#abuja resource management June 2017

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Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai (IBBUL) Vacancies 2017

Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai (IBBUL) Vacancies 2017

Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai (IBBUL) Vacancies 2017 Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai (IBBUL) is a modern, outward-looking institution, committed to engaging with the major issues of our times. A leading multidisciplinary university, IBBUL today is a true academic powerhouse.The Governing Council of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, hereby announces that the…

[upshotre]

Independence Day Speech by President Buhari on occasion of 59th anniversary of Nigeria

Dear Compatriots, 1st October each year is an opportunity for us to reflect and thank God for his endless blessings on our country. It is also a time for us, collectively, to: Remember the sacrifices made by our Founders and great leaders past; by soldiers, by distinguished public servants; by traditional leaders, by our workers ---- sacrifices on which Nigeria has been built over the 59 years since Independence in 1960; and Rededicate ourselves to attaining the goals which we have set for ourselves: a united, prosperous and purposeful nation in the face of 21st century opportunities and challenges. In the past four years, the majority of Nigerians have committed to Change for the Better. Indeed, this Administration was re-elected by Nigerians on a mandate to deliver positive and enduring Change – through maintaining our National Security; restoring sustainable and inclusive Economic Growth and Development; and fighting Corruption against all internal and external threats. This Change can only be delivered if we are united in purpose, as individuals and as a nation. We must all remain committed to achieving this positive and enduring Change. As I stated four years ago, “Change does not just happen… We must change our lawless habits, our attitude to public office and public trust… simply put, to bring about change, we must change ourselves by being law-abiding citizens.” SECURITY: Good Governance and Economic Development cannot be sustained without an enabling environment of peace and security. In the last four years, we have combatted the terrorist scourge of Boko Haram. We owe a debt of gratitude to our gallant men and women in arms, through whose efforts we have been able to achieve the present results. We are also grateful to our neighbours and allies – within the region and across the world – who have supported us on this front. The capacity of our armed forces to defend our territorial integrity continues to be enhanced by the acquisition of military hardware as well as continued improvements in the working conditions of our service men and women. The Ministry of Police Affairs has been resuscitated to oversee the development and implementation of strategies to enhance internal security. My recent assent to the Nigerian Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act has created a legal framework to support our Police with increased fiscal resources to enhance their law enforcement capabilities. These initiatives are being complemented by the ongoing recruitment of 10,000 constables into the Nigeria Police Force. This clearly demonstrates our commitment to arrest the incidence of armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes across our nation. We remain equally resolute in our efforts to combat militant attacks on our oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta and accelerate the Ogoni Clean-up to address long-standing environmental challenges in that region. The recent redeployment of the Niger Delta Development Commission from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs underscores our commitment to enhance the living standards of our communities in the Niger Delta, through coordinated and appropriate programmes. Our attention is increasingly being focused on cyber-crimes and the abuse of technology through hate speech and other divisive material being propagated on social media. Whilst we uphold the Constitutional rights of our people to freedom of expression and association, where the purported exercise of these rights infringes on the rights of other citizens or threatens to undermine our National Security, we will take firm and decisive action. In this regard, I reiterate my call for all to exercise restraint, tolerance and mutual respect in airing their grievances and frustrations. Whilst the ongoing national discourse on various political and religious issues is healthy and welcome, we must not forget the lessons of our past – lessons that are most relevant on a day such as this. . The path of hatred and distrust only leads to hostility and destruction. I believe that the vast majority of Nigerians would rather tread the path of peace and prosperity, as we continue to uphold and cherish our unity. ACCELERATING SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE ECONOMY GROWTH This Administration inherited a skewed economy, where the Oil Sector comprised only 8% of Gross Domestic Product but contributed 70% of government revenue and 90% foreign exchange earnings over the years. Past periods of relatively high economic growth were driven by our reliance on Oil Sector revenues to finance our demand for imported goods and services. Regrettably, previous governments abandoned the residual Investment-driven Non-Oil Sector, which constituted 40% of Gross Domestic Product and comprised agriculture, livestock, agro-processing, arts, entertainment, mining and manufacturing activities that provide millions of jobs for able-bodied Nigerians and utilize locally available raw materials and labour for production. To address this imbalance, our commitment to achieving economic diversification has been at the heart of our economic strategies under the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, which I launched on the 5th of April, 2017. This medium-term development plan charted the trajectory for our economy to exit from recession and return to the path of sustainable, diversified and inclusive growth for Nigerians. Pursuant to these reforms, the economy has recovered and we have had 9 successive quarters of growth since our exit from recession. The exchange rate in the last 3 years has remained stable, with robust reserves of US$42.5 billion, up from US$23 billion in October 2016. Learning from the mistakes of the past, this Administration is committed to responsibly managing our oil wealth endowments. We will continue to prudently save our oil income and invest more in the non-oil job-creating sectors. In this regard, we are significantly increasing investments in critical infrastructure. Last year, capital releases only commenced with the approval of the Budget in June 2018. However, as at 20th June this year, up to N1.74 trillion had been released for capital projects in the 2018 fiscal year. Implementation of the 2019 Capital Budget, which was only approved in June 2019, will be accelerated to ensure that critical priority projects are completed or substantially addressed. The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning has been directed to release N600 billion for Capital Expenditure in the next 3 months.   To maximise impact, we shall continue to increasingly welcome and encourage private capital for infrastructural development through Public Private Partnerships. Through the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme, which I initiated in January this year, we are giving incentives to private sector inflow of over N205 billion in 19 Nigerian roads and bridges of 794.4km across in 11 States of the Federation. As we push to diversify the economy, we still remain focused on optimizing the revenues generated from the oil and gas sector. We will, working with the Legislature, soon pass the Petroleum Industry Bill and amendments to the Deep Offshore Act and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act into law, to ensure Government obtains a fair share of oil revenues, whilst encouraging private sector investment. We will also continue our fight against illegal bunkering of crude oil and the smuggling of refined petroleum products across our borders, including the diligent prosecution and conviction of offenders found guilty of these acts. Whilst Nigeria remains committed to free and fair continental and international trade, we will not hesitate to take all necessary steps to tackle illegal smuggling, transshipment and other predatory trade practices that destroy jobs in our country. We are resolute in reforming the power sector. In August this year, we launched the Presidential Power Initiative to modernize the National Grid in 3 phases: starting from 5 Gigawatts to 7 Gigawatts, then to 11 Gigawatts by 2023, and finally 25 Gigawatts afterwards. This programme, in partnership with the German Government and Siemens, will provide end-to-end electrification solutions that will resolve our transmission and distribution challenges. The programme will also look to localize the development and assembly of smart meters as well as the operations and maintenance capabilities of transmission and distribution infrastructure. I am pleased with the improved inter-agency collaboration between the Ministry of Power and the regulators in the banking and power sectors to ensure that electricity sales, billings and collections are automated and become cashless. These initiatives are important to ensure that the technical and collection losses in the sector are substantially reduced. I remain confident that Nigerians will have affordable and uninterrupted electricity supply in the not too distant future. Our efforts to improve the power sector will complement other infrastructure investments projects under the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund, which is investing in the Mambilla Power Plant project, as well as key economic road infrastructure such as the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Second Niger Bridge and Abuja-Kano Expressway. The first set of these projects remain on track to be completed by 2022. Our journey to food security and self-sufficiency is well underway. We have made remarkable progress in almost all segments of the agriculture value chain, from fertilizers to rice, to animal feed production. We shall sustain these policies to ensure additional investments are channeled, thereby creating more jobs in the sector. We must not go back to the days of importing food and thereby exporting jobs. Our commitment to achieving macroeconomic stability and economic diversification, has been underscored by the merger of the Ministry of Finance with the Ministry of Budget and National Planning. This combined Ministry has the important mandate to enhance the management of domestic and global fiscal risks; coordinate policies with the trade and monetary authorities; raise and deploy revenues to fund budgeted expenditure; and integrate annual budgets and medium-term fiscal strategies. With this, our revenue-generating and reporting agencies will come under much greater scrutiny, going forward, as the new performance management framework will reward exceptional revenue performance, while severe consequences will attend failures to achieve agreed revenue targets. I recently constituted an Economic Advisory Council to advise me on inclusive and sustainable macroeconomic, fiscal and monetary policies. This independent body will work with relevant Cabinet members and the heads of key monetary, fiscal and trade agencies to ensure we remain on track as we strive for collective prosperity. However, we are also committed to ensure that the inconvenience associated with any painful policy adjustments, is moderated, such that the poor and the vulnerable, who are most at risk, do not bear the brunt. Our ongoing N500 billion Special Intervention Programme continues to target these vulnerable groups, through the Home-grown School Feeding Programme, Government Economic Empowerment Programme, N-Power Job Creation Programme, loans for traders and artisans, Conditional Cash Transfers to the poorest families and social housing scheme. To institutionalize these impactful programmes, we created the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development which shall consolidate and build on our achievements to date. To the beneficiaries of these programmes, I want to reassure you that our commitment to social inclusion will only increase. Our population growth rate remains amongst the highest in the world, presenting both challenges as well as opportunities. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that we provide adequate resources to meet the basic needs of our teeming youth. Accordingly, we shall continue to invest in education, health, water and sanitation, as well as food security, to ensure that their basic needs are met, while providing them with every opportunity to live peaceful, prosperous and productive lives. FIGHTING CORRUPTION AND RESTORING GOOD GOVERNANCE: On fighting corruption, our institutional reforms to enforce the Treasury Single Account policy, introduce the Whistle-blowers’ Initiative, expand the coverage of the Integrated Payroll Personnel and Information System as well as the Government Integrated Management Information System have saved billions of Naira over the last four years, and deterred the rampant theft and mismanagement of public funds that have plagued our public service.   The Ministry of Justice, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will continue to address this menace. We are determined to ensure that transparency and good governance are institutionalized in public service.   We must commit to installing a culture of Good Governance in all we do. This Administration has fought against corruption, by investigating and prosecuting those accused of embezzlement and the misuse of public resources. We have empowered teams of prosecutors, assembled detailed databases of evidence, traced the proceeds of crimes and accelerated the recovery of stolen funds.   Furthermore, we partnered with our friends abroad to combat tax evasion, smuggling, terrorism and illicit financial flows. In June 2018, I assented to the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, to provide a domestic legal framework for obtaining international assistance in criminal matters. This measure has already strengthened our law enforcement agencies in obtaining evidence, investigating suspects and facilitating the recovery, forfeiture and confiscation of property implicated as proceeds of crime. An example is the US$300 million recently identified as part of the Abacha money-laundering case, working closely with the Government of the United States of America. The Federal Ministry of Justice is working with the US Department of Justice to conclude a Memorandum of Understanding to expedite the repatriation of these funds. The P & ID Arbitral Award has underscored the manner in which significant economic damage has been caused by the past activities of a few corrupt and unpatriotic Nigerians. The policies that we are putting in place today are to ensure such criminal and unpatriotic acts do not go without consequences. Our renewed partnership with the 9th National Assembly will facilitate the swift passage of enabling laws that will institutionalize these anti-corruption efforts in our criminal justice system. In this connection, I call upon our States to intensify their own efforts to instill greater fiscal transparency and accountability. And to ensure greater fiscal efficiency and optimum use of our very scarce resources. The blight of Corruption is fighting back. Nevertheless, this is a battle that we shall see through and this is a war, which we shall win by the Grace of God. I will also call upon all Nigerians, from every walk of life, to combat Corruption at every turn. By choosing to question and confront corrupt practices, by reporting unethical practices or through whistleblowing. Together, we can overcome corruption and will no longer be a country defined by corruption. Fellow Nigerians, let me reiterate my call for unity across our dear nation. Nigeria will emerge from our present challenges stronger and more resilient than ever – but only if all of us join hands to entrench Good Governance, foster Inclusive Economic Development, and defend and protect our Nation from all those who would wish us ill. I thank you most sincerely and wish you a Happy Independence Anniversary. May God bless you all, and may He continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Read the full article

[thisdaynews]

BREAKING:Nigeria is disunited than we think under my leadership because of Ruga.No more Ruga---Buhari

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/breakingnigeria-is-disunited-than-we-think-under-my-leadership-because-of-ruga-no-more-ruga-buhari/

BREAKING:Nigeria is disunited than we think under my leadership because of Ruga.No more Ruga---Buhari

A senseless ultimatum

President Muhammadu Buhari, on July 3, 2019, suspended the implementation of the controversial Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) initiative.

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The Nigerian government is believed to have initiated RUGA across the states of the federation as a way to manage the incessant clashes between farmers and herdsmen which have witnessed the loss of hundreds of lives and destruction of property in various communities.

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Within hours of announcing the suspension, Northern interests under the auspices of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) issued a 30-day ultimatum to the President to rescind his decision and, to Southern leaders who opposed the initiative, to welcome it.

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Not ready to brook any nonsense, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, the spokesman of the group, at a news conference in Abuja, said:

“…We remind the nation that so long as the Fulani would not be allowed to enjoy their citizens’ right of living and flourishing in any part of this country including the South, no one should also expect us to allow any Southerner to enjoy the same in Northern Nigeria.”

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He spiced the threat with an ultimatum.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we advise the federal authorities and the Southern leaders to heed the 30-day notice failing which we would most definitely be left with no option than to consider resorting to our decisive line of action.”

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Some Northern elements, on June 6, 2017, in what was termed the Kaduna declaration, had earlier demanded that Igbos residing in the North leave the area within three months. Thus, it was not the first time the country’s unity would be tested.

John Chukwu of Ripples Nigeria examines 5 dominant issues thrown up by the recent outburst coming from a northern collective.

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A country divided

Nigeria sits on the edge! A clear indication is, perhaps, the monumental disapproval that welcomed the RUGA project, especially the refusal of governors and leaders of the South-east, South-south and South-west to endorse the project. Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State led the governors of the South-east and South-south zones to say that they had no plans for RUGA settlements in their region.

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“There will be no part of the South-east that will be given out for the purpose of establishment of RUGA, the zone is purely agrarian with limited landmass for farming and, therefore, cannot accommodate RUGA establishment,” he said.

The Yoruba Youth Council (YYC) Worldwide, on their part, through a statement by Benson Akinwumi, its Deputy National Publicity Secretary said: “the Yoruba Youth Council as a body of all youths in Yoruba land are saying no to RUGA. We don’t want it and we will never allow it.”

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Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, rejected the initiative saying that the state had no land for policy. “We don’t have lands for any settlement scheme, our land is for commercial agriculture,” he said.

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Unlike their Southern counterparts, however, Northern governors did welcome the RUGA project while glossing over the potentially volatile remarks of CNG. Not a reprimand has come the way of the group whose threats have been seen as reckless and capable of throwing the country into a major crisis.

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Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State welcomed RUGA.

“The concept is aimed at settling Fulani nomads and other cattle rearers into a permanent abode to minimize migration from one place to another in a bid to eliminate conflicts between herdsmen and farmers,” he said.

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His counterpart, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, through his Director-General Strategic Communication and Press Affairs, Yakubu Lamai, stated: “Nasarawa State will support any move by the Federal Government that will assuage Fulani herders and farmers cries in the State.”

What appears evident from the RUGA exchanges is that Nigeria’s federating units are yet papering over obvious cracks within the system. The resort to ethnic politics remains a favorite past time for politicians intent on converting state authority to exercise of personal power.

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The question that has been asked by keen watchers of the polity borders on why there had been massive uproar in the face of claims that consultations were made by stakeholders in the Nigerian project.

A house divided

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A yet embarrassing situation is the seeming rift within the presidency over whose office is coordinating the RUGA project. The Vice President, Osinbajo, on June 28, 2019, denied through a statement by Laolu Akande, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity that his office was responsible for RUGA.

“Contrary to claims reported in sections of the media, RUGA settlements are not being supervised by the Office of the Vice President. RUGA is different from the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) approved by State Governors under the auspices of the National Economic Council,” Laolu said.

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For daring to make clarifications, Osinbajo was branded a saboteur.

“Instructively, Yemi Osinbajo, apparently obsessed by curious ethnic tendencies, and in a haste to reassure his tribal lords, quickly retracted by dissociating himself from the RUGA resettlement initiative announced by a government he is part of,” Suleiman, spokesman for CNG stated.

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Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, stirred further confusion. In an interview, he contradicted himself on an earlier position wherein he said that the Federal Government had earmarked lands in all states of the federation for RUGA. He was to recant later saying the programme would only be implemented in the states that signed up for it.

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Femi Adesina, the other President’s spokesman, left even a bigger mess while attempting to explain the difference between NLTP and RUGA. Stating that the government had no land, except the FCT, for the programme, he said: “RUGA is immediate. It can’t wait. It is an emergency response. Do we wait for people to continue to be killed and violence to continue?”

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A missing vision

Not many critics can decipher if there is a clear-cut strategy on how to deal with the challenge of herdsmen/ farmers clashes. For the most part, the response of the President Buhari-led team has been been staccato in approach.

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Even the CNG had its position expressed in unmistaken terms. It said:

“Throughout the last four years, the administration of President Buhari has twisted and wobbled deceitfully around the visibly stewing security situation in Northern Nigeria especially the herders and farmers conflict. The administration had proposed several conflicting and ill-designed approaches to the issue which was apparently only meant to buy time and never to be implemented,” the group stated.

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The glaring inconsistencies are better appreciated in the truncated pursuit of the ideas of ranching, cattle colonies, the recently suspended RUGA scheme and Osinbajo’s NLTP.

A missing trust

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Trust is in short supply between and among Nigeria’s federating units. The CNG harped on same when it alleged that the seeds had been recently watered by the country’s former President, Olusegun Obasanjo.

“The stage for this scenario was systematically set by one-time President Obasanjo who, previously, flew the false kite of the existence of an agenda for the ‘Fulanisation and Islamisation’ of the country which was immediately orchestrated by the cultural and political leaderships of the three zones (South-east, South-south and South-west) that constitute the defunct Southern region,” CNG said.

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Mutual suspicion rules, and that is putting it mildly. The federating entities have not only been locked in battle over resource control, but pitched also against each over fears of religious domination.

This can be seen in the different statements authored by social cultural groups across the country.

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Nnia Nwodo, the President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, while rejecting RUGA said: “Ohaneze insists that the RUGA policy is an Islamization and a Fulanisation policy; it is a violation of our constitution and Supreme Court decisions on the Land Use Act.”

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The Yoruba, Afenifere, through Yinka Odumakin, their spokesman, stated: “When former President Olusegun Obasanjo said there was a plan to ‘Fulanise’ Nigeria, they said it was not so, but what are you doing? For us in the South-west, no inch of Yorubaland would be given for Ruga because it is a plan to colonise the country.”

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The Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) on averred, through its National Secretary, Dr Alfred Mulade: “We call on the Federal Government to jettison its plan as it is an invitation to chaos, and a prelude towards the Islamization of this country, which PANDEF is determined to resist, with all vehemence.”

Playing the Ostrich

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A careful analysis reveals that the pretense at curbing herdsmen/farmers clashes has gone on for too long. The gaps in policy initiatives have become too manifest, and claims that the challenges are ebbing are largely untrue.

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Will the Buhari administration learn from the disastrous outing on RUGA? The answers probably lie in the days ahead as the President, known for his slow approach to decision-making, forges his second term cabinet.

[mainafelix2007-blog]

Management Sciences for Health Job - Nigeria June 2017

Management Sciences for Health Job – Nigeria June 2017

June 2017 – Management Sciences for Health Job for a Human Resources Country Manager- Nigeria

  Employment Position at Management Sciences for Health 2017

  Jobs opportunity for Human Resources Country Manager In Nigeria 2017

Management Sciences for Health (MSH), a global health nonprofit organization, uses proven approaches developed over 40 years to help leaders, health managers, and…

[arsenalnigeriafans-blog]

Development Officer (INGO Forum)

Job Title: Development Officer - (INGO Forum) Location: Abuja Full-time/Part-time: Full-time Employment Type: Contract Percentage of full-time: 100 Positions: 1 Summary INGO Forum in partnership with NRC is looking for a Development Officer for Abuja Country Office, in Northern Nigeria. The purpose of the Development Officer position is to give the candidate the opportunity to explore their interests in international development by working on projects across multiple thematic sectors including Education, Finance, Governance, Public Health, and sustainable development goals. The project is demand-driven, will contribute to addressing several issues through its cross-sectoral and holistic approach to the humanitarian-development peace nexus, poverty reduction, and inequality by supporting sustainability and inclusion and mainstreaming gender equality NRC initiated country operations in Nigeria in June 2015, in order to respond to the critical and increasing needs in the country. NRC currently has a full team based in Maiduguri and a coordination office in Abuja. NRC is currently providing services across various sectors namely; Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI); Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion (WASH); Food Security; and Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) in order to address identified humanitarian needs. The INGO Forum in Nigeria was formed in late 2014 to develop a collaborative platform for effective and principled INGO interaction, engagement and coordination for humanitarian, recovery and development interventions in Nigeria. Since inception, the INGO Forum has become a critical platform for ensuring effective information sharing and analysis; leadership on advocacy and policy engagement; and liaison with government/donor/UN engagement and engagement ensuring the perspectives of INGOs and affected populations are ultimately included in decision-making processes. The INGO Forum is governed by a core membership of 41 members (and 6 observers) with new member applications pending approval on a regular basis. The INGO Forum is governed by an elected Steering Committee of five Country Directors and a Chair that works alongside a full-term Secretariat. Since March 2017, the INGO Forum is administratively hosted by NRC in Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja as well as Maiduguri. The Development Officer reports to the Development Adviser (NIF) Duties and Responsibilities Adherence with NRC policies, tools, handbooks and guidelines Stay informed on political, and economic contexts, while providing analysis and structured updates of the thematic sector development situation in the country and assist in drafting and design of periodic project updates, policy briefs, and other similar materials. Work with the NIF team to produce blogs or op-eds for external publications, draft and layout mailings (newsletters, updates) and co-ordinate their review and approval. Contribute to the formulation, analysis and reporting on progress in related NIF planning and programming tools as well as briefing and other strategic documents. Identify opportunities and entry points for NIF in the area of governance, through partnership management support and development of concept notes. Support relevant working groups within the office which facilitate dialogue on priority and cross-cutting issues with other areas of work. effort in identifying opportunities for mobilization for thematic areas or new areas of interest to donors Support the development of contacts with the Nigerian government and private sector counterparts, donors and international agencies working in the thematic fields; Work with NIF technical program officer on budget spending and project activity updates and reporting. Cooperate with the national counterparts in the resource mobilization efforts and identify opportunities, based on the urgent relevant priorities and donors’ available resources; Support partnership building and cooperation with strategic players, including donors’ community, UN agencies, World Bank, IMF and relevant international and national agencies/institutions; Help organize and facilitate workshops and other capacity development, as necessary. Assist in organizing all logistics for training, meetings, workshops, events and other INGO Forum activities for the development team and taking minutes of these events Qualifications Experience working in the military or security agencies Relevant bachelor's or post-graduate degree, and an excellent academic track record in one of the following: Economics, Development Economics, Public Policy, International development. Required data analytical and interpretation skills and a demonstrated ability to use STATA. Competency in one or more of the following: Education, Finance, Governance, Public Health, and the sustainable development goals. Ideally experience of working with Federal and/or State government institutions; international organizations, public policy consultancies or large private sector organisations Interest in developing the skills required to manage projects and teams. Strong communication skills with excellent written and spoken English. A collegiate approach to teamwork, and a willingness to learn. Ability to multi-task and juggle multiple competing priorities and assignments. Willingness to work across a broad range of technical issues and office support functions as required. Personal Skills Required: Planning and delivering results Empowering and building trust Communicating with impact and respect Handling an insecure environment A good sense of humour is an asset All employees of the Norwegian Refugee Council should be able to adhere to our Code of Conduct and the four organizational values: Dedicated, innovative, inclusive and accountable. Ability to work independently in a fast-paced and often demanding environment. Exceptional interpersonal skills and experience in humanitarian settings. We Can Offer Commencement: March 2020 Duration: 10 months (One-year renewal) Salary/benefits: According to NRC’s general directions of grade level 5 step 1 Duty station: Abuja, with frequent travels. Travel outside Abuja is dependent on changing security conditions, especially for certain roads in the area. An approved health certificate will be requested before the contract start. Application Closing Date 13th March, 2020. How to Apply Interested and qualified candidates should use the link below https://2703252956.webcruiter.no/Main/Recruit/Public/4201551951?language=EN&link_source_id=0 Also send a copy of your CV to ogedirect@gmail.com and copy bloombridgeconsulting@gmail using the job Title as subject of the mail. Read the full article

[premimtimes]

In tears, 80-year-old Mama Abiri undressed. Before strangers, family, and friends alike, Mama clasped her frail breasts, and cried inconsolably, naked. With emotions only a mother could express, Mama cried in the native Ijaw language of the Niger Delta creeks. Mama was calling on Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, to feel her pain and hear her plea.

“Please, I am begging. Please, pity me. Anyone that is holding my son, please release him for me,” Mama cried. “I gave birth to him. I breastfed him. I know my son. He is not a militant. He is not a criminal. He is a journalist.”

For almost two years, Jones Abiri has not been seen nor heard from. Married with a wife and five children, Jones would have celebrated his 50th birthday on June 4 this year. Jones was a 300-Level student aspiring for his first degree in Law from the National Open University of Nigeria. All that is in the past.

Now, Mr Abiri remains in a state of forced disappearance as the State Security Service (SSS), Nigeria’s secret police, has detained him for over 700 days without trial, and without access to his family, lawyers, and doctors. Under international human rights law, a person is a victim of (en)forced disappearance if detained by state authorities or a third party with the authorisation of the state, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person’s whereabouts and condition in a bid to deny the victim the protection of the law.

The Arrest

On July 21, 2016, a dozen heavily-armed agents of the self-styled Department of State Services arrested Mr Abiri, the publisher of Weekly Source newspaper, outside his office at 288 Chief Melford Okilo Expressway, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. Eyewitnesses said the SSS agents, who came in three cars, did not read him his rights and did not produce a warrant before handcuffing him, raiding his office, and taking him into custody.

“Some men wearing black came to where we were and asked if he was Jones,” Garba Suleiman, a local provision store vendor who witnessed the arrest said in pidgin English.

“He said yes, and they grabbed him, handcuffed him, and took him. Nobody knew why.”

John Angese, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Bayelsa State, in an interview in March recalled how at gunpoint the SSS threatened everyone, including journalists, not to cross a parameter line. The SSS spent hours searching Mr Abiri’s office before carting away his computer and documents, sealing his office, and taking him handcuffed into custody.

“I was personally there when he was taken away. I tried to ask what was the problem but I was rebuffed with their guns. I was threatened to be shot if I went any closer. Everybody was scared,” Mr Angese recalled.

Two days after his arrest, the SSS on July 23, 2016 released a statement alleging Mr Abiri is a militant named General Akotebe Darikoro, operating under the nom-de-guerre, General Kill and Bury, the leader of the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force, “which has been furthering separatist tendencies in connivance with other criminal gangs in the Niger Delta region”.

Ziboimo Abiri Jones

Abiri’s wife

The SSS said the detainee “confessed and owned up” to vandalising and bombing oil pipelines belonging to international oil companies Agip and Shell in early July 2016, sending threat messages to management of both oil companies demanding a total of N750 million payment, threatening to launch missile attacks against the Presidential Villa and selected targets in Abuja, and masterminding the rumour in 2016 that the military was planning a coup against President Muhammadu Buhari.

Weekly Source, a local tabloid which operated by mostly sourcing and publishing critical stories of the government culled from online and national newspapers, had in its last edition dated July 10, 2016 published as its lead a story originally published by the online pointblanknews.com titled “Rumble In The Military: Inside The Coup Plot Story… Militants’ Warning Alters Plot.”

The story elaborated an alleged conspiracy that top military officers working with politicians had approached the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF) militant group to intensify bombing pipelines as a justification to overthrow President Buhari. The military denied the allegations.

Weekly Source in the same edition published another story sourced from pointblanknews.com on how President Buhari’s loyalists, including the Director-General of the SSS, were blocking investigations into an oil and gas company implicated by the anti-graft Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in siphoning billions of dollars in fraudulent oil deals. The story claimed that the company donated heavily towards President Buhari’s 2015 presidential campaign through the loyalists.

Jackson Ude, the publisher of pointblanknews.com based in the U.S., in an interview in 2016 said he had received threats, from proxies of the SSS, asking him to pull down stories from his website which local based journalists like Mr Abiri were re-publishing in their newspapers and tabloids. He said he had been warned of possible arrest whenever he came to Nigeria.

The ‘Confession’

In August 2016, Mr Abiri’s family filed a fundamental rights enforcement lawsuit against the SSS, asking the Bayelsa State High Court to declare his arrest and continued detention without trial unconstitutional, unlawful, illegal, null and void, and order the SSS to release him on bail, and direct the SSS to open Weekly Source newspaper’s office.

The SSS in response tendered as its only evidence in court a confessional statement allegedly written and signed by Mr Abiri on the same day of his arrest, admitting to “being the founder, co-ordinator and spokesperson” of the militant group and “directing his foot soldiers (still at large) to carry out bombings of oil pipelines” and blackmailing oil companies for money with threats of further bombings.

Mother o Abiri Jones

On September 7, 2016, a Bayelsa State high court judge, Nayai Aganaba, ordered the SSS to reopen Weekly Source newspaper’s office but ruled that the SSS arrest and continued detention of Mr Abiri, then almost two months, was lawful. The ruling effectively gave legal backing for the SSS to continue detaining him without charge for almost two years and without access to his family, lawyers and doctors.

“The offence of terrorism and related offences for which [Mr Abiri] was arrested and detained is a capital offence by virtue of Section 1 (2) under paragraph (h) of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013 and by virtue of Section 35 (7) of the 1999 Constitution, the arrest and detention of [Mr Abiri] by the [SSS] is therefore not unlawful,” Mr Aganaba ruled.

The SSS also swore on oath that the “seeming delay in charging [him] to court” was due to “ongoing efforts to arrest other members of the militant group” as well as results of “scientific analysis of evidence” still been awaited. The SSS promised “to ensure an expedited conclusion of investigation on the case and to charge [him] and his accomplices to court without undue delay”.

It is almost two years and Mr Abiri, a husband, father of five children, and breadwinner for his family including an 80-year-old mother and several siblings, has not been charged to court.

In the past two years, the SSS has rebuffed all efforts by Mr Abiri’s family, lawyers, journalists and civil society actors to get any information on him.

In June, during the International Press Institute World Congress held in Abuja, Garba Shehu, spokesperson to President Buhari, sold to the world that Mr Abiri is not a journalist but a militant who remains a “guest of [the SSS] because of his alleged criminal activities.” The Information minister, Lai Mohammed, also echoed a similar claim.

John Angese NUJ Chairman Bayelsa State

Nigerian authorities also declined to allow Mr Abiri’s wife and son who travelled from Bayelsa State to Abuja access to see him in SSS captivity.

In the past two years, the family relocated from Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, to the village in the Southern Ijaw local government creeks where they barely survive on petty farming and handouts. In the past two years, his children also dropped out and have not gone back to school due to the family’s inability to pay school fees.

In the past two years, his younger brother, Ebikesayi Abiri, died from fire burns he sustained in 2017 after he involved himself for the first time in illegal oil bunkering which his family said was in a bid to raise money to pay among other things legal costs and other bills associated with getting Mr Abiri released. Ebikesayi left behind a widow and two children, one of whom was born the same day he died.

Curiously, in the past two years, the SSS and Nigerian authorities have also kept hidden from the public and refused to act on vital information relating to members and financiers of the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force militant group, according to Mr Abiri’s alleged confessional statement dated July 21, 2016 in court records.

“The only person that has funded the group to the best of my knowledge is the former commissioner of Ijaw National Affairs, Dr Felix Tuodolo, who gave us the sum of N500, 000 through Sele Dise sometime between 1st and 15th June 2016,” Mr Abiri allegedly wrote in his confessional statement. “Sele told me that the commissioner called him on phone and gave him the money to support the group.”

Mr Tuodolo is at present the Special Adviser on Ijaw national affairs to Seriake Dickson, the governor of the oil-rich Bayelsa State. The former state commissioner is well known as a human rights activist and the founding president of the influential Ijaw Youth Council which was set up at the twilight of Nigerian military dictatorship to coordinate the Ijaw people’s struggle for self-determination and greater control of vast oil and gas resources in the Niger Delta region.

Mr Tuodolo was influential in stemming the tide of militancy in the 2000s by advocating for the government to grant amnesty to known militant warlords and their camps in a Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration programme in exchange for assurances of a stop to the destruction of oil installations. The militants who ostensibly repented and surrendered their arms were given huge government contracts, placed on regular stipend running into billions of naira yearly, and sponsored around the world for training in diverse skills acquisition and education programmes.

Mr Abiri in his alleged confessional statement mentioned Sele Dise, Ebi John, Justice Tare and Ebi-Ladei as other members of the JNDLF militant group. Independent findings during this investigation, including obtaining communication exchanges between Mr Abiri and an individual believed to be Sele Dise, revealed both had been friends prior to Mr Abiri’s arrest in July 2016.

“Sometime February this year 2016, Mr Sele Dise came to my office with the idea that let us form the organisation. I don’t know what they [other members] do for a living but I know Sele is a 200-Level student of Public Administration in Niger Delta University [Bayelsa State],” the statement read.

When contacted, Mr Tuodolo said he was only aware from media reports that Mr Abiri is a journalist but that he does not know him personally nor the details of his arrest. He said as a prominent Ijaw leader, he often renders financial assistance to his kinsmen who regularly solicit his help to pay school fees, house rent, and other financial support, but not to fund militant activities.

Mr Tuodolo expressed shock over Mr Abiri’s alleged confessional statement linking him as a financier of the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force militant group.

“I don’t even know Jones Abiri. This is the first time I am hearing about this that Jones Abiri made a statement involving my name. That sounds strange to me,” he said in a telephone call in June this year. “And if indeed he made such statement, why hasn’t the SSS come to question me about it? I have never been invited.”

Mr Tuodolo’s claim has not been independently verified as efforts to get the SSS to react to Mr Abiri’s case and other instances of human rights violations, including indefinite detentions, torture, and extra-judicial killings, have repeatedly been ignored over the years.

Since 2015, the agency has been operating without a physically identifiable spokesperson or official contact to interface and respond to information requests from the public and the media. Press statements distributed by the SSS cite as its spokesperson one Tony Opuiyo, a fictitious character whom no one has met, several journalists who cover the defence and security beat have said. The journalists complained that during parades of crime suspects, the SSS does not permit them to ask questions and many times hinder their reporting factually through intimidation and threat of arrests.

“The way the SSS operates now is we can’t ask for information and get it. There is no spokesperson, no one to make enquiries on behalf of the public who we are reporting for. No one to hold accountable. It is serious. Even in court, many of the cases, they disturb us from covering,” said one journalist during an informal chat during this investigation.

Ayebaitari Easterday, the chairman of newspaper publishers in the state, in March said Mr Abiri whom he had known for over 20 years as a law-abiding citizen was on medication for an undisclosed ailment at the time of his arrest. He said the liability of responsibility lies on the SSS to disprove rumours of his death.

“I don’t want to believe Jones is dead because you can only believe what you’ve seen and what you know is true,” said Mr Easterday. “The SSS should declare the condition of Jones Abiri, where he is right now, what is the state of his health, and why they have refused to prosecute him over the years. Something should be told to the public. We are curious. We want to know. And we have a right to know.”

Ex-SSS Detainee Narrates Experience

Comrade (name withheld), a Niger Delta Ijaw activist whose identity is being protected for his safety, said he met Mr Abiri in SSS custody while detained for nearly two years on allegations of being a militant. Comrade said that before his release in 2017, he was detained with over 50 Ijaw and Niger Delta youth, numerous Boko Haram suspects and members of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) secessionist group, who were all routinely tortured at the SSS Headquarters in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

“We were all together for over one year so we knew ourselves. I was in New Depot detention facility while Jones was in Old Depot. I remember one particular day Jones was shouting: “They wan go beat me again. They wan go beat me again.” It pained me so much I cried,” Comrade said.

Early 2016, the government declared an influential ex-Niger Delta militant commander, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly called Tompolo, wanted. The anti-graft agency, EFCC, froze his bank accounts, and began an unsuccessful manhunt for the former warlord after he refused to appear before a court to answer corruption charges over contracts obtained from the previous government of President Goodluck Jonathan.

His supporters alleged a ploy by the government to arrest and indefinitely detain the former warlord seen by many as a very influential folk hero in the Niger Delta. They cited with examples several ongoing cases where the SSS continues to refuse to obey Nigerian and international court orders granting the release on bail to several high-profile suspects in SSS custody.

Militant groups responded to the government’s clamp down with renewed bombings of oil installations. Security agencies, in an unsuccessful bid to flush him out, arrested scores of Niger Delta activists and youth perceived as sympathetic to the former militant leader.

Comrade said Mr Abiri told him he was set up by powerful people who capitalised on the government’s clampdown in the Niger Delta to punish him for publishing a story that exposed how their company, which was a local contractor to Agip [international oil company], failed to fulfil its corporate social responsibility to oil-producing host communities.

“His article led Agip to find out that their company was shortchanging the communities and this caused problems for them. They were angry and then petitioned the security agencies that Jones is the media handler to militant groups and that was how he was picked up,” Comrade said Mr Abiri told him.

SSS ‘Above The Law’

Comrade said suspects in SSS custody were habitually tortured. In tears, he narrated how the SSS at different times used beating, electrocution, and exposure of radiation to his testicles to force him to confess being a militant. Comrade quoted his case officer as once telling him “the DSS is above the laws of the land. DSS only listens to the instruction of Mr President. Anything short of that, including court orders, you are just wasting your time.”

Femi Falana, a foremost human rights lawyer, wrote an open letter to President Buhari in December 2017 asking him to end the illegal arrest and detention without legal justification of Nigerians and foreigners by security agencies, especially the SSS, which he described an embarrassment to the country by its continued violation of the Nigerian constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights Act, and the Nigerian Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

“From the information at our disposal, the DSS has detained several Nigerians and foreigners to settle personal scores,” Mr Falana said to President Buhari. “Others have been arrested and detained by the DSS on the suspicion that they have committed criminal offences, a matter that is within the purview of the Police and the anti-graft agencies. To compound the illegality of such arrest and detention, the orders made by competent courts of law directing the DSS to either release or produce detainees in court have been treated with contempt.”

In the past three years since President Buhari appointed Lawal Daura, his kinsman from Katsina State, as SSS director general, the agency’s mode of operations has been reminiscent of past Nigerian military dictatorships, which created the organisation and deployed it with impunity to intimidate, indefinitely detain without charge, and habitually torture individuals, including journalists, activists, and political figures, deemed critical of the military government.

Under Mr Buhari’s rule as military Head of State in the 80s, the SSS, then known as the National Security Organisation, became an agency of repression and a crack violator of human rights. Mr Buhari promulgated and implemented several laws, including Decree 2 which granted the SSS arbitrary powers to indefinitely detain any person without charges, and Decree 4 which provided imprisonment to any person who published any information deemed false or ridiculed his government.

Leading to the 2015 general elections, the SSS under former President Jonathan had become politically partisan, targeting journalists, activists and political opponents, including Mr Buhari and his political party. Mr Buhari while campaigning said he had become a reformed democrat and, if elected, promised to uphold the rule of law, respect fundamental rights, and ensure access to justice for all Nigerians.

Yet, in the past three years, the SSS has been heavily criticised for operating with utmost secrecy, crass impunity, and total disregard for the rule of law, including serially disobeying court orders and violating federal laws in lopsided recruitment to favour people from President Buhari’s part of Nigeria.

Mr Abiri’s ordeal as a persecuted journalist represents possibly hundreds of people detained and tortured across all the offices of the SSS in Nigeria’s 36 States and the federal capital Abuja. Mr Falana, in an interview in June 2018, said Nigeria’s terrorism law is being abused by the SSS to violate Mr Abiri’s and other citizens’ rights to personal liberty and fair hearing in a competent court within a reasonable time.

“Subject to obtaining a court order, section 27 of the Terrorism Act permits a detention for 90 days which, subject to review, can be renewed once for another period of 90 days. Afterwards you have to release the suspect. Either conditionally or unconditionally, you grant the suspect bail,” Mr Falana said.

A global advocacy effort from the media, Nigerian and international human rights defenders, civil society, and social impact groups calling for Mr Abiri’s release is mounting. The Ondewari Health, Education and Environmental Project, a civil society group working in the Niger Delta creeks, took the lead in March by gathering signatures from several Ijaw communities which was sent to local and international human rights organisations as an appeal calling on the international community to intervene on the detainee’s plight.

On a visit into Bayelsa State’s creeks, several youth and elders from different Ijaw communities refuted the government’s allegation that the detainee is a militant. In a show of solidarity with the Abiri family, community members gathered to sign OHEEP’s petition as a single voice echoing their growing frustration and anger with the government. Resonating loudest among the pleas directed at President Buhari were those of Mr Abiri’s children calling for the release of their father.

“My father is a journalist. All the allegations against my father that he is a militant are lies,” said 16-year-old Abadeifa Abiri Jones, with eyes red and swollen from flowing tears. “He did not do anything and he does not know anything. The government should release my father unconditionally.”

SPECIAL REPORT: How Buhari’s govt detained Nigerian journalist for two years without trial In tears, 80-year-old Mama Abiri undressed. Before strangers, family, and friends alike, Mama clasped her frail breasts, and cried inconsolably, naked.

[blueprintnewspapers-blog]

UniAbuja’s story of positive change By Usman Adams

New Post has been published on https://www.blueprint.ng/uniabujas-story-of-positive-change-by-usman-adams/

UniAbuja’s story of positive change By Usman Adams

  It is another historic day in the life of the University of Abuja as the institution holds its 22nd convocation ceremony, the highlight of which students who have passed the prescribed examinations in their various courses and who have also satisfied the university authorities that they found worthy both in learning and character will be awarded with various categories of degrees and certificates. Prior to June 30th 2014 when the present University Administration headed by Professor Michael Adikwu came on board, the university could be said to have been in a pariah state shunned by many prospective students and parents owing to the crises that had engulfed the institution. But three and half years later the University of Abuja can be said to be the toast of many prospective students across the nation and beyond. For instance, over 16, 000 prospective students applied to the institution for placement in the 2016/2017 academic year, a marked improvement on the paltry 3,700 that applied two years earlier. Nearly 30,000 applicants chose the University as their preferred institution indicating the growing confidence among the generality of the public in the current session. Just like the British believed that the battle of Bosworth of 1485 was the turning point in the history of their nation, it could be said with all modesty that the appointment of Professor Michael Adikwu a man of high intellectual wattages and a scholar of international repute could be said to be the finest moment and the turning point of the university of Abuja. The 22nd convocation ceremony of the university which is taking place on Saturday, February 24, marks three successive years in which the institution has successfully gone through a fit that has not been equaled even by older similar institutions. A convocation is the most notable event in the university calendar because it gives the university the opportunity to tell the story of its success and some challenges to the outside world and although the case of the University of Abuja may not be different Many keen observers of events that have taken place in the university in the last three years points to the fact that the institution is on the right cause to achieving its mission and vision in the act that set it up when it opened its doors to students at its mini campus in Gwagwalada in 1988. In its 21st convocation last year, the total number of students which were conferred with various categories of degrees and certificates was over 13,000 but this year’s number may rise because of the remarkably increased number of facilities and the accreditation of more courses even though accreditation of some courses remains problematic. The last three years of the university has been the story of peace, tranquility, infrastructural development and academic continuity without disruption whatsoever and credit must be given to the university authority that brought about the synergy between all the contending officials, the academic, administrative, the non- academic staff, the four principal officers, the university governing council, the senate and the student union government. The chancellor of the university, His Royal Highness, Alhaji (Dr.) Shehu Idris (CFR), noticed these positive development when he said in his welcome address at last year convocation that despite his recent past which tended to portray it as unstable is now on course to take its rightful place among great institution and that we are gathered here today one year after a similar event to witness another convocation to the fact that the university of Abuja is now enjoying an atmosphere of peace and harmony which has ensured the uninterrupted conduct of academic activities. Although the vice-chancellor is expected to give more insight of positive development that have taken place since the last convocation, a few examples can be sighted here these include the resolution of the problem of medical students of the university which has stalled for over a decade with the first set of students who have now successfully graduated and contributing to the provision of head services to their father land. The problem of students accommodation is being tackled with vigour with the building of both the boys and the girls hostels which can accommodate about 3,000 students while efforts are being made for public/private partnership to provide more hostels for the students. Lecture halls are continually being built in the permanent site to accommodate larger number of students while befitting offices are continually being built for academic staff. The issue of staff salaries which has been an endemic problem in the past has been partially resolved with the hope that the federal government will take over the payment of staff salaries through integrated payroll and personal information (IPPIS) thus, removing the burden from the university authorities. The building of the permanent site of Abuja which was chosen as a plot of naked land and designed as a Centre of learning poses a great challenge of a infrastructural development but with the help of the federal government and agencies like TETFUND and with the prudent management of scarce resources, the authorities of the University of Abuja under the able leadership of Prof. Adikwu are doing their best realizing, as the Chinese say a journey of a thousand mile starts with a step and in this case several possible steps have been taken. On the part of the students both the chancellor and the vice-chancellor are likely to stress the importance of discipline in their addresses at the convocation and the fact that the graduating students should be good ambassadors of their institution, graduates should note that the acquisition of certificates are not ends in itself but a means to an end. And that is why the issue of character and learning, the twin words, is always stressed at every convocation. This is an institution which does not suffer the deficit of a catchment area syndrome. This is an institution where the students on getting into it knows when to get out of it if he works hard, this is an institution where the academic staff are ever ready to assist the student solve their academic problems, this is an institution where the possibility of going on strike as a result of none payment of staff salaries is remote. As the university convokes this Saturday, all men of goodwill and friends wish the convoking students and all university officials a successful outing.

Adams writes from Abuja

[gbenro]

Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Interns #Vacancy

The Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project is currently looking for graduates with interest in taking up internship opportunities on the project in the following areas;  Nutrition     and WASH Agric     Program Program     Management Grants North     East Program Management Sustainability     About CRS: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an International non-governmental organization supporting relief and development work in over 99 countries around the world. CRS programs assist persons based on need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality. CRS works through local church and non-church partners to implement its programs, therefore, strengthening and building the capacity of these partner organizations is fundamental to programs in every country in which CRS operates. CRS re-established presence in Nigeria in 2000 and currently focuses on agriculture, health and emergency programming. Job Title: Grants Intern (2 Positions) Location: Sokoto and Abuja Project: Programs / Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project JD Link: http://bit.ly/2i1RROc Ref Code: GI101117 Reports to : Grants Officer Job Summary: The candidate will efficiently provide support in information, clerical, and accounting services to assist the Grants team in executing processes and delivering service needs that support high-quality programs serving the poor and vulnerable. As part of an experienced finance team, the candidate will deliver quality support in the role, applying clearly defined accounting and financial reporting processes, procedures and service standards. Position requirements Education and Experience • HND / BSc in Accounting, Finance or Economics • Minimum of one year experience with an audit firm is an added advantage. • Professional qualifications in Accounting, Finance, Economics, or Business Administration a plus. • Experience using MS Office packages, Excel and Word. Hands-on experience with data entry into online databases and forms. Personal Skills • Excellent organizational skills with great attention to detail • Ethical conduct in accordance with recognized professional and organizational codes of ethics • Proactive, resourceful, solutions oriented and results-oriented. Able to meet deadlines. • Strong customer service ethics and abilities. Ability to work collaboratively. Job Title: Nutrition and WASH Intern Location: Abuja Project: Programs / Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project JD Link: http://bit.ly/2g7QkFO Ref Code: NWI101117 Reports to: Team Lead Nutrition and WASH Job Summary To support the technical lead in the delivery of several distinct projects which require an enthusiastic, highly motivated individual who can work as part of a team. The Nutrition and WASH Intern will be required to work within a multi-sectoral setting including Nutrition, Livelihoods, agriculture, gender integration, education and government and Local Partners. The post holder will need to deliver effective, highly competent project support and consistently deliver in a person-centered environment which promotes positive relationships. Position requirements. • MSc or equivalent work experience in the field of nutrition, public health, WASH, or development • Experience in Contemporary human development interventions • Experience working with Local or international NGO a plus • Interest in development issues • Willingness and capacity to learn • Strong computer skills required, especially the ability to work comfortably in the MS office package • Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work successfully in team environment • Demonstrated ability to assess priorities and handle multiple tasks simultaneously to meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality; • Strong organizational skills and communication skills • Ability to work and manage various projects in a team setting, with limited supervision • Fluency in English and Hausa • Ability to work well with people at all levels. • Strong initiative and self-motivation required, with a commitment to teamwork and effectiveness within a dynamic integrated project. • Passion to reach the most vulnerable groups • Ability and willingness to travel to Project’s zones of influence in the North West and North East Job Title: Program Management Intern Location: Abuja JD Link: http://bit.ly/2yjMccc Ref Code: PMI101117 Reports to: Deputy Chief of Party Position Requirement: • MSc or first degree plus equivalent work experience in the field of program management, food security, sociology or development • Experience in Contemporary human development interventions • Experience working with local or international NGO a plus • Interest in development issues • Willingness and capacity to learn • Strong computer skills required, especially the ability to work comfortably in the MS office package • Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work successfully in team environment • Demonstrated ability to assess priorities and handle multiple tasks simultaneously to meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality; • Strong organizational skills and communication skills • Ability to work and manage various projects in a team setting, with limited supervision • Fluency in English and Hausa • Ability to work well with people at all levels. • Strong initiative and self-motivation required, with a commitment to teamwork and effectiveness within a dynamic integrated project. • Passion to reach the most vulnerable groups • Ability and willingness to travel to Project’s zones of influence in the North West and North East Job Title: Agric Program Intern Location: Abuja Project: Programs / Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project JD Link: http://bit.ly/2guaSp5 Ref Code: AGPI101117 Reports to: Team Lead Agriculture & Livelihoods Job Summary: The internship program is designed to provide real world experience to young professionals looking to explore or gain the relevant knowledge and skills required to enter the development career field. Besides gaining valuable experience, interns are exposed to the business environment and gain valuable references and network contacts. The Program Intern’s primary responsibilities are assisting the Agric team lead in various administrative work of program support and monitoring of agricultural activity in (NEE & NW) in compliance to work plan and partners. This internship will last from November 2017 to June 2018 Position Requirements: • Must have a minimum of first degree or equivalent • Demonstrate excellent written and oral Communication skills • Must demonstrate a good willingness and openness to learning • Respect the importance of confidentiality, as a corporate policy • personal details • Excellent knowledge of computer software – MS Office and Excel especially • Results-oriented and ability to work with minimum supervision • Excellent communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills • MUST speak Hausa fluently, • Must have good knowledge and familiarity with the North West and North East environment and terrain Job Title: North East Emergency Program Intern Location: Yola Project: Programs / Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project JD Link: http://bit.ly/2yg8nQj Ref Code: NEPI101117 Reports to: Admin and Finance Officer and Program Director North-East Job Summary: The internship program is designed to provide real world experience to young professionals looking to explore or gain the relevant knowledge and skills required to enter the development career field. Besides gaining valuable experience, interns are exposed to the business environment and gain valuable references and network contacts. This internship will last from November 2017 to June 2018 Position Requirement: • Must have a minimum of first degree or equivalent • Demonstrate excellent written and oral Communication skills • Must demonstrate a good willingness and openness to learning • Respect the importance of confidentiality, as a corporate policy • personal details • Excellent knowledge of computer software – MS Office and Excel especially • Results-oriented and ability to work with minimum supervision • Excellent communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills • MUST speak Hausa fluently, and at least one of the dominant languages of the North East • Must have good knowledge and familiarity with the North East environment and terrain Job Title: Program Intern- Sustainability Location: Sokoto / Kebbi Project: Programs / Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project JD Link: http://bit.ly/2xyf2Sy Ref Code: NWPI111017 Reports to: Senior Program Manager Position Requirements: • The person should possess at least a first university degree/HND/NCE with at least 2 years post NYSC experience of work with civil society organizations. Knowledge of government systems and its operations is an added advantage. • The person should be an indigene of Sokoto or Kebbi states and familiar with the project terrain [Project LGAs] • The person should possess high level of inter-personal and protocol skills for engagement with high level state/Local government officials and community leaders. • The person should be able to speak the local and English languages fluently. Agency Wide Competences (For all CRS Staff): These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results. • Serves with Integrity • Models Stewardship • Cultivates Constructive Relationships • Promotes Learning How to Apply: Interested candidates should download the application form using this link http://goo.gl/8OOQcp and send with a detailed 3-page resume in a single file word document to ng_recruitment_agriculture@crs.org Candidates should indicate in the subject of their application mail, the title of the position and the reference code (GI101117). Applications for this position must be submitted on or before October 24, 2017. Applications received later than the deadline will be disqualified. Equal Opportunity: “CRS is an equal –opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, etc. Qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply”. Statement of Commitment to Protection: ‘’CRS’ recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

[upshotre]

Mixed reactions as Buhari vows to rebuild Nigeria, renames stadium after MKO

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday honoured the winner of the June 12 1993 presidential election, the late Chief MKO Abiola, by renaming the Abuja National Stadium after him. The President said this in a speech he read at the first National Democracy Day celebration in Abuja, stating that he approved June 12 as the nation’s Democracy Day as part of the healing and reconciliation efforts for the annulment of the presidential election. He also said with purposeful leadership, the Federal Government could move 10 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years. But the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate in the 2019 election, Atiku Abubakar, said it was sad that the country was celebrating Democracy Day under Buhari, whose policies they claimed negated the June 12 spirit and ideals of the late Abiola. They said the Buhari administration had desecrated all the nation’s democratic values and despoiled the electoral processes just to have itself in office But in Abuja on Wednesday, Buhari honoured Abiola at the event witnessed by some of the children of the late politician, including Kola and Hafsat. Also at the event were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, service chiefs, President of Rwanda, Gambia, DR Congo, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Namibia and Senegal. Among other dignitaries that also witnessed the event were representatives of the governments of Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Iran, Benin Republic, Ireland, Egypt, India and Niger. The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi and Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi were some of the invited monarchs for the ceremony. Apart from honouring Abiola, the President also addressed diverse national issues and unfolded his government’s agenda on insecurity, economy and social security initiatives in the next four years. Buhari said, “As we all know, correcting injustice is a pre-requisite for peace and unity. As part of the process of healing and reconciliation, I approved the recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day and conferred on the late Chief MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe national honours, as I did with the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. “The purpose was to partially atone for the previous damage done in annulling the Presidential election of that year. Today, I propose the renaming of the Abuja National Stadium. Henceforth it will be called Moshood Abiola National Stadium.” Buhari noted that terrorism and insecurity had become worldwide phenomena, noting that even the best policed countries were experiencing increasing incidents of unrest. He however said the security challenges facing the country were being met with superior strategy, firepower and resolve. According to him, most of the instances of inter-communal and inter-religious strife and violence were sponsored or incited by ethnic, political or religious leaders, who he claimed, hoped to benefit by exploiting divisions and fault lines, thereby weakening the country. The President said, “When I took the oath of office on May 29, 2015, insecurity reigned. Apart from occupying 18 local governments in the North-East, Boko Haram could at will attack any city including the Federal Capital Territory, could threaten any institution including bombing the United Nations building and the Police headquarters in Abuja. “Admittedly, some of the challenges still remain in kidnappings and banditry in some rural areas. The great difference between 2015 and today is that we are meeting these challenges with much greater support to the security forces in terms of money, equipment and improved local intelligence. We are meeting these challenges with superior strategy, firepower and resolve.” Buhari said as the chairman of ECOWAS, he would host a regional security summit of heads of states in the Sahel to develop a joint strategy to address security challenges in the region. The President added that Nigeria had all ingredients to become a world leader. “We have water, arable land, forests, oil and gas and vast quantities of solid minerals. We are blessed with an equable climate. However, the bulk of our real wealth lies in agriculture, livestock, forestry and mining. We possess all the ingredients of a major economic power on the world stage. “What we require is the will to get our acts together. And our strength is in our people – our youth, our culture, our resilience, our ability to succeed despite the odds,” he added. On the fight against corruption, Buhari said a lot of progress had been made, stressing however that corruption had found a way of fighting back. He said, “At the heart of inequality and insecurity, is pervasive corruption. When we took office we realised that if you fight corruption, corruption will fight back – and we have seen this at all levels. For Nigeria to progress, a collective resolution to address corruption and foster broad-based prosperity is required to create a country that is not only for a few privileged, but for all Nigerians.” He said the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index, which he claimed was the gauge of manufacturing activity in the country, had also risen for 26 consecutive months since March 2017. This, he said, indicated continuous growth and expansion in the manufacturing sector. Buhari however bemoaned the poor condition of roads leading to the nation’s seaports, which he said, had affected productivity. He said, “It still takes too long for goods to clear at our seaports and the roads leading to them are congested. It still takes too long for routine and regulatory approvals to be secured. These issues affect our productivity and we are committed to addressing them permanently.” According to the President, the new mandate that Nigerians gave him through the last election had revived the will to rebuild and reposition Nigeria through collaboration with states, council areas, legislators and diplomatic corps. He also noted that Nigeria would improve on initiatives to reduce reliance on imported products and grow local production. Buhari said, “For small-scale enterprises in towns and cities, we shall expand facilities currently available so that we continue to encourage and support domestic production of basic goods and reduce our reliance on imported goods. “For the next four years, we will remain committed to improving the lives of people by consolidating efforts to address these key issues as well as emerging challenges of climate change, resettling displaced communities and dealing decisively with the new flashes of insecurity across the country, and the impacts on food scarcity and regional stability.” Buhari said over the next four years, his government would assemble a strong team to implement its transformative plans in education, health, power, road construction and other sectors. He said, “We will see significant focus, resource and where necessary reform, in tertiary and technical education to reposition Nigeria’s workforce for the modern technological age. We will accelerate investments in primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare programmes.” Read the full article

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THE PLATFORM 2017 – A NATION ON THE EDGE: WHICH WAY NIGERIA? – SEGUN ADENIYI (FULL TEXT) October 2, 2017.

I watched a Veteran Journalist and an Editor, Mr Oluwasegun Adeniyi, on Channelstv while he was delivering a paper on the "The Platform" today 02/10/2017. I was greatly moved by the speech titled "A nation on the edge; which way Nigeria? I was tempted to look for the text and copied for the benefits of others. Please enjoy with me. THE PLATFORM 2017 – A NATION ON THE EDGE: WHICH WAY NIGERIA? – SEGUN ADENIYI (FULL TEXT) October 2, 2017. Let me begin by sharing this story of a teacher who got lost in a rural area, and please don't ask me in which country because I don't know. While still wandering, the teacher saw a farm and went there, hoping he would find someone from whom he could seek direction. Fortunately, he found a farmer but as they were exchanging pleasantries, he noticed a cow with a wooden leg and he became curious. "How did that cow get a wooden leg?" the teacher asked the farmer. "Well", replied the farmer, "that is a very special cow. One night not too long ago we had a fire in the barn. That cow set up a great lowing that woke everyone, and by the time we got there it had herded out of the barn not only the other cows but indeed all the animals in the farm and saved every one of them." "And that was when the cow hurt its leg?" asked the amazed teacher. "Oh no" responded the farmer. "The cow was fine after that even though a few days later, I was in the woods when a bear attacked me. As it would happen, that cow was nearby and it came running to chase off the bear. That is one experience I will never forget because that cow saved my life for sure." "So the bear injured the leg of the cow?" asked the teacher. "Oh no", came the prompt reply from the farmer. "The cow came away from that encounter without a scratch. Unfortunately, a week after that incident, my son was working on the farm when the tractor turned over into a ditch with a large pool of water and he was knocked unconscious. Well, that cow dove into the ditch and pulled my son out before he could drown." Nodding his head, the teacher said: "Now I get it. That was how the cow hurt its leg while rescuing your son…" "Oh, no," the farmer interjected. By this time the teacher had become very impatient: "So how exactly did the cow get the wooden leg?" he asked. "Well", looking in the direction of the cow, the farmer shook his head and muttered, "You should put yourself in my position. A cow like that, you don't want to eat it all at once." Pastor Poju, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, if we will be honest, that unfortunate cow has so much in common with Nigeria, which has over the years become a victim of serial abuse, including by those to whom she has given so much. As I reflected on that story in the past few days, I came to the conclusion that just like that cow, Nigeria is no more than a meal ticket to many of her elites. What is even more unfortunate is that the people who speak ill of her the most, especially in a season like this, are those who have benefited immensely from the opportunities presented to them by this supposedly useless country. Some of these people were, at various times, governors, ministers, lawmakers, special advisers etc. Many were also in the private sector where they made so much money under a system that demanded little or no accountability of them. Also in this category are some of our compatriots who now live abroad, including with their immediate families, thanks to the fortunes they or their parents made in this same country. Let me make a confession here: I owe a lot to Nigeria. That someone like me, given my background, could attend a university like Ife as at the time I did was because the state made education at that level to be tuition free. And whether they admit it or not, there are hundreds of thousands like me who are where they are today on account of Nigeria: the education they got, the wealth they have accumulated and the influence they still peddle. Unfortunately, it is from this same collection that you find those who continually trouble our country. On 6th June this year, some old men under the aegis of Coalition of Arewa Youths gave all the Igbo people living in the North till yesterday, 1st October to vacate the region. Even though the quit notice was eventually withdrawn, the damage that ultimatum did to our national psyche would take many years to heal. But then, the action of this group was also a response to the uncontrolled verbal aggression by Mr Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the so-called Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Egged on by the mob, comprising mostly okada riders with online support from several of his kinsmen in the Diaspora, Kanu was allowed to take hate speech to an unprecedented level, even by the standards of our country. Even when he was presented a golden opportunity to champion the genuine grievances of his people with civility, following an ill-advised treason trial that catapulted him into national limelight and prominence, Kanu could not rise beyond the mediocrity of the adulation of some street urchins. He felt that by making incendiary statements to offend, insult, intimidate and threaten people from other ethnic groups, he was helping whatever his cause was. At the end, he made a strategic miscalculation. However, while I do not know why Kanu believes spreading hate and violence would help his cause, the Arewa youth counter-response was also very much unfortunate because the inference was that because Kanu is Igbo, all Igbo people must suffer the consequences of his action. But one must thank the governor of Borno State and Chair of the Northern Governors Forum, Alhaji Kashim Shettima as well as Governor Nasir elRufai of Kaduna State for their prompt interventions. Unfortunately, the message that was lost on the authorities in Abuja is that you cannot build an inclusive society when you react to national security threats in a manner that suggests some people are above the law; although many people across the country also felt let down that some otherwise respected senior citizens from the South-east who ought to have called Kanu to order were practically genuflecting before someone young enough to be their grandson! Meanwhile, what many of our young people, as well as the politicians in their sixties and seventies who do not want to grow up, forget or are ignorant about, is that north or south, we need one another. That then explains why all the current agitations and perturbations are a distraction from the real issue which is that Nigeria is not working for majority of its citizens. And we see the evidence everywhere. For sure, the state of affairs in our country today is enough to make people really angry. But if such anger is not properly channeled, it can be dangerous. For instance, I am angry about how clumsy and inefficient public institutions have become in Nigeria. I am angry about the way public officials, at all levels, betray a lack of creativity even in dealing with simple matters. I am angry when a teenager tells me that their school bribed invigilators to look away so that their teachers could tell them the answers while sitting for a crucial national examination. I am angry by the latest statistics from the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) that in our country about 90,000 children are expected to die of hunger over the next 12 months. I am angry about the foregoing and much more because I believe we can do better as a nation. But I cannot because of such anger lash at the next person or another group of Nigerians who do not speak the same language or worship the same God with me. Therefore, my charge this morning to our young men and women is: If you must be angry as Nigerians, direct it not to the tribe, ethnicity, religion, race, gender or even the sexual orientation of fellow citizens. Direct it at the greed and the perversion that make some people deny others their decent and fair opportunities in life. Direct it at the ignorance and bigotry of a vast majority who submit themselves as ready tools for those who conspire to hold our nation down. And let us begin to figure out a way to defeat these people and problems. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the challenge of the moment is to create an environment with less suspicion and more equitable distribution of power and resources among the critical stakeholders in our country. This country is full of promise and presents enormous opportunities. Even while it is true that the system is creaking beneath all of us and we must fix it, those who couch the narratives in ethnic or religious arguments miss the point and they are actually the problem. This is not a North-South debate neither is about dismemberment for many of us. What we are saying is that the current situation where money is sent from Abuja to Badagry or Birnin-Kebbi is antithetical to good governance. Nothing can be more revealing of how wasteful our federal structure has become than a recent revelation by the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole who said: "I was in Zamfara State. At the Federal Medical Centre in Zamfara, there are about 120 doctors but the state has 23 (doctors) as at the last count to manage 24 hospitals. And, yet, the federal hospital has about 120." The pertinent question is: How did the federal government engage such a large number of medical personnel who are practically idle and for just one medical centre? The answer is simple: It is largely because of its heavy wallet. Yet, you find this sort of waste replicated in several sectors. Therefore, we must find a way to make government more efficient and effective. How to make this happen is where the disagreement lies. But we are gradually coming to a consensus that it is the dysfunction at the centre that is creating the current bad blood, frustration, anger, suspicion and unhealthy competition among the various groups in the country. Anybody who has read the report of the Presidential Committee on the Restructuring and Rationalisation of the Federal Government Paratastals, Commissions and Agencies cannot but understand the waste we call government in Nigeria. Chaired by former Head of Service, Mr Steve Oronsaye, the committee was established in August 2011 by the former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan with the report submitted to him in April 2012, although he ended up doing nothing with the recommendations. It is instructive that the committee identified 541 federal government agencies, 50 of which have no enabling laws! There are also 55 agencies that are not under the supervision of any ministry and many of them, according to the Oronsaye committee, "receive more budgetary allocations for personnel than they require because that component of their budget is usually inflated". These agencies include National Agency for Population Programmes and Development; Population Activities Fund; Population Fund Activities Agency and Population Research Fund. Yes, those are federal agencies in Nigeria! I need to state here that bad governance is not peculiar to the federal government because the situation is actually worse in the states and as for local governments, let us not even go there given what governors have done to that tier of government. As things stand in Nigeria today, accountability diminishes as you move from the centre to the other units: states and local governments. For instance, no president in Nigeria can get away with half of what governors do, almost as of right, in their states where there are neither checks nor balances. The speakers of the state houses of assembly are more or less errand boys of the governors and they serve and are removed at their pleasure. The logical result is that the promise of good governance embedded in the theory of decentralization that many Nigerians now clamour for, will still be delivered in the breach if there is no change in the behavior of the political actors. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am well aware that we do not have a perfect country but regardless of how our collective resources have been badly managed over the years, there is great gain for us to be positive in the way we relate to the country we all call our own. The pertinent question at this point is: What exactly do we mean by Nigeria? In our context, the answer may be quite complex but one thing is certain, it should not be about geography or tongues or faith. For me, Nigeria is not the violent man who would demonise and threaten fellow citizens just because they speak a language different from his. Nigeria is not the angry man in a video who would ask his fellow men to go and poison the waters in a section of the country oblivious to the Yoruba saying that when you throw a stone in the market place, you cannot determine who would be hit by it. Nigeria is not the Baba the boys who would issue a dangerous quit-order on innocent citizens in their area of domicile. Nigeria is not the public official who would steal the money meant for some of the most vulnerable of our citizens, knowing he has the back of those who should hold him to account. Nigeria is not the politician who spends his productive hours every day spewing hate and bigotry on social media platforms just because he has a personal score to settle with the president. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, if I am sounding like a motivational speaker this morning, I think you should blame my pastor, Evaristus Azodoh. A retired colonel of the Nigerian army and a medical practitioner, Azodoh is always leading us to pray for Nigeria and never to speak ill of her. It is strange because I know a little bit about his family background which suggests he has every reason to be bitter about Nigeria. But he is not. From 6.30am yesterday, Pastor Azodoh led us through a 90-minuite prayer session for Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari. Building a nation, especially from our kind of diversity, according to Pastor Azodoh, is a process that may not necessarily produce quick results but with a leadership that deploys fairness in the distribution of opportunities and citizens who see the value of shared aspirations in an atmosphere devoid of acrimony, it is not beyond us. And in the course of the prayer session, Pastor Azodoh stopped and asked that we all sing the national anthem. He likened Nigeria to a big family where there would be quarrels, squabbles, even injustice; but he also added that, whatever the challenges, we must always remember that families stay together. To buttress his point, Pastor Azodoh told the story of what happened in 1981 when, as a medical student, he participated in the West African Universities Games hosted by Cote D'Ivoire in Yamoussoukro. In the course of the competition, according to Pastor Azodoh, a Nigerian student was molested and the contingents from our country said the competition would not continue unless the then President of Cote D'Ivoire, the late Félix Houphouët-Boigny, personally came down to apologise to them. "Ministers from the government of Cote D'Ivoire came to plead with us but we insisted only an apology from their president would do", said Pastor Azodoh, "I felt very proud to be a Nigerian." Eventually, it took the intervention of the Nigerian ambassador to Cote D'Ivoire for the contingents from our country to stop the demonstration that had held up the competition for two days. Now, what those students demonstrated was not only our power as a nation but also the power of our unity. They were fighting over an injustice done to a single Nigerian. We need such solidarity today. And despite our challenges, we are already seeing glimpses in that direction. For me, Nigeria is that young man in Samson Itodo who is working day and night to create a pathway for change, by ensuring that a country where the demographics tilt heavily in favour of young people cannot continue with a policy founded on the erroneous notion that the Wisdom of Solomon had anything to do with age of Methuselah. Nigeria is that young lady in Lagos, Temie Giwa-Tubosun, who took it upon herself to ensure that those who need blood donation across the country are well served and on time with her LifeBank organisation. Through her effort, the lives of hundreds of our citizens are being saved. Nigeria is my beautiful sister, Ibidunni Ighodalo who, despite her own disappointments, decides to put smiles on the faces of other aspiring mothers by deploying her personal resources to pay for their In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment. Nigeria is Kechi Okwuchi, who proudly draped herself in the green white green flag to mark the 57th independence of our country in the United States where she is making many of us proud. This is a young lady who could be said to have been let down by Nigeria at a most difficult period in her life, even when lucky to be alive, unlike her friends and classmates caught in the same plane crash. But she is still proud of being a Nigerian. Nigeria is Aisha Waziri Umar who is planting libraries in those parts of the north-east devastated by Boko Haram. It is her way of fighting back against the misguided zealots who see education as a sacrilege to be destroyed along with the future of millions of innocent children. Nigeria is Oronto Douglas who, diagnosed with Cancer in 2008, invested the last seven years of his life setting up and nurturing a school for orphaned children in his native Okoroba in Bayelsa State. The examples are just too many of change agents who are taking up spaces to make a difference in our world. But the message is simple: Our drive and commitment to making Nigeria great should be anchored on the fact that we also have a role to play and numbers don't matter. What matters is the resolve that we will be part of that positive change. Let me illustrate that point as I try to conclude my intervention this morning with the Biblical account of the 12 spies as recorded in the Book of Numbers Chapter 13. The people of Israel had been set free from their captivity and servitude in Egypt. They wandered through the wilderness during which a number of them died. On reaching Mt Sinai, they were given the laws to govern their affairs and the templates they needed for worship. With national census concluded, they inched towards the border of Canaan, ready to enter the land that had been promised their fathers. Suggestions however came from the leadership that a search party be sent to look at the inhabitants and how good the land really was. 12 gentlemen were selected, one from every tribe, and they were sent as spies. For 40 days, they explored the length and breadth of the land and returned with sufficient proof. About the goodness of the land, there was no deviation in all the reports. However, while ten of the 12 spies concurred that the land was indeed good, they added a misleading bit: "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than us…it is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature…We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." One can argue that the ten spies possessed critical spirit and there is nothing wrong with positive criticism. But they went further not only to dampen the morale of the people but also to incite them against the leadership. Having lost their self-worth, like many Nigerians have done today, the ten spies likened themselves to grasshoppers and added that they were seen as grasshoppers, even by the Canaanites. How could they have known that? We have many of such people in Nigeria today. The negative men and women who tell you that nothing can change; that our country is doomed. Meanwhile, Caleb and Joshua saw possibilities and with that, they also gave hope to the people that victory was attainable. Unfortunately, their report could not convince the people and their voices were drowned. As a consequence, Israel wandered additional 38 years in the wilderness with an entire generation wiped out completely. What the foregoing means is that we should not continue to listen to the naysayers in our midst who do not mean well for our country. Whatever may be the differences in opinions, there is more that unites us as Nigerians than there is to divide. While some of the current agitations are not bad in themselves since they reflect the broad diversities of our country and the different experiences that must be on the table to make us great, we must also recognize that it takes so little to set a house on fire. Any fool can do that. Meanwhile, it takes efforts, perseverance and sacrifice to build. That does not come easy. Admittedly, ours is a fragile polity but the social and economic bonds that unite us are strong and hard to dissolve. Yet the task of conscious nation building has hardly been done. The rights of citizenship are still shackled by boundaries of state of origin and ethnicity. The excessive hangovers of prolonged military rule are still with us in the form of impulsive arbitrariness. Our government still finds it easy to call in military force to quell elementary civil unrest. We are yet to teach our citizens from infancy the values of group living and how to compete as individuals without resorting to primordial hate when we cannot prevail. However, despite all these, the real challenge is that of creating enough wealth to cater for the need of our huge population. If we remain a poor country with an external reserve that is less than the cash holding of Facebook alone, our competitions might get more bloody and our future more speculative and tentative. Our task therefore is to make Nigeria a land of equal opportunity for all, a nation whose unity is not decreed as non-negotiable but is guaranteed by the practical incentives it offers for all to want to stay in and perfect the union. As I stated earlier, the enemy is not the other who speaks a different language or worships a different God. The enemy, unfortunately, is that person with predatory behavior who has benefitted the most from our country, but who like the farmer in the story with which I started this intervention, only rewards Nigeria's love with eating her up in bits, to the detriment of the majority of our people. This tiny group, which is present in every region and religion, has maintained its hold by setting the majority against themselves. We need to rescue our country from their destructive grip. Therefore, recognising that we may not always agree on the details of how to perfect our union, it becomes problematic the moment any argument is framed in a way that makes the incumbent think it is an attempt to distract him from governance or to get power through the back-door. But history also shows that leaders who improve their society are not those who divide along the voting pattern in the elections that brought them to power but those who can bring diverse citizens together to work for the common good. Pastor Poju, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as I take my seat, on a day such as this, my charge to all Nigerians is simple: We should see ourselves as allies in a struggle for a better country that is bigger than any, and yet needs all of us working together. Thank you very much for listening and good morning. • Text of my presentation at Platform Nigeria in Lagos on 2 October, 2017 By Segun Adeniyi. Patrick Idode #19304I watched a Veteran Journalist and an Editor, Mr Oluwasegun Adeniyi, on Channelstv while he was delivering a paper on the "The Platform" today 02/10/2017. I was greatly moved by the speech titled "A nation on the edge; which way Nigeria? I was tempted to look for the text and copied for the benefits of others. Please enjoy with me. THE PLATFORM 2017 – A NATION ON THE EDGE: WHICH WAY NIGERIA? – SEGUN ADENIYI (FULL TEXT) October 2, 2017. Let me begin by sharing this story of a teacher who got lost in a rural area, and please don't ask me in which country because I don't know. While still wandering, the teacher saw a farm and went there, hoping he would find someone from whom he could seek direction. Fortunately, he found a farmer but as they were exchanging pleasantries, he noticed a cow with a wooden leg and he became curious. "How did that cow get a wooden leg?" the teacher asked the farmer. "Well", replied the farmer, "that is a very special cow. One night not too long ago we had a fire in the barn. That cow set up a great lowing that woke everyone, and by the time we got there it had herded out of the barn not only the other cows but indeed all the animals in the farm and saved every one of them." "And that was when the cow hurt its leg?" asked the amazed teacher. "Oh no" responded the farmer. "The cow was fine after that even though a few days later, I was in the woods when a bear attacked me. As it would happen, that cow was nearby and it came running to chase off the bear. That is one experience I will never forget because that cow saved my life for sure." "So the bear injured the leg of the cow?" asked the teacher. "Oh no", came the prompt reply from the farmer. "The cow came away from that encounter without a scratch. Unfortunately, a week after that incident, my son was working on the farm when the tractor turned over into a ditch with a large pool of water and he was knocked unconscious. Well, that cow dove into the ditch and pulled my son out before he could drown." Nodding his head, the teacher said: "Now I get it. That was how the cow hurt its leg while rescuing your son…" "Oh, no," the farmer interjected. By this time the teacher had become very impatient: "So how exactly did the cow get the wooden leg?" he asked. "Well", looking in the direction of the cow, the farmer shook his head and muttered, "You should put yourself in my position. A cow like that, you don't want to eat it all at once." Pastor Poju, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, if we will be honest, that unfortunate cow has so much in common with Nigeria, which has over the years become a victim of serial abuse, including by those to whom she has given so much. As I reflected on that story in the past few days, I came to the conclusion that just like that cow, Nigeria is no more than a meal ticket to many of her elites. What is even more unfortunate is that the people who speak ill of her the most, especially in a season like this, are those who have benefited immensely from the opportunities presented to them by this supposedly useless country. Some of these people were, at various times, governors, ministers, lawmakers, special advisers etc. Many were also in the private sector where they made so much money under a system that demanded little or no accountability of them. Also in this category are some of our compatriots who now live abroad, including with their immediate families, thanks to the fortunes they or their parents made in this same country. Let me make a confession here: I owe a lot to Nigeria. That someone like me, given my background, could attend a university like Ife as at the time I did was because the state made education at that level to be tuition free. And whether they admit it or not, there are hundreds of thousands like me who are where they are today on account of Nigeria: the education they got, the wealth they have accumulated and the influence they still peddle. Unfortunately, it is from this same collection that you find those who continually trouble our country. On 6th June this year, some old men under the aegis of Coalition of Arewa Youths gave all the Igbo people living in the North till yesterday, 1st October to vacate the region. Even though the quit notice was eventually withdrawn, the damage that ultimatum did to our national psyche would take many years to heal. But then, the action of this group was also a response to the uncontrolled verbal aggression by Mr Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the so-called Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Egged on by the mob, comprising mostly okada riders with online support from several of his kinsmen in the Diaspora, Kanu was allowed to take hate speech to an unprecedented level, even by the standards of our country. Even when he was presented a golden opportunity to champion the genuine grievances of his people with civility, following an ill-advised treason trial that catapulted him into national limelight and prominence, Kanu could not rise beyond the mediocrity of the adulation of some street urchins. He felt that by making incendiary statements to offend, insult, intimidate and threaten people from other ethnic groups, he was helping whatever his cause was. At the end, he made a strategic miscalculation. However, while I do not know why Kanu believes spreading hate and violence would help his cause, the Arewa youth counter-response was also very much unfortunate because the inference was that because Kanu is Igbo, all Igbo people must suffer the consequences of his action. But one must thank the governor of Borno State and Chair of the Northern Governors Forum, Alhaji Kashim Shettima as well as Governor Nasir elRufai of Kaduna State for their prompt interventions. Unfortunately, the message that was lost on the authorities in Abuja is that you cannot build an inclusive society when you react to national security threats in a manner that suggests some people are above the law; although many people across the country also felt let down that some otherwise respected senior citizens from the South-east who ought to have called Kanu to order were practically genuflecting before someone young enough to be their grandson! Meanwhile, what many of our young people, as well as the politicians in their sixties and seventies who do not want to grow up, forget or are ignorant about, is that north or south, we need one another. That then explains why all the current agitations and perturbations are a distraction from the real issue which is that Nigeria is not working for majority of its citizens. And we see the evidence everywhere. For sure, the state of affairs in our country today is enough to make people really angry. But if such anger is not properly channeled, it can be dangerous. For instance, I am angry about how clumsy and inefficient public institutions have become in Nigeria. I am angry about the way public officials, at all levels, betray a lack of creativity even in dealing with simple matters. I am angry when a teenager tells me that their school bribed invigilators to look away so that their teachers could tell them the answers while sitting for a crucial national examination. I am angry by the latest statistics from the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) that in our country about 90,000 children are expected to die of hunger over the next 12 months. I am angry about the foregoing and much more because I believe we can do better as a nation. But I cannot because of such anger lash at the next person or another group of Nigerians who do not speak the same language or worship the same God with me. Therefore, my charge this morning to our young men and women is: If you must be angry as Nigerians, direct it not to the tribe, ethnicity, religion, race, gender or even the sexual orientation of fellow citizens. Direct it at the greed and the perversion that make some people deny others their decent and fair opportunities in life. Direct it at the ignorance and bigotry of a vast majority who submit themselves as ready tools for those who conspire to hold our nation down. And let us begin to figure out a way to defeat these people and problems. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the challenge of the moment is to create an environment with less suspicion and more equitable distribution of power and resources among the critical stakeholders in our country. This country is full of promise and presents enormous opportunities. Even while it is true that the system is creaking beneath all of us and we must fix it, those who couch the narratives in ethnic or religious arguments miss the point and they are actually the problem. This is not a North-South debate neither is about dismemberment for many of us. What we are saying is that the current situation where money is sent from Abuja to Badagry or Birnin-Kebbi is antithetical to good governance. Nothing can be more revealing of how wasteful our federal structure has become than a recent revelation by the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole who said: "I was in Zamfara State. At the Federal Medical Centre in Zamfara, there are about 120 doctors but the state has 23 (doctors) as at the last count to manage 24 hospitals. And, yet, the federal hospital has about 120." The pertinent question is: How did the federal government engage such a large number of medical personnel who are practically idle and for just one medical centre? The answer is simple: It is largely because of its heavy wallet. Yet, you find this sort of waste replicated in several sectors. Therefore, we must find a way to make government more efficient and effective. How to make this happen is where the disagreement lies. But we are gradually coming to a consensus that it is the dysfunction at the centre that is creating the current bad blood, frustration, anger, suspicion and unhealthy competition among the various groups in the country. Anybody who has read the report of the Presidential Committee on the Restructuring and Rationalisation of the Federal Government Paratastals, Commissions and Agencies cannot but understand the waste we call government in Nigeria. Chaired by former Head of Service, Mr Steve Oronsaye, the committee was established in August 2011 by the former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan with the report submitted to him in April 2012, although he ended up doing nothing with the recommendations. It is instructive that the committee identified 541 federal government agencies, 50 of which have no enabling laws! There are also 55 agencies that are not under the supervision of any ministry and many of them, according to the Oronsaye committee, "receive more budgetary allocations for personnel than they require because that component of their budget is usually inflated". These agencies include National Agency for Population Programmes and Development; Population Activities Fund; Population Fund Activities Agency and Population Research Fund. Yes, those are federal agencies in Nigeria! I need to state here that bad governance is not peculiar to the federal government because the situation is actually worse in the states and as for local governments, let us not even go there given what governors have done to that tier of government. As things stand in Nigeria today, accountability diminishes as you move from the centre to the other units: states and local governments. For instance, no president in Nigeria can get away with half of what governors do, almost as of right, in their states where there are neither checks nor balances. The speakers of the state houses of assembly are more or less errand boys of the governors and they serve and are removed at their pleasure. The logical result is that the promise of good governance embedded in the theory of decentralization that many Nigerians now clamour for, will still be delivered in the breach if there is no change in the behavior of the political actors. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am well aware that we do not have a perfect country but regardless of how our collective resources have been badly managed over the years, there is great gain for us to be positive in the way we relate to the country we all call our own. The pertinent question at this point is: What exactly do we mean by Nigeria? In our context, the answer may be quite complex but one thing is certain, it should not be about geography or tongues or faith. For me, Nigeria is not the violent man who would demonise and threaten fellow citizens just because they speak a language different from his. Nigeria is not the angry man in a video who would ask his fellow men to go and poison the waters in a section of the country oblivious to the Yoruba saying that when you throw a stone in the market place, you cannot determine who would be hit by it. Nigeria is not the Baba the boys who would issue a dangerous quit-order on innocent citizens in their area of domicile. Nigeria is not the public official who would steal the money meant for some of the most vulnerable of our citizens, knowing he has the back of those who should hold him to account. Nigeria is not the politician who spends his productive hours every day spewing hate and bigotry on social media platforms just because he has a personal score to settle with the president. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, if I am sounding like a motivational speaker this morning, I think you should blame my pastor, Evaristus Azodoh. A retired colonel of the Nigerian army and a medical practitioner, Azodoh is always leading us to pray for Nigeria and never to speak ill of her. It is strange because I know a little bit about his family background which suggests he has every reason to be bitter about Nigeria. But he is not. From 6.30am yesterday, Pastor Azodoh led us through a 90-minuite prayer session for Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari. Building a nation, especially from our kind of diversity, according to Pastor Azodoh, is a process that may not necessarily produce quick results but with a leadership that deploys fairness in the distribution of opportunities and citizens who see the value of shared aspirations in an atmosphere devoid of acrimony, it is not beyond us. And in the course of the prayer session, Pastor Azodoh stopped and asked that we all sing the national anthem. He likened Nigeria to a big family where there would be quarrels, squabbles, even injustice; but he also added that, whatever the challenges, we must always remember that families stay together. To buttress his point, Pastor Azodoh told the story of what happened in 1981 when, as a medical student, he participated in the West African Universities Games hosted by Cote D'Ivoire in Yamoussoukro. In the course of the competition, according to Pastor Azodoh, a Nigerian student was molested and the contingents from our country said the competition would not continue unless the then President of Cote D'Ivoire, the late Félix Houphouët-Boigny, personally came down to apologise to them. "Ministers from the government of Cote D'Ivoire came to plead with us but we insisted only an apology from their president would do", said Pastor Azodoh, "I felt very proud to be a Nigerian." Eventually, it took the intervention of the Nigerian ambassador to Cote D'Ivoire for the contingents from our country to stop the demonstration that had held up the competition for two days. Now, what those students demonstrated was not only our power as a nation but also the power of our unity. They were fighting over an injustice done to a single Nigerian. We need such solidarity today. And despite our challenges, we are already seeing glimpses in that direction. For me, Nigeria is that young man in Samson Itodo who is working day and night to create a pathway for change, by ensuring that a country where the demographics tilt heavily in favour of young people cannot continue with a policy founded on the erroneous notion that the Wisdom of Solomon had anything to do with age of Methuselah. Nigeria is that young lady in Lagos, Temie Giwa-Tubosun, who took it upon herself to ensure that those who need blood donation across the country are well served and on time with her LifeBank organisation. Through her effort, the lives of hundreds of our citizens are being saved. Nigeria is my beautiful sister, Ibidunni Ighodalo who, despite her own disappointments, decides to put smiles on the faces of other aspiring mothers by deploying her personal resources to pay for their In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment. Nigeria is Kechi Okwuchi, who proudly draped herself in the green white green flag to mark the 57th independence of our country in the United States where she is making many of us proud. This is a young lady who could be said to have been let down by Nigeria at a most difficult period in her life, even when lucky to be alive, unlike her friends and classmates caught in the same plane crash. But she is still proud of being a Nigerian. Nigeria is Aisha Waziri Umar who is planting libraries in those parts of the north-east devastated by Boko Haram. It is her way of fighting back against the misguided zealots who see education as a sacrilege to be destroyed along with the future of millions of innocent children. Nigeria is Oronto Douglas who, diagnosed with Cancer in 2008, invested the last seven years of his life setting up and nurturing a school for orphaned children in his native Okoroba in Bayelsa State. The examples are just too many of change agents who are taking up spaces to make a difference in our world. But the message is simple: Our drive and commitment to making Nigeria great should be anchored on the fact that we also have a role to play and numbers don't matter. What matters is the resolve that we will be part of that positive change. Let me illustrate that point as I try to conclude my intervention this morning with the Biblical account of the 12 spies as recorded in the Book of Numbers Chapter 13. The people of Israel had been set free from their captivity and servitude in Egypt. They wandered through the wilderness during which a number of them died. On reaching Mt Sinai, they were given the laws to govern their affairs and the templates they needed for worship. With national census concluded, they inched towards the border of Canaan, ready to enter the land that had been promised their fathers. Suggestions however came from the leadership that a search party be sent to look at the inhabitants and how good the land really was. 12 gentlemen were selected, one from every tribe, and they were sent as spies. For 40 days, they explored the length and breadth of the land and returned with sufficient proof. About the goodness of the land, there was no deviation in all the reports. However, while ten of the 12 spies concurred that the land was indeed good, they added a misleading bit: "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than us…it is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature…We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." One can argue that the ten spies possessed critical spirit and there is nothing wrong with positive criticism. But they went further not only to dampen the morale of the people but also to incite them against the leadership. Having lost their self-worth, like many Nigerians have done today, the ten spies likened themselves to grasshoppers and added that they were seen as grasshoppers, even by the Canaanites. How could they have known that? We have many of such people in Nigeria today. The negative men and women who tell you that nothing can change; that our country is doomed. Meanwhile, Caleb and Joshua saw possibilities and with that, they also gave hope to the people that victory was attainable. Unfortunately, their report could not convince the people and their voices were drowned. As a consequence, Israel wandered additional 38 years in the wilderness with an entire generation wiped out completely. What the foregoing means is that we should not continue to listen to the naysayers in our midst who do not mean well for our country. Whatever may be the differences in opinions, there is more that unites us as Nigerians than there is to divide. While some of the current agitations are not bad in themselves since they reflect the broad diversities of our country and the different experiences that must be on the table to make us great, we must also recognize that it takes so little to set a house on fire. Any fool can do that. Meanwhile, it takes efforts, perseverance and sacrifice to build. That does not come easy. Admittedly, ours is a fragile polity but the social and economic bonds that unite us are strong and hard to dissolve. Yet the task of conscious nation building has hardly been done. The rights of citizenship are still shackled by boundaries of state of origin and ethnicity. The excessive hangovers of prolonged military rule are still with us in the form of impulsive arbitrariness. Our government still finds it easy to call in military force to quell elementary civil unrest. We are yet to teach our citizens from infancy the values of group living and how to compete as individuals without resorting to primordial hate when we cannot prevail. However, despite all these, the real challenge is that of creating enough wealth to cater for the need of our huge population. If we remain a poor country with an external reserve that is less than the cash holding of Facebook alone, our competitions might get more bloody and our future more speculative and tentative. Our task therefore is to make Nigeria a land of equal opportunity for all, a nation whose unity is not decreed as non-negotiable but is guaranteed by the practical incentives it offers for all to want to stay in and perfect the union. As I stated earlier, the enemy is not the other who speaks a different language or worships a different God. The enemy, unfortunately, is that person with predatory behavior who has benefitted the most from our country, but who like the farmer in the story with which I started this intervention, only rewards Nigeria's love with eating her up in bits, to the detriment of the majority of our people. This tiny group, which is present in every region and religion, has maintained its hold by setting the majority against themselves. We need to rescue our country from their destructive grip. Therefore, recognising that we may not always agree on the details of how to perfect our union, it becomes problematic the moment any argument is framed in a way that makes the incumbent think it is an attempt to distract him from governance or to get power through the back-door. But history also shows that leaders who improve their society are not those who divide along the voting pattern in the elections that brought them to power but those who can bring diverse citizens together to work for the common good. Pastor Poju, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as I take my seat, on a day such as this, my charge to all Nigerians is simple: We should see ourselves as allies in a struggle for a better country that is bigger than any, and yet needs all of us working together. Thank you very much for listening and good morning. • Text of my presentation at Platform Nigeria in Lagos on 2 October, 2017 By Segun Adeniyi. via Blogger http://ift.tt/2xj6tuH

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World Environment Day Connects People To Nature

World Environment Day (WED) also known as United Nations’(UN) World Environment Day which falls on June 5 of every year is a day set aside by the international community to celebrate nature. It also provides a global platform to raise awareness on environmental issues with plans to mitigate these issues as a global community. It is the world body’s principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment. Since it was first held in 1974, it has become a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues from marine pollution, human overpopulation, global warming, sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. The Day has grown to become a global platform for public outreach, with participation from over 143 countries annually. Each year, the world chooses a new theme that major corporations, NGOs, communities, governments and celebrities worldwide adopt to advocate environmental causes. For 2017, the theme is ‘Connecting People to Nature’. The focus is encouraging people to get outdoors and appreciate the beauty of the planet. It is part of an effort to show people the importance of protecting it for future generations. World Environment Day was designated by the UN General Assembly in 1972 on the first day of United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, resulting from discussions on the integration of human interactions and the environment. Two years later, in 1974, the first WED was held with the theme "Only One Earth". Even though WED celebrations have been held annually since 1974, in 1987 the idea for rotating the centre of these activities through selecting different host countries began. Historically, the World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of United Nations’ Environmental Programme (UNEP). It is hosted every year by a different city and commemorated with an international exposition through the week of June 5. Celebrating the day is not only for governments and their agencies. Individuals and organisations are similarly encouraged to add activities related to the environment for saving it and also motivate the initiative of others in celebrating and protecting the life forms’ ecological and biological relationships with shared ecosystem. For the last four decades, World Environment Day has been raising awareness, supporting action, and driving change. Activities connected with the day include street rallies and parades, as well as concerts, tree planting, and clean-up campaigns. In many countries, this annual event is used to enhance political attention and action towards improving the environment. This observance also provides an opportunity to sign or ratify international environmental conventions. In Nigeria, the governments at all levels, organisations, the civil society and individuals joined the rest of the world to commemorate the 2017 World Environment Day. They organised different activities to sensitise the people on the need to preserve the environment. Shell Nigeria, one of the oil companies with a criminal record of destroying the environment through its mindless oil exploration activities particularly in the Niger Delta, started the day with the Vice President, Shell Nigeria and Gabon, Peter Costello, and Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited, SNEPCo, Bayo Ojulari, planting trees at the Marina area of Lagos. Even as a symbolic gesture, we think that Ogoniland, for instance, deserves the trees and other environmental rehabilitation measures Shell is capable of putting in place. Also, the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, (a non-governmental organisation) held a town hall meeting in Abuja on that date to sensitise Nigerians on issues relating to the environment. Director, HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey, said that this year’s theme was appropriate considering that man seem to have lost the vital connections that make him conscious of being part of a community of creations on earth. He urged the country to look at the disruption of that connection by the politics of infrastructure that is sometimes pursued without recourse to national or even natural laws. Roads are built without drainages and where they are constructed they are invariably emptied into streams and rivers without any consideration for the wellbeing of the aquatic life in them and of the people that depend on the water downstream. However, and in our opinion, the greatest threat to the stability of the environment in the country are the desert encroachment in the North as a result of deforestation and soil erosion in the South. These are serious enough to deserve all the resources the government is willing and able to devote to them.

[newsflashuk]

90 Days Later: Details Of The Difficult New Struggle To Bring Buhari Back To Nigeria

Despite recent high-profile visits to ailing President Muhammadu Buhari in the United Kingdom, where for close to 90 days he has been undergoing treatment for a grave illness, Sahara reporters have learned that the Nigerian president is not as healthy as has been portrayed by members of his inner circle. Mr. Buhari’s illness remains officially shrouded in secrecy, but sources close to his inmost associates had long told this website that the president was beset by cancer.

In recent weeks, the cabal around Mr. Buhari has used a flurry of well-orchestrated visits to the ailing president by political personages to sell a narrative of “miraculous recovery.” But such rosy impressions are belied by a palpable deterioration in President Buhari’s health, according to accounts offered by a few sources knowledgeable about the Nigerian leader’s condition.

President Buhari abruptly left Nigeria for the UK on May 7, 2017, arriving at Luton airport in London. He immediately proceeded to a London hospital where treatment had been set up prior to his arrival, said one of our sources. According to that source, Mr. Buhari’s initial treatment was so grueling that it left him devastated and weak, with severe difficulty speaking and eating.

For weeks after his arrival in the UK, no political figure in Abuja heard from Mr. Buhari either in person or via phone calls. In fact, for some time his aides with direct access to him were reduced to just two, while the remainder of the retinue that traveled with him was left in hotels in London, kept in the dark about his health condition.

The prolonged period during which Mr. Buhari was incommunicado fueled rumors that he was completely incapacitated. Some members of the cabal around him, as well as his wife, traveled to London in search of the president, but mostly came back empty-handed.

The spell was somewhat broken in late June when Mr. Buhari’s aides released an audio recording of his Sallah greetings to Muslims celebrating Eid-el-Fitr. The president’s message, spoken in a weary voice in Hausa, immediately drew criticism from Nigerians who pointed to the fact that the message seemed to ignore the significant portion of non-Hausa speaking Muslims in Nigeria.

Mr. Buhari’s sign of life in his Sallah message seemed to energize members of his cabal to start envisioning a future past his presidency. In Saudi Arabia, a major player among the cabal, Isa Funtua, met with numerous political players, including Senate President Bukola Saraki, whom he designated as the arrowhead of a post-Buhari power arrangement.

A source familiar with that meeting disclosed that Mr. Funtua proposed that, even if Buhari were in a vegetative state, acting President Yemi Osinbajo should be barred from becoming the substantive president. His fear was that an Osinbajo presidency would alter the power equation for members of the cabal who believe that power should remain in the north for eight years. Mr. Funtua reportedly reminded the audience in Saudi Arabia that the last time an apparently “soft” southerner, Goodluck Jonathan, was given power, he used state resources “to marginalize the north.”

He described Mr. Osinbajo as politically “stronger” and “wiser” than Mr. Jonathan, especially because of his godfather, former Governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu, whom he suggested should be completely neutralized because he was too ambitious and politically strategic.

In a slight deviation from the Funtua plan, the other half of the cabal led by the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, was devising another agenda. The Kyari group would be open to extracting a resignation letter from Mr. Buhari and accept Mr. Osinbajo’s assumption of full presidential powers if the current acting President would agree to pick Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, as his Vice President.

However, a snag to the plan was that Mr. Malami and Mr. Osinbajo have pretty much parted ways. Acting President Osinbajo has been directly coordinating justice-related matters, even convening meetings related to the national prosecution committee behind Mr. Malami’s back.

While the cabal’s jostling was going on, Mrs. Buhari traveled to London to see her ailing husband. A diplomat source said the First Lady rented an apartment in London away from the “Abuja House” residence where her husband stays.

SaharaReporters learned that three or four days after her arrival in London, Mrs. Buhari was told to join her husband for dinner. The meeting turned out heartwarming as Mr. Buhari reportedly managed to speak and to sit to eat with her. After subsequently spending more time with her husband, Mrs. Buhari told other family members that he was making “a miraculous recovery.” She then wrote Facebook updates warning the “jackals and hyenas” based in Abuja that the “King of the Animal Kingdom” would soon return and send them packing.

The same day, the president’s daughter, Zarah, took to Twitter to claim that her father was in great shape.

A few days later, acting President Osinbajo snuck out of Abuja for a one-on-one meeting with Mr. Buhari. On his return, he asserted that Mr. Buhari was in great shape, was recovering quite fast and would soon be back.

Despite those inflated claims, SaharaReporters learned that the cabal was not quite satisfied with Mr. Osinbajo’s body language as he relayed the message to Nigerians. Some cabal insiders alleged that the acting President’s close aides had leaked information to the media, especially SaharaReporters, that Mr. Buhari was far from a picture of great shape.

SaharaReporters learned that Mr. Osinbajo encountered a highly emaciated and feeble Buhari who could not speak coherently. It was no surprise that the acting President did not bring back with him any audio, video or photo of the meeting.

On July 23, 2017, a few days after Osibanjo returned, the cabal arranged a visit by handpicked party leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Led by Odigie Oyegun, the visiting party included some governors and ministers. The meeting managed to produce a single photo showing Buhari sitting at the edge of the table, but without partaking in the feast.

The single photo perhaps caused greater harm than was anticipated.

Almost immediately, an announcement was made that seven governors of the APC as well as others handpicked from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) were to visit Mr. Buhari in London on July 26, 2017. Led by Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, the governors gushed about Mr. Buhari’s recovery. They also claimed that their meeting with him lasted almost an hour and that the president discussed issues of national importance, a ploy to give the impression that he was closely monitoring events at home.

A bunch of photographs showed Mr. Buhari smiling. Even so, no single video or audio was presented to Nigerians from all the visits. Nor could any of the visitors tell when Mr. Buhari would return home.

Saharareporters also learned former President Olusegun Obasanjo also visited Buhari in London in the company of former Osun state, Gov. Olagunsoye Oyinlola, although Obasanjo is yet to make a public pronouncement on the trip.

Several sources told SaharaReporters that the highly publicized visits were designed to create the appearance that Mr. Buhari was regaining his health and was prepared to resume in office.

Yet, our sources revealed that Mr. Buhari’s ability to receive visitors was no indication of improved health, but came after his completion of a course of treatment that lasted three months. According to the source, since the completion of that course of treatment, Mr. Buhari occasionally enjoys momentary relief. “He can see people and sit for a little bit of time, but that does not mean he is healed as his doctors are yet to conclude that he is free of the disease afflicting him,” one of the sources said. They added that the President had not regained his health and had lost so much weight that he is “padded” just before his meetings with governors and politicians.

According to the source, members of the cabal around Mr. Buhari were once again pressuring him to return to Nigeria, his frail health notwithstanding. Should the cabal win out again, they would simply use the president’s presence as a ruse to manipulate policies and politics to serve their individual interests.

The president’s doctors appear to have a different agenda. One of our sources stated there was no plan by Mr. Buhari’s doctors to let him travel to Nigeria in the near future.

“They [doctors] have asked that Mr. President should stay in the UK for another period of monitoring and round of treatment that could last weeks if not months.”

SaharaReporters had revealed that the cabal behind Mr. Buhari was considering claiming that the president was embarking on his vacation after close to three months of treatment during this particular trip. Prior to the current medical trip, President Buhari had spent close to 50 days in London between December and February.

One of our sources, briefed by one of the governors who recently saw Mr. Buhari, revealed that the ailing president “is only okay a few hours some days. And it takes a lot of work to prepare him for meeting people.”

Another source drew attention to Mr. Buhari’s look during his recent meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, adding that the president seemed a shadow of his former self.

One source said Mrs. Buhari had earlier been told her husband would be able to return with her to Nigeria last Wednesday, only to find out he was in no shape for the trip. She quietly left London alone and appeared in Imo State last Thursday for an event.

Placed in a desperate situation, the cabal has claimed that Mr. Buhari was waiting to regain some weight before returning to resume work. But after two previous occasions when the president was hurriedly flown into Nigeria, only to return to the UK for urgent care, there appears to be a sobering sense among some members of the cabal that their incessant game may be losing its efficacy. According to one source, “The only people who can give a trustworthy update on President Buhari’s real health status are his doctors, not politicians.”

The post 90 Days Later: Details Of The Difficult New Struggle To Bring Buhari Back To Nigeria appeared first on Newsflash247.

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Jobs in Abuja at Enroyale Global Services Limited, June 2017

Jobs in Abuja at Enroyale Global Services Limited, June 2017

Jobs in Abuja at Enroyale Global Services Limited, June 2017 Enroyale Global Services Limited is a World-Class Consulting Firm with specialization in Human Resource Management, Management Consultancy Services, Business Development Consultancy Services and Capacity building Services. We are committed to our client’s development and growth through the introduction of internationally proven…

[upshotre]

Address By H.E President Muhammadu Buhari At The 2019 National Democracy Day At The Eagle Square, Abuja

12TH JUNE 2019 Protocols All Praise is due to GOD Almighty Who spared our lives to be present at this great occasion. We give thanks also that the democratic process has been further entrenched and strengthened. 2. Twenty years ago, a democratically elected government took over from the military in a historic transfer of political power for our country. 3. Today, we are privileged to mark the longest period of unbroken democratic leadership and 5th peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another in Nigeria. 4. Throughout the last four years, I respected the independence of INEC. I ensured that INEC got all the resources it needed for independent and impartial management of elections in the country. 5. All interested parties are agreed that the recent elections, which except for pockets of unrest, were free, fair and peaceful. 6. I thank all the people who worked for our party, who campaigned and who voted for us. I thank my fellow Nigerians, who, since 2003 have consistently voted for me. 7. Victory is your greatest reward; peace, unity and greater prosperity will be our collective legacy. Your Excellencies, Fellow Nigerians, 8. I and Nigerians collectively must give adequate thanks to our Armed Forces, Police and other law enforcing agencies for working round the clock to protect us by putting themselves in harm’s way and defending our values and protecting our future. 9. Terrorism and insecurity are worldwide phenomena and even the best policed countries are experiencing increasing incidents of unrest and are finding things hard to cope. 10. The principal thrust of this new Administration is to consolidate on the achievements of the last four years, correct the lapses inevitable in all human endeavors and tackle the new challenges the country is faced with and chart a bold plan for transforming Nigeria. 11. Fellow Nigerians, I have had the privilege of free education from Primary school to Staff College to War College. 12. I received my formative education in Katsina and Kaduna and my higher education in England, India and the United States. 13. I have worked and served in Kaduna, Lagos, Abeokuta, Makurdi, Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, Ibadan, Jos and finally here in Abuja. Throughout my adult life, I have been a public servant. I have no other career but public service. I know no service but public service. 14. I was involved at close quarters in the struggle to keep Nigeria one. I can therefore do no more than dedicate the rest of my life to work for the unity of Nigeria and upliftment of Nigerians. 15. In 2002-2003 campaigns and elections, I travelled by road to 34 of the 36 states of the Federation. This year I travelled by air to all 36 states of the Federation. 16. Before and during my time in the Armed Forces and in government, I have interacted with Nigerians of all ages and persuasions and different shades of opinion over a period of more than fifty years. 17. And my firm belief is that our people above all want to live in peace and harmony with their fellow Nigerians. They desire opportunity to better themselves in a safe environment. 18. Most of the instances of inter-communal and inter-religious strife and violence were and are still as a result of sponsorship or incitements by ethnic, political or religious leaders hoping to benefit by exploiting our divisions and fault lines, thereby weakening our country. 19. And our country Nigeria is a great country. According to United Nations estimates, our population will rise to 411 million by 2050, making us the third most populous nation on earth behind only China and India. 20. We have water, arable land, forests, oil and gas and vast quantities of solid minerals. We are blessed with an equable climate. However, the bulk of our real wealth lies in Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Mining. We possess all the ingredients of a major economic power on the world stage. 21. What we require is the will to get our acts together. And our strength is in our people – our youth, our culture, our resilience, our ability to succeed despite the odds. 22. A huge responsibility therefore rests on this and succeeding Administrations to develop, harness and fulfil our enormous potential into a force to be reckoned with globally. 23. Thus far, we Nigerians can be proud of our history since Independence in 1960. We have contributed to UN peace-keeping responsibilities all over the world; we have stabilized Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and two years ago we prevented the Gambia from degenerating into anarchy. 24. Without Nigerian influence and resources, the liberation of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and ultimately South Africa would have come at greater cost. This fact had been attested by none other than the late Nelson Mandela himself. 25. Elsewhere, Nigeria is the Big Brother to our neighbours. We are the shock-absorber of the West African sub-region, the bulwark of ECOWAS and Lake Chad Basin Commission. We can therefore be proud to be Nigerians. We must continue to be Good Neighbours and Good Global Citizens. 26. At home, we have been successful in forging a nation from different ethnicities and language groups: our evolution and integration into one nation continues apace. 27. When, therefore we came to office in 2015 after a decade of struggle we identified three cardinal and existential challenges our country faced and made them our campaign focus, namely security, economy and fighting corruption. 28. None but the most partisan will dispute that in the last four years we have made solid progress in addressing these challenges. 29. When I took the oath of office on 29 May 2015, insecurity reigned. Apart from occupying 18 local governments in the North East, Boko Haram could at will attack any city including the Federal Capital, could threaten any institution including bombing the United Nations building and Police Headquarters in Abuja. 30. Admittedly, some of the challenges still remain in kidnappings and banditry in some rural areas. The great difference between 2015 and today is that we are meeting these challenges with much greater support to the security forces in terms of money, equipment and improved local intelligence. We are meeting these challenges with superior strategy, firepower and resolve. 31. In face of these challenges, our Government elected by the people in 2015 and re-elected in March has been mapping out policies, measures and laws to maintain our unity and at the same time lift the bulk of our people out of poverty and onto the road to prosperity. 32. This task is by no means unattainable. China has done it. India has done it. Indonesia has done it. Nigeria can do it. These are all countries characterized by huge burdens of population. 33. China and Indonesia succeeded under authoritarian regimes. India succeeded in a democratic setting. We can do it. 34. With leadership and a sense of purpose, we can lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years. 35. Following the 60 percent drop in oil prices between 2015 and 2016, through monetary and fiscal measures, we stimulated economic growth, curbed inflation and shored up our external reserves. 36. We now have witnessed 8 quarters of positive growth in the economy and our GDP is expected to grow by 2.7 percent this year. 37. Furthermore, our external reserves have risen to $45 billion enough to finance over 9 months of current import commitments. 38. This Administration is laying the foundation and taking bold steps in transforming our country and liberating our people from the shackles of poverty. 39. First, we will take steps to integrate rural economies to the national economic “grid” by extending access to small-scale credits and inputs to rural farmers, credit to rural micro-businesses and opening up many critical feeder roads. 40. Secondly, for small-scale enterprises in towns and cities, we shall expand facilities currently available so that we continue to encourage and support domestic production of basic goods and reduce our reliance of imported goods as I will outline later. 41. For the next four years, we will remain committed to improving the lives of people by consolidating efforts to address these key issues as well as emerging challenges of climate change, resettling displaced communities and dealing decisively with the new flashes of insecurity across the country, and the impacts on food scarcity and regional stability. 42. We are not daunted by the enormity of the tasks ahead. Instead, we are revived by this new mandate to work collaboratively with State and Local Governments, Legislators, the Diplomatic Corps and all Nigerians to rebuild and reposition our country as the heartbeat and reference point for our continent. 43. Fellow Nigerians, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen: a. Despite the enormous resources pledged to infrastructure development these past four years, there remains the urgent need to modernize our roads and bridges, electricity grid, ports and rail systems. b. Whilst agriculture and industrial output have recovered since the recession, we are more committed than ever to work with the private sector to improve productivity and accelerate economic growth. c. The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index which is the gauge of manufacturing activity in the country has also risen for 26 consecutive months since March 2017 indicating continuous growth and expansion in our manufacturing sector. d. It still takes too long for goods to clear at our seaports and the roads leading to them are congested. It still takes too long for routine and regulatory approvals to be secured. These issues affect our productivity and we are committed to addressing them permanently. e. Our Government will continue work to reduce social and economic inequality through targeted social investment programs, education, technology and improved information. f. Our social intervention programs are a model for other nations. Together with state governments, we provide millions of school children with meals in primary schools, micro loans to traders and entrepreneurs, skills and knowledge acquisition support to graduates and of course, conditional cash transfers to the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. g. A database of poor and vulnerable households is being carefully built based on age, gender, disability, educational levels for proper planning in this Administration’s war against poverty. h. A database of unemployed but qualified youth has also been developed under the National Social Investment Programme which can be used by the public and private sectors for recruitment purposes. Cumulatively, nearly 2 million beneficiaries have received aid under this Programme apart from Anchors Borrowers Programme and School Feeding initiative each reaching 2 million recipients. And we will do more. Much more. 44. Fellow Nigerians, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, we know that there exists a strong correlation between economic inequality and insecurity. 45. When economic inequality rises, insecurity rises. But when we actively reduce inequality through investments in social and hard infrastructure, insecurity reduces. 46. The disturbing increase in rates of kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities can be attributed to the decades of neglect and corruption in social investment, infrastructure development, education and healthcare. 47. This issue is further compounded by the impact of our changing climate and ecology. 48. The ECOWAS and Sahel regions, starting from Chad all the way to Mali, are also experiencing adverse impacts of drought and desertification, which have triggered waves of human displacement; conflicts between farmers and herdsmen; terrorism; and a fundamental socio-economic change to our way of life. 49. These issues are regional and not unique to Nigeria alone. The problems call for increased regional and international cooperation in developing a sustainable solution. 50. As Chairman of ECOWAS, I will be hosting a regional security summit of heads of states in the Sahel to develop a Joint Strategy to continue our efforts in addressing these issues. 51. Fellow Nigerians, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, at the heart of inequality and insecurity, is pervasive corruption. When we took office we realised that if you fight corruption, corruption will fight back – and we have seen this at all levels. 52. For Nigeria to progress, a collective resolution to address corruption and foster broad-based prosperity is required to create a country that is not only for a few privileged, but for all Nigerians. 53. This charge is not only to Civil Servants, Ministers, Legislators and State Government functionaries, but also to Corporate leaders. 54. We shall make greater investments in our rural economies. We shall aggressively source locally our raw materials. 55. We have incentives for investments specifically made in rural communities. 56. However, nationwide development cannot occur from Abuja alone; it must occur at States. And Government cannot do it alone. 57. I therefore implore all State Governments, especially those with large rural economies, to aggressively solicit investments in your states. Invest in developing human capital, reducing bureaucracy and corruption, hosting and attending investment summits and improving the ease of doing business. 58. At this point, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists who have built or are building agro-processing projects; petrochemical plants; crude oil and solid mineral refineries; energy exploration; software development projects; telecom infrastructure; health, education and manufacturing projects; and the like, across our country. 59. I would like to make special mention to promoters of our small businesses that are proudly making goods and services for export and for local consumption. The Nigerian economy rises and falls on the strength of your investments and productivity. 60. We will continue to listen to your ideas and plans not just about how we can secure more investment, but how your plans can help create a more equitable economy. 61. I also thank the labour unions, farmer groups and associations, organized private sector and the civil society organisations for their support and cooperation with our government these last four years. 62. We will continue to count on your support, guidance and understanding during the next four years. 63. I especially thank our traditional leaders and congratulate re-elected and newly elected State Governors and members of the National Assembly. Our Government will continue to count on your support so that we can together move our country forward. 64. Fellow Nigerians, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, despite the challenges over the last four years, my optimism about Nigeria’s future is unshaken and Nigeria’s role in the world as an emerging economic force is without a doubt. 65. Over the next four years, we are committed to assembling a strong team of Nigerians, and allies, to implement our transformative plans and proposals. a. We will see significant focus, resource and, where necessary reform, in tertiary and technical education to reposition Nigeria’s workforce for the modern technological age. b. We will accelerate investments in primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare programs, interventions and infrastructure as well as in upgrading of our medical personnel to stem the flight of our best trained people. c. On food security, our farmers have made great strides in local production of rice, maize, cassava, poultry, fertilizer, fisheries and sesame. We remain resolute in supporting private sector in emphasizing backward integration and export expansion plans. d. Felling of trees to provide energy for domestic use is taking its toll on our rain forests, our ecology and our climate. Accordingly, we are taking steps to harness cleaner and more sustainable sources of electricity. We export over 2 million tons of cooking gas, yet we consume less than half a million tons. e. We will work to address this issue and support rural communities with challenges of safely switching from firewood to cooking gas. f. Dedicated agro-industrial processing zones will be developed on a PPP basis to increase farming yields, agricultural productivity and industrial output. g. Over 2,000 kilometers of ongoing Federal road and bridge projects across the country will be completed to reduce journey times and the cost of doing business. As I mentioned earlier, critical feeder roads will be built to facilitate easier transportation for people and goods from rural areas to major roads. h. We are at advanced stages of securing investments to modernize and expand our transmission and distribution infrastructure, ensuring that electricity is available and affordable for all Nigerians. i. Several rail, seaport and airport projects are at various stages of completion. We will open the arteries of transportation nationwide. j. It is a fact that Nigeria has more gas reserves than it has oil. Over the last four years, we have become a net exporter of urea, which is made from natural gas. We invite investors to develop more natural gas-based petrochemical projects. k. Fellow Nigerians, This Government will not tolerate actions by any individual or groups of individuals who seek to attack our way of life or those who seek to corruptly enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of us. We will crack down on those who incite ordinary innocent people to violence and unrest. l. We will ensure that such actions are met with the strong arm of the law. 66. Nation building takes time. But we must take solace in the knowledge that this country, our country, has everything we require to make Nigeria prosper. 67. Fellow Nigerians, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I invite you to join me in this journey of rebuilding our nation. 68. Our focus will not be to help the privileged few but to ensure that Nigeria works for Nigerians of all persuasions. That is a more just arrangement. 69. As we all know, correcting injustice is a pre-requisite for peace and unity. As part of the process of healing and reconciliation, I approved the recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day and invested the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Babagana Kingibe with National Honours, as I did with the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. The purpose was to partially atone for the previous damage done in annulling the Presidential elections of that year. 70. Today, I propose the re-naming of the Abuja National Stadium. Henceforth it will be called MOSHOOD ABIOLA NATIONAL STADIUM. 71. In my first term, we put Nigeria back on its feet. We are working again despite a difficult environment in oil on which we depend too much for our exports. We encountered huge resistance from vested interests who do not want CHANGE, But CHANGE has come, we now must move to the NEXT LEVEL. 72. By the Grace of God, I intend to keep the oath I have made today and to serve as President for all Nigerians. 73. I thank you for attending this august occasion from far and near, and for all your best wishes to me, to our party and to Nigeria. 74. God bless us all, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.ADDRESS BY H.E PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI AT THE 2019 NATIONAL DEMOCRACY DAY AT THE EAGLE SQUARE, ABUJA 12TH JUNE 2019 Protocols All Praise is due to GOD Almighty Who spared our lives to be present at this great occasion. We give thanks also that the democratic process has been further entrenched and strengthened. 2. Twenty years ago, a democratically elected government took over from the military in a historic transfer of political power for our country. 3. Today, we are privileged to mark the longest period of unbroken democratic leadership and 5th peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another in Nigeria. 4. Throughout the last four years, I respected the independence of INEC. I ensured that INEC got all the resources it needed for independent and impartial management of elections in the country. 5. All interested parties are agreed that the recent elections, which except for pockets of unrest, were free, fair and peaceful. 6. I thank all the people who worked for our party, who campaigned and who voted for us. I thank my fellow Nigerians, who, since 2003 have consistently voted for me. 7. Victory is your greatest reward; peace, unity and greater prosperity will be our collective legacy. Your Excellencies, Fellow Nigerians, 8. I and Nigerians collectively must give adequate thanks to our Armed Forces, Police and other law enforcing agencies for working round the clock to protect us by putting themselves in harm’s way and defending our values and protecting our future. 9. Terrorism and insecurity are worldwide phenomena and even the best policed countries are experiencing increasing incidents of unrest and are finding things hard to cope. 10. The principal thrust of this new Administration is to consolidate on the achievements of the last four years, correct the lapses inevitable in all human endeavors and tackle the new challenges the country is faced with and chart a bold plan for transforming Nigeria. 11. Fellow Nigerians, I have had the privilege of free education from Primary school to Staff College to War College. 12. I received my formative education in Katsina and Kaduna and my higher education in England, India and the United States. 13. I have worked and served in Kaduna, Lagos, Abeokuta, Makurdi, Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, Ibadan, Jos and finally here in Abuja. Throughout my adult life, I have been a public servant. I have no other career but public service. I know no service but public service. 14. I was involved at close quarters in the struggle to keep Nigeria one. I can therefore do no more than dedicate the rest of my life to work for the unity of Nigeria and upliftment of Nigerians. 15. In 2002-2003 campaigns and elections, I travelled by road to 34 of the 36 states of the Federation. This year I travelled by air to all 36 states of the Federation. 16. Before and during my time in the Armed Forces and in government, I have interacted with Nigerians of all ages and persuasions and different shades of opinion over a period of more than fifty years. 17. And my firm belief is that our people above all want to live in peace and harmony with their fellow Nigerians. They desire opportunity to better themselves in a safe environment. 18. Most of the instances of inter-communal and inter-religious strife and violence were and are still as a result of sponsorship or incitements by ethnic, political or religious leaders hoping to benefit by exploiting our divisions and fault lines, thereby weakening our country. 19. And our country Nigeria is a great country. According to United Nations estimates, our population will rise to 411 million by 2050, making us the third most populous nation on earth behind only China and India. 20. We have water, arable land, forests, oil and gas and vast quantities of solid minerals. We are blessed with an equable climate. However, the bulk of our real wealth lies in Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Mining. We possess all the ingredients of a major economic power on the world stage. 21. What we require is the will to get our acts together. And our strength is in our people – our youth, our culture, our resilience, our ability to succeed despite the odds. 22. A huge responsibility therefore rests on this and succeeding Administrations to develop, harness and fulfil our enormous potential into a force to be reckoned with globally. 23. Thus far, we Nigerians can be proud of our history since Independence in 1960. We have contributed to UN peace-keeping responsibilities all over the world; we have stabilized Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and two years ago we prevented the Gambia from degenerating into anarchy. 24. Without Nigerian influence and resources, the liberation of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and ultimately South Africa would have come at greater cost. This fact had been attested by none other than the late Nelson Mandela himself. 25. Elsewhere, Nigeria is the Big Brother to our neighbours. We are the shock-absorber of the West African sub-region, the bulwark of ECOWAS and Lake Chad Basin Commission. We can therefore be proud to be Nigerians. We must continue to be Good Neighbours and Good Global Citizens. 26. At home, we have been successful in forging a nation from different ethnicities and language groups: our evolution and integration into one nation continues apace. 27. When, therefore we came to office in 2015 after a decade of struggle we identified three cardinal and existential challenges our country faced and made them our campaign focus, namely security, economy and fighting corruption. 28. None but the most partisan will dispute that in the last four years we have made solid progress in addressing these challenges. 29. When I took the oath of office on 29 May 2015, insecurity reigned. Apart from occupying 18 local governments in the North East, Boko Haram could at will attack any city including the Federal Capital, could threaten any institution including bombing the United Nations building and Police Headquarters in Abuja. 30. Admittedly, some of the challenges still remain in kidnappings and banditry in some rural areas. The great difference between 2015 and today is that we are meeting these challenges with much greater support to the security forces in terms of money, equipment and improved local intelligence. We are meeting these challenges with superior strategy, firepower and resolve. 31. In face of these challenges, our Government elected by the people in 2015 and re-elected in March has been mapping out policies, measures and laws to maintain our unity and at the same time lift the bulk of our people out of poverty and onto the road to prosperity. 32. This task is by no means unattainable. China has done it. India has done it. Indonesia has done it. Nigeria can do it. These are all countries characterized by huge burdens of population. 33. China and Indonesia succeeded under authoritarian regimes. India succeeded in a democratic setting. We can do it. 34. With leadership and a sense of purpose, we can lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years. 35. Following the 60 percent drop in oil prices between 2015 and 2016, through monetary and fiscal measures, we stimulated economic growth, curbed inflation and shored up our external reserves. 36. We now have witnessed 8 quarters of positive growth in the economy and our GDP is expected to grow by 2.7 percent this year. 37. Furthermore, our external reserves have risen to $45 billion enough to finance over 9 months of current import commitments. 38. This Administration is laying the foundation and taking bold steps in transforming our country and liberating our people from the shackles of poverty. 39. First, we will take steps to integrate rural economies to the national economic “grid” by extending access to small-scale credits and inputs to rural farmers, credit to rural micro-businesses and opening up many critical feeder roads. 40. Secondly, for small-scale enterprises in towns and cities, we shall expand facilities currently available so that we continue to encourage and support domestic production of basic goods and reduce our reliance of imported goods as I will outline later. 41. For the next four years, we will remain committed to improving the lives of people by consolidating efforts to address these key issues as well as emerging challenges of climate change, resettling displaced communities and dealing decisively with the new flashes of insecurity across the country, and the impacts on food scarcity and regional stability. 42. We are not daunted by the enormity of the tasks ahead. Instead, we are revived by this new mandate to work collaboratively with State and Local Governments, Legislators, the Diplomatic Corps and all Nigerians to rebuild and reposition our country as the heartbeat and reference point for our continent. 43. Fellow Nigerians, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen: a. Despite the enormous resources pledged to infrastructure development these past four years, there remains the urgent need to modernize our roads and bridges, electricity grid, ports and rail systems. b. Whilst agriculture and industrial output have recovered since the recession, we are more committed than ever to work with the private sector to improve productivity and accelerate economic growth. c. The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index which is the gauge of manufacturing activity in the country has also risen for 26 consecutive months since March 2017 indicating continuous growth and expansion in our manufacturing sector. d. It still takes too long for goods to clear at our seaports and the roads leading to them are congested. It still takes too long for routine and regulatory approvals to be secured. These issues affect our productivity and we are committed to addressing them permanently. e. Our Government will continue work to reduce social and economic inequality through targeted social investment programs, education, technology and improved information. f. Our social intervention programs are a model for other nations. Together with state governments, we provide millions of school children with meals in primary schools, micro loans to traders and entrepreneurs, skills and knowledge acquisition support to graduates and of course, conditional cash transfers to the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. g. A database of poor and vulnerable households is being carefully built based on age, gender, disability, educational levels for proper planning in this Administration’s war against poverty. h. A database of unemployed but qualified youth has also been developed under the National Social Investment Programme which can be used by the public and private sectors for recruitment purposes. Cumulatively, nearly 2 million beneficiaries have received aid under this Programme apart from Anchors Borrowers Programme and School Feeding initiative each reaching 2 million recipients. And we will do more. Much more. 44. Fellow Nigerians, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, we know that there exists a strong correlation between economic inequality and insecurity. 45. When economic inequality rises, insecurity rises. But when we actively reduce inequality through investments in social and hard infrastructure, insecurity reduces. 46. The disturbing increase in rates of kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities can be attributed to the decades of neglect and corruption in social investment, infrastructure development, education and healthcare. 47. This issue is further compounded by the impact of our changing climate and ecology. 48. The ECOWAS and Sahel regions, starting from Chad all the way to Mali, are also experiencing adverse impacts of drought and desertification, which have triggered waves of human displacement; conflicts between farmers and herdsmen; terrorism; and a fundamental socio-economic change to our way of life. 49. These issues are regional and not unique to Nigeria alone. The problems call for increased regional and international cooperation in developing a sustainable solution. 50. As Chairman of ECOWAS, I will be hosting a regional security summit of heads of states in the Sahel to develop a Joint Strategy to continue our efforts in addressing these issues. 51. Fellow Nigerians, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, at the heart of inequality and insecurity, is pervasive corruption. When we took office we realised that if you fight corruption, corruption will fight back – and we have seen this at all levels. 52. For Nigeria to progress, a collective resolution to address corruption and foster broad-based prosperity is required to create a country that is not only for a few privileged, but for all Nigerians. 53. This charge is not only to Civil Servants, Ministers, Legislators and State Government functionaries, but also to Corporate leaders. 54. We shall make greater investments in our rural economies. We shall aggressively source locally our raw materials. 55. We have incentives for investments specifically made in rural communities. 56. However, nationwide development cannot occur from Abuja alone; it must occur at States. And Government cannot do it alone. 57. I therefore implore all State Governments, especially those with large rural economies, to aggressively solicit investments in your states. Invest in developing human capital, reducing bureaucracy and corruption, hosting and attending investment summits and improving the ease of doing business. 58. At this point, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists who have built or are building agro-processing projects; petrochemical plants; crude oil and solid mineral refineries; energy exploration; software development projects; telecom infrastructure; health, education and manufacturing projects; and the like, across our country. 59. I would like to make special mention to promoters of our small businesses that are proudly making goods and services for export and for local consumption. The Nigerian economy rises and falls on the strength of your investments and productivity. 60. We will continue to listen to your ideas and plans not just about how we can secure more investment, but how your plans can help create a more equitable economy. 61. I also thank the labour unions, farmer groups and associations, organized private sector and the civil society organisations for their support and cooperation with our government these last four years. 62. We will continue to count on your support, guidance and understanding during the next four years. 63. I especially thank our traditional leaders and congratulate re-elected and newly elected State Governors and members of the National Assembly. Our Government will continue to count on your support so that we can together move our country forward. 64. Fellow Nigerians, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, despite the challenges over the last four years, my optimism about Nigeria’s future is unshaken and Nigeria’s role in the world as an emerging economic force is without a doubt. 65. Over the next four years, we are committed to assembling a strong team of Nigerians, and allies, to implement our transformative plans and proposals. a. We will see significant focus, resource and, where necessary reform, in tertiary and technical education to reposition Nigeria’s workforce for the modern technological age. b. We will accelerate investments in primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare programs, interventions and infrastructure as well as in upgrading of our medical personnel to stem the flight of our best trained people. c. On food security, our farmers have made great strides in local production of rice, maize, cassava, poultry, fertilizer, fisheries and sesame. We remain resolute in supporting private sector in emphasizing backward integration and export expansion plans. d. Felling of trees to provide energy for domestic use is taking its toll on our rain forests, our ecology and our climate. Accordingly, we are taking steps to harness cleaner and more sustainable sources of electricity. We export over 2 million tons of cooking gas, yet we consume less than half a million tons. e. We will work to address this issue and support rural communities with challenges of safely switching from firewood to cooking gas. f. Dedicated agro-industrial processing zones will be developed on a PPP basis to increase farming yields, agricultural productivity and industrial output. g. Over 2,000 kilometers of ongoing Federal road and bridge projects across the country will be completed to reduce journey times and the cost of doing business. As I mentioned earlier, critical feeder roads will be built to facilitate easier transportation for people and goods from rural areas to major roads. h. We are at advanced stages of securing investments to modernize and expand our transmission and distribution infrastructure, ensuring that electricity is available and affordable for all Nigerians. i. Several rail, seaport and airport projects are at various stages of completion. We will open the arteries of transportation nationwide. j. It is a fact that Nigeria has more gas reserves than it has oil. Over the last four years, we have become a net exporter of urea, which is made from natural gas. We invite investors to develop more natural gas-based petrochemical projects. k. Fellow Nigerians, This Government will not tolerate actions by any individual or groups of individuals who seek to attack our way of life or those who seek to corruptly enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of us. We will crack down on those who incite ordinary innocent people to violence and unrest. l. We will ensure that such actions are met with the strong arm of the law. 66. Nation building takes time. But we must take solace in the knowledge that this country, our country, has everything we require to make Nigeria prosper. 67. Fellow Nigerians, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I invite you to join me in this journey of rebuilding our nation. 68. Our focus will not be to help the privileged few but to ensure that Nigeria works for Nigerians of all persuasions. That is a more just arrangement. 69. As we all know, correcting injustice is a pre-requisite for peace and unity. As part of the process of healing and reconciliation, I approved the recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day and invested the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Babagana Kingibe with National Honours, as I did with the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. The purpose was to partially atone for the previous damage done in annulling the Presidential elections of that year. 70. Today, I propose the re-naming of the Abuja National Stadium. Henceforth it will be called MOSHOOD ABIOLA NATIONAL STADIUM. 71. In my first term, we put Nigeria back on its feet. We are working again despite a difficult environment in oil on which we depend too much for our exports. We encountered huge resistance from vested interests who do not want CHANGE, But CHANGE has come, we now must move to the NEXT LEVEL. 72. By the Grace of God, I intend to keep the oath I have made today and to serve as President for all Nigerians. 73. I thank you for attending this august occasion from far and near, and for all your best wishes to me, to our party and to Nigeria. 74. God bless us all, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Read the full article

[gbenro]

ONE Policy Director #Vacancy

Policy Director

POLICY

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Full-Time

Posted: June 9, 2017

Abuja, Nigeria

+ 6 more

ABOUT ONE ONE is a global campaign and advocacy organization co-founded by Bono and backed by nearly eight million people from around the world and every walk of life that are committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. We hold world leaders to account for the promises made to the poorest, and we press them to support better policies and more effective aid and trade reform. We also work with leaders in Africa to support greater democracy, accountability and transparency so these resources can be effectively deployed. ONE has offices in Abuja, Berlin, Brussels, Johannesburg, London, New York City, Paris, Ottawa and Washington DC. ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY The ONE Campaign (ONE) is seeking a seasoned, networked, and highly collaborative Policy Director to help implement and manage the organization’s policy agenda with a particular focus on rural youth employment. The Policy Director will be a visible and essential member of ONE’s Global Leadership Team responsible for working with the Executive Director for Global Policy in driving new approaches to our policy work and designing and implementing policy strategies that increase the impact of our work on ONE’s mission. They will represent the organization externally and elevate ONE’s credibility with policy makers, think-tanks and decision makers globally. The Policy Director will lead ONE’s research, analysis and policy positions across geographic markets on issues related to rural employment including infrastructure and trade. They will Work with the Executive Director for Global Policy to build a culture of high performance and entrepreneurship in the global policy team. The Director will be well versed on the interface between political trends and opportunities and policy debates with a view to having a maximum impact on ONE’s mission. They will be comfortable leading ONE’s engagement with multilateral institutions and other agencies, representing ONE at meetings and conferences, as needed, and developing relationships with senior and working level contacts on specific policy issues. The Policy Director will need to be results orientated, effectively managing relevant policy portfolios, including research, preparing briefing materials, engaging externally with NGO partners, and working internally with other organizational teams to deliver products that serve a range of stakeholders. The Policy Director will supervise a small global agricultural development and economic team of policy managers and research assistants. This position reports to the Executive Director for Global Policy. Qualifications include:

A commitment to ONE’s mission

A deep understanding of and passion for Africa and the developing world

A deep understanding of the global advocacy landscape

Intellectual curiosity for development policy

Understand the media landscape and mission driven storytelling

Outstanding research and analytical skills, including the ability to synthesize complex policy issues and communicate to non-specialist audiences.

Impeccable judgement.

Excellent communication skills, with experience of influencing stakeholders and establishing and strong partnerships.

Willingness to adjust to new themes, issues and ways of working.

Background in using policy to achieve advocacy objectives, particularly work that required extensive cross-team collaboration

Proven ability to lead and inspire teams and work with senior colleagues to lead an organization with experience of virtual management desirable.

Flexible, resourceful and innovative with the ability to manage competing and shifting priorities in a rapidly-changing environment, with occasional heavy workloads.

Fluent written and spoken English required. Proficiency in other languages relevant to ONE’s work desirable.

Experience in data analysis and a strong economic background.

At least 7 years’ experience working on development policy

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS Please submit an application, resume, cover letter on our jobs page. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We will conclude the process when the job has been filled. No phone calls please. We thank all candidates for their interest; however, we are only able to contact those who we decide to interview. Only candidates authorized to work in the US, EU or South Africa without any restrictions need apply. EOE M/F/D/V

[newsflashuk]

90 Days Later: Details Of The Difficult New Struggle To Bring Buhari Back To Nigeria

Despite recent high-profile visits to ailing President Muhammadu Buhari in the United Kingdom, where for close to 90 days he has been undergoing treatment for a grave illness, Sahara reporters have learned that the Nigerian president is not as healthy as has been portrayed by members of his inner circle. Mr. Buhari’s illness remains officially shrouded in secrecy, but sources close to his inmost associates had long told this website that the president was beset by cancer.

In recent weeks, the cabal around Mr. Buhari has used a flurry of well-orchestrated visits to the ailing president by political personages to sell a narrative of “miraculous recovery.” But such rosy impressions are belied by a palpable deterioration in President Buhari’s health, according to accounts offered by a few sources knowledgeable about the Nigerian leader’s condition.

President Buhari abruptly left Nigeria for the UK on May 7, 2017, arriving at Luton airport in London. He immediately proceeded to a London hospital where treatment had been set up prior to his arrival, said one of our sources. According to that source, Mr. Buhari’s initial treatment was so grueling that it left him devastated and weak, with severe difficulty speaking and eating.

For weeks after his arrival in the UK, no political figure in Abuja heard from Mr. Buhari either in person or via phone calls. In fact, for some time his aides with direct access to him were reduced to just two, while the remainder of the retinue that traveled with him was left in hotels in London, kept in the dark about his health condition.

The prolonged period during which Mr. Buhari was incommunicado fueled rumors that he was completely incapacitated. Some members of the cabal around him, as well as his wife, traveled to London in search of the president, but mostly came back empty-handed.

The spell was somewhat broken in late June when Mr. Buhari’s aides released an audio recording of his Sallah greetings to Muslims celebrating Eid-el-Fitr. The president’s message, spoken in a weary voice in Hausa, immediately drew criticism from Nigerians who pointed to the fact that the message seemed to ignore the significant portion of non-Hausa speaking Muslims in Nigeria.

Mr. Buhari’s sign of life in his Sallah message seemed to energize members of his cabal to start envisioning a future past his presidency. In Saudi Arabia, a major player among the cabal, Isa Funtua, met with numerous political players, including Senate President Bukola Saraki, whom he designated as the arrowhead of a post-Buhari power arrangement.

A source familiar with that meeting disclosed that Mr. Funtua proposed that, even if Buhari were in a vegetative state, acting President Yemi Osinbajo should be barred from becoming the substantive president. His fear was that an Osinbajo presidency would alter the power equation for members of the cabal who believe that power should remain in the north for eight years. Mr. Funtua reportedly reminded the audience in Saudi Arabia that the last time an apparently “soft” southerner, Goodluck Jonathan, was given power, he used state resources “to marginalize the north.”

He described Mr. Osinbajo as politically “stronger” and “wiser” than Mr. Jonathan, especially because of his godfather, former Governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu, whom he suggested should be completely neutralized because he was too ambitious and politically strategic.

In a slight deviation from the Funtua plan, the other half of the cabal led by the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, was devising another agenda. The Kyari group would be open to extracting a resignation letter from Mr. Buhari and accept Mr. Osinbajo’s assumption of full presidential powers if the current acting President would agree to pick Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, as his Vice President.

However, a snag to the plan was that Mr. Malami and Mr. Osinbajo have pretty much parted ways. Acting President Osinbajo has been directly coordinating justice-related matters, even convening meetings related to the national prosecution committee behind Mr. Malami’s back.

While the cabal’s jostling was going on, Mrs. Buhari traveled to London to see her ailing husband. A diplomat source said the First Lady rented an apartment in London away from the “Abuja House” residence where her husband stays.

SaharaReporters learned that three or four days after her arrival in London, Mrs. Buhari was told to join her husband for dinner. The meeting turned out heartwarming as Mr. Buhari reportedly managed to speak and to sit to eat with her. After subsequently spending more time with her husband, Mrs. Buhari told other family members that he was making “a miraculous recovery.” She then wrote Facebook updates warning the “jackals and hyenas” based in Abuja that the “King of the Animal Kingdom” would soon return and send them packing.

The same day, the president’s daughter, Zarah, took to Twitter to claim that her father was in great shape.

A few days later, acting President Osinbajo snuck out of Abuja for a one-on-one meeting with Mr. Buhari. On his return, he asserted that Mr. Buhari was in great shape, was recovering quite fast and would soon be back.

Despite those inflated claims, SaharaReporters learned that the cabal was not quite satisfied with Mr. Osinbajo’s body language as he relayed the message to Nigerians. Some cabal insiders alleged that the acting President’s close aides had leaked information to the media, especially SaharaReporters, that Mr. Buhari was far from a picture of great shape.

SaharaReporters learned that Mr. Osinbajo encountered a highly emaciated and feeble Buhari who could not speak coherently. It was no surprise that the acting President did not bring back with him any audio, video or photo of the meeting.

On July 23, 2017, a few days after Osibanjo returned, the cabal arranged a visit by handpicked party leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Led by Odigie Oyegun, the visiting party included some governors and ministers. The meeting managed to produce a single photo showing Buhari sitting at the edge of the table, but without partaking in the feast.

The single photo perhaps caused greater harm than was anticipated.

Almost immediately, an announcement was made that seven governors of the APC as well as others handpicked from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) were to visit Mr. Buhari in London on July 26, 2017. Led by Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, the governors gushed about Mr. Buhari’s recovery. They also claimed that their meeting with him lasted almost an hour and that the president discussed issues of national importance, a ploy to give the impression that he was closely monitoring events at home.

A bunch of photographs showed Mr. Buhari smiling. Even so, no single video or audio was presented to Nigerians from all the visits. Nor could any of the visitors tell when Mr. Buhari would return home.

Saharareporters also learned former President Olusegun Obasanjo also visited Buhari in London in the company of former Osun state, Gov. Olagunsoye Oyinlola, although Obasanjo is yet to make a public pronouncement on the trip.

Several sources told SaharaReporters that the highly publicized visits were designed to create the appearance that Mr. Buhari was regaining his health and was prepared to resume in office.

Yet, our sources revealed that Mr. Buhari’s ability to receive visitors was no indication of improved health, but came after his completion of a course of treatment that lasted three months. According to the source, since the completion of that course of treatment, Mr. Buhari occasionally enjoys momentary relief. “He can see people and sit for a little bit of time, but that does not mean he is healed as his doctors are yet to conclude that he is free of the disease afflicting him,” one of the sources said. They added that the President had not regained his health and had lost so much weight that he is “padded” just before his meetings with governors and politicians.

According to the source, members of the cabal around Mr. Buhari were once again pressuring him to return to Nigeria, his frail health notwithstanding. Should the cabal win out again, they would simply use the president’s presence as a ruse to manipulate policies and politics to serve their individual interests.

The president’s doctors appear to have a different agenda. One of our sources stated there was no plan by Mr. Buhari’s doctors to let him travel to Nigeria in the near future.

“They [doctors] have asked that Mr. President should stay in the UK for another period of monitoring and round of treatment that could last weeks if not months.”

SaharaReporters had revealed that the cabal behind Mr. Buhari was considering claiming that the president was embarking on his vacation after close to three months of treatment during this particular trip. Prior to the current medical trip, President Buhari had spent close to 50 days in London between December and February.

One of our sources, briefed by one of the governors who recently saw Mr. Buhari, revealed that the ailing president “is only okay a few hours some days. And it takes a lot of work to prepare him for meeting people.”

Another source drew attention to Mr. Buhari’s look during his recent meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, adding that the president seemed a shadow of his former self.

One source said Mrs. Buhari had earlier been told her husband would be able to return with her to Nigeria last Wednesday, only to find out he was in no shape for the trip. She quietly left London alone and appeared in Imo State last Thursday for an event.

Placed in a desperate situation, the cabal has claimed that Mr. Buhari was waiting to regain some weight before returning to resume work. But after two previous occasions when the president was hurriedly flown into Nigeria, only to return to the UK for urgent care, there appears to be a sobering sense among some members of the cabal that their incessant game may be losing its efficacy. According to one source, “The only people who can give a trustworthy update on President Buhari’s real health status are his doctors, not politicians.”

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