Headline

Tinubu Deceived Nigerians With Liberal Disposition To Win Election, Ex-APC NWC Member Blows Hot

Published

6 months ago

June 9, 2024

…Says Asiwaju Insensitive To Suffering Of Nigerians

Former National Vice Chairman North-West of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Moh Lukman, has described President Bola Tinubu as insentivity in his failure to mitigate the hardship and problems of high cost of living, rising unemployment and higher levels of poverty facing the ordinary Nigerians.

Lukman further alleged that President Tinubu deceived Nigerians with the posture of a liberal disposition to vote for him, lamenting that the nation under his watch is on the edge of social outburst.

In a statement he issued in Abuja on Saturday, the for Director General APC Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) also accused the ruling party’s leadership of extorting candidates and aspirants contesting under the party.

He wrote; “The expectation of many of us in APC is that President Tinubu being a seasoned politician and someone who was in the frontline of the campaign for democracy in Nigeria will provide the needed leadership to respond to our national political challenges.

“The expectation is that being one of the leaders who led the merger negotiations and as someone who has been consistent with the claim of being an Awoist, he will prioritise building the party.

“Again, President Tinubu’s claim of being an Awoist convinced many Nigerians that he is a liberal politician. The consideration of ideological leanings of political leaders is certainly taken for granted even in APC. Although during the debate around the party’s manifesto, there was the understanding that the APC will be a social democratic party.

“If APC governments were to be social democratic, the priority will be on education, health and social services. That being the case, it would be reflected in the budgetary allocation to these sectors. The closest is the initiative to introduce the Social Investment Programme under the Buhari administration.

“The crisis of corruption associated with the Social Investment Programme and clear lack of commitment to anything close to social democracy by all APC governments at all levels represent one of the failings of the party.

“Instead, with hardly any exception, since 2015, all governments at all levels controlled by the APC operated based on the practice of business-as-usual. Problems of corruption, insecurity and economic crisis have gotten worse. Crisis of high cost of living, rising unemployment and high level of poverty are becoming unbearable.

“The nation is on the edge of social outburst. Unfortunately, the APC, even under President Tinubu is turning out to be unable to respond to the problem of high cost of living, rising unemployment and higher levels of poverty and mitigate the hardship facing ordinary Nigerians.

“The bigger calamity is that President Tinubu is turning out to be an extreme right-wing leader and not a liberal capitalist. The speed with which he declared that petroleum “subsidy is gone” even before settling down as President and the inability to have a clear policy plan to cushion the effect for vulnerable Nigerians clearly highlighted the ideological leaning of President Tinubu.

“Combined with the policy of floating the exchange rate of the Naira against major international currency clearly defined the extreme right-wing credentials of the Tinubu administration. For an import defendant nation to withdraw subsidy and float the exchange of the Naira without any clear responsive policy plan to boost local production is simply decidedly anti-poor.

“The reality whereby the value of incomes of citizens has been eroded should have been expected and at least some initiatives to grow the earning capacity of citizen should have been introduced. Unfortunately, all we have is grandstanding by the government so much so that they are now trapped back in the subsidy debate,” the statement read.

On the allegation of extortion, Lukman wrote: “Related to the problem of funding is the issue of accountability. Apart from meetings of statutory organs of the party not taking place, financial accountability in APC is zero. The party doesn’t operate a budget and leaders don’t have clearly defined conditions of service. The party doesn’t have campaign funds and make almost zero contributions to campaign finances for candidates of the party, except for what was done in 2019 under the leadership of Comrade Oshiomhole. During the 2019 general elections, candidates of the party at all levels received financial support from the party.

The reality, however, is that party leaders function more as surrogates to candidates and elected representatives. Problems of party leaders extorting candidates and aspirants is also very entrenched in APC so much so that elected representatives produced by the party turned out to be emperors. Instead of party leaders regulating elected representatives, elected representatives are the lords and masters of the party,” he alleged.

For more Nigerian Breaking News in Entertainment, Politics, Sports and Crime, please visit our website.

Headline

EPL: Chelsea Edge Tottenham In Seven-Goal Thriller

Published

3 hours ago

December 8, 2024

The Pledge

Chelsea came back from two goals down to defeat Tottenham 4-3 in Sunday’s Premier League game.

Details later…

For more Nigerian Breaking News in Entertainment, Politics, Sports and Crime, please visit our website.

Headline

Ghana: Tinubu Congratulates Presudent-Elect John Mahama In A Telephone Call

Published

7 hours ago

December 8, 2024

The Pledge

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated President-elect John Dramani Mahama on his victory in the December 7 general election in Ghana, following his opponent’s concession speech.

In a telephone call to Mahama, President Tinubu hoped that Mahama’s ascension to power for the second time would further bring stability to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), of which President Tinubu is the chairman.

President Tinubu commended the people of Ghana for their commitment to democracy, which was demonstrated through the peaceful and successful conduct of both the presidential and parliamentary elections.

He applauded Ghanaians for demonstrating again to the world that democracy is the preferred path to achieving political stability, economic development, social justice, and transparent governance in Africa.

He affirmed that Nigeria’s and the region’s belief in the principles of the people’s right to choose their leaders freely will remain a source of pride.

The Nigerian leader applauded the candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, for conceding defeat before the official announcement by Ghana’s Electoral Commission.

President Tinubu said Bawumia’s stance reinforced Ghana’s democratic ethos.

President Tinubu noted that President-elect Mahama’s return to Jubilee House, having served as President from 2012 to 2017, reflects the Ghanaian people’s trust in his stewardship and vision to take the country to greater heights.

Mahama served as Vice President of Ghana from 2009 to 2012, Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2009, and held deputy and ministerial roles between 1998 and 2001.

President Tinubu renews his steadfast support for deepening the fraternal bonds between Nigeria and Ghana, underpinned by shared history, cultural ties, mutual support and cooperation, Pan-African goals, democracy, the rule of law, and economic integration.

The Nigerian leader thanks President Nana Akufo-Addo for his exemplary leadership and numerous contributions to Ghana’s progress and regional peace and stability.

The President looks forward to working with President Mahama’s incoming administration to strengthen bilateral ties across various sectors and build a brighter future in the West Africa region

For more Nigerian Breaking News in Entertainment, Politics, Sports and Crime, please visit our website.

Headline

NDLEA Arrests Engineer For Allegedly Concealing Illicit Drugs In Pressure Machines

Published

7 hours ago

December 8, 2024

The Pledge

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have arrested a suspected drug trafficker, Egwu Phillip Inya, who claims to be a building engineer, while attempting to take delivery of illicit consignments concealed in pressure machines imported from South Africa.

According to a statement by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi on Sunday, the 42-year-old Egwu was arrested on Monday 2nd December 2024 at Okeyson motor park Enugu when he showed up to collect three units of pressure machines inside which were hidden parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 7.40 kilograms.

Babafemi stated that the consignments had arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos import shed on 29th November 2024.

“Following credible intelligence, officers of the MMIA Strategic Command of the Agency had monitored the shipment pass through clearing processes up to a logistics company’s warehouse outside the airport where it was to be collected by the consignee.

“The importer however changed the point of collection to Enugu at the last minute. As a result, NDLEA operatives in a follow up operation in Enugu arrested Egwu when he showed up to collect the consignments.

“No fewer than 511,000 pills of tramadol were recovered from a Siena vehicle at Hildi, Askira Uba way in Adamawa state by NDLEA operatives on patrol along the road in the early hours of Friday 6th December.

“The occupants of the vehicle had made a detour on sighting the NDLEA team and after a distance abandoned the vehicle with the consignments after noticing the operatives were on their trail,” the statement said.

It also added that in Ekiti State, two suspects, Olanrewaju Alale, 48, and Babatunde Kayode Ijadahun, 55, were arrested along Ise- Emure road in a J5 bus marked EPE 958 XJ while transporting 108 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 1, 323 kilograms to Owo, Ondo state from where they claimed the consignment will be moved to the North for distribution.

It further read, “Another suspect, Adekunle Yusuf, 33, was nabbed by NDLEA operatives with 704 kilograms of the same psychoactive substance, concealed in white sacks on Friday 6th December at Idere road, Igboora, Oyo state.

“In Lagos, a grandmother, 65-year-old Ramata Bola Adeyemo was on Friday 6th December arrested by NDLEA operatives at 62 Odunfa street, Lagos Island, where 20.6 litres of codeine-based syrup were recovered from her. Also arrested in Lagos was Alhaji Lawan Manga who was picked at Ogundana Street, Ikeja on Thursday 5th December while 4.7kg cannabis and 1.3kg tramadol were recovered from him.

“With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization lectures to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Progressive Secondary School, Ado Awaye, Oyo state; Muslim Grammar School, Ede, Osun state; Government Girls College, Maiduguri, Borno state; Community Secondary School, Ogale, Rivers state; Santa Maria Secondary School, Igogoro, Enugu state; and Chiranci Upper Basic Junior Secondary School, Bichi, Kano state while Lagos State command of NDLEA organised WADA enlightenment lecture for leaders and members of NURTW, Orile Agege, Lagos, among others.

Commending the officers and men of MMIA, Adamawa, Ekiti, Lagos, and Oyo Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.