Nigerian Newspapers
2015: Tambuwal may go for it
By ADE ALADE
Under pressure from prominent northern leaders to contest the 2015 presidential election, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has begun moves to actualise his ambition on the platform of the newly formed opposition mega party, All Progressives Congress (APC) should President Goodluck Jonathan press on with plans to seek re-election on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Though the Speaker has consistently played down on his ambition when confronted by the media, one of his close associates and member of the House of Representatives, who is involved in the “project,” told Saturday Sun emphatically that “Honourable Tambuwal will not only contest the 2015 election but will also do so, to the shock of many, on the platform of the opposition party, APC since the democratic space in PDP has been closed already because of the ambition of the president (Jonathan) to contest in 2015.”
The source added that Tambuwal’s ambition developed a life of its own after an influential group of northern leaders led by former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, endorsed the Speaker “as a presidential candidate the North can present as the region’s consensus candidate that will be acceptable to other parts of the country, especially the South West, which is the stronghold of the opposition.”
It was gathered that the Babangida group, which includes former National Security Adviser, Mohammed Aliyu Gusau, had, in fact, met with the National Leader of Action Congress of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a number of times in Lagos and Abuja between February and March to inform him about their desire to rally the North behind a Tambuwal candidature and seek his support.
A source close to the former Lagos State governor confirmed this, saying: “Though Asiwaju (Tinubu) assured them of his commitment to all efforts to use the emerging APC platform for a democratic change of government in 2015, he stressed that the platform will be made open to accommodate all, including Tambuwal.” It was further learnt that this agreement informed the decision of Babangida, to let the cat out of the bag about a fortnight ago by publicly calling on the Speaker, Tambuwal, to consider running for higher office based on his sterling performance as leader of the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
Babangida, who made the call at the investiture of ‘Vanguard Man of the Year Award,’ in Lagos, said that owing to Tambuwal’s performance and conduct in office, he had the belief that he has the capacity “to sustain the labour of our heroes past, adding: “When leaders like Tambuwal delivered on their electoral promise, we advise them to try something higher. For Tambuwal, your guess is as good as mine.” Still fighting hard to keep the arrangement shrouded in secrecy, Tambuwal, in a response through his spokesman, Imam Imam, said the higher office referred to by Babangida does not necessarily mean the presidency.
According to him: “Higher office does not mean the presidency. Speaker is number four. Higher office can be number three, two or one. And mind you, as a respected Nigerian, IBB has the right to say what he wants to say and advise whoever he feels needs his advice. I think you should ask IBB to give you the proper definition of what he means by higher office. “The Speaker always maintains one fact; when it is time for politics, there should be politics, but when it is time for governance, there should be governance.
We have a four-year mandate and this time that we are now is time to govern; right now, we are busy with governance issues; when it is time for politics, politics can be done.” Responding through a text message to Saturday Sun’s inquiry on Wednesday, the Speaker’s spokesman would, however, not confirm or deny Tambuwal’s preference for APC presidential ticket, stressing instead that the number four citizen “has not even spent two years in office and you are talking about 2015. Allow him to execute this mandate first.”
A presidential aide, who preferred not to be named, however, said: “We are aware of all the behind-the-scene moves of the Speaker, but he knows his alliance with the opposition cannot stop Mr. President in 2015 if he decides to run. The leadership of the PDP has also been properly briefed about this unholy alliance, as a result of which we see him now as a traitor.” The Speaker enjoys tremendous support from opposition members of the House of Representatives, in addition to his cordial relationship with his party’s members in the House.
His romance with opposition political parties, especially the ACN has been more visible through his presence in virtually all events and programmes organised by their leaders across the country. He has equally tended towards opposition’s views in his comments on several national issues. Tambuwal emerged the Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2011 after attempts by the leadership of the ruling PDP and the Presidency to impose Hon. Mulikat Adeola Akande on the green chamber were popularly resisted by members who wanted to assert legislative independence and prove that the emergence of President Jonathan, in spite of a zoning arrangement in PDP, signified the death of that understanding.
He had earlier, in 2007, been elected into the House to represent the Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency of Sokoto State before his re-election in 2011. His ability to integrate the growing number of members from opposition parties into the mainstream of House leadership, his frequent checks on executive excesses as well as revelations coming from House panels probing certain expenditure by the executive arm of government have largely endeared him to many beyond the precincts of the legislative chambers.
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Source: The Sun Newspaper
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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
•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
Kamaru Usman has raked in a mammoth £1.1million, about N584.2 million after his impressive knockout victory over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night, Sportivation.com.ng reports.
The Nigerian Nightmare has been handsomely rewarded for his stunning performance and he was the best-paid fighter on the card which was witnessed by 15, 000 fans in Florida.
According to Daily Mail, Usman earned £538,000 to show up, £459,000 pay-per-view bonus, a £43,000 sponsorship bonus and a well deserved £35,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Jorge Masvidal also earned £358,000 to show, £186,000 in pay-per-view money and a £28,000 sponsorship bonus.
This is the biggest payday of Usman’s career so far and the Welterweight champion also benefited from the fact that Masvidal is also a top draw for the fans.
Kamaru Usman is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler.
Sourced From: Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics
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
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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