Moving on with TraderMoni

The last 4 months really brought TraderMoni up close and personal to Nigerians at home, and even those abroad. This was because the main opposition party went to great lengths to describe the scheme as vote buying, alleging that the Vice President himself was doling out the said funds to the market women.

Now that the elections are almost over, the new rumours they are pushing around is that Prof. Osinbajo has suspended the scheme.

When stories like these start to make the rounds, one is initially tempted to just ignore, rather than help the ignorant drive up their traffic. However, when notable institutions like Punch Newspapers in the name of driving traffic to their site, decide to publish a story with such falsehoods and other absurdities, it becomes pertinent to exhume the truth for the people to see.

The notion that our media houses got fat on *brown envelope* journalism is well documented and as such, most of them don't really like the Buhari-Osinbajo stance of not "sharing the money".

Why that would now leave such deep-rooted institutions as Punch Newspapers and Thisday Newspapers to continually churn out stories with the aim of misleading the populace and smearing the person of the vice president is quite unreasonable and alarming.

Seeing as TraderMoni as a scheme was passed along side with its siblings MarketMoni and Anchor Borrowers Scheme, all were approved by the National assembly before their commencement, it will take more than the whims of the Vice President to actually suspend or stop the program.

What a lot of persons fail to realise is that the VP during his TraderMoni tours which seemed to coincide with the campaign season was only performing his duties as supervising minister to ensure that all federal government policies were being carried out as appropriate.

This is similar to the task he was again saddled with after the FEC meeting on the 20th of March 2019, to audit all policies enacted in the last 8 years and give a status report so that the federal government will know how to adequately move forward in the next dispensation.

So for final clarification purposes, TraderMoni which has never been suspended at any time since its inauguration, was approved by the 8th general assembly. It is fully handled by the Bank of Industry, and has since recorded 30000 new beneficiaries after the 2019 presidential elections.

The roles and powers of the vice president with respect to the scheme are only supervisory to ensure total compliance to the policies as stipulated and implemented by the federal government.

SENATOR OJUDU CONDEMNS PUNCH OVER FAKE NEWS

Contrary to the false publications by Punch online that the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo has suspended his Tradermoni tour, the Senator representing Ekiti Central and also the Special Adviser to the President on Political matters, Senator Babafemi  Ojudu has openly debunked the rumor currently being circulated by the media house.

According to him, "this is falsehood, a man (Professor Osinbajo) who for three months traveled round the country campaigning, in the course of which he was involved in helicopter crash, went through an election which is not even over as there are supplementary elections in six states this weekend".

"Mr President has also made him the coordinator of a Committee to audit all the projects embarked upon by this administration and yesterday he and the President were in the Federal executive Council meeting from 9.00am till 6.00 pm and you are condemning him for not going to the market", he stated further.

Senator Ojudu also noted that, "Some other men would have gone to seek rest in some far away land, this we have asked him to do and he said there is so much to do here". 

While stressing on the selfless nature of Prof Yemi Osinbajo, he said "Be rest assured that Osinbajo will never abandon the people, whether in the market, on the street or on the farm.It is who he is, the caring academics , pastor and politician".

Finally, Senator Ojudu condemned the Punch newspaper for pushing out a false narrative and also losing its credibility over time as they're now recently more involved in propaganda.

He said, "Our Punch, the Punch we adore is becoming something else. May our gold not rot".

RIGHT OF REPLY TO PENDULUM OPEN LETTER TO THE VP BY LAOLU AKANDE

My dear Bob Dee!



One could have easily made up his mind not to read or respond to anything you wrote after seeing the rather unprincipled queuing up behind Senator Bukola Saraki and then abandoning him, moving on to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and then deserting him as well.

But I felt one should respond to your attempts to create a false narrative from the very hollow lamentation of the recent elections as the “worst in our history”.



In my view, those like your good self, veteran journalists, who have built a formidable platform in the public arena must strive always to use the platform for the larger public good. There have been several interventions from you that reflect such true public spirit, but some of us stridently disagree with what at times could be perceived as a self-serving journalistic conduct. Many would seem to agree that this was obvious in your recent open letter to the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.


But first, let me thank you for your gracious words of congratulations to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Vice President, and your admiration for the VP’s commendable performance in office. I am certain that your quest for public accountability derives from that admiration.



It is important to state that a citizen’s open letter to public figures or government authority is always welcome here and not necessarily a matter of right or exclusive access. For us, such matters of access for the people to their elected leaders is of normal cause and ought not to be a matter of exclusivity nor should we make a play of it as so special.

As is typical of your propaganda machinery, it begins with an outrageous lie by the principal then the operatives like yourself repeat it ad naseum. It appears you were not in this country when foreign and local observers accepted the results.Independent Foreign Observers commended the transparency and credibility of the Presidential and National Assembly elections.


Also, the Independent ElectionMonitor group, supported by the French Embassy, concluded that “based on the analysis carried out in this document as well as the actual observations of the election activities across the country, it is Election Monitor’s considered opinion that the 2019 Presidential Election results are consistent with the will of the majority of voters who took part in the elections notwithstanding the various infractions which also occurred as they were not on a scale significant enough to affect the overall outcome of the election.(http://electionmonitorng.blogspot.com/2019/03/analysis-of-2019-nigerian-presidential.html)



YIAGA Africa’s Parrallel Voting Tabulation, relied on by international agencies, embassies and funders also said its  "findings show that for the presidential election the All Progressive Congress (APC) should receive between 50.0 per cent and 55.8 per cent of the vote." And that “the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) should receive between 41.2 per cent and 47.0 per cent of the vote; these figures are consistent with the official results as just announced by INEC.

“For both APC and PDP, the official results fall within the PVT estimated ranges.” That YIAGA AFRICA results statement was based on reports from 1,491 polling units which are 98.4 per cent of sampled polling units. YIAGA AFRICA’s projections were reportedly also consistent with the officially announced vote shares for the other 71 parties who contested in the presidential election. It is also believed that the group’s projections were based on the results announced in the polling units and would have detected any significant manipulation occurring during collation at the ward, local government area, State and national levels. Also, "INEC’s official results for turnout and rejected ballots were also generally consistent with YIAGA AFRICA WTV estimates.” (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/yiaga-africa-verifies-election-results/)



These are empirical facts, my dear Bob Dee, especially if you your analysis through any rigorous tests. Propaganda and falsehood only need a willing sponsor.



Yes, observers mentioned pockets of violence and some malpractices, but none felt that these were sufficient to affect the credibility of the elections or its results. Frequently cited is Ago Palace in Lagos. One unit in a city of 20 million! In any event, the real question is, how did the violence in the comparatively few places where it happened favour the President? And how come the strong allegations of foul play by the likes of Godswill Akpabio in Akwa Ibom, George Akume in Benue and Ndoma-Egba in Cross Rivers State (all APC Senatorial aspirants!) escaped your eagle eyes?



It is sometimes forgotten, and Bob Dee , you chose to forget, that for the previous 16 years before 2015, the PDP governments had conducted elections. Everyone is familiar with the incredible excesses of the elections and the election-observer reports so poignantly describe some.



In the 2003 elections which gave Atiku Abubakar and his boss a second term, Wikipedia observes that “Millions of people voted several times. The police in Lagos uncovered an electoral fraud, finding five million false ballots."



But the 2007 elections got even worse reviews: “Following the presidential election, groups monitoring the election gave it a dismal assessment. Chief European Union observer Max van den Berg reported that the handling of the polls had "fallen far short" of basic international standards, and that "the process cannot be considered to be credible", citing "poor election organisation, lack of transparency, significant evidence of fraud, voter disenfranchisement, violence and bias."

They described the election as "the worst they had ever seen anywhere in the world", with "rampant vote rigging, violence, theft of ballot boxes and intimidation").One group of observers said that at one polling station in Yenagoa, in the oil-rich South-South, where 500 people were registered to vote, more than 2,000 votes were counted.”


 Your choice of words such as “theatre of war” to describe the presidential polls is not only inaccurate and questionable by and large, but also surprising considering the recent history of past presidential polls. And you have to tell us who described the elections as “the most dreadful and desperate”?

Besides this facts that you carefully chose to ignore, the contents of your letter read in part like a brief for the opposition, and, at other times, a judgment of an electoral tribunal in favour of the opposition. And such bias undermines the credibility of the author such as yourself.


It could even render the write-up confusing rather than informing the readers. For good measure, Bob Dee, maybe we should just remind our readers that not only are you an active member of the opposition, you have also benefited from significant business relationships with some in the opposition circles. And this is entirely within your right.



But that certainly discounts your assessment about the direction of our administration. It also devalues your criticism of the narratives that hold those who raped this country in the past responsible for the consequences of their corrupt activities while in government.



One also wonders whether it is your well-known personal relationship with the opposition that has beclouded you so much that you seek to assail the anti-corruption efforts which ordinary and well-meaning Nigerians have embraced.



Let me make it clear that the facts show that while some old members of the opposition have joined APC, that has not shielded those responsible for corruption and graft. In any case, even if old PDP members are now APC members, the current leadership of the country under the APC stands out as it is made up of two gentlemen with impeccable integrity.



Old PDP members and all Nigerians are welcome just like sinners are embraced in the church, Inf act, the church was opened for sinners to be converted. And what is skewed about the anti-corruption campaign when the two governors who have now been convicted for corruption are both APC?





Having said that, be rest assured that the APC as a party will articulate its defences to any allegations. For the records, it is an obvious fact and this must be reiterated that the Buhari administration has a commendable record of respecting the independence of INEC, a clear departure from what occurred under previous administrations. This government also ensures that it provides all the support INEC requires, as well as respects the independence of the judiciary and has ensured that security forces act within the ambits of law. Even international observers have made their comments accordingly and positively.






As the Buhari administration always noted, every single loss of life is sad and lamentable. And previous elections have regrettably caused even far more losses. We must achieve an electoral system that doesn't result in any such loss of life. However, the record of improvement from the past is clear as it were.





To characterize the will of the people as Pyrrhic victory represents what exactly needs to change in and about our nation. Indeed, our privilege as elites imposes the responsibility of trustees of power, wealth, values and direction of and for a nation in the interest of the people upon us. To narrow this interest or substitute our amplified voices as the vocal minority for the silent majority is not only taking liberties a little too far, but also losing tune and touch with our national realities. As leaders, we must reflect introspectively on how we have prioritized the people, and how we must continue to do so going forward.



This is what President Muhammadu Buhari is known for and it is what played out in the elections. It is the voices of the few and the devices of the privileged that the Opposition regarded and expected to hold up. That did not happen.



We respect the right to disagree and exercise that right through the established mechanisms, but we reject any denigration and the diminishing of the electoral outcome which is the true voice and expression of the people of this country.



As you noted, the whole concept of sin in the worldly context is a violation of the law of the land, and in the spiritual context, a violation against God. That you judge either as a matter of law, or ecclesiastically when you by yourself determine that this administration is "committing sin" is a departure from what your letter identifies as its objective. Victory in an election is a nation speaking up, while the victor is the symbol of that nation's victory.



Both life, by its temporal nature, and the Constitution, by its term limitations and periodic elections, already ensure that we all know that everything but eternity is transient, and the example of that in our nation today is the rejection of the old order four years ago, and the most recent confirmation of that rejection by preferring the new and current order, and the Next Level of our national restoration and growth.



Finally, thank you for declaring your belief that the APC “would have won” a handsome victory because that was exactly what happened! It is your equivocation about Atiku’s loss expressed in the same letter where you said you expected an APC “handsome victory” that left me and other readers confounded. What are we to believe?



Again, thank you for your open letter. Be rest assured that the Vice President and the President would continue working for the good of all Nigerians in the Next Level.

MY ENCOUNTER WITH VP YEMI OSINBAJO

*A TRIBUTE FOR HIS 62ND BIRTHDAY*

My father, leader, boss, principal, mentor, uncle, friend and brother, His Excellency, Prof Yemi Osinbajo SAN, GCON is 62 today.

To start with, I have been privileged to have had close interactions, acquaintances and friendship with local, national and world leaders but two of them standout with their humility, *HE General Yakubu Gowon* and the celebrator, *HE Prof Yemi Osinbajo*. I must however stress the fact that I wasn't born during the Gowon years so I never had any interaction with him as Head of State. But having interacted extensively with Omo Ologo, as I fondly call the VP, I can say without any equivocation that he's the most humble political office holder I've ever come across all my life.

PYO exudes all the known virtues of Omoluabi; he is very humble, extremely brilliant, knowledgeable, wise, calm, "youthcentric", hardworking and sincerely committed to all worthy causes of state, faith and humanity.

Of all our interactions, that of the 29th Day of January, 2019 would linger in my memories forever. The VP was in Oyo State for an event at the University of Ibadan. I waited alongside other PYO enthusiasts and top Oyo State government officials on the protocol train to receive him at the Ibadan airport. As soon as he landed, he exchanged pleasantries with everyone; thereafter I proceeded to enter my car which had been well positioned in the convoy.

Surprisingly, His Excellency  beckoned on me to ride with him aboard the white Toyota Coaster bus ferrying him to the venue. Also on board were Senator Femi Ojudu, Oyo Deputy Governor Alake Adeyemo, Ondo politician, Sola Oke SAN, my very good egbon SSA Media Laolu Akande, Dr. Mrs Ebi Awosika, my friend, elder brother and campaign partner, Muyiwa Badmus aka Ribadu and a host of others.

While on board, the VP asked me about my media engagements and I briefed him extensively. He was highly delighted and he responded with "ku ise" (well done). I continued by saying that "sir, I have another media engagement today and won't be able to accompany you to the airport from UI again". Like a father to a son, he said "give me the radio frequency and time as I would be tuning in"

I later got to know that he listened and was highly impressed. On that same night, he sent my partner and I "an enablement" for our activities; a huge gesture that I have since documented in my upcoming book.

Once again, happy birthday to the Vice President, Professor Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo SAN, GCON; the Chief Driver of Nigeria's National Social Investment Programmes; husband of Barrister Oludolapo; father of lovely children; enabler and destiny helper of many youths; an epitome of loyalty; a godfearing man and a workaholic per excellence.
Thank you for all that you do.
May the good Lord bless you and your family.

Hon. Prince Adetayo Adekunle B.SC, MCPA.
Oyo State Spokesperson, Professor Yemi Osinbajo Support Group.

INVESTIGATION: ATIKU FLOODS YOLA WITH CAMEROONIANS

There are confirmed reports that buses carrying thousands of Cameroonians have been arriving Nigeria to Yola, Adamawa State.

A source close to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar revealed that these Cameroonian were brought into Yola through persons contracted by the former Vice President with the aim of disrupting the elections in the state and instigating violence especially in places where he is likely to lose.

The source who spoke on the condition of anonymity revealed that one of the foreigners brought in, Adamou Djouma ,stated that they were paid CFA80,000 per head.

It is recalled that few days ago, the acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu alleged that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is not originally a Nigerian claiming that he is a Cameroonian.

There have been reports in some quarter that the PDP, Nigeria’s main Opposition Party, has made plans to disrupt certain polling units where it believes it would lose in order to have those polling units cancelled.

Calls were put through to Security Personnel who stated that they have been alerted and are currently taking measures to tackle and curtail the situation.

The source close to the former Vice President also said that these Cameroonians would play a role in the voting process.

ATIKU ABUBAKAR: IMPUNITY PERSONIFIED

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a trained health inspection officer who worked for the Nigerian Customs Service and  as the Vice President of Nigeria, is seen by many as an irredeemably corrupt person who many see as corruption personified for the following reasons:

* He bought the PDP ticket to be its Presidential candidate in Port Harcourt by inducing each of the delegates that voted for him $5, 000;
* Making false claim of employing 100, 000 workers in his businesses;
* As PDP Vice President he implemented the instruction of his boss and  orchestrated the kidnapping and  detention of the Governor of Anambra state, Dr. Ngige;
* He conspired with his boss, President Obasanjo to illegally withheld FAAC allocation for Lagos States’ Local Government Areas;
* They rigged out AD Governors in the South West in 2003 by deploying subterfuge and criminal force;
* He played  leading roles  in the Halliburton scandal, the Siemens fraud, the Malabu Oil field criminal deal for which he was indicted;
* His money laundering case and indictment in the United States of America has been so thoroughly documented that, it will remain indelible forever;
* His role in handing over public assets built by patriotic Nigerians over the years to his friends for a token is proof of his lack of patriotism;
* Atiku Abubakar promised to enrich his friends by selling-off the family silver to them cheaply should he become the President of Nigeria;
* Atiku’s letter to foreign countries to fight the Buhari Administration on the CJN case exposes his status as a quisling of the West and an unpatriotic man who wants see his country ruined by others;
* Atiku on National Television bragged about how he stopped a former Governor of Anambra State, Chinwoke Mbadinuju from getting his second term.

Deji of Akure endorses “Progressives” Buhari and Osinbajo for second term

Like a snow ball rolling downhill, the number of endorsements being heaped on the President and his Vice, Prof. Osinbajo, as he goes about on his door to door campaign is growing exponentially.

On Wednesday, 30 January 2019, the supreme traditional ruler of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi gave his own endorsement to the candidates from the ruling party.

The Deji of Akure endorsed the duo when Vice President Osinbajo paid him a courtesy call at his palace in Akure, the capital of Ondo state accompanied by the state governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu.

In his speech, the Oba, while speaking to the Vice President’s entourage and his subjects present said “Everybody likes to be in a progressive place. Anyone who wants to be a progressive, hands up please. Vote for the people, we are all in the same boat.

“Look at how he (VP Osinbajo) is carrying out his door-to-door campaign. He doesn’t say we know we are going to win, even though by a big ratio but he doesn’t take his campaign for granted”.

“He is still going from door-to-door to tell the people what they will do. They want to tell the people their manifesto, to tell them that their government will do better. Yesterday the Afenifere endorsed them and Afenifere is the leader of Yorubas, so Akure should follow suit to.”

Afterwards the vice president continued his unique Family Chat, visiting the home of Florence Aladetoyinbo. He will make other stops in Ondo as he continues to interact with the people from one location to the next.

On Tuesday, Afenifere, the highest-ranking pan Yoruba group, endorsed the incumbent duo who are seeking re-election for their second term on the platform of the All Progressive Congress.

This was followed by that of Owa of Idanre, Oba Frederick Aroloye, Arubiefin III who proclaimed the second term bid was secured as the people of Idanre would be voting massively for the incumbent President and Vice President. He was quoted as saying “Go and write it down, you have won.”

A Life In The Day Of Osinbajo By Senator Babafemi Ojudu

 Fourth  Town Hall in Lagos in a row. Back to back VP Osinbajo today addressed the Christian community at The Grill in Ikeja, Igbos residents in Lagos in another function hall in The Grill, a group of disaffected politicians in Lagos at The Regency Hall in Alausa and the youths and professionals in Lekki.

Hundreds of them were there and he answered several questions, many of which will try a faint hearted person. He then moved to address representatives of Igbo’s in Lagos and he took time to address their concern. By the time he reeled out a list of Buhari appointees of Igbo origin and the projects ongoing in the East, the issues of marginalization and “ non juicy “ appointments fizzled out  like smoke.

From there it was to Lekki where young men and women drilled him on issues of economy, unemployment and corruption.
For the disaffected politicians he generally pleaded with them to be patient while they remain committed to their party and its objectives.

With candor he took every questions and patiently explained what appears as grey area in government policy, giving statistics here, examples there and throwing wits and humor in between.

It is surprising the little the people know ,or do we say , are willing to know. For example how can anyone say that Ministries such as Trade and Investment, Education, Technology, Labour are not important or “juicy” enough for the Igbos. Or that the CBN governor and other Igbos from Delta State are no Igbos and therefore whichever position they are holding is not countable for Igbos. He also addressed the issue of who gets the Presidency in 2023. He told the audience it is the votes that will determine. Let the South West, the South East as well as the South South go and mobilize the vote and whoever brings the highest number of votes on the table picks the trophy.

Overall it was a good day and very useful interaction between the leader and the led, one that has not been experienced on this scale before.
To cap it all Osinbajo walked into Ikeja City Mall where he had engagement with the Tejuoshos who run a bookshop. He made a stop at a couple of shops. It was an afternoon of a thousand cameras. The young shoppers on seeing him could not resist the temptation to whip out their phones and took selfies with him. He did it with the patience of a shepherd and his herds. Before we left the scene scores of the photographs taken were getting back to us and a particular one with an actors had under three hours attracted close to 20,000 likes.
This in short is a life in the day of this passionate  junior partner in the task of building a great Nigeria.

WHY NIGERIANS WILL NOT LOOK BACK By Laolu Akande

*There is no way Nigeria is returning to its past

In this past three and a half years of the Buhari presidency, one, thankfully, has learnt, experienced and been part of quite a number of things. One of those things is the amount of dedication, the depth of patriotic zeal and sheer hard-work that is going on in this administration.

I know the President’s determination to end grand corruption, not only by his exemplary personal example, but by insisting on the proper processes and by empowering institutions. I know the level of intellectual exertions and sheer human rigour that the Vice President daily brings to his work. Even most, if not all Nigerians and close watchers of Nigerian events, have settled on the notion that not only are both gentlemen, honest people of integrity, but that they are also truly united in taking Nigeria to where this country truly belongs. We have seen the direction of the Change promised, it is a right direction, and direction is destiny.

Today, in the early days of a new year in which elections are due in a matter of weeks, there is simply no match for this team, be it in vision or political probability and other forms of readiness to take Nigeria forward. The choice can’t be more stark: between Buhari and Osinbajo on the one hand and Atiku and Obi on the other. Whichever way you dice it, this is a black and white, open and close case.

So, we have an opposition that is led by a politician that represents the failure of the past, backed by a running mate who seem determined to simply bamboozle the Nigerian people with any imaginable talking point regardless of veracity, who himself have openly conceded to being part of the problem.

Let us start from there. Former Governor Peter Obi concedes in a Channels TV video of August 2018 (which has actually gone viral) that he was part of the decision not to save for the rainy day; his own admission before he joined this race. His principal, former Vice President Abubakar Atiku admitted that he was in charge when the electricity power reforms were being bungled and, by his own admission, money simply went down the drain while he was VP and similarly in all the other PDP presidencies that followed. So, we have about $16B thrown out the window by the opposition and their flag-bearer indeed owned up to that confounding profligacy, and incredible acts of corruption, waste and mismanagement.

Just so we don’t leave matters to conjecture, or hearsay, here are the words of the former VP in a May 25, 2014 Channels TV interview: “We collected money from local governments, States and others. Five sets of contracts were given. Some contractors were paid 100%. We left, nothing was achieved. Then President Yar’Adua came, he also made available money and it went down the drain. President Jonathan came, he also made money available and it went down the drain.”

Now add to that, the matter of grand corruption. If you are in my job environment in the media and communication arena, you could even think this matter has been over-flogged. We have been told by some that we should stop talking about it and rather focus on what we have succeeded in achieving.

Yes, we have succeeded in relaunching a massive infrastructural era in the history of this country, spendingan unprecedented N2.7 Trillion in two budget cycles on capital expenditure, even when our revenues are at times 60% lower than previous administration. And we have the projects in practically every State and geopolitical zone. Yes, it is true that the World Bank endorsed the economic direction of the administration when it ranked Nigeria among the top ten reforming economies in 2017, the same year we moved up 24 places in the bank’s global Ease of Doing Business ranking.

Yes, we have put in place an Anchor Borrowers Programme for farmers, where close to 800,000 farmers have benefited from soft loans to help in the agricultural diversification of the economy. This explains in good part what The Punch Newspaper editorial of December 31, 2018 described as “Nigeria’s Rice Revolution,” praising the quest for self- sufficiency.

Yes, we have been paying pensioners (in different public sectors) their claims that had backlogged for years and which were not paid when oil was selling at over $100. Yes, we have hired half a million otherwise unemployed graduates across the country and are feeding about 9.3m primary school pupils in 26 States one free nutritiousmeal a day.

Yes, almost 2 million petty traders are collecting a N10,000 initial loan - a collateral and interest free micro-credit scheme called TraderMoni - to support their bottom of the ladder trading; traders who otherwise have no access to any form of credit. This is besides MarketMoni, where traders and artisans are getting between N50,000 to as much as N300,000 soft loans to enlarge their business. We have done about 400,000 of such loans. And yes, we have a Conditional Cash Transfer of N5,000 monthly to the poorest and most vulnerable among us, with almost 300,000 Nigerians benefiting, although we are targeting one million.

Now, the point is we were able do all these even when we are earning less, at times 60% less, simply because President Buhari has ended grand corruption! So, there is no such thing as ‘stop talking about grand corruption.’ My Principal has in fact come under some orchestrated media onslaught on account of the anti- grand corruption narratives. But we have to talk about it! We should not and would not relent because honest leadership is very central today for Nigeria’s leadership. 

Nigerians are now comparing those highlights with the opposition party’s 16 years of grand corruption, lies and visionlessness. Certainly, the people are wiser and will not be given to the comprehensive display of grand deceit that is now hallmarking the campaign of the other party.

Besides, how can you set aside the several instances - at home and abroad - of settled facts regarding corrupt PDP leaders including its current presidential flag-bearer? In many of such cases these are open secret and theprosecution of these cases would certainly have to be taken to their logical conclusions sooner or later, both at home and abroad.

One example that readily comes to mind is the February 2010 report of the US Senate Permanent Investigations Subcommittee that implicated the PDP flagbearer. This is what the Chairman of that committee, Senator Carl Levin, had to say then:

“Our third case history examines Jennifer Douglas, a U.S. citizen and a wife of Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and former presidential candidate in Nigeria. From 2000 to 2008, she helped her husband bring more than $40 million in suspect money into the United States through wire transfers from offshore corporations. Ms. Douglas is alleged in a 2008 civil complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission to have received $2.8 million in bribe payments from a German conglomerate, Siemens AG. Siemens has pleaded guilty to criminal charges and settled civil charges related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and told the Subcommittee that it sent payments to her account at Citibank. The Subcommittee located three wire transfers, substantiating $1.7 million in payments from Siemens to Ms. Douglas in 2001 and 2002. Of the $40 million, the Subcommittee traced nearly $25 million in offshore wire transfers into U.S. accounts controlled by Ms. Douglas, provided primarily by three offshore corporations called LetsGo, Sima Holdings, and Guernsey Trust Company.”

Continuing, the report added that, “Ms Douglas indicated that all of the funds came from her husband and professed little familiarity with the offshore corporations actually sending her the money. In addition, two of the offshore corporations wire transferred about $14 million over five years to American University in Washington DC to pay for consulting services related to the development of a Nigerian university founded by Mr. Abubakar.”

According to Levin in that report, this kind of corruption “is a cancer that corrodes the rule of law, undermines economic development and eats away at the fabric of civil society. Corruption can destabilize communities, and lead to failed states, lawlessness and terrorism.” In fact, the accomplices in some of the criminal cases that developed out of this are cooling their heels in jails, including a former US Congressman. Whoever thinks Nigerians will fall for the grand scale deceit that attempts to ignore this reality will learn a telling lesson next month!

Which is why I am confident that there is no way Nigeria is going backwards. It just won’t happen. The days of politics and governance based on outrightly raw personal aggrandizement have not quite disappeared, but you bet those days are now numbered.

Nigerians are now paying attention to the undeniable fact that a federal administration which earned less resources in a little over three years has more to show for it than all previous administrations in the 16 years before it, including several years when oil was selling in the international market for over $100.

That does not take rocket science to figure out. According to OPEC statistics between 2010 and 2014, Nigeria earned over $383B from oil sales. Yet at the end of 2014 and into 2015, the nation’s foreign reserves was as low as below $30B. Fast forward to 2015 to 2018, even when oil prices dropped, Nigeria’s foreign reserves has increased significantly. As at January 4, 2019, Nigeria’s foreign reserves stood at $43B, the highest in the last six years.

Let me conclude on a slightly personal note. I believe with all my heart that President Buhari & Vice President Osinbajo are on a restoration mission and it is divine.  There are many like me who had prayed and hoped for a dutiful government that will reform the Federal Government. The truth is: that prayer has been answered. And while there is still so much left to be done, we as a people must ensure that we stay the course and give our nation a true opportunity to fulfill what I believe is a manifest destiny already. What use is their in going back to Egypt?

OPINION: RE: THE NORTH IS SUFFERING AND SMILING By Balkisu Saidu

“O you who believe!  Fear God, and stand with those who are truthful (in words and deeds).” These are the directives of Almighty Allah (Quran 9:119).

I was shocked by the content of an article titled ‘The North is Suffering and Smiling’ by Abu Shekara, Special Adviser on Media to Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State, published online by thisdaylive.com on 5 January 2019. My shock stems from the personal knowledge I have of the author, having worked with him at various times, since the 90s. Abu was known to me as a person who paid great attention to details and was interested in accuracy of facts. The flowery and superficial article in the publication bears little resemblance to the quality I expected from the Abu Shekara I knew.

It is, however, a political season. And as Albert Einstein reflected “all of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field.” Political agenda can becloud good judgment!

It is therefore not surprising that Abu Shekara will publish such scathing attack on the person and administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. What is surprising is his failure to point to the economic policies of the Government that were designed, as he claimed, to “adversely target” the Northern economic activities and have “ravaging impact on the livelihoods of the Northern masses.”

What I know, as a Northerner, is that going into the 2015 elections, our major concerns in the North were:

1.    Insecurity, majorly in the North East, where insurgents were in full control of 17 Local Government Areas with frequent abductions; recurring ethno-religious and communal conflicts; and farmers/herders clashes;

2.    Inadequate and dilapidated infrastructure, which had crippled economic activities with devastating implications on standard of living; and

3.    Growing population of out-of-school children and fallen standard of education.

In the three-plus years of the Buhari administration, all the areas under the control of the insurgents in the North East have been recovered; hundreds of abducted persons have been rescued; deliberate and decisive steps have been taken to address the farmer/herders clashes and communal conflicts, with verifiable accomplishments. Admittedly, there are still pockets of asymmetric attacks by insurgents and criminal activities by hoodlums and bandits, who are on the run and being rounded up.

These three-plus years have also recorded numerous achievements in the execution of projects in the North.  Some of these projects include:

1.    The completed 135km Sokoto–Tambuwal–Jega Road, in Sokoto and Kebbi States.

2.    The completed Shagari Irrigation Project, in Sokoto State.

3.    The provision of power supply to Federal Universities including Usmanu Danfodiyo University – Main Campus, Sokoto; Bayero University – New Campus, Kano; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University – Gubi Campus, Bauchi; and Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue.

4.    Provision of 60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformers in Sokoto, Sokoto State.

5.    Construction of Yauri-Koko-Jega Road, in Kebbi State.

6.    Provision of 60MVA Transformer in Dan Agundi Substation, Kano, Kano State.

7.    Provision of 2X60MVA Transformer in Kakuri Substation, Kaduna, Kaduna State.

8.    Provision of 60MVA Transformer in Katsina Substation, Katsina, Katsina State.

9.    Provision of 40MVA Mobile Substation at Zaria, Kaduna State.

10.    Provision of 2x40MVA 132/33KV Power Transformer at Daura, Katsina State.

11.    Provision of 60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformers at Hadejia, Jigawa State.

12.    Provision of 60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformers at Funtua, Katsina State.

13.    Completion of Galma Dam, Kaduna State.

14.    Construction of 3,050MW Mambilla Power Plant, Taraba State.

15.    Completion of 330/132KV Molai Transmission Substation in Maiduguri, Borno State.

16.    Completion of 330/132KV Damaturu Transmission Substation, Yobe State

17.    Provision of 60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformers at Bauchi, Bauchi State.

18.    Provision of 40MVA Mobile Substation at Damboa, Borno State.

19.    Provision of 28/40MVA Mobile Substation at Mayo Belwa, Adamawa State.

20.    Provision of 30/40MVA Mobile Substation at Gombe, Gombe State.

21.    Sabon Gari and Kantin Kwari Market Electrification Projects, Kano State.

22.    Construction of 215MW Kaduna Power Plant, Kaduna State.

23.    Construction of 10MW Katsina Wind Power Plant, Katsina State.

24.    Construction of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway.

25.    Dualisation of Kano–Wudil–Shuari section of Kano–Maiduguri Road, linking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe–Borno States.

26.    Dualisation of Kano–Katsina Road.

27.    Construction of Kano Western Bypass.

28.    Construction of Kaduna Eastern Bypass, Kaduna State.

29.    Construction of Modern Medical Diagnostic Centre at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Kaduna State.

30.    Completion of Sabke Water Supply Project, Katsina State.

31.    Dualisation of Shuarin-Azare section of Kano–Maiduguri Road linking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe.

32.    Dualisation of Azare–Potiskum section of Kano–Maiduguri Roadlinking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe–Borno States.

33.    Dualisation of Potiskum–Damaturu section of Kano–Maiduguri Roadlinking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe–Borno States.

34.    Dualisation of Damaturu–Maiduguri section of Kano–Maiduguri Road linking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe–Borno States.

35.    Reconstruction of Gombe-Numan-Yola Road.

36.    Reconstruction of 122km Mayo Belwa-Jada-Ganye-Toungo Road.

37.    Construction of 40MW Kashimbila Dam & Hydro Power Plant, Taraba State.

38.    Construction of 29MW Dadin Kowa Hydro Power Plant, Gombe State.

39.    Completion of Takum Water Supply Project, Taraba State.

40.    Construction of Oju/Loko–Oweto bridge over River Benue to link Loko (Nasarawa State) and Oweto (Benue State).

41.    Dualisation of Abuja–Abaji–Lokoja Road.

42.    Dualisation of Suleja–Minna Road in Niger State.

43.    Dualisation of Abuja–Abaji–Lokoja Road, Koton Karfe–Lokoja in Kogi State.

44.    Dualisation of Lokoja-Benin Road: Obajana–Okene in Kogi State.

45.    Rehabilitation of Enugu–Makurdi Road.

46.    Construction of Otukpo-Oweto Road.

47.    Completion of construction of 93km Ilorin-Jebba Road.

48.    Dualisation of Abuja–Keffi–Lafia–Makurdi Road.

49.    Rehabilitation of Suleja-Minna Road.

50.    Construction of Nigeria’s Central Rail Line (Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri Standard Gauge Line), spanning Kogi, Edo and Delta States.

51.    Rehabilitation of the Abuja International Airport Runway, and construction of new Abuja International Airport Terminal.

52.    Completion of the Bill Clinton Drive Interchange Bridge along the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Road (Airport Road), in the FCT.

53.    Construction of Apo–Wasa–Karshi Dual Carriageway, in the FCT.

54.    Construction of the Inner Southern Expressway (Goodluck Jonathan Way) in the FCT.

55.    Completion of Mangu Regional Water Supply Scheme, in Plateau State.

56.    Completion of Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi Water Supply Project, Benue State.

57.    Construction of 30MW Gurara Power Plant, Niger State.

58.    Construction of 700MW Zungeru Hydro Power Plant, Niger State.

59.    Provision of 150MVA 330/132//33KV Power Transformers at Kanji (Fakun), Niger State.

60.    Provision of 2x60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformer at Lokoja, Kogi State.

61.    Provision of 1460MVA 132/33KV Power Transformers at Kontagora, Niger State.

62.    Provision of 60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformers at Okene, Kogi State.

63.    Provision of 2x40MVA 132/33KV Power Transformer at Kainji (Dogon Gari), Niger State.

64.    Provision of 2x60MVA 132/33KV Power Transformer at Kukwaba, FCT.

65.    Provision of 60MVA Transformer in Karu Substation, FCT.

66.    Construction of Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway.

67.    $12.4 million project funded by the Japanese Government for the upgrading (installation of power capacitor banks) of two Transmission Sub-Stations, in Apo, FCT and Keffi, Nasarawa to stabilise power supply to 7,000 households. 

The N-Power Scheme of the Social Investment Programme (SIP) has recruited beneficiaries in each Local Government Area of the 19 Northern States, who are providing support in teaching, healthcare, agriculture, etc. The Home-Grown School Feeding Programme of the SIP has resulted in increase in enrolment and retention of pupils in Public Primary Schools, while providing employment to hundreds of cooks and farmers. The TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni have been disbursed in all the 19 States of the North, supporting small and medium traders with cash flow; while MSME Clinics provide technical support to entrepreneurs. The Anchor Borrowers Programme’s support to smallholder famers and millers has brought about unprecedented boost in agricultural production in the North; and the Conditional Cash Transfer to the poorest of the poor is providing succour to the hitherto forgotten underprivileged members of our communities.

I ask Abu, please which of the above economic policies of the administration of Muhammadu Buhari has ravaged the livelihoods of the Northern masses?

Perhaps Abu Shekara would like to refocus his attention home. Perhaps he would like to assist the people of our State, Sokoto, with a list of achievements recorded by our State Government from May 2015 to date. Even with what Abu Shakara has described as “failures” of President Muhammadu Buhari, the fact remains that, from May 2015 to December 2019, a total of ₦207,032,768,396.67 has been released by the Federal Government to the Government of Sokoto State.

These releases include:

 1.    Share of Federation Account ₦158,159,883,659.42 (May 2015 to December 2018);

 2.    Budget Support ₦17,569,000,000.00 (June 2016 to January 2018);

 3.    Paris Club Refund ₦31,303,884,737.25

Abu may wish to inform Sakkwatawa of the projects executed in Sokoto State that are commiserate with over Two Hundred and Seven Billion Naira. After all, governance is the shared responsibility of the three tiers – Federal, States and Local Government Councils.

As the record of President Muhammadu Buhari in the area of development in the North is examined, let us look inwards to also examine, in a similar dispassionate manner, the records and achievements of our State. Sokoto, the Seat of the Caliphate; the cradle of just governance; the exalted home of revered Sheikh Usmanu Bn Fodiyo and Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto.

The big difference here is: while President Muhammadu Buhari is open to, and actually invites scrutiny of his record, others find any enquiry about their records as “political witch-hunt”, “attempt to embarrass”, or “act of disrespect.” It is understandable that the overwhelming acceptance of President Muhammadu Buhari by the Northerners will be disconcerting to the opposition, however, the blatant attempt to manipulate the Northerners into thinking that their brothers and sisters from other parts of the country are now their enemies or that their capable and over-achieving President is being controlled into “abandoning” their cause is not going to work. Northerners are not gullible. Northerners crave facts not fiction; and they can certainly discern the motives behind outlandish and concocted allegations, mischief and misrepresentations.

My counsel to Abu Shekara: please do not allow political agenda to cloud your judgment.

Saidu is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Research, Legal and Compliance Matters, Office of the Vice President