The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Friday congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election.
Showing posts with label PRESIDENCY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PRESIDENCY. Show all posts
Spokesman to Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has revealed that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would partly rely on an anonymous website containing documents purportedly obtained from internal computers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prove his case at the election tribunal.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a substantive minister for thepetroleum sector in his second term.
Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, yesterday, visited the Presidential Villa, Abuja where he presented himself to President Muhammadu Buhari to confirm that he is alive and contrary to earlier reports, he was not involved in an accident. El-Rufai also said that he was seeking to arrest the peddlers of the news that he was involved in a fatal accident, saying if located, the peddlers of the false story would be made to face criminal charges.
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja assented to Engineers (Registration etc) Amendment Bill, 2019, which among others, bars the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from posting graduates of engineering to secondary schools to teach.
The bill which has now become the Act of the National Assembly seeks to promote technological development in Nigeria by ensuring that trained engineers were well positioned to deploy the knowledge acquired in their various fields to the development of technology in the country.
Briefing journalists at the State House, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, said as against the tradition of posting a large number of engineering graduates to schools by NYSC, youth corps members who are graduates of engineering must henceforth be posted only to engineering firms and other institutions that are relevant to their professional fields.
Aside prohibiting such firms from rejecting engineering graduates posted to them, the Act mandates NYSC to immediately communicate the name of any institution where an engineering graduate is posted to, for his/her primary assignment, to the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
Enang cited Section 14 (i and ii) of the Act which provides that “The Directorate of the National Youth Service Corps shall ensure posting of graduate engineers and technologists to places of relevant professional engineering experience.
“Pursuant to the provision of subsection (i), the Directorate of National Youth Service Corps shall communicate the location of graduate engineers and engineering technologists to the Council.’’
Furthermore, the Act prohibits any foreign engineering firm from operating in Nigeria without being duly registered in the country by COREN.
It also mandates such a foreign firm to ensure the introduction of local content into the operations of the company by employing Nigerian engineers.
Enang added: “The Act broadens engineering ‘practitioners to include a registered engineer, engineering technologist, engineering technician and engineering craftsman.’ It emphasises more on engineering practitioners as against ‘engineer.’
“The Act has been remitted in accordance with standard legal procedures. The principal Act establishes the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria – COREN’ with power vested.
“The amendment now assented to by Mr. President broadens the powers of COREN with far-reaching powers of prosecution of infractions, regulating industrial training of engineers, capacity building of local content in Nigeria engineering industry.
“Specifically, the new law grants COREN powers of: ‘prosecuting any person or firm that contravenes the provisions of this Act in a court of competent jurisdiction; regulating industrial training schemes in engineering practitioners and students; ensuring capacity building and monitoring local content development in the Nigerian engineering industry through – mandatory attachment of Nigerians to expatriate engineers on major projects to understudy them from inception; ensuring that all foreign engineering firms establish their design offices in Nigeria.”
Enang also said the new Act grants “compulsory attestation to all expatriate quota for engineering practitioners, including turnkey project, that there are no qualified and competent Nigerians for the job in question at the time of application and that granting of the expatriate quota shall be contingent on training of such number of persons as may be required for the execution of the job, and; ensuring that, before being allowed to practice in Nigeria, such foreign engineering practitioners granted work permit, register with the council and obtain such licenses as may be required from time to time; investigating engineering failures.’’
He further disclosed that the Act further authorises the admission of some engineering associations into COREN as the umbrella body of all engineers in the country.
Such associations as listed by Enang are: Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering, Nigerian Society of Engineering Technicians, and Nigerian Association of Engineering Craftsmen.
According to him, the Act further authorises one person to represent in COREN, the Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria, Federation of Construction Industry in Nigeria, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, and Armed Forces in rotation.
“The Council is now entitled to maintain a fund into which shall be paid money appropriated by the National Assembly, subventions, fees, charges for services rendered or publications made, donations, engineering development levy, among others,” Enang added.
Amidst rowdiness, the Senate on Wednesday passed resolutions to check the roles of the military in the 2019 elections and “inconsistent application of electoral laws” by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The deliberations leading to the adoption of four resolutions supporting the motion were marred by rowdiness as senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) openly showed dissent to the debate.
The motion on the militarization of the electoral process and alleged double standard of INEC was presented by Dino Melaye (PDP, Kogi West).
Mr Melaye prayed his colleagues to look into the matter to forestall future occurrences.
“The Senate is conscious of the need to grow our nascent democracy through the institutionalization of procedures, application of civil laws and the restriction of excessive use of military force in the civil affairs of the state,” said Mr Melaye.
“The Senate is aware of the growing militarization of our nations electoral process, and the inconsistent application of electoral laws by the institutional umpire, the lNEC, especially as witnessed in the recent national election 2019, where the pretence of the use of extreme military force akin to a war campaign was applied in electoral polling stations, and the declaration of ’inconclusive elections’, as a term – being used inconsistently, and partially at the whims of electoral officers in occasions that appear solidly as similar cases;
“The Senate is concerned that this extreme militarization of a democratic electoral process and the inconsistent application of electoral laws by INEC matters of national elections pose serious threats to our democracy, and has security implications that must be nipped in the bud;
“The Senate is persuaded that the nation is on the edge of a precipice, and our democracy can be saved for future posterity if only we can build strong institutions that can operate within established laws, and with our military forces restricted to their traditional roles of defending the nation.”
Giving a further explanation on the motion, Mr Melaye bemoaned the number of deaths recorded during the conduct of the election and the high-handedness of the military.
“In the midst of all these, it is pathetic that there is no presidential broadcast or statement from the leader of this country. This is a national calamity,” he said.
The leader of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan (APC, Yobe North), said elections in Nigeria are still works-in-progress that require attention at all times. He urged the Senate to review the election and see where legislative action is required rather than taking the whole issue in whole.
He was swiftly counter by the Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti South).
“Whoever is siding with what went wrong in the elections is unfair to Nigerians. That election is a sham. There was no way that election could have been an advancement of the 2015 election.
“Everything was inconsistent; INEC was inconsistent. The parameters they used were different in states and units. That is wrong,” she said.
Her comments, however, incurred the anger of opposition senators who shouted on top of their voices. The Senate was soon plunged into rowdiness.
The rowdiness continued even after another speaker, Mao Ohabunwa (PDP, Abia North), had been recognised to speak (on) the consideration of prayers.
Adopting the four prayers of the motion, the Senate condemned the ‘massive use of military forces in the national electoral process of the nation’ and urged INEC to ensure the unrestricted and consistent application of all electoral laws without bias to a candidate or a party in all elections.
The Senate also urged the president, Muhammadu Buhari, to give ‘assent to the recent Amendment to the Electoral Act to ensure a level playing field and adoption of equal standards in our national elections for a strong and peaceful democracy in Nigeria.’
The Senate Committee on lNEC was also mandated to investigate all perceived inconsistent application of electoral laws by INEC in the 2019 Elections
The United States Government has said it is compiling reports on the 2019 general elections in order to give a proper response.
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| CJN Walter Onnoghen |
The suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, on Monday insisted that the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has no jurisdiction to proceed with the six count charge brought against him by the Federal Government.
Onnoghen told the tribunal that as a serving judicial officer, it was the National Judicial Council (NJC) that was vested with powers to entertain any misconduct against him.
In a motion dated January 14, 2019, Onnoghen through his counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo SAN, prayed the tribunal to strike out or dismiss the entire charges against him for want of jurisdiction.
Awomolo at the resumed trial, cited sections 34 and 292 of the 3rd scheduled of the 1999 constitution as grounds that the CCT had no requisite power to deal with erring judicial officer without first resorting to the NJC.
He said the powers of the National Judicial Council was superior to that of the Code Conduct Bureau when it comes to the issue of judicial Officer, adding that in line with section 292, the NJC must first indict a judicial Officer before any Judiciary measure can be taken.
The senior lawyer, reminded the tribunal that it had earlier recognised this position last year, when it declined to assume jurisdiction in the case of Federal Government against Justice Sylvester Ngwuta based on the Court of Appeal decison that ordered that serving judicial officers must first be referred to the NJC in matters of misconduct before prosecution in any other court.
Awomolo, accordingly urged the tribunal to maintain his earlier decison by striking out the charges against Onnoghen.
Responding, counsel to the Federal Government, Aliyu Umar SAN, however urged the tribunal to dismiss Onnoghen’s application on the grounds that the application lacked merit.
He said there was a difference between a judicial misconduct and failure of a public officer to comply with the provisions of the Code of Conduct Bureau, adding that in the case of Ngajiwa cited by the defendant, Ngajiwa was accused of bribe taking in the course of his judicial function.
Details later.
culled from thisday live.
Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has refuted claims on social media that it wrote a letter to some international bodies to prevail on Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, not to proceed to court to challenge the result of the 2019 Presidential Election.The Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the APC maintains that it is anxious to meet the Atiku, at the elections’ tribunal.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Imo, Prof. Francis Ezeonu on Tuesday expressed regrets at the challenges and irregularities witnessed at the Feb. 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections in Imo.
The Nigerian government has asked the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, to proceed on leave ahead of expiration of his tenure.
I am very happy that President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive Congress (APC) won again in 2019, but I am equally finding it difficult to celebrate the victory. While accurately predicting the outcome two weeks before the presidential election, I remarked that many Nigerians were not in a hurry to bring the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) back to power so soon, having squandered our overflowing oil wealth during its 16-year reign.
ABUJA—The Supreme Court, yesterday, fixed May 17 to deliver judgment in a suit the Cross River State government filed to challenge the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen,
by President Muhammadu Buhari.
A seven-man panel of justices of the apex court, led by Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, adjourned to determine the legal propriety of the action President Buhari took against Onnoghen on January 25.
by President Muhammadu Buhari.
A seven-man panel of justices of the apex court, led by Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, adjourned to determine the legal propriety of the action President Buhari took against Onnoghen on January 25.
Renowned United States-based university lecturer and columnist, Farooq Kperogi has claimed that Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, defeated President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC, by over 2 million votes in the result released by International Independent Observers: EU/UN/US for the just-concluded presidential election in Nigeria.
More supporters back Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who has described the just concluded presidential elections a grand theft of the will of Nigerians and a plot to emasculate democracy in Nigeria
Timi Frank, a chieftain of the PDP, has commended Atiku for out rightly rejecting the conduct of the presidential elections.
Atiku has vowed to challenge in court the result of the presidential elections which declared President Muhammadu Buhari winner.
Frank, Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said that the outright disregard for the rule of law and the brazen impunity unleashed on the electorates by its own government using the military and top politicians of the ruling party is an aberration which ought to prick the conscience of all well-meaning Nigerians, and an exercise not worthy of any commendation.
Frank in a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday, said the disrespect for the constitution and the rape of democracy in the wake of the elections have further “strengthened the bastardization of critical state institution, which were hitherto sane and revered for services to the Nigerian people, but sadly, it is been used to maim and disenfranchise citizens in the guise of maintaining the peace, whilst working assiduously to impose the President on Nigerians.
“Indeed the results as announced by INEC can as best be described as a sham or scam to say the least, as the electoral body is aware that it has been deeply compromised as evident by its obvious numerous gaffe as captured from its various state collation centres as well as complicity in its final election results.”
While berating the INEC chairman for what he described as “woeful and disgraceful performance” under his leadership, he said “Prof Mahmoud Yakubu must bury his head in shame for allowing himself to be used as the pawn in disenfranchising the Nigerian people whilst acting ignorant to glaring irregularities as witnessed by all Nigerians.”
He called on international observers, the European Union (EU) United State (US) and United Kingdom (UK) “must make their findings of the general elections public as it was done in Congo, instead of playing to the gallery and the intelligence of the Nigerian people. Pictorial and video evidence from all over the country has gravely discredited the elections and as such we await the final reports from these international observers.
“We are aware that they have in their possessions the true results and may have seen the pattern adopted by INEC and the ruling party, APC. Their resolve in Congo DRC must be in resonance with any other erring electoral body with the same punitive measures meted out adequately on all collaborators of this fraud and to further serve as a deterrent to future electoral umpires.
“Whilst we await the victory of the stolen mandate of the Nigerian people, I’d like to Congratulate our Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on his victory as the legitimate winner of the February 23rd Presidential elections and urge him to remain strong and resolute in his quest to seek for justice at the temple of justice. Victory can only be delayed, but can never be subverted nor denied. Nigerians are with you and stand solidly behind you as you stand tall, steering the ship of the progressive in reclaiming the stolen mandate of the oppressed in Nigeria.”
In what appears to be dubious victory of the incumbent President of Nigeria, United Kingdom has advised Atiku Abubakar on what to do,
In a statement issued by the British Minister of State for
Africa, Harriett Baldwin, and obtained by DAILY POST on Wednesday night, the UK
government said the result declared by the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC has been consistent with the result obtained through the civil
society Parallel Vote Tabulation process, which is the direct opposite of the masses
opinion on the just concluded election.
Source: Daily Post
Don't Reinforce Failure By Re-Electing Buhari, APC In 2019, Obasanjo Warns Nigerians .
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo again hit the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari hard on Monday, warning Nigerians ‘not to reinforce failure by re-electing ineffective and incompetent government come 2019.’
Obasanjo, who said this while receiving the Chima Anyaso led New Nigeria group at the Olusegun Obasanjo presidential library in Abeokuta, also warned Nigerians not to be deceived by claims of the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP that the party is undergoing reforms.
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Forget Atiku, North Will Resist Restructuring Of Nigeria – Ango Abdullahi
The leader of the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Professor Ango Abdullahi, has declared that the region will resist any attempt to restructure the country.
Abdullahi, who was recently elected the leader of NEF, said politicians such as former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who have made restructuring of Nigeria a focal point of their campaign may be wasting their time.
Speaking with Sun, Abdullahi said, “Well, let me speak first on a personal note. When I started politics 1987, I started together with Atiku under the umbrella of Shehu Yar’Adua group so I know him very well. In fact, the first party we formed was People’s Front of Nigeria and Ango Abdullahi was its first National Chairman and Titi Ajanaku was its first Secretary, so we know ourselves well.
“Of course, he is a Nigerian politician and whatever may appear to be a soft spot for the Nigerian politician to press his finger on in order to gain support he will do.
“Restructuring if you look at it objectively and dispassionately, when Nigeria was put together in 1914, that was the beginning of restructuring of the country so that it can eventually come to be what Nigerians will wish it to be.
“When the amalgamation took place in 1914, that was the first restructuring that the colonial masters did bringing the Southern and Northern Protectorates together into one country, and eventually over time, began to introduce structures that will begin to bring the different structures together.
“So many constitutions were enacted between the amalgamation and 1960 when Nigeria attained independence; so much has been going on in the country which is all restructuring of the Nigerian arrangement that will make the system work, not for anybody, but work for the people of Nigeria.
“In 1960, Nigeria was granted independence under a federal system of government, with a parliamentary system of government, with three regions, Northern, Western and Eastern regions. The first additional restructuring that followed 1960 was the adoption of the Republican system of government in 1960 and the same time brought about the fourth region, the Midwest Region.
“Of course, the military intervention in 1966 brought about certain changes, in that we moved from four regions to 12 states created by the Gowon administration.
“I think this is restructuring from what it used to be-one amalgamated country, to three federating regions, then later four federating regions, then 12 states and so on and these processes continued. My skepticism of the current call again takes me back to the issue of politicizing everything that we do.
“If we want Nigeria to be restructured, the only thing that is required is for us to call a Sovereign National Conference. It is the only conference that Nigeria has not experimented.
“But can you call a sovereign national conference while there is a sitting government? And there is a sitting National Assembly, there are sitting States Assemblies and governments and so on?
“They have to step aside. They have to be brushed aside for a sovereign national conference to take place and the verdict of the sovereign national conference must be binding.
“But as long as these are enshrined in our constitution, the only way is for amendments to be proposed to the appropriate bodies that have the responsibility of amending our various provisions.
“That is the only sensible thing to do but if this would be discussed sensibly without apparent blackmail and furore about so so and so, we have all personalised restructuring with a view to targeting a section of the country and this is the area that we feel very sensitive about and we will resist it. Even if we don’t resist it objectively, we can resist it politically.”
Donald Trump strikes again very hard, he talks to Africans:
" I don't need to harass you like the French Presidents say that France-Africa is over, yet they keep sending you the fake tourists who spy on you and come back and tell them how you should be recolonised."
"If after 50 years of independence you have not built the necessary infrastructure for your people are you humans?
"If you sit on gold, diamond, oil, manganese, uranium... and your people don't have food, are you humans?
"If to stay in power, you don't hesitate to buy weapons from strangers to kill your own citizens, are you humans?
"If your only social project is to stay in power for life, are you humans?
"If you despise and shoot your own citizens like game, who will respect them?"
