Nigerian Newspapers
2015: Jonathan, Tambuwal in cold war
• Speaker shuns presidential fleet
• IBB’s advice to seek ‘higher office’ unsettles presidency
• Okupe:It’s a free world
The Presidency is poised for war with Speaker Aminu Tambuwal of the House of Representatives over what it perceives as his interest in the 2015 presidential race.
The seat of power is said to have been ‘provoked’ by the public encouragement given the Speaker by former military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida, in Lagos penultimate Saturday, to take a shot at the presidency.
Babangida, speaking at the Vanguard Man of the Year Awards Nite in Lagos had said: “When leaders like Tambuwal deliver on their electoral promises, we advise them to try something higher. For Tambuwal, your guess is as good as mine. Well done.”
Tambuwal was a guest at the event.
The Presidency, sources said, is also uncomfortable with the high level of confidence enjoyed by Tambuwal with the opposition that does not see face to face with the ruling PDP (to which President Jonathan and Tambuwal belong).
Similarly, intelligence reports suggest that Tambuwal’s comments on national issues are in tandem with those of the opposition.
Although the Presidency and the Tambuwal-led House of Representatives have been locked in a long –standing face off over budget matters, his alleged interest in the 2015 presidential race appears to have turned him into ‘Enemy N0 1’ in the villa. Some security agencies, it was gathered, have already put him under surveillance.
This, sources disclosed has forced the Speaker to adopt a ‘discreet approach” in his movement and activities.
The strain in the relationship between him and the Presidency has now been fuelled by Gen. Babangida’s comment that he deserves to seek a higher position in the polity.
According to investigation by our correspondent, loyalists of the President have, in the last one year, picked Tambuwal as a potential threat to the second term ambition in 2015 even when there was no concrete evidence to show that he was interested in the race.
Sources said that Jonathan had twice taunted Tambuwal to know his mindset on 2015 but on both occasions, the Speaker merely smiled and waved it off.
A highly-placed source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The Presidency is uncomfortable with Tambuwal because of what it terms his anti-government attitude. Besides the uncompromising oversight of the House on 2012 and 2013 budgets, the presidency sees the Speaker as working for the opposition.
“The advice of Babangida to Tambuwal to go for a “higher office” has unsettled Jonathan and his strategists on the 2015 agenda. The general interpretation is that Tambuwal might be the candidate of the North against Jonathan.
“In fact, barely 24 hours after Babangida’s suggestion, two northern governors called Tambuwal to know whether he would seek the presidential ticket on the platform of a party other than the PDP. But the Speaker was just laughing.”
Asked why Tambuwal was non-committal to the governors, the source added: “The Speaker felt the fear of the unknown about 2015 in the Presidency has been recurring. There has been some drama of suspicion, twice, on 2015 between the President and Tambuwal. For instance, during one of the consultative sessions with the National Assembly leaders on 2013 budget at the Presidential Villa, the President drew the President of the Senate, David Mark, closer to himself on the sofa by saying, ‘after all, we are together in the same party.’ The import was not lost to Tambuwal.
“Also during the inauguration of the Eko Atlantic City Project in Lagos, Tambuwal was on hand in Lagos, among other guests, to welcome Jonathan. Upon sighting Jonathan, Tambuwal jokingly said: “Your Excellency, you can see that I came early enough to receive you’, but the President simply told the Speaker, ‘You came as the presidential candidate of ACN.’
“Yet, the Speaker has not shown interest in the presidential race. He is still preoccupied with the mandate given to him to lead the House.”
Investigation showed that another reason the presidency is suspicious of Tambuwal was his remarks on Monday in Abuja that government should be cautious in granting pardon to those who have committed economic and financial crimes.
Another source added: “The government regarded Tambuwal’s position as a way of distancing himself from the decision of the National Council of State on ex-Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. The Presidency was hurt that Tambuwal did not oppose the pardon at the Council of State session.
“The Speaker’s position also rubbishes security brief that Alamieyeseigha enjoys the backing of Tambuwal. Prior to Tambuwal’s warning, he was sighted at a highbrow hotel on Victoria Island in Lagos with Alamieyeseigha having a breakfast session.
“Actually, Tambuwal was eating alone before Alamieyeseigha tapped him and joined the table for some talks. A South-South governor also teamed up with the duo.
“Alamieyeseigha and some government officials at the hotel left the table confident that there could be a friend in Tambuwal. But on Monday, Tambuwal lambasted the Presidency on amnesty for corrupt elements. This twist shocked many in the Presidency.”
On the security surveillance on him, a source said: “The Speaker knows he is under surveillance, especially on 2015 poll which is not yet on his political card. But he is trying to be careful to avoid being framed up.
“Well, like most public officials now, Tambuwal is hardly using his phone and he runs an unscheduled itinerary known to himself alone.
“The Speaker also does not use any aircraft in the presidential fleet despite his tight commitments nationwide. He is now more open to some PDP leaders like Chief Tony Anenih and two to three ministers to enable them understand his person. He has told these people that he is not undermining the government or working against President Jonathan.”
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, however denied any cold war between his principal and Tambuwal.
Contacted last night, Okupe said: “I am not aware of any cold war between the President and the Speaker. My belief is that there is very obvious separation of powers and activities between the Executive and the Legislature.
“In terms of bills, there are areas of disagreement when the Executive do send them to the Legislature which do not amount to cold war.” On the recommendation of Tambuwal for a higher office by ex-President Babangida, Okupe said: “Why should the presidency be jittery? If ex-President Babangida recommended the Speaker for a higher office, there are other offices along the ladder. It could be President of the Senate, it could be Vice-President. It does not mean the President of Nigeria.
“Even if he recommended him for the Presidency of Nigeria, it does not call for being jittery. It is a very free world.”
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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