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Defence/Security

Politicians behind bandits’ activities in Nigeria – Tsav

By Emmanuel Antswen
Banditry
Makurdi, Aug. 13, 2019 (NAN) Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, a former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, says politicians are responsible for activities of bandits terrorising the country.

Tsav told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Makurdi that banditry and most insecurities occurring in the country were created by politicians.

He said most politicians knew exactly who the bandits were and why they were carrying out such activities.

“Banditry and insecurity are created by politicians and the politicians know who the bandits are. They know why these people are doing this.

“I want to appeal to our political class to have a change of heart and cooperate with security agencies to reduce criminality in the land.

“If the police are courageous enough to search houses and monitor activities of politicians, you will see what they will recover from them,” he said.

He said increased level of corruption and porous borders had also contributed in the ongoing security challenge as most arms were smuggled into the country through the borders.

Tsav therefore advised the Federal Government to embark on massive employment of security personnel as this would mop up most of the unemployed youths from the streets and reduce criminality in the country.

According to him, security agencies, especially the police, lack manpower to handle the incessant security breaches in the country as most of the ones in the service were currently attached to politicians.

“In the police service, for instance, we have few policemen and most of them are attached to politicians. In fact, the government should reduce salary of the legislature to fund the new intake.

“It is dangerous to attach a police officer to stay with a politician for more than two years because the moment they stay long with them they become very loyal to them instead of the Nigeria police force,” said the ex-police chief. (NAN)
AEB/CHOM/MST
Edited by Chioma Ugboma/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Politics

Elections: Emir of Okuta warns politicians, youths against violence

Elections: Emir of Okuta warns politicians, youths against violence
By Usman Aliyu
Conducts
Okuta (Kwara), Feb. 22, 2019 (NAN) Alhaji Idris Abubakar, the Emir of Okuta in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara, has warned politicians and youths to avoid violence and divisive acts throughout the 2019 general elections.
Abubakar gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday at Okuta.
He said that what was paramount to the people at the grassroots was how the country would be more united and prosperous after the poll.
The first-class traditional ruler frowned at the way politicians were castigating one another in their campaigns.
“We in the grassroots are particular on how Nigeria is going to be peaceful. Even we are always disturbed that the way the various candidates are castigating themselves is not fair.
“The second one is for the youth all over the country to make sure that how Nigeria will be peaceful is paramount to them.
“If our leaders today had been violent in their youthful age, I doubt if the country would have risen up to this level,” he said.
The monarch explained that it would do the country lot of harm if the youth were trained to be violent.
He urged politicians to advise their supporters on better way to conduct themselves during the elections.
“Thuggery and violent acts should not come in,” he said, noting that the emirate council had engaged people in mosques and churches to preach peace to the people at the grassroots.
Besides, he appealed to Nigerians to accept whoever won the poll as their candidate and enjoined winners to embrace all. (NAN)
AUO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Politics

(Audio) Stop heating up Nigeria, Catholic Archbishop of Lagos warns political leaders

 

Advice

By Egbogota Clara

Lagos, Sept. 11, 2018 (NAN) The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Adewale Martins has urged Nigeria’s political leaders to stop heating up the country.

Martins gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday.

Cue in audio 1 (Martins on elections)

“Our political leaders are heating up the environment too much; we need them to cool down the temperature; all the defections and the rest of it are not helping and the kind of stories that they tell about one another.

“One needs to ask the political elite to please ensure that they prepare for the elections (in 2019) in such a way that it will not create the kind of tension that everybody is feeling now.

“We want elections that are peaceful, fair, and just.

“Our political elite have the duty to make this happen; they must makes the sacrifices they need to make for the sake of this country.’’

Cue out audio 1

The cleric said that the executive and the legislative should ensure that they have a good working relationship so as to move the country forward.

Cue in audio 2 (Martins on lawmakers)

“We need to get the executive and the legislature right in other that the whole country can move well.

“A situation in which the executive is trying to impose itself upon the legislature as we saw recently with the DSS literary shutting down the assembly, obviously that is an imposition that can create a lot of trouble for democracy.

“And of course if the national assembly is also not cooperating in terms of passing the laws without going through any stress recently we saw the difficulty with passing the budget of the INEC.

“That naturally is a big issue that ought not to have gone there if there was true understanding of what is good for the nation.

“So the executive and the legislature really need to work more because basically the judiciary just executes law, but this one that makes the law, they need to work harder.’’

Cue out audio 2 (NAN)

ECO/YEE

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Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

Politics

BMO alerts Nigerians on plans to cause disorder by politicians

BMO alerts Nigerians on plans to cause disorder by politicians
By Mustapha Sumaila
Alert
Abuja, July 5, 2018 (NAN) The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) on Thursday alerted Nigerians to the nocturnal meetings being held by some politicians and past leaders, in and out of the country, to cause disorder.
The Chairman of BMO, Mr Austin Braimoh, raised the alarm in a statement in Abuja.
Braimoh said the meetings were parts of their alleged agenda to cause public disaffection and disorder in the country.
According to him, the primary objective of the sponsors is to stop the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 general election.
“This group of Nigerians were powerful in the past and misused the opportunity of running the affairs of this country while in position of authority.
“They are opposed to the anti-corruption action of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari because they directly or indirectly contributed to the economic adversity of the country,” he said.
The BMO chairman said that instead of these questionable leaders to apologise to Nigerians on the ignoble roles they played in ruining the economy, they have chosen to embark on campaign of calumny and mis-information against the country, under the guise of exercising their freedom of expression.
“It is ironic that while President Muhammadu Buhari is working hard to rebuild the economy, restore the image of Nigeria in the international community and take its rightful place in the comity of nations,
“these politicians are out there portraying the country in bad light, be-littling its status as a medium power in the world and discouraging foreign investors,” Braimoh added.
While advising them to retrace their steps, he described such plans as “regrettable that people of their calibre have chosen to downgrade their status by their action’’.
He also urged those involved in the perpetuation of this evil to support the current administration in its ongoing serious infrastructural development effort aimed at repositioning the country for the benefit of all Nigerians. (NAN)
MS/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

Buhari bad business for corrupt politicians, civil servants – Presidency

Buhari bad business for corrupt politicians, civil servants – Presidency
By Ismaila Chafe
Corruption
Abuja, May 20, 2018 (NAN) Presidential Spokesman Garba Shehu says the Buhari government is bad business for a number of parliamentarians, civil servants and security agents.
Shehu said corrupt politicians, public officers, policemen, Customs and Immigration officials who hitherto benefited from corrupt practices during previous administrations were uncomfortable with the Buhari administration.
Shehu, who is the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, stated this in a special feature titled: “The Real Price of Changing the Change (1)’’, issued in Abuja on Sunday.
According to the presidential aide, as Buhari is busy fighting corruption the corrupt politicians and civil servants are equally busy praying for return of the old order where they had their days illegally amassing public wealth.
He said: “The list of people who oppose the Buhari government and yearning to `change the change’ include a number of parliamentarians, policemen, customs officials, immigration officials, civil servants now rooting for other political parties, not leaving out those various businesses and platforms owned by these political parties directly or indirectly.
“The Buhari win in 2015, and the possibility of four more years have crumbled their dreams of endlessly looting the state and the growing list of achievements of the administration is not doing any good for them.’’
Shehu observed that top opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members had been granting interviews and addressing zonal political rallies talking about “CHANGING THE CHANGE” in next year’s general elections, without defining what exactly that means.
He, however, stated that Nigerians needed to be reminded of what the reversal of the achievements of the three years of the Buhari government would amount to.
“The real meaning and cost of the `Changing the Change,’ is that if they win the next election, they will not take us back to where we were in 2015, they will mostly reverse the progress the APC has brought to the nation.
“The main reason for the defeat of the PDP in 2015 was corruption. The present administration at the centre led by President Muhammadu Buhari has so far presented a corrupt-free image of itself,’’ he said.
He added that the Buhari administration had also succeeded in abolishing grand corruption at the top and as attested to by the American President, Donald Trump.
He said the government had significantly brought down the level of corruption in the country but, however, warned that corruption was fighting back.
“Although he said he was unafraid and would not bend, the President’s concern, and fear on the part of many is that if a corrupt leader takes over, it will be happy days all over again for former Oil Minister Diezani Allison-Maduekwe who has so far forfeited 153 million dollars, N23.4 billion, and 4 million dollars and 5 million dollars in separate accounts.
“Change the Change’ would mean she will get the money back. So would the former Managing Director of the maritime agency, NIMASA, get back GBP 578,080 seized from him and the Ikoyi apartment owners have back their 43.4 million dollars; N23 million and GBP 27,800.
“The hidden owner of the Lagos cash shop may then step forward to reclaim their N449.6 million; the ex-Naval Chiefs will have returned to them the already forfeited N1.8 billion; the Governors Forum paid back their N1.4 billion and the major oil marketers, from whom the EFCC has so far seized N328.9 billion will smile their ways to the bank.
“The banks themselves will equally join the party, happily getting back N27.7 billion they `ate’ from taxes they failed to remit; the scion of the Akinjides, Jumoke will have N650 million awarded to her,’’ he said.
Shehu further stated that those scammers in INEC who coughed out N1 billion would equally get the money back and charges standing against them in court may be dropped.
“But the happiest of them all will be Mrs Jonathan, who will get the first priority when the refunds start coming for obvious reasons.
“The former First Lady would not anymore need lawyers to keep her mountain of gifts, counted in huge millions of dollars, billions of Naira, hotels and buildings,’’ he added.
He equally noted that the early casualties of ‘changing the change’ may include initiatives like the Whistle Blower policy by which the government was able to recover stolen or concealed assets through information provided by citizens.
According to him, this has changed the ethical and moral tone of the business transaction space in the country.
The whistle blower is entitled to between 2.5 and five per cent of amount recovered.
The presidential aide said that `change the change’ might also result to scrapping the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), which he described as the biggest tax revolution since independence.
“The Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) now being implemented, and about which many of our rich citizens are unhappy may be scrapped.
“A recent report shows that there are four million new taxpayers, including companies and individuals, resulting in N700 billion increase in tax revenue in 2017,’’ he said.
According to him, Buhari is also bad business for importers of diesel and generators because he had raised electric power availability from 2,600 MW in 2015 to 7,000 MW.
He said the Buhari-administration was targeting 10,000 megawatts by the end of 2018.
“Another formidable group unhappy with the change and wish it reversed are the importers of diesel and generators. Nigeria ranks as the second biggest importer of generators all over the world.
“Buhari is bad business for them because he has raised electric power availability from 2,600 MW in 2015 to 7,000 MW and is targeting 10,000 megawatts by the year’s end.
“Increased power availability means less purchase of generators and less consumption of diesel.
“Noticeably, they are rooting for parties that are bent on changing the change,’’ he maintained.
The presidential aide also identified other rooters of `changing the change’ campaign to include the beneficiaries of the malaria economy which costs Nigeria N132 billion and 300,000 lives annually.
According to him, this is an economy now threatened by the administration’s National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) by which tens of millions of long-lasting Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITN) are being freely distributed.
“A part of this order is now made in Aba, Nigeria,’’ Shehu explained. (NAN)
SYC/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

Engage in peace, developmental campaign issues, monarch urges Politicians

Campaigns: Monarch task politicians on peace, devt issues
NAN-HG-3
Politics
By Awayi Kuje
Akun (Nasarawa State), Jan. 8, 2018 (NAN) Ahead of 2019 electioneering, Alhaji Usman Umbugadu, a second class traditional ruler in Nasarawa State, has urged politicians to engage in issue based campaign for national development.
Umbugadu made the call on Monday in his palace at Akun while receiving Dr James Angbazo, an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in the state.
He enjoined politicians to canvass votes based on issues in the interest of peace and for the socio-economic development.
The Aren Akun advised politicians and other political office holders to engage in politics of positive issues, devoid of bitterness and rancour.
Umbagadu wished the aspirant well in his political ambition.
“My duty here is to bless and wish you well in your political carrier and urge you and other politicians to always engage in politics of issues based campaign in order to promote peace and development in the country.
“Because peace is priceless, non-negotiable and is the necessary requirement for the development of any country,” he said.
Besides, he advised Nigerians to live in peace with one another irrespective of their ethnic, religion and political affiliations for the overall development of the country.
The monarch also advised youths not to allow any politician to use them in fomenting trouble in the society.
He urged youths to always engage in meaningful ventures in order to become self reliant and to contribute their quota to the development of the society.
Earlier, Angbazo said that he was at the palace to seek the royal blessings and prayers to enable him succeed in his political ambition
“I am here to seek your royal blessings and prayers and to seek God’s intervention to enable me succeed in my desire to vie and win the governorship position of the state come 2019,” he said.
Angbazo assured the monarch and the people of the state of his readiness to initiate positive policies and programmes that have direct bearing on the lives of the people of the state, if given the mandate. (NAN)
AKW/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

Don urges FG to bridge wage disparity between politicians and civil servants

NAN-H-45

Wages

By Mercy Osajiugo‎

Lapai (Niger) Oct. 14, 2017 (NAN) Prof. Eddiefloyd Igbo of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai in Niger, has urged the Federal Government to bridge the disparity between the wages of political office holders and civil servants.‎

Igbo, who teaches criminology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Saturday, in Lapai.
‎
“The huge income disparity encourages crime and defiance on the part of those who feel deprived, disadvantaged or cheated,” he said.

The university teacher explained that the huge income difference was forcing professionals to opt out of their professions to join politics.

“A lot of professionals discard their professional callings to pursue the massive financial gains of political offices. This is not good for the nation,” he said.

He also said that the wage disparity was promoting unnecessary socio-economic inequality which was triggering corruption.

“Disparity has equally dampened the morale and commitment to work; those in authority should urgently look into this,” he said. (NAN)

MNO/MA/ETS

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Edited by Adediran Muftau and Ephraims Sheyin
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General news

Senator advises journalists to shun selfish politicians

Senator advises journalists to shun selfish politicians

NAN-H-73

Media

By Awayi Kuje

Lafia, July 10, 2017(NAN) Sen. Suleiman Adokwe (PDP-Nasarawa), has urged journalists to shun selfish politicians bent on plunging the nation into confusion.

Adokwe, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Culture and National Orientation, made the call at an interactive session with journalists in Lafia on Monday.

According to him, the media must wary of disgruntled politicians making all manner of utterances in order to promote sectional agenda to the detriment of national interests.

“The media has sacrificed a lot and have faced persecution in the past just to ensure the return to democracy in the country.

“So if the media was one of strong factors that ensured the return to democracy in Nigeria, why would they now allow some selfish politicians to use them against the people?

“If the media is caged then Nigeria democracy is gone; what else anyone can do without the media?”

The senator criticised what he described as stifling of the voice of the opposition in government-owned media in Nasarawa State.

“We are not just prevented from airing our views in the state’s owned media, but even private media was demolished by the government.

“The government has gone to the extent of demolishing private radio station in the state just to ensure that the voice of the opposition is silenced completely,” he added.

He recalled his tenure as Commissioner for Information in the state during which he ensured the opposition had the opportunity to air their views in the state owned radio and television stations.

Adokwe, who is representing Nasarawa South Senatorial District, also urged the people to live in peace for the overall development of the state.

In his contribution, a former Nigeria Ambassador to Poland, Amb. Samuel Gimba, appealed to journalists to play the role of defender of the common good by upholding their professional ethics.

Gimba, who is also a former permanent secretary in the state Ministry of Information, said no society could achieve speedy development without truth and justice for which the media must reflect in its reportage.

“As you are all aware that the media is one institution that there could be no meaningful development without it; the media is the mirror of the society; it is the voice of the voiceless and an important instrument for societal development.

“More than half of Nigerians cannot voice or project their voice; it is the media that voice out the voice of the voiceless.

“So I want to urge you to adhere strictly to the ethics of the profession in the interest of peace and national development,” he said. (NAN)

AKW/OSA/MST

Edited by Shittu Obassa/Muhammad Suleiman Tola