We were NEVER part of any corrupt practices while in power for 16 years - PDP

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kxoDssYppDm3vCp-fwInEVNMaju7BxmryV4xw-1i53g6ZC0GQ82vGqm6Pk2kfXIsG8xKisem6cYeyFKuStkUnZcfGib1M_DfeUZG0tEXgkWgGVYGiAt2Ly-eTAkHoro4F7BqIDWzx9DU/s1600/PDP-logo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kxoDssYppDm3vCp-fwInEVNMaju7BxmryV4xw-1i53g6ZC0GQ82vGqm6Pk2kfXIsG8xKisem6cYeyFKuStkUnZcfGib1M_DfeUZG0tEXgkWgGVYGiAt2Ly-eTAkHoro4F7BqIDWzx9DU/s640/PDP-logo1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said, yesterday, that as a party, it was never part of any corrupt practices while in power for 16 years, just as it stressed that it was in support of President Muhammadu Buhari’s present anti-corruption war as part of moves to place Nigeria among one of the tops in the world.<br /> <br /> The party said, however, that if the war must be seen to be successful, President Buhari must also carry out a holistic work by investigating some of his serving ministers and associates that even more grievous allegations have been levelled against.<br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a><br /> <br /> The PDP, however, vowed that any member so convicted shall also face intra party disciplinary action and would be severely sanctioned accordingly.<br /> <br /> A communique signed by the National Vice Chairman, PDP South-South and Sectretary, Body of PDP Vice Chairmen, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, after a meeting in Abuja, yesterday, read: “That the body supports the anti corruption drive of the Buhari’s administration. The body affirms that if corruption is not eradicated, the growth of Nigeria as a nation will remain stunted. We, therefore, dissociate the party completely from any corrupt practices while the party was in power.<br /> <br /> “The body notes with great concern the various allegations and charges against some PDP members that served in government, even as these allegations and charges are yet to be proven, we call on the President to also investigate some of his serving ministers and associates that even more grievous allegations have been levelled against.<br /> <br /> “As a result, the body wishes to affirm that the PDP as a party dissociates itself from any of its members so indicted. Any member so convicted shall also face intra party disciplinary action and will be severely sanctioned accordingly. That the party stands steadfastly by the ideals of the G-34 founding fathers of the party.<br /> <br /> “That the ‘Principle of the Rule of Law’ which was a cardinal focal point of the party while in government remains sacrosanct and immutable.<br /> <br /> “That the body enjoins all PDP party members to remain resolute and await the pending repositioning of the party where square pegs will be placed in square holes and justice and equity will prevail.<br /> <br /> “Furthermore we reaffirm that mediocres will no longer be allowed to govern the affairs of the party. Power will now be returned to the people at the grassroots.<br /> <br /> “We make bold to say that those who are corrupt have left the party and those who left are indisputably mercenaries and soldiers of fortune.”

Latest-News We were NEVER part of any corrupt practices while in power for 16 years - PDP

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said, yesterday, that as a party, it was never part of any corrupt practices while in...

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Lorry rams into Police checkpoint in Anambra, kills 3

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigNNYh8L93KKIX07kkSgyIFHgOdEX9BYBvqoTBFRhnwnR-ia5HWmDwc5WfH3vP5vW9DUFhf3lwVasUvCxalwG2E-BuR3TkumpE9M8GQKXcfcMr_7rizn_nrwSoNQn-MDp6O9XIHnJaZvcc/s1600/anambra+map203.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigNNYh8L93KKIX07kkSgyIFHgOdEX9BYBvqoTBFRhnwnR-ia5HWmDwc5WfH3vP5vW9DUFhf3lwVasUvCxalwG2E-BuR3TkumpE9M8GQKXcfcMr_7rizn_nrwSoNQn-MDp6O9XIHnJaZvcc/s640/anambra+map203.gif" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Two mobile policemen and a civilian were Tuesday evening feared dead when a tipper driver allegedly lost control of his vehicle as a result of brake failure and rammed into a police checkpoint at New Tarzan Junction, along Enugu/Onitsha Expressway, Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.<br /> <br /> But, the Divisional Police Officer at Ogidi, Hassan Musa, confirmed to newsmen yesterday that only one policeman lost his life in the incident, while two others were hospitalized, adding that the driver is currently in police custody.<br /> <br /> The incident, according to a source, occurred as the tipper driver was descending the hill and on approaching the police checkpoint, lost control of the vehicle as a result of alleged brake failure and rammed into another lorry carrying a container that fell on the policemen.<br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a><br /> <br /> Some eye-witnesses at the scene of the incident blamed the tipper driver for reckless driving, while others blamed the policemen for always creating artificial traffic jam along the road in a bid to extort money from commercial motorists.<br /> <br /> According to one of the eye-witnesses who preferred anonymity, “those mobile policemen were drafted to that checkpoint few weeks ago when the police authorities sent many policemen to Onitsha in the aftermath of the recent protests by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and since then the policemen had turned that checkpoint into an extortion point.”

Latest-News Lorry rams into Police checkpoint in Anambra, kills 3

Two mobile policemen and a civilian were Tuesday evening feared dead when a tipper driver allegedly lost control of his vehicle as a resu...

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Flood victims get N60m relief materials in Anambra

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSW7FmbC9gQFVmgd9f9RXefBcM4rhCcxpfvWC8u_uEVJ7fWAWgx7SQa7aJVxpYIBvJWA1CI7gUdzj4GzlPMD2XfI2SWgaiszVTrkD74pxPWLB7mVQ9tVk9esaKKAeVk91DxgqS_Zw2PWD/s1600/anambra+gov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSW7FmbC9gQFVmgd9f9RXefBcM4rhCcxpfvWC8u_uEVJ7fWAWgx7SQa7aJVxpYIBvJWA1CI7gUdzj4GzlPMD2XfI2SWgaiszVTrkD74pxPWLB7mVQ9tVk9esaKKAeVk91DxgqS_Zw2PWD/s400/anambra+gov.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Anambra State Government has distributed relief materials worth N60 million to riverine communities affected by this year’s flood disaster.<br /> <br /> The affected communities are in Ayamelum, Anambra East, Anambra West, Ogbaru, Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Awka North, Idemili South Ekwusigo and Ihiala Local Government Areas.<br /> <br /> The materials were donated to the victims by the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, through the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA.<br /> <br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a><br /> <br /> Items received include several bags of rice, beans, garri, mattresses, palm and vegetable oil, blankets, bundles of wrappers, mats and buckets.<br /> <br /> Others were bags of cement, bundles of zinc, ceiling boards and nails, which are to be used to reconstruct damaged and submerged houses in the affected areas.<br /> <br /> The items were handed over to the town union presidents and traditional rulers of the affected communities by two directors of the agency, Mr. Chuks Onyejekwe and Chief Vincent Ezewuzie, who performed the ceremony on behalf of the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Chief Paul Odenigbo.<br /> <br /> The SEMA officials stressed the need for equitable sharing of the materials to avoid rancour and bad blood in the affected communities and commended NEMA for responding to the plight of the affected communities.<br /> <br /> Representatives of the benefitting communities expressed gratitude to NEMA and the Anambra State Government for coming to the aid of the people and pledged to share the items in a peaceful manner.

Latest-News Flood victims get N60m relief materials in Anambra

Anambra State Government has distributed relief materials worth N60 million to riverine communities affected by this year’s flood disaste...

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Buhari will not shield APC members who misuse security votes — Lai Mohammed

<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W_cWq2QIMnPhNCaZoeu_KkE5nybhDni4VuUNqANZCRVZxNA3cqmvTVDy5fS-I1pjcrAtWaBorobf9zmnWRDtaYJvnda7cuT7MX7X5dgFFWl79lJZeLYSTn1k27BrvdlyKBO3tgYq90PC/s1600/lai+mohammed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W_cWq2QIMnPhNCaZoeu_KkE5nybhDni4VuUNqANZCRVZxNA3cqmvTVDy5fS-I1pjcrAtWaBorobf9zmnWRDtaYJvnda7cuT7MX7X5dgFFWl79lJZeLYSTn1k27BrvdlyKBO3tgYq90PC/s400/lai+mohammed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> The Federal Government will not shield any high profile member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, involved in the alleged misuse of security funds, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said yesterday.<br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a><br /> Mohammed, at a session with media men in Lagos, yesterday, also cited the administration’s unwillingness to risk the lives of the kidnapped Chibok girls for the restraint in taking the final salvo to the Boko Haram insurgents in Sambisa forest.<br /> <br /> While calling on the media not to glamourise the insurgents in their activities, Mohammed defended the administration’s proposals to expend N3.6 billion on the purchase of BMW cars in fiscal 2016.<br /> <br /> Daring the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to move beyond speculations to name any APC member involved in the alleged misuse of security funds, the minister said calls by the PDP to constitute a truth commission to probe the utilisation of security funds were unnecessary given that all the confessions made by those involved in the alleged deal were undisputed.<br /> <br /> “We do not see the nexus between the revelation coming out now and a truth commission,” Mohammed said, adding that the call by the PDP on the president to reveal the source of his campaign fund was wrongly directed.<br /> <br /> He said: “What the PDP is looking for is just distractions. If there is any allegation against any member of the APC, make the allegation open. All we are hearing are whispers. If there is evidence provide them in the open.”<br /> <br /> On purchase of BMW cars<br /> Mohammed also restated the determination of the Buhari administration to maintain the path of frugality as he dismissed insinuations that the proposal to purchase N3.6 billion worth of cars was misdirected. He said the proposal could have been meant for the Conference Visitors Unit, which is responsible for shepherding visiting foreign leaders.<br /> <br /> “It is quite possible that some of the BMW cars being referred to are for the use of the VIPs. What I can assure you is that this government is very prudent in its spending. I can tell you that no minister bought a new car, all of us inherited the cars used by our predecessors. This is the last government that you can accuse of extravagance,” the minister said.<br /> <br /> Why we’ve not brought back Chibok girls<br /> <br /> Mohammed also reaffirmed that the military has realised its objective of suppressing the insurgency, saying that most of the area occupied by the insurgents have been liberated.<br /> <br /> He said that the remaining two local government areas under the control of the insurgents were in the thick of the Sambisa Forest as he disclosed that the military was being cautious because of the kidnapped girls from Chibok and other victims of the insurgents that may suffer collateral damage.<br /> <br /> Noting that the insurgents were now contained to attack soft targets such as markets, motor parks, mosques, churches and entertainment centres, killing innocent men, women and children, he said:<br /> <br /> “Not unexpectedly, the dying and desperate insurgents have carried out some attacks on soft targets in the North-East during this festive season.<br /> <br /> “This is cowardly, dastardly and condemnable. We commiserate with the state governments and the families of those who died or were injured in the attacks which, as I said earlier, are like the death pangs of a dying horse.<br /> <br /> “These attacks are part of the propaganda that has been launched by Boko Haram and their fellow terrorists, ISIS, to seek to remain relevant in the face of massive routing by our gallant troops, and to also discredit our committed and patriotic troops. But the attacks do not shake our resolve a bit, in our determined quest to rid our nation of terrorists and ensure the security of our citizens<br /> <br /> “The fact that Boko Haram has continued to carry out attacks on soft targets is not an indication that they still have capacity. As I have said many times, the attacks will not end with the expiration of the deadline, since insurgencies are not conventional warfares in which the guns could be silenced with an armistice. But I also said that the attacks will taper off with time, with better awareness among the citizenry and enhanced intelligence gathering by the security agencies.”

Latest-News Buhari will not shield APC members who misuse security votes — Lai Mohammed

The Federal Government will not shield any high profile member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, involved in the alleged misu...

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Buhari defends his cabinet - 'None of my ministers is corrupt'

<b><br /></b> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgva3QvQvcrctfMmPQiODRZOkIXB8Ho62Lcw5PcSxQ3zhgdW4M2azrjatNWDgLSbr2nsvPvWKo-lYp5T1_1PnUHEdj3DWG9EH6XgHundp_zfRcd91CSPiIpe6RsCZybe8esbmjbcyHJ0_0g/s1600/Buhari_media_chat-526x284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgva3QvQvcrctfMmPQiODRZOkIXB8Ho62Lcw5PcSxQ3zhgdW4M2azrjatNWDgLSbr2nsvPvWKo-lYp5T1_1PnUHEdj3DWG9EH6XgHundp_zfRcd91CSPiIpe6RsCZybe8esbmjbcyHJ0_0g/s640/Buhari_media_chat-526x284.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <b><br /></b><b>President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, made a robust defence of the integrity of all 36 ministers in his cabinet challenging anyone with a contrary view to present evidence against such a minister.</b><br /> <br /> Speaking in his first media chat, the president said the first gains of the war against corruption would become evident by the end of March, next year, even as he accused erstwhile National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) of having allegedly committed atrocities against Nigeria through reckless disbursement of billions of government funds.<br /> <br /> The president made his first dismissal of the agitation for Biafra stating that Igbo were in strategic position in the cabinet including holding the petroleum and labour portfolios besides the stewardship of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.<br /> <br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a><br /> <br /> President Buhari also assured of the administration’s readiness to implement the N5,000 monthly transfer to vulnerable Nigerians even as he said the campaign promise did not emanate from him but from his then running mate, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo. He also frowned at the allocation of N47.7 billion for the purchase of vehicles by the National Assembly even after the lawmakers had collected car loans from the government.<br /> <br /> The president, who expressed his readiness to negotiate with any credible leadership of the Boko Haram sect for the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls also disclosed his readiness to consider a ban on the use of hijab should the trend of bombing through young veiled girls continue.<br /> <br /> Noting the dire economic conditions facing the country, President Buhari was, nevertheless, against the immediate devaluation of the naira even as he revealed that N1.5 trillion had been recovered into the federation account through the implementation of the Treasury Single Account.<br /> <br /> The president also spoke on the fate of the Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, saying that he had allowed the Kaduna State government and the military authorities to take the lead in the investigations. He affirmed that the cleric had over time overstepped his bounds to the distress of the communities he lived.<br /> <br /> On the panel that interviewed the president yesterday were Kayode Akintemi, Channels TV; Dr. Ngozi Anyaegbulam, Media World International; Munir Dan Ali, Daily Trust and Ibanga Isine, Premium Times.<br /> <br /> On the ministers<br /> “I don’t think I tolerate corruption, I don’t think I picked anybody that I know will embarrass my government. But if you have any evidence about any of my ministers, I accept responsibility for the 36 ministers that I have.<br /> <br /> “I don’t think I took anybody among the ministers who has got a case in court. Tell me one out of the 36. I don’t think I will deliberately make that mistake.”<br /> <br /> Asked if he would sack any of the ministers if he or she is charged to court for corruption, he said:<br /> “No, I will insist that the case go through the courts.”<br /> <br /> On the location and condition of the Chibok girls, he said he would be prepared to negotiate with credible elements in the Boko Haram leadership if there is precise intelligence that could help return the girls to their parents. He, however, affirmed that presently he did not superior intelligence on the fate of the girls.<br /> <br /> “We are still keeping our options open. If a credible leadership of Boko Haram can be established and they tell us where those girls are, we are prepared to negotiate with them without any pre-condition. This we have made absolutely clear. But while they are keeping the Chibok girls, they must not get away with the idea that we will not attempt to secure the rest of Nigeria.<br /> <br /> “We have no firm intelligence on where they are physically and what condition they are in. But what we believe from our intelligence, they keep taking the girls around, they are not keeping all the girls in one place, we don’t know how many divisions they made of them and where they are.<br /> <br /> On the crisis in Kaduna involving followers of the Shite leader, Sheikh El-Zakzaky, he said:<br /> <br /> “I expect the Kaduna State Government to set up a judicial inquiry because it happened in Kaduna, in one of the cities and it has been there for the last twenty years from what I have been reading from papers. They will occupy a federal highway, sometimes from Kano to Kaduna. This is what I heard.<br /> <br /> “We have a system of investigation, the military that was involved too have a tradition of investigation and I am the head of the federal government, I have to wait for the official report before I can come out as head of the federal government and make a statement. So I am allowing the Army and the Kaduna State government to submit their report of inquiry. Meanwhile it does not mean that the police, the SSS and other directorate involved are not doing their own part of constitutional role.<br /> <br /> Frowning at the activities of the group, he said:<br /> “Unfortunately it is very serious. How can any group proclaim statehood in a state? I don’t want to speak about it in details now, I better leave it still after the report of the inquiry but there are a number of clips I saw, where some excited teenagers were visually hitting the chest of a general, mounting road blocks and threatening them with missiles.<br /> <br /> On the contentious issue of subsidy, the president said that by the end of the next quarter that there would be no more talk about subsidy in the price of petroleum.<br /> <br /> Money recovered<br /> “Money has been recovered but whatever we recover, has to end up in court because I feel personally that Nigerians are entitled to know the truth and the truth will be what the court has discovered by the submission made to them in terms of documentation and the documentation includes the bank statement of where our money was lodged, when it was lodged and how much. Whether it is petrol from NNPC or Customs and Excise or money directly from the Central Bank of Nigeria.”<br /> <br /> Told that he was limited in his disclosure of his assets, the president said that he had declared his assets at least four times in the past.<br /> The president expressed reservation on proposals by the National Assembly to commit N47.7 billion to purchase new vehicles after members had collected car loans from the government.<br /> <br /> N5,000 monthly stipend for the less privileged<br /> <br /> “When my VP was quoted, how can I come here and disown it? First, I believe in getting facts, how many are involved? How are we going to do it? Is it state by state or geo-political zone by geo-political zone? In trying to get the bottom of the problem, a lot of work has to be done and if it is undertaken, we have to look at it very well.”<br /> <br /> On Dasuki, Kanu and others<br /> <br /> Asked on the alleged flouting of court orders by the state on the issue of Dasuki and detained Biafran agitator, Nnamdi Kanu, he said:<br /> <br /> “Technically, if you see the kind of atrocities those people committed, if they jump bail? I am sorry to say this publicly…the former president just wrote to the governor of the CBN and said give N40 billion to someone while you have two million Internally Displaced Persons, what kind of country do you want to run?<br /> <br /> “The one you called Kanu, do you know he has two passports? One Nigerian, one British and he came to this country without using any passport? Do you know that he brought sophisticated equipment into this country and started broadcasting for Radio Biafra? There is a treasonable charge against him and I hope the court will listen to the case.<br /> <br /> Biafra and marginalisation of Ndigbo<br /> <br /> “They say they are marginalised but they have not defined the extent of marginalisation. Who is marginalising them? Where? Do you know? Choosing a minister is not a matter of ethnicity, it is a matter of the constitution. I am limited by what the constitution says that there must be a member of the executive council from each state. There is a lot of partisan politics in it. Who is the Minister of State for Petroleum? Is he not an Igbo? Who is the governor of the CBN? Is he not an Igbo? Who is the Minister of Labour? Who is the Minister of Science and Technology? What do they want? I stood elections and I won, I am limited by the constitution, I have a member of every state in the Federal Executive Council and I have to listen to them when I sit as chairman. That is the limit the constitution gave me”.<br /> <br /> Asked if he would consider banning the use of hijab in the face of the continued use of veiled girls in suicide missions in the Northeast, the president said:<br /> <br /> “Placing ban on hijab is not enough. However, if this continues it will be banned. Because it is for the safety of the people generally.”<br /> <br />

Latest-News Buhari defends his cabinet - 'None of my ministers is corrupt'

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, made a robust defence of the integrity of all 36 ministers in his cabinet challenging anyone with a...

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Nigerian soldiers molesting South-East, South-South travellers at Onitsha bridge – Ohanaeze

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3rwkRcAVIHkPeEHVtNLcXC2YQZI0S4KN-Hd0vWSQNiXCAERUltUzKRJP27JFmVRLBKc7Rozp0NqqFM3Wt84ScHf9-tbiGidBf_4hV3f3xQM1lYhjPPAqq3vmXQTqN_ZowJrxDglrQ2BA/s1600/Niger-bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3rwkRcAVIHkPeEHVtNLcXC2YQZI0S4KN-Hd0vWSQNiXCAERUltUzKRJP27JFmVRLBKc7Rozp0NqqFM3Wt84ScHf9-tbiGidBf_4hV3f3xQM1lYhjPPAqq3vmXQTqN_ZowJrxDglrQ2BA/s400/Niger-bridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> The Ohanaeze Youth Council has condemned what it called molesting of Easterners travelling home for Christmas and new year celebrations at Onitsha Head Bridge, Anambra State allegedly by soldiers from the 302 Battalion of the Nigerian army in Onitsha.<br /> <br /> In a statement by the National President of the Council, Mazi Okechukwu, the council said: “The officers and men of the 302 Battalion of the Nigerian Army at Onitsha appear to have a different agenda in that town. They appear to be there for [alleged] ethnic cleansing.<br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a><br /> <br /> “In the past one month, these raw soldiers have [allegedly] killed more than 20 unarmed Igbo youths. This time around, they waylay Igbos returning home for Christmas and New Year holidays and rough-handle a lot of them.<br /> <br /> “We can no longer tolerate this brazen act on our own land. We are neither at war nor a conquered people. Mr. President should intervene in this matter before it turns into another thing. We have the right to protect the dignity of our people.<br /> <br /> “The army is provoking us by their brazen acts in the South East and South South. We hope there is no cabal in the Nigerian Army that is pursuing an ethnic agenda and cleansing against Ndigbo.”

Latest-News Nigerian soldiers molesting South-East, South-South travellers at Onitsha bridge – Ohanaeze

The Ohanaeze Youth Council has condemned what it called molesting of Easterners travelling home for Christmas and new year celebrations at...

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Why I can’t release pro-Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu – Buhari

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCAt69j6SRh6SF3FP_jRPpq0YgqRNtveU_VyTnObnpqfwegQUvLEeqMElp75Zl9w9w44s6KRbjkIhsmx5hhtnxi4RSyCOiAYMfmwf5nRmWHLuwo08n24nbRCEfEE_qjcIoZgtVgIK_NHX/s1600/PMB-Nnamdi-Kanu+buhari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCAt69j6SRh6SF3FP_jRPpq0YgqRNtveU_VyTnObnpqfwegQUvLEeqMElp75Zl9w9w44s6KRbjkIhsmx5hhtnxi4RSyCOiAYMfmwf5nRmWHLuwo08n24nbRCEfEE_qjcIoZgtVgIK_NHX/s640/PMB-Nnamdi-Kanu+buhari.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <b><br /></b><b>President Muhammadu Buhari, Thursday, explained why he cannot release leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.</b><br /> <br /> The President disclosed that Kanu has two passports, one Nigerian, one British and came to the country without using any passport.<br /> <br /> President Buhari also made a robust defence of the integrity of all 36 ministers in his cabinet challenging anyone with a contrary view to present evidence against such a minister.<br /> <a id="more" name="more"></a><br /> <br /> Speaking in his first media chat, the president said the first gains of the war against corruption would become evident by the end of March, next year, even as he accused erstwhile National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) of having allegedly committed atrocities against Nigeria through reckless disbursement of billions of government funds.<br /> <br /> The president made his first dismissal of the agitation for Biafra stating that Igbo were in strategic position in the cabinet including holding the petroleum and labour portfolios besides the stewardship of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.<br /> <br /> President Buhari also assured of the administration’s readiness to implement the N5,000 monthly transfer to vulnerable Nigerians even as he said the campaign promise did not emanate from him but from his then running mate, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo. He also frowned at the allocation of N47.7 billion for the purchase of vehicles by the National Assembly even after the lawmakers had collected car loans from the government.<br /> <br /> President Muhammadu Buhari during his first presidential media chat,Thursday, in Abuja.<br /> The president, who expressed his readiness to negotiate with any credible leadership of the Boko Haram sect for the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls also disclosed his readiness to consider a ban on the use of hijab should the trend of bombing through young veiled girls continue.<br /> <br /> Noting the dire economic conditions facing the country, President Buhari was, nevertheless, against the immediate devaluation of the naira even as he revealed that N1.5 trillion had been recovered into the federation account through the implementation of the Treasury Single Account.<br /> <br /> The president also spoke on the fate of the Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, saying that he had allowed the Kaduna State government and the military authorities to take the lead in the investigations. He affirmed that the cleric had over time overstepped his bounds to the distress of the communities he lived.<br /> <br /> On the panel that interviewed the president yesterday were Kayode Akintemi, Channels TV; Dr. Ngozi Anyaegbulam, Media World International; Munir Dan Ali, Daily Trust and Ibanga Isine, Premium Times.<br /> <br /> <b>On the ministers</b><br /> “I don’t think I tolerate corruption, I don’t think I picked anybody that I know will embarrass my government. But if you have any evidence about any of my ministers, I accept responsibility for the 36 ministers that I have.<br /> <br /> “I don’t think I took anybody among the ministers who has got a case in court. Tell me one out of the 36. I don’t think I will deliberately make that mistake.”<br /> <br /> Asked if he would sack any of the ministers if he or she is charged to court for corruption, he said:<br /> <br /> “No, I will insist that the case go through the courts.”<br /> <br /> On the location and condition of the Chibok girls, he said he would be prepared to negotiate with credible elements in the Boko Haram leadership if there is precise intelligence that could help return the girls to their parents. He, however, affirmed that presently he did not superior intelligence on the fate of the girls.<br /> <br /> “We are still keeping our options open. If a credible leadership of Boko Haram can be established and they tell us where those girls are, we are prepared to negotiate with them without any pre-condition. This we have made absolutely clear. But while they are keeping the Chibok girls, they must not get away with the idea that we will not attempt to secure the rest of Nigeria.<br /> <br /> “We have no firm intelligence on where they are physically and what condition they are in. But what we believe from our intelligence, they keep taking the girls around, they are not keeping all the girls in one place, we don’t know how many divisions they made of them and where they are.<br /> <br /> On the crisis in Kaduna involving followers of the Shite leader, Sheikh El-Zakzaky, he said:<br /> <br /> “I expect the Kaduna State Government to set up a judicial inquiry because it happened in Kaduna, in one of the cities and it has been there for the last twenty years from what I have been reading from papers. They will occupy a federal highway, sometimes from Kano to Kaduna. This is what I heard.<br /> <br /> “We have a system of investigation, the military that was involved too have a tradition of investigation and I am the head of the federal government, I have to wait for the official report before I can come out as head of the federal government and make a statement. So I am allowing the Army and the Kaduna State government to submit their report of inquiry. Meanwhile it does not mean that the police, the SSS and other directorate involved are not doing their own part of constitutional role.<br /> Frowning at the activities of the group, he said:<br /> <br /> “Unfortunately it is very serious. How can any group proclaim statehood in a state? I don’t want to speak about it in details now, I better leave it still after the report of the inquiry but there are a number of clips I saw, where some excited teenagers were visually hitting the chest of a general, mounting road blocks and threatening them with missiles.<br /> <br /> On the contentious issue of subsidy, the president said that by the end of the next quarter that there would be no more talk about subsidy in the price of petroleum.<br /> <br /> <b>Money recovered</b><br /> “Money has been recovered but whatever we recover, has to end up in court because I feel personally that Nigerians are entitled to know the truth and the truth will be what the court has discovered by the submission made to them in terms of documentation and the documentation includes the bank statement of where our money was lodged, when it was lodged and how much. Whether it is petrol from NNPC or Customs and Excise or money directly from the Central Bank of Nigeria.”<br /> <br /> Told that he was limited in his disclosure of his assets, the president said that he had declared his assets at least four times in the past.<br /> <br /> The president expressed reservation on proposals by the National Assembly to commit N47.7 billion to purchase new vehicles after members had collected car loans from the government.<br /> <br /> N5,000 monthly stipend for the less privileged<br /> <br /> “When my VP was quoted, how can I come here and disown it? First, I believe in getting facts, how many are involved? How are we going to do it? Is it state by state or geo-political zone by geo-political zone? In trying to get the bottom of the problem, a lot of work has to be done and if it is undertaken, we have to look at it very well.”<br /> <b><br /></b><b>On Dasuki, Kanu and others</b><br /> <br /> Asked on the alleged flouting of court orders by the state on the issue of Dasuki and detained Biafran agitator, Nnamdi Kanu, he said:<br /> <br /> “Technically, if you see the kind of atrocities those people committed, if they jump bail? I am sorry to say this publicly…the former president just wrote to the governor of the CBN and said give N40 billion to someone while you have two million Internally Displaced Persons, what kind of country do you want to run?<br /> <br /> “The one you called Kanu, do you know he has two passports? One Nigerian, one British and he came to this country without using any passport? Do you know that he brought sophisticated equipment into this country and started broadcasting for Radio Biafra? There is a treasonable charge against him and I hope the court will listen to the case.<br /> <br /> <b>Biafra and marginalisation of Ndigbo</b><br /> “They say they are marginalised but they have not defined the extent of marginalisation. Who is marginalising them? Where? Do you know? Choosing a minister is not a matter of ethnicity, it is a matter of the constitution. I am limited by what the constitution says that there must be a member of the executive council from each state. There is a lot of partisan politics in it. Who is the Minister of State for Petroleum? Is he not an Igbo? Who is the governor of the CBN? Is he not an Igbo? Who is the Minister of Labour? Who is the Minister of Science and Technology? What do they want? I stood elections and I won, I am limited by the constitution, I have a member of every state in the Federal Executive Council and I have to listen to them when I sit as chairman. That is the limit the constitution gave me”.

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