Featured

APC Govt Can’t Secure Nigerians -ASUU …As PDP Tells Buhari To Stop Whining, Accept Failure …Adebanjo Attacks President Over Abacha Defence

Published

8 years ago

May 25, 2018

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), yesterday, described as a sign of irresponsibility, the failure of the Federal Government to tame the spate of killings across the country.
The union maintained that “a government that allows her people to be murdered daily is totally irresponsible” and has failed to fulfil the social contract of protecting lives and properties.
In an interview with journalists after the union’s congress, yesterday, ASUU Chairman, University of Ibadan chapter, Dr. Deji Omole demanded adequate security of lives and property of Nigerians from the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Omole also called for the de-politicisation of security by heads of security agencies, saying loyalty must be to Nigeria and not to Aso Rock residents.
He noted that Nigerians, who were already battling with poor economic conditions, were now afraid that their lives could be terminated anyhow, adding that the Buhari-led Federal Government had been issuing ineffective condemnation speeches.
According to him, “it is a sign of irresponsibility for the government to fold its arms, while people are being killed daily, only to approve N10billion for rebuilding affected communities. Serious government would have prevented destruction from happening but the government allowed the carnage to happen”.
Omole noted that while land transportation was hellish for Nigerians, it was now more deadly to travel since criminals had positioned themselves on major roads kidnapping, raping, dispossessing and killing people at will.
He said food production was now threatened because communities affected were farming communities, while those displayed were farmers.
“If Nigerians are already denied quality health facilities, quality education, quality social services, they must not be denied right to life.
“This is the worst form of treating the governed by a government which promised hope to the masses but which the rich have continued to benefit from.
“It is sad that one state claimed to have lost about 500 persons to herdsmen terrorism and nobody has been prosecuted for this.”
Meanwhile, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to end his blame game and use of hate language against past leaders as cover for his poor performance, the economic hardship and the escalated insecurity his administration has caused Nigerians despite ample resources at their disposal.
In a statement, yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the opposition party said: “It is sad that President Buhari does not have a single development project initiated and implemented by his administration in any part of the country in the last three years.
“He has also failed to fulfil the littlest of his 2015 campaign promises through which Nigerians were deceived to vote him into office.
“Now that he has failed, one wonders what other false promises the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) will anchor their 2019 campaign and elections.
“It is tragic that instead of being remorseful, the Buhari Presidency finds it convenient to engage in endless blame game, shameful attempts to appropriate PDP projects and programmes, as well as dishing out of false performance indices ahead of its three years anniversary on May 29.
“Worst still, President Buhari finds solace in commissioning projects executed by other leaders, like his humiliating commissioning of a regular bus station constructed by the Lagos State Government and a borehole in Jigawa State, which show crass failure of governance.
“It is embarrassing that whenever our President visits other world leaders, he would have nothing to present but mere rhetoric from a prepared speech, while other leaders proudly reel out their achievements.
“Nigerians recalled that last March, our nation was embarrassed when the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, cheerfully reeled out his achievements under one year in office, including his farming for job initiative, the senior high school free education, the one district-one factory projects, one village-one dam project among others, only for President Buhari to present an empty score card when it was his turn to speak.
“Last month, Nigerians witnessed another international embarrassment when President Buhari could not present any development project before United States President Donald Trump, who made his nation proud by showcasing his achievements and the potentials of his country.
“Nigerians can recall President Buhari’s poor showing at the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London, where his only achievement was to further de-market our nation by declaring our youths as lazy and lovers of freebies.
“President Buhari and his handlers must know that Nigerians are tired of their ineptitude and blame game. The beauty of democracy is that it affords the citizens the inalienable right to remove any government that does not effectively govern and this is the inevitable end of the APC, come 2019.”
Also, a chieftain of the apex Yoruba social-political group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has attacked President Muhammadu Buhari for speaking good of the late military dictator, Gen Sani Abacha.
Adebanjo said Buhari spoke well of Abacha because he was his appointee and benefited from the deceased’s dictatorial regime.
The President had, last Tuesday said, “I don’t care the opinion you have about Abacha, but I agreed to work with him, and we constructed roads from Abuja to Port Harcourt, Benin to Onitsha, and so on.”
But Adebanjo, who spoke with newsmen, said the President had lost his credibility and should not be taken seriously.
He said, “Buhari worked under Abacha, and why are you surprised about his support for Abacha?
“Here is a President who has lost his credibility and some Nigerians are still taking him seriously.
“I have always spoken about the anti-democratic ideals of Buhari but his supporters at that time told me that Buhari had changed to a democrat?

Featured

Fubara Dissolves Rivers Executive Council

Published

6 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council.

The governor announced the cabinet dissolution yesterday in a statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’, signed by his new Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi.

Governor Fubara directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.

He thanked the outgoing members of the State Executive Council for their service and wished them the best in their future endeavours.

The three-paragraph special announcement read, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council.

“His Excellency, the Governor, has therefore directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.

“His Excellency further expresses his deepest appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council wishing them the best in their future endeavours.”

Featured

INEC Proposes N873.78bn For 2027 Elections, N171bn For 2026 Operations

Published

6 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.

INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.

According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.

An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.

The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.

He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.

“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.

The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”

On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”

The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.

He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.

Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.

Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.

He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.

He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.

In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.

The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.

The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.

Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.

He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.

“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.

The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.

Featured

Tinubu Mourns Literary Icon, Biodun Jeyifo

Published

6 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

President Bola Tinubu yesterday expressed grief over the death of a former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and one of Africa’s foremost literary scholars, Professor Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo.

Jeyifo passed away on Wednesday, drawing tributes from across Nigeria and the global academic community.

In a condolence message to the family, friends, and associates of the late scholar, Tinubu in a statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, described Jeyifo as a towering intellectual whose contributions to African literature, postcolonial studies, and cultural theory left an enduring legacy.

He noted that the late professor would be sorely missed for his incisive criticism and masterful interpretations of the works of Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.

The President also recalled Jeyifo’s leadership of ASUU, praising the temperance, foresight, and wisdom he brought to the union over the years.

Tinubu said Jeyifo played a key role in shaping negotiation frameworks with the government aimed at improving working conditions for university staff and enhancing the learning environment in Nigerian universities.

According to the President, Professor Jeyifo’s longstanding advocacy for academic freedom and social justice will continue to inspire generations.

He added that the late scholar’s influence extended beyond academia into political and cultural journalism, where he served as a mentor to numerous scholars, writers, and activists.

Tinubu condoled with ASUU, the Nigerian Academy of Letters, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Oberlin University, Cornell University, and Harvard University—institutions where Jeyifo studied, taught, or made significant scholarly contributions.

“Nigeria and the global academic community have lost a towering figure and outstanding global citizen,” the President said.

“Professor Biodun Jeyifo was an intellectual giant who dedicated his entire life to knowledge production and the promotion of human dignity. I share a strong personal relationship with him. His contributions to literary and cultural advancement and to society at large will be missed.”

Jeyifo was widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential literary critics and public intellectuals. Among several honours, he received the prestigious W.E.B. Du Bois Medal in 2019.