How President Buhari Angrily Stormed Out of Meeting with Chibok Parents

According to online reports who were live-tweeting before, during and after the meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari, the parents of the abducted Chibok school girls and the leaders of Bring Back Our Girls campaign, the president was very angry when he met with the above mentioned parties at the State House Abuja and allegedly stormed out of the meeting. 

Evidences abound Buhari loves Igbos - Femi Adesina

Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina says contrary to popular belief, there are many evidences to show that President Buhari loves the Igbos in Nigeria. He stated this in an interview he had with Radio continental on Friday January 8th 

"When the President ran for political office in 2003, who was his running mate? Dr Chuba Okadigbo. And in 2007? Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke. If he hated Igbos would he run with them? That shows you the respect and the regard he has for Igbos, it was political reality that compelled him to come south-west in 2011 and in 2015. Let me tell you a story. 

  Let me tell you a story. There is a prominent Igbo family in this country, if I mention their names you would know them, they are very prominent in the society. They told me a story that in the 70s, President Buhari was Minister of Petroleum, the family wanted to join the petroleum industry and then they made a bid. By then, there were not too many Nigerians playing in that industry, and there was a lot of scepticism from those around the then Lt Colonel Buhari, who was Oil Minister. They all said they don’t believe that the company as represented by that family had the capacity to play in the industry. This family told me that eventually, they got to Lt Colonel Buhari, he listened to them, and asked them; ‘Are you sure you have the capacity to do this?’ And they told him, ‘we can do it’. Then he removed his military cap, banged it on the table and told them, ‘it is done.' And he instructed that they give them that opportunity they wanted in the oil industry and today that family is so big and they never forget that the then Colonel Buhari as oil minister gave them the break they needed. They told me that story about three weeks ago. The next day, when I saw the president, I told him the story. He laughed and then went on to tell me that when people say he is against the Igbos, it baffles him, that really he never knew that family, he just trusted the assurance they gave him that they could play in the oil industry, and today they are very big. He went further to say that even under PTF, so many Nigerians, including Igbos, benefitted a lot. So there is no way you can say the man hates Igbos. The second Niger bridge is on the budget in 2016. Let's recall that the last President sometime in 2011 said that he would complete that second Niger bridge before 2015. He didn’t even go beyond the architectural drawing, but in 2016 budget, that project is there"he ssaid

Read more excepts from the interview after the cut

Q: What do you have to say about the Chibok schoolgirls? Any negotiation in progress with Boko Haram?

ANS: We need to know a little bit of what happened behind the scenes, between the last government and some people masquerading as the leadership of Boko Haram who wanted to get the Chibok girls released. They actually turned it into a franchise, it became a commercial thing and they got money, possibly in millions of dollars, only for government to discover it had been swindled. They kept saying they could get the girls released , they could interface with Boko Haram and they went smiling to the bank with all that money, and nothing happened. So you should understand why this government is being careful and the President has said the genuineness of the leadership of Boko Haram must be determined before any negotiation takes place.

Q: The commendation actually goes to you and your media team, for the media chat of President Buhari a few days ago. Arising from that chat, it is reported that the president said that he would not grant bail to former NSA, Sambo Dasuki, and Nnamdi Kanu of Biafra. What was in the mind of the President.

ANS: Our president is a straight shooter, whatever is in his mind is what he tells you. He doesn’t believe in manipulating or any form of rigmarole. What he said, was that those people had grievous charges against them, but then, he does not preclude bail, if there are no pending charges against them. The situation now is when bail is granted, before that bail is perfected, those who are prosecuting them would have come with fresh charges, which warrant their being held further. So, that is the position, if there are no fresh charges, and there is bail, there is no reason to hold them. But the truth is that there are fresh charges leveled against them.

Q: One of the APC men has been arrested by EFCC, and that is Col Jafar Isa. What does that mean to you?

ANS: It means that in this corruption fight, no friend, no foe. One of the quickest ways for President Buhari to lose confidence in anybody is for that person to be tarred with the brush of corruption, and if proven to be true, you are on your own. All those who have said he is selective, it is because they do not know him. We know how much he detests corruption, and if any case is proven against anybody, no matter how close the person is, no matter how high ranking, that person will answer for it.

Q: On Forex policy of CBN, and Miss Christine Lagarde of IMF talking down on Nigeria, despite corruption allegation against her back home

ANS: If Miss Christine Lagarde has any corruption allegation, it is not Nigeria that has brought it against her. Nigeria has absolutely no role in that, we know what happened to her predecessor in office, when he had issues over sexual assault and all that. He was removed and he answered for it in court . We leave that to them for them to handle. But in terms of talking down, there was no talking down at all. I was at the meeting that she held with the President, there was absolutely no talking down, she spoke nicely and decently, I don’t agree that she spoke down on anybody. In fact she ended up commending the President, commending Nigeria, and she said she wouldn’t expect to hear a knock on her door any day from Nigerians asking for support because she has seen that Nigeria has all it takes to pull through this rough patch that she is passing through. I wouldn’t agree with you that she talked down on anybody, she had the right as MD of IMF to make prescription, Nigeria has the right either to accept or reject.

Q: When would the disability bill be signed into law?

ANS: This is the second time this is coming up on this show, because I remember this question came up the last time I was here and now that the Ministers are about two months in office this is also something that I would bring up.

Q: Please lead us into the privacy of the President.How does the President carry the enormous problem of this nation? How true is the statement that the only thing he is doing now is fighting corruption, neglecting issue of economy, infrastructure and welfare of citizenry?

ANS: I would like to begin by saying that corruption is central to every other thing in this country. If we want to talk about the economy, education, health care, if all the funds we would need to address these are squirreled away, how then do we address them? Fighting corruption is central to Nigeria's development, therefore the President has taken it as one of the key things that his administration would do. But then, that doesn’t mean that corruption is the only thing he is fighting, you need to see the man's schedule. He gets to the office in the morning about 9 a.m, the first thing he has required us to do is get the highlights of newspapers ready for him, and so before he comes in, we have reviewed the newspapers, we have done all the highlights and that is the first thing he looks at. Then he begins to attend to all the other things lined out for him. Across all the sectors, ministers and directors of agencies are meeting with him. He is a hard worker and at 73, I wonder how he does it. He does that till early evening, when he then retires home to have a late lunch and a rest, and then in the early evening he takes on people that have been scheduled to meet him, if there are. One thing that about this President is that as much as possible, you don’t get to his house and see a market. I was told that in the last dispensation the place would still be a beehive of activities as late as 2 a.m. But this man is methodical, he plans his days and in the process he is able to attend to much more. All the sectors are receiving attention, I can assure you.

Q: Funding the real sector is going to be very important in getting diversification, in getting the economy back on track. What about our developmental banks?

ANS: Talking of the real sector I know of BOI because, I engage with them, the MD, the corporate affairs people, we spoke two days ago and they have this programme on television which I follow. I think BOI is doing well and they have to be further empowered to do more. Talking of Treasury Single Account (TSA) it is work in progress, the rough edges are being smoothened. You heard the President on National Media Chat saying that about N1. 5 trillion has been harnessed into TSA. If you don’t harness this money, how do you use it? Now that that money is there, that is when we can talk of using it for the real sector.

Q: What is the plan of the government on state police?

ANS: I know that the APC had some promises in that respect, don’t forget that APC promised to look at our federation, and re-tune it, rework it, and part of the promises was to look into state police.

Q: The Nigerian Labour Congress is threatening to call out Nigerians to embark on strike, the reason is based on subsidy removal, which was alleged would bring untold hardship to common Nigerians. Could you shed light on this issue?

ANS: What hardship can be greater than what Nigerians passed through in the past four- six weeks, queueing endlessly to buy petrol and at the end of the day buying it at N200, N250, N300 per litre; what hardship can be greater than that? On the flip-side, what we are entering into now is something that would make life a lot easier for Nigerians, getting petrol, making sure that the supply is sustained because with crude oil prices down, why should Nigerians pay so high for refined petrol? That is what government is doing. Now that crude prices are down, this is the opportunity to arrive at appropriate prices for refined petrol, that is why we now have N86 from NNPC, N86.5 from other marketers, and it has also been said that this would be subject to review every quarter. That means if oil prices inch up again, it would affect how much we buy petrol. Labour, I am sure will look at the matter again, and know that it would be better that Nigerians get petrol at clearly affordable prices, reacting to prices of crude oil, rather than a subsidy regime that is fraught with so much corruption.

Q: What are the foreign policy plans of this administration?

ANS: We just had a minister of foreign affairs, who is settling down. The Ministers would just be two months in office soon. Economic diplomacy is very important for us. We know that we have engaged with the West, we have also gone East; China for instance is doing a lot of with us. Economic diplomacy is very important for Nigerians at this time, because like the President says, no country in the world can afford to stand alone again. Even President Obama said it at the UN General Assembly last September, no country in the world can afford to stand alone again because the things that unite the world now are economy and security. No country can afford to do it alone, so Nigeria's foreign policy would also be conditioned by that.

Q: Restructuring our federalism, what is the President approach to it?

ANS: As I said earlier, restructuring the federation is part of the promises the APC made when it campaigned, but you would also agree that it is not a one man show; it is not the President that would say, this is the way to do it. No, It has to be a deliberate policy, starting from the party, to the national assembly and then it becomes law and all that. It is not the President that would direct it.

Q: We want to bring five members of this parliament to Aso Rock, I mean people who call in on this radio, and present our needs to the president.

ANS: I assure you that it can be done. I will raise it with the President

Q: Most business people are having problems funding their transactions. What is being done in terms of bridging this?

ANS: It is not targeted at anybody. It is a policy from the Central Bank. During the Presidential Media Chat, the President promised that he would get the CBN governor to look at the matter again. He said it openly and publicly. But one thing about economic downturn and revival is that it is not at the snap of a finger, economies don’t collapse in a flash, it is a gradual thing. So you can’t expect that it’s going to be by the snap of the finger, and the economy is revived again. It has to be rebuilt, the foundation has to be relaid, that is what this government is doing, and with a government that is serious and focussed like this one, we would get there. All of us have to be patient to get there.

Linda Ikeji

Mbaka’s Prophesy: ‘We’ll shutdown Nigeria if anything ugly happens to Buhari’

Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka’s prediction of possible assassination plot against President Muhammadu Buhari, a group, Buhari South-East Youth Movement, BSEYM, has threatened to shut down the country if anything ugly happens to the President.
 
The group advised anyone or group with such evil plan to have a rethink “because such will spell doom for not just the country.”
In a statement in Umuahia, Abia State by its leader, Mr. Nwabueze Onwuneme, the group expressed its support for President Buhari’s anti-corruption war.
It called on anyone with any knowledge of any ploy against the President or the country to immediately divulge such to law enforcement agents.
According to the group, Mbaka’s prediction should not be dismissed with a wave of hands because “corruption really fights back dirty when attacked.”
It called on all well-meaning Nigerians to resist the evil work of “this small group that wants to kill this country,” and which had improvised the masses, and support President Buhari in his effort to sanitize the country.

Vanguard

$2.9b arms procurement: Buhari orders arrest of Dasuki, others

President Muhammdu Buhari Tueday night ordered the arrest of the former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (Rtd), for allegedly siphoning billions of dollars earmarked for arms purchases.
In ordering the arrest, President Buhari observed that the actions of the erstwhile NSA brought the nation to international ridicule as the failure to procure the arms incapacitated the military in the face of the insurgency orchestrated by the Boko Haram sect.

Former national security adviser of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Sambo Dasuki . AFP PHOTO

The order was also extended to several others who were found culpable in the saga.
The development followed  the release of the interim report by the presidential committee investigating arms procurement.
The president had on August 31 set up the 13 man committee to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to date.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, stated that Dasuki expended $2,193,815,000.83 on arms, a figure he said did not include grants received by the police and the Department of State Services, DSS, from state governments.
The statement read thus: “As part of the findings, the committee has analyzed interventions from some organizations that provided funds to the Office of the National Security Adviser, Defence Headquarters, Army Headquarters, Naval Headquarters, and Nigerian Air Force Headquarters, both in local and foreign currencies.
“So far the total extra budgetary interventions articulated by the committee is Six Hundred and Forty Three Billion, Eight Hundred and Seventeen Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty Five Hundred Naira and Eighteen Kobo (N643,817,955,885.18).
“The foreign currency component is to the tune of Two Billion, One Hundred and Ninety Three Million, Eight Hundred and Fifteen Thousand US Dollars and Eighty Three Cents ($2,193,815,000.83).
“These amounts exclude grants from the state governments and funds collected by the DSS and Police. It was observed that in spite of this huge financial intervention, very little was expended to support defence procurement.
“The committee also observed that of 513 contracts awarded at $8,356,525,184.32; N2,189,265,724,404.55 and €54,000.00; Fifty Three (53) were failed contracts amounting to $2,378,939,066.27 and N13,729,342,329.87 respectively.
“Interestingly, it was noted that the amount of foreign currency spent on failed contracts was more than double the $1bn loan that the National Assembly approved for borrowing to fight the insurgency in the North East.  “The committee also discovered that payments to the tune of Three Billion, Eight Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N3,850,000,000.00) were made to a single company by the former NSA without documented evidence of contractual agreements or fulfilment of tax obligations to the federal goverment.
“Further findings revealed that between March 2012 and March 2015, the erstwhile NSA, Lt Col MS Dasuki (rtd) awarded fictitious and phantom contracts to the tune of N2,219,188,609.50, $1,671,742,613.58 and €9,905,477.00. The contracts which were said to be for the purchase of four Alpha Jets, 12 helicopters, bombs and ammunition were not executed and the equipment were never supplied to the Nigerian Air Force, neither are they in its inventory.
“Even more disturbing was the discovery that out of these figures, two companies were awarded contracts to the tune of N350,000,000.00, $1,661,670,469.71 and €9,905,477.00 alone. This was without prejudice to the consistent non-performance of the companies in the previous contracts awarded.”
Adesina in the statement added that the former NSA also directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to transfer a certain amount to accounts domiciled in the United Kingdom and the United States.
“Additionally, it was discovered that the former NSA directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to transfer the sum of $132,050,486.97 and €9,905,473.55 to the accounts of Societe D’equipmente Internationaux in West Africa, United Kingdom and United States of America for un-ascertained purposes, without any contract documents to explain the transactions.
“The findings made so far are extremely worrying considering that the interventions were granted within the same period that our troops fighting the insurgency in the North East were in desperate need of platforms, military equipment and ammunition. Had the funds siphoned to these non performing companies been properly used for the purpose they were meant for, thousands of needless Nigerian deaths would have been avoided.
“Furthermore, the ridicule Nigeria has faced in the international community would have been avoided. It is worrisome and disappointing that those entrusted with the security of this great nation were busy using proxies to siphon the national treasury, while innocent lives were wasted daily.
“In light of these findings, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the relevant organizations arrest and bring to book, all individuals who have been found complicit in these illegal and fraudulent acts”, the statement submitted.
vanguard 

See full list of Buhari’s ministerial nominees See full list of Buhari’s ministerial nominees

Barring any last minute change, President Muhammadu Buhari may have picked from across the States of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, Nigerians who will serve as ministers in his cabinet.

SENATE CHAMBER

Recall that on September 30, President Buhari sent to the Senate President Bukola Saraki, the first batch of 21 ministerial nominees.
Also, yesterday, the President sent the names of the second batch of 16 nominees.
Meanwhile, at the time of this report, the states where  Ahmed Isa Ibeto (No. 19) Abubakar Bawa (No 36.) and Aisha Abubakar (No. 32) were nominated from were yet to be known.
Background checks however show that both Ibeto and Bawa are from Niger State.
When contacted, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr. Femi Adesina said: “The names of ministerial nominees, the President has sent to the Senate for screening, had no states of origin attached to them. As soon as the President does that, it will be made public.”
See the full list:
1. Chris Ngige – (Anambra)
2. Kayode Fayemi- (Ekiti)
3. Rotimi Amaechi – (Rivers)
4. Babatunde Fashola -(Lagos)
5. Abdulrahman Dambazau- (Kano)
6. Aisha Alhassan – (Taraba)
7. Ogbonaya Onu- (Ebonyi)
8. Kemi Adeosun – (Ogun)
9. Abubakar Malami – (Kebbi)
10. Sen Hadi Sirika – (Katsina)
11. Barr. Adebayo Shittu – (Oyo)
12. Suleiman Adam – (Jigawa)
13. Solomon Dalong – (Plateau)
14. Ibe Kachikwu – (Delta)
15. Osagie Ehanire – (Edo)
16. Audu Ogbeh – (Benue)
17. Udo Udo Udoma – (Akwa Ibom)
18. Lai Mohammed – (Kwara)
19. Ahmed Isa Ibeto – (Niger)
20. Amina Mohammed – (Gombe)
21. Ibrahim Usman Jibril – (Nasarawa)
22. Hajia Khadija Bukar Ibrahim- (Yobe)
23. Cladius Omoleye Daramola (Ondo)
24. Prof Anthony Onwuka (Imo)
25. Geoffrey Onyema (Enugu)
26. Dan Ali (Zamfara)
27. Barr James Ocholi (Kogi)
28. Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna)
29. Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia)
30. Muhammadu Bello (Adamawa)
31. Mustapha Baba Shehuri (Bornu)
32. Aisha Abubakar (unknown)
33. Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa)
34. Adamu Adamu (Bauchi)
35. Isaac Adewole (Osun)
36. Abubakar Bawa Bwari (Niger)
37. Pastor Usani Uguru (Cross River)                                          

Vanguard

Buhari unfair to ministers – Omobola Johnson

Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s Minister of Communication Technology (ComTech), Mrs. Omobola Johnson, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of been unfair to ministers who worked hard, but didn’t make much noise about it.

Buhari: Ministers are noise makers…

Johnson, was reacting to a statement credited to President Buhari, in an interview during his three-day official visit to France, where he stated that it’s the civil servants and technocrats who do the real job of governance in Federal government ministries more than the ministers, who he described as noise makers.
The ex-ComTech minister who reacted to Buhari’s statement via her Twitter handle @OmobolaJohnson said: “President Buhari is being unfair to Ministers who work hard and don’t make noise. The civil service is broken and it needs to be fixed.”
However, President Buhari who departed Nigeria for France on Monday, during an exclusive interview with France 24 tv François Picard, on Wednesday, said he intends to stick with his decision to name his cabinet before the end of the month, but however, opined that ministers are only there to “make a lot of noise.”
Asked if the absence of a finance minister was affecting the Nigerian capital market and economy, Buhari said: “No. It is what we know –and which we learnt from the western system. The civil service provides the continuity, the technocrat. And in any case, they are those that do most of the work.
“The ministers are there, I think, to make a lot of noise; for the politicians to make a lot of noise. But the work is being done by the technocrats. They are there; they have to provide the continuity, dig into the records and then guide us, [those of us] who are just coming in.
“They have been there, some of them for 15 years, some for 20 years. So I think this question of ministers is political. People from different constituencies want to see their people directly in government, and see what they can get out of it.

Ex-ComTech minister, Omobola Johnson

“As for the cabinet, I said we will have one by the end of the month, and time flies. The end of the month is coming too quickly for my liking.
“Yeah, I will stick to it. I will send the names to the national assembly.”
Reminded by Picard that “some have quipped that the country runs better without ministers”, the President said: “When you started introducing me, you said I was around 1983 to 1985. Even then we had ministers. So under this system, we have to have ministers; and we are going to have ministers.”

Buhari To Remove Fuel Subsidy, Invest Savings On Education

President Muhammadu Buhari plans to totally remove fuel subsidy, it has emerged. Money saved from this will be used to provide free and compulsory primary/secondary education across the country.
 This is reported to be part of the recommendations made by the transition committee that helped the president to work out a blueprint for his administration.

According to Vanguard, the Buhari-led administration is also planning to unbundle the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to make it more efficient in the production and delivery of products to Nigerians.

To ensure the planned removal go as planned, the Labour, which led a strike against a similar move by former president Goodluck Jonathan in 2012, was involved in the decision.

“Labour is part of the decision; they have accepted the proposal of fuel subsidy removal,” a source, who is a member of the transition committee, told Vanguard.

“A committee is likely to be set up by the federal government to work out the modalities of what is to be done in that respect.

“But the truth is that total removal of fuel subsidy has been recommended with adequate provisions for palliatives on free education and social welfare for the unemployed.”

Commenting on the planned unbundling of the NNPC, the source said: “The federal government is keen on plugging all areas of leakages in the corporation and whoever must have caused them must be made to account for such unpatriotic wastages. We don’t know whether that is what you call probe or not”.

InformationNG

Photos: Governor El-Rufai receives Buhari in Kaduna

President Buhari paid a visit to Kaduna yesterday June 16th and was received by the state governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai at the airport. More photos after the cut...

I am not Patience Jonathan, do not pay anybody to see me, my husband – Aisha Buhari

According to DailyPost, First Lady, Hajia Aisha Buhari, has called on those working with her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari against taking bribes from anybody before gaining access to her.

Mrs. Buhari reminded them that they should thread with caution because it took her husband 12 years before getting to the position he currently occupies.

The First Lady made this appeal during an “Appreciation Dinner” she hosted in honour of the All Progressives Congress’ women and youths at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

She said, “There was nothing that people did not say about the past administration. It is not former President Goodluck Jonathan that is not good but the people around him.

“So, the people that are going to be around President Buhari have to be very careful because this election ended peacefully.

“We are praying and hoping that people around him should know that it took him 12 years to get to that position and they must know that they are coming to serve the masses, not General Buhari

From a poor boy in Mushin to the president's official photographer - The inspiring story of 28 years old Bayo Omoboriowo

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All those beautiful pictures of President Buhari you've been seeing were taken by 28 years old Bayo Omoboriowo. He is the President's official photographer. Chukwudi Iwuchukwu writes about him...For many Nigerians on social media, we always admire the beautiful pictures of our new President, Muhammed Buhari. We admire the elegance and the story the pictures portray, we salute the aesthetics behind the image but not many know that the guy behind it all is Bayo Omoboriowo the official photographer of the president and amazingly, he's just 28.
When I met Bayo for the First time February 14 this year at Buhari Valentine dinner here in Lagos, I did not know who he was, he was dressed in an impeccable manner, with suit and tie and then was carrying his camera like a baby I thought he was just one of those "I just came back to Nigeria" guys who like over dressing with their camera not until he told me to stand for him to take a snap shot of me, I did and after the shoot, we got talking, when he mentioned his name, I remembered I had read his interview 3 years back, an Interview he did with Bella Naija talking about his passion for photography, his dreams and where he want to be in the years to come using the instrument of his camera.
My respect for him grew higher that moment and I told myself: "Indeed Dreams come true" Bayo Omoboriowo was born without silver spoon, he tasted poverty, experienced the low esteem Poverty inflicts on its victims but never allowed his past to define him, he decided to change his story and that he has successfully been able to do looking at what he has done for himself within a space of 6 years
He took his destiny by his hand, discovered his passion which was photography, refined and turned it to a business and income making project.
One thing you have to give to this young man is this, he never allowed the distraction that being a youth bring to distract him from his focus , he graduated from University Of Lagos in 2009 and since then he has only been doing one thing, Photography and today, he is the official photographer of our dear President.
Bayo is one of the 20 man delegation that followed Buhari to Germany On Sunday , seeing his name on that list brought smile to my face, this shows how far he has gone and where God has taken him to. I could not have been prouder of my generation and the envelop we are pushing, the stories we are changing and the boundaries we are taking in spite of the difficulties of being a Young Nigerian.
Bayo's life is teaching young people what is possible and doable, , a man born in poverty at Mushin Lagos 28 years ago is flying with the President all over the world today because of his passion and determination to give meaning to his life, what then is your excuse?
Life is too short to just waste on unnecessary gallivanting. Discover your passion, key into it and start now. You don't need capital to start, you just need few people who believe in your passion and would do anything to see it come to fruition.
Your network determines your net worth; those friends around you have a lot to do with your tomorrow, more than you know. Bayo's of this world are passing a compelling message to young people to leave every other thing that is distracting them and run with their dreams. Lives and destinies are tied to that dream and that is the more reason you need to take that bold step and believe in your ability to do it.
Again let me emphasize, Bayo started from the bottom, he started with zero capital. he had nothing except his incredible belief in God and the dream he has and nothing more.
I wish you all the best in this journey and hope to celebrate your journey tomorrow.
Chukwudi Iwuchukwu Is A PR Consultant and Passive Lawyer.

SplendorNG

Buhari off to South Africa for African Union Summit

President Muhammadu Buhari will depart Nigeria for South Africa Saturday to attend the 25th African Union Summit currently underway  in Johannesburg.

A statement issued on Friday in Abuja by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said Mr. Buhari would undertake his first continental assignment since taking office by chairing  the meeting of the  Peace and Security Committee of the AU summit, which will hold on Saturday, the day of his arrival.

He will also hold a number of bilateral meetings that will consolidate his ongoing drive to secure Nigeria and its neighbours from Boko Haram.

The theme of this year’s AU meeting is itself the issue of security. President Buhari will return to Nigeria on the morning of Tuesday, June 16.

Premiumtimes 

Tears as Buhari, wife meet Chibok girls’ mothers

Tears flowed freely on Friday as President Muhammadu Buhari; his wife, Aisha; and the wife of the Vice-President, Dolapo Osinbajo, met with two women whose daughters are among the over 200 schoolgirls abducted last year by members of the Boko Haram sect in Chibok, Borno State.

The emotional-laden encounter took place inside the Defence House, Abuja, where Buhari currently operates from.

Mrs. Osinbajo had earlier led the two women to a meeting with Hajia Buhari, who later led them into another round of meeting with Buhari.

By the time they emerged from the meeting and posed for photographs, the two women again broke down in tears while Mrs. Buhari held them tightly.

Mrs. Osinbajo also joined in the weeping.

The Vice-President’s wife, with misty eyes, later told journalists what transpired during the two separate meetings.

She said, “Hajia Aisha Buhari had for many months wanted to visit Chibok. She also wanted to meet with the mothers.

“Today, we had an opportunity for them to meet face-to-face. We had two of the mothers who still have their daughters missing after a year.

“Hajia met with them, held them and they cried, everybody cried. What only a mother will do is to say ‘wait, I want you to see your father and see what your father will do.’

“We were all overwhelmed that at this time when the President is so busy, he had time to meet with the women from Chibok.

“He spoke to them in English and Hausa. He explained to them how he keeps telling everybody to put themselves in their place.

“So, today we have had the opportunity for the President and Hajia to show that they are our father and mother, for that we are glad.”

Shortly after the photo session, security men quickly whisked the weeping mothers away.

It will, however, be recalled that all efforts to rescue the schoolgirls them abducted over a year ago have yet to yield any result.

Punch 

Photos: Pres. Buhari leaves Mosque without a siren and long convoy

The guy who posted these photos on Twitter claims this black car was carrying president Buhari as he left the National Mosque in Abuja this afternoon after Jumaat prayers. There's only one other car driving beside his car; there's no siren or long convoy. If that is really him, then kudos to him. Not all these ones that will be causing traffic when they're moving around. See another photo after the cut...

National Assembly: Buhari jets in to settle Saraki, Lawan, others

As if the problems facing Nigeria were not enough to trouble President Muhammadu Buahri, members of his party, the All Progressives Congress have added another burden to his growing list of problems.

While Buhari was in Munich, Germany delivering his ‘wish list’ at the G7 Summit, his party was gradually self-destructing back home, washing its dirty laundry in public.

To salvage an imminent humiliation at the National Assembly over leadership positions, the crisis torn APC turned to Buhari at the 11th hour.

It would be recalled that Buhari has repeatedly stated that he would work with whoever emerges President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives but the never-ending discrepancy in the party has forced him to make a U-turn.

While the party leadership has tried to get elected members to back Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila as ‘consensus’ candidates for the Senate Presidency and speakership of the House of Representatives, the lack of unity in the party was underscored by the insistence of other claimants to the thrones to contest the two seats on the floor.

The APC has tried to rally the party members to support its position, without success. And a meeting called Monday night by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was boycotted by Senator Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, both vying for the positions of senate president and Speaker of the House, in defiance of the party.

The APC was further thrown into panic mode, with the PDP’s declaration that it would support Saraki and Dogara.

In a statement Monday night, Olisa Metuh, PDP national publicity secretary said the party has adopted Saraki and Dogara, who were former members of the PDP and asked members at the National assembly to “act accordingly.”

The PDP has 49 senators-elect in the 109-member Senate, while it has 125 members in the 360-member House of Representatives.

In contrast, the APC has 59 senators-elect following the death of Senator Ahmed Zanna on May 16, while in the 360-member House of Representatives it has 214 members-elect. The three other parties, Labour Party, Accord Party and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) share the balance of 10 seats.

While the APC could muster the votes to get Gbajabiamila elected in the House of Representatives as Speaker, it faces the greater danger in the Senate, where Saraki appears to be capable of staging an upset.

Hence, the APC desperation this morning, calling on President Buhari to get involved in crisis management.

Buhari who arrived Nigeria early this morning from Germany after attending the G-7 Summit will meet with all APC Senators elect and House members elect at the International Conference Center, ICC today, Tuesday morning at 9am Prompt.

A notice for the meeting signed by the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, stressed the urgency of the meeting.

” The meeting is urgent and important and all APC Senators and Members elect are expected to be in attendance. All elected members are admonished to attend this meeting with Mr. President at 9am prompt”.

President Buhari is expected to formally inaugurate the National Assembly this morning and he had declared days ago, that he would be comfortable with elected leaders of the National Assembly. Now his party, wants him to eat his words, by getting involved in the process.

PM NEWS 

Photo: President Buhari arrives Nigeria from Germany

President Buhari arrived Nigeria very early this morning from Germany where he went to attend the G7 summit. He will be meeting with APC national assembly members this morning to resolve issues bordering on the elections of the Assembly leadership which is to hold today.