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2019: Northern Elders Reject Buhari …Speaker Wants President To Retire Home
The spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof Ango Abdullahi has described as corrupt act the recent endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term by the All Progressives Congress governors.
He also described as corrupt, the adoption of delegate system by political parties in primary elections.
According to the former special adviser to ex-president, the system allows the aspirants to buy votes of the delegates.
Abdullahi, who fielded questions from newsmen at the weekend, said, “On the issue of endorsement of President Buhari by APC governors, I see this as corruption, and it’s sad that we are fighting against corruption and we render ourselves to it.
“In fact, this the first place to fight against corruption. With this endorsement, people are afraid of contesting elections in their states.
“Some governors are promoting this. A governor pays some people money to endorse him as governor and Buhari as president.
“It’ll be unfortunate if, in 2019, elections end up with this ugly system that will throw in corrupt leaders in government.
“We have complained about the corrupt practice of stealing billions of naira by some ex-governors, ministers and DGs from government, and we are trying to repeat same,” he argued.
Meanwhile, An international business mogul and key-note speaker at the recent gathering of the South-East, South-South and Middle Belt, tagged “Handshake across the Niger”, Alban Ofili-Okonkwo, has told President Muhammadu Buhari to present his son as a presidential aspirant in 2019 and resign.
Okonkwo, the chairman of Autobahn, noted that Buhari was in his 30s when he started leading Nigeria, and was still controlling the affairs of the country, adding that it was time to say no to the development.
While fielding questions from newsmen, the business mogul said it was time for Buhari to present his son to Nigerians and go home.
He said, “I am not concerned. The people, who know me and my antecedents, know that for me to have been invited, it showed that the event was not ethnic in any way.
“My first grandson is Yoruba, my first granddaughter is Yoruba. If I am an entrepreneur, what defines me is what I do, and how I do it, not my tribe or my tongue.
“I have never run a company where everybody in the company comes from my geopolitical zone, it is not possible. Competence is what we are looking for because we live in an international highway of knowledge.
“No matter anybody’s pigmentation, height, size or where he comes from, if a company is looking for someone to be employed, a competent person will be the one to be employed no matter where the person comes from.
“That is tomorrow’s world, and the world that Nigeria needs to join. Unfortunately, our leaders till now are giving us what they can.
“I think it is time for this generation to say no to that. President Muhammadu Buhari was in his 30s when he started handling the affairs of Nigeria, and in his late 70s, he is still handling the affairs of Nigeria.
“For God’s sake, he should give us his son and go home. Whether his son is Fulani does not matter, what matters is competence.
“If he has trained a son to the extent that he understands, and can connect with my children and convince them to come to Nigeria to build a new nation, he should give him to us.
“We need a new nation where we can get more money than our oil wealth can give us through quality leadership. The new Nigeria should not be a nation where we will depend on what we dig out from the ground to survive.
“If at their own time it was good for a 36-year old boy to become a leader, why can’t it be possible now? I am in my 60s, and I am in retirement.
“The minimum I can do is to make sure that those in their 30s and 40s take their turn by saying enough is enough. That will enable people, who can create value to multiply.
“It is easy to build network in value creation. On the social media, there is high breed of interaction on account of knowledge by Nigerian professionals.
“When Buhari went abroad for treatment because he could not get better treatment in Nigeria, was it a Fulani person that treated him there?
“He came back different and happy because he was treated well as a result of knowledge and a good infrastructure. We need a President who would understand the importance of knowledge and infrastructure, who will no longer look at tribe, tongue, and faith, who will understand the landscape of Nigeria, and seek inspiration from the wonders of nature. And I think the time for that has come,” Ofili-Okonkwo added.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.