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Atiku, Tambuwal, Tinbu Give Jonathan Quit Notice
President Goodluck Jonathan and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Wednesday suffered another round of attacks from the All Progressives Congress (APC) as leading members of the opposition party took a swipe at his administration, asking him to prepare his handover note as the end of administration is imminent.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, described the head of the federal government as a “complete failure and a disappointment to Nigerians.”
Tambuwal, who recently defected from the ruling PDP to the APC, while speaking in Benin City, the Edo State capital, at the sixth anniversary of the Governor Adams Oshiomhole administration, said he accepted the invitation to join the opposition party because the PDP had failed Nigerians.
He said what Nigerians were currently experiencing was not a government but a cabal that hijacked the resources of the people for their selfish interest.
The speaker admonished Nigerians not to be deceived again by the antics of the PDP in the 2015 general election, as it had been proven that the ruling party will not provide good governance.
He described the APC as a movement for change with the objective of ensuring better living condition for the people, advising those campaigning for the re-election of Jonathan to go and settle debts they owed the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), before soliciting for votes for him to avoid prosecution.
Tambuwal urged Jonathan to stop covering his lack of performance with the excuse that he was being intimidated because he comes from the minority, because what Nigerians need is good governance and not where the person comes from.
His words: “I accepted to join the movement for change in Nigeria being championed by the APC because the government at the centre has failed, and the objective of the change movement is to provide Nigerians with uninterrupted power supply and improved infrastructure.
“What we have at the moment is not a government but a cabal that has hijacked the resources of the people for its selfish interest. Nigerians should not be deceived again. It has been proven that the PDP will not provide good governance. What Nigerians need is good governance no matter where the person who would provide it comes from.
Also speaking, former governor of Lagos State and national leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, charged Nigerians to use their votes to liberate the country from the PDP’s imposed poverty in 2015.
He reiterated the party’s call for President Jonathan to resign, or the APC would sweep him out of office in the forthcoming polls, as insurgents are gradually taking over Nigeria under his leadership.
Tinubu wondered why the president would still go ahead with his declaration for the presidential election on Tuesday when he should have been mourning the death of over 47 students who were bombed in Potiskum, Yobe State, a day before his declaration.
He contended that the insensitivity displayed by Jonathan showed how he governs the country.
“Jonathan danced on the blood of the Yobe school children when he went ahead with his declaration for the 2015 presidential election yesterday (Tuesday) in Abuja.
Insurgents are taking over parts of Nigeria; who is responsible? How can soldiers who stake their lives fighting the insurgents be rounded up and sentenced to death? Jonathan must resign. If he fails to resign, we will sweep him away,” Tinubu said.
Urging Nigerians to be ready to vote out the PDP in the 2015 elections, the APC leader said: “We have done it before and we are ready to do it again. We will show them that the power of the people is greater than the power of tyranny.”
He warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against collaborating with the PDP, saying that the APC will resist such plot, adding that the opposition will support the electoral body to create additional polling units, but “not the ones with zero registered voters that would be used to rig elections.”
On his part, Oshiomhole, who also warned against the rigging in the next elections, said any attempt by the PDP-led federal government to use the military to rig the polls would be resisted.
He said: “Nobody born by a woman will govern Nigeria in 2015 with a stolen mandate. So, let them stop using the language ‘fall’ because we are ready to defend our land. And any attempt to use the armed forces to rig the elections, it will be fire for fire.
We will stand and defend our democracy because only a coward dies a million times before his death.”
Reacting to the recent declaration by President Jonathan that “Edo State will fall to the PDP” 2015, Oshiomhole advised the president to look elsewhere for support in his re-election bid, as Edo people will this time not vote on the basis of tribalism. He also said that the state “is not an enemy territory,” but one that has come to stay.
“In 2015, Edo people will not vote on the basis of tribalism but on the basis of who will provide power. For as long as the PDP is in power, Nigerians will be out of power; for as long as the PDP has power, Nigerians will never have power. So, Edo State will never fall to the PDP and we cannot be intimidated.
Former Head of State, General Muhmmadu Buhari and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who also addressed the crowd, urged Nigerians to sustain the momentum that brought the APC to power in Edo State and extend same to the rest of the country including the centre.
In his speech, the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said the party promises a new Nigeria, boasting that the party will sweep the 2015 elections in the South-south geo-political zone seen as the stronghold of President Jonathan as well as form the government at the centre.
At a different forum yesterday, the Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, blamed President Goodluck Jonathan for the growing activities of Boko Haram terrorists in the North-east.
Consequently, the governor said a federal government under the president lacked the capacity to defend the country’s territorial integrity, citing the growing loss of the country’s territory.
He said this at the ninth raffle of Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (LagosHOMs) draw at LTV 8 compound in Agidingbi, Ikeja, calling his countrymen to cease the 2015 elections to vote out leaders that underperformed.
The governor said the federal government’s failure “to ensure the security of lives and properties was responsible for the insurgent’s takeover of some parts of the country.”
Fashola explained that the people of Nigeria handed the country over to Jonathan’s administration intact, lamenting the extent to which the country “has degenerated, so much so that some parts of the country have fallen into the hands of the insurgents.”
The governor said the powers that be “enjoy making promises, they cannot keep. We have heard promises about security, not so? Promises made four years ago. But we handed them the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with all its components parts intact.
“We are back four years after with some parts of Nigeria already taken away from them and they are saying the next four years will be better,” Fashola explained.
He urged his countrymen “to be wary of politicians who come to them during this electoral period to make superficial promises, noting that the electorate should assess the track records of political office-holders and their political parties before deciding for them.
Nigerians were among more than 140 residents injured after Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at the United Arab Emirates, at the weekend.
This raised fresh fears for thousands of Nigerians living and working in the Gulf nation.
The UAE Ministry of Defence disclosed last Saturday that its air defence systems intercepted several missiles and drones fired from Iran, describing the attack as a major escalation in the ongoing regional tensions.
In a statement posted on its official X handle, the ministry said its air defence units engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones during the latest assault on March 14.
It added that the attacks left six people dead and 141 others injured, including foreign nationals.
“The UAE air defence systems on March 14 engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 UAVs launched from Iran,” the ministry stated.
“Since the onset of this blatant Iranian aggression, UAE air defences have engaged 294 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,600 UAVs launched from Iran,” UAE added.
According to the ministry, those killed in the attacks included citizens of the UAE as well as foreign nationals from Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
“Although the authorities did not specify the exact locations where the casualties occurred, the ministry said the injured victims were from several countries, including Nigeria.
Others affected include residents from Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The list also included Azerbaijan, Yemen, Uganda, Eritrea, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Comoros, Türkiye, Iraq, Nepal, Oman, Jordan, Palestine, Ghana, Indonesia and Sweden.
The Tide reports that this development has sparked concern among Nigerian communities in the UAE, where thousands of citizens live and work in sectors such as construction, hospitality, logistics and trade.
Data from Nigeria’s diaspora commission shows that the UAE remains one of the largest destinations for Nigerian migrants in the Middle East, particularly in the emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
The Nigerian government had in recent years raised concerns over the safety and welfare of its citizens in the country following diplomatic tensions and visa restrictions affecting Nigerians.
Saturday’s attacks have now heightened anxieties within the diaspora community, especially as the Gulf region faces growing military confrontations.
In its statement, the UAE Ministry of Defence said the country remained fully prepared to confront any threats to its security.
“The Ministry of Defence remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront any attempts to undermine state security in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguards its national interests and capabilities,” the ministry said.
In a separate update, the ministry noted that its defence systems were still actively intercepting missiles and drones.
“UAE air defences are dealing with Iranian ballistic and cruise missiles and drones,” it said.
Regional media reports indicate that the attacks form part of a wider escalation of hostilities between Iran and Western-backed forces in the Middle East.
According to Al Jazeera, Iran has continued sustained missile and drone strikes across the Gulf despite protests from neighbouring states.
The strikes were said to be in retaliation for military operations launched by the United States and Israel against Iranian positions in the region.
Tehran targeted several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, late on Friday and into Saturday.
The attacks also caused infrastructural damage in parts of the UAE.
Meanwhile, Iran’s elite military wing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned that US interests in the UAE would remain legitimate targets.
Iranian state media reported that the group issued the warning after US forces attacked Iranian-controlled islands.
The IRGC specifically mentioned ports, docks and military installations linked to the United States as potential targets.
It also urged residents in the UAE to evacuate areas around ports and military facilities to avoid civilian casualties.
Security analysts say the growing exchange of threats and strike across the Gulf could destabilise the region’s economic and aviation activities if the conflict escalates further.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the five new commissioners sworn-in last Wednesday to put in their best for the development of the State.
Fubara gave the charge during the swearing-in of the commissioners at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House, Port Harcourt, last Wednesday.
This followed the successful screening of the five commissioners by the Rivers State House of Assembly, last Tuesday.
The five commissioners are Tonye Bellgam, Prof. Temple Nwofor, Dr. Peters Nwagor, Mr. Lekue Kenneth, and Sir Amairigha Edward Hart.
The Tide reports that the governor had sent nine commissioner-nominees to the Assembly for screening, but the Assembly confirmed only five nominees and rejected the nomination of four over various allegations.
Those rejected by the Assembly are Prof. Dantonye Alasia, Mrs. Charity Demua, Mr. Tamuno Williams, and Otonye Amachree.
The governor congratulated the new commissioners on their appointment, noting that their thorough screening by the Rivers State House of Assembly was a proof of their capabilities.
He urged them to deploy their wealth of experience in various fields and put the State on a fast lane of development.
“Ordinarily, I am supposed to charge you on your responsibilities and how to operate. But that has been taken care of by the screening at the Assembly.
“I believe that going through one of the most rigorous screenings, it is enough to say that for those of you who succeeded, you are fit and ready to deliver to our dear State.
“So there is no further charge. The screening was the charge, so I wish you the best as I don’t expect anything less than the best from you,” Fubara said.
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal bunkering, destroying a reactivated illegal refinery site in Rivers State and intercepting suspected stolen petroleum products in Calabar, Cross River State.
The Director of Naval Information, Capt Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement released in Abuja, yesterday.
Folorunsho said personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship SOROH, operating under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, destroyed a reactivated illegal refinery site at Okolomade Community in Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He said the action followed credible intelligence that a previously dismantled illegal refining site had resumed operations.
According to him, an Anti–Crude Oil Theft team deployed to the location discovered that the dismantled refining oven had been reconstructed.
“Further exploitation of the area led to the discovery of additional refining equipment and storage facilities containing about 3,000 litres of product suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO),” he said.
Folorunsho added that the illegal refining infrastructure, including ovens, storage tanks, hoses, connected pipes and newly acquired metal components used for illegal refining, was destroyed in line with operational procedures.
He said personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship Victory, in another operation, intercepted about 3,950 litres of suspected stolen petroleum products at the Nigerian Ports Authority area in Calabar, Cross River State.
He said the interception was based on credible intelligence on suspected siphoning of petroleum products from vessels berthed at the port.
The naval patrol team, according to him, swiftly deployed to the area and traced the illegally siphoned products to a trailer park within the port facility.
“On sighting the naval patrol team, the suspected perpetrators fled the scene, after which the area was cordoned off and the illegally siphoned products secured,” he said.
Folorunsho said further inspection led to the recovery of about 3,950 litres of Automotive Gas Oil stored in drums and jerrycans, which had been evacuated to the naval base for further necessary action in line with extant regulations.
He noted that the successes aligned with the directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, to intensify operations against crude oil theft and other maritime crimes across Nigeria’s maritime domain.
Folorunsho reiterated the Navy’s commitment to sustaining the operational tempo of Operation DELTA SENTINEL through intensified surveillance, patrols and intelligence-driven operations aimed at combating crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other forms of economic sabotage.