindling state of the economy; hence instead of asking for the bailout, they have to make sure that the federal government has liquidity. He said it will send a wrong signal for the states to ask for a bailout when they know that the economy of the country is in a very bad shape. The chairman said instead of sending a wrong signal when they are aware of the implications, they should ask the federal government to pay the states for the federal government jobs that have been executed by the states.
Yari, who insisted the forum would ask the federal government to pay the backlog owed some of them, disclosed that the federal government owes some states up to N10 billion, N20 billion, N30 billion and Lagos State, N50 billion for federal jobs done. He said if these monies can be paid back, it will enable them pay some of the backlog of wages and salaries. He said this decision is what the governors would be meeting the president for very soon.
Also, THE PUNCH reports that state governors have decided to ask President Muhammadu Buhari, to refund the money they spent on executing federal government projects in their respective states. This was made known on Wednesday, June 17, by Governor of Zamafara State, Abdullazez Yari, who is the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, after a meeting in Abuja.
He explained that doing so was the only option before them since the Federal Government was also not liquid. He said the governors had agreed to meet with Buhari next week over the issue, adding that since they already know that the economy of the country is in a bad shape, hence the need to pay back the monies used by state governors in executing FG’s projects in their various states in order for them to settle debts owed workers instead of talking of bailout.
Yari, who will serve as chairman of the forum for one year, revealed that the governors had also agreed to hold a retreat on how states could enhance good governance and improve their revenue base. He added that his colleagues had also agreed to work with the President in order to move the country forward.
Speaking also on the issue, Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who lamented that only $2.5bn was left in the Excess Crude Account as of Wednesday, said Buhari must stop the stealing of public funds by greedy Nigerians so that the country could move forward. He said the problem facing the states was not payment of salaries alone, but meeting their obligations to all Nigerians. The governor urged the president to stop the fleecing; stop the stealing and get those who had stolen to return the money.
Meanwhile, as hardworking Nigerians intensify efforts to get daily meal as well as pay their daily, monthly and annual bills, a group of evil people who makes money through human blood and body parts have been exposed following a ritualists den that was discovered in Ogun State.
DAILY SUN reports that the officials of Ogun state police command have discovered a shrine located in a bush in Eposo, Remo North local government area of the state where a 21-year-old Science Laboratory Technology student of the Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Sapade, named Morenikeji Owolabi, was allegedly killed for ritual purposes.
The already boiled dismembered body parts suspected to be that of Owolabi were seen in a tray inside the shrine. It was reported that the victim’s heart was visibly placed on a tray, while some others were placed in a small cage grill outside, apparently being prepared to be roasted. The severed right leg of the victim was discovered in a shallow grave a few metres away from the shrine.
The state commissioner of police, Valentine Ntomchukwu, who conducted journalists round the crime scene, which smelled decayed human flesh, with human body parts littering everywhere, said the victim, who was declared missing some weeks ago was traced to the shrine by the police.
The police boss said the main suspect, a 35-year-old man who is the priest of the shrine; Femi alias Awise, is on the run, but hinted that five other suspects, including the commercial motorcycle rider, who allegedly brought the victim to the shrine penultimate Saturday, are currently in police custody at Isara Divisional Police Station.
Source: Legit.ng
