Singapore News Channel, Singapore News Network

“Every revolution starts like a seed, it grows to become an oak tree,’’ these were the words of Lazeez Ayinla Kolawole (LAK), the originator of the campaign slogan, “O To Ge”, which was used in uprooting the political structure of Senate President Bukola Saraki in Kwara.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) ran its campaign under this slogan, dislodging three sitting senators, six house of reps members and securing landslide victory for President Muhammadu Buhari.

LAK, who is 79 years old, spoke to NAN in Ilorin on how he came about the wildfire campaign slogan, “O To Ge” which literally translates to “Enough is Enough’’.

The renowned Kwara politician said the “O to Ge’’ movement actually started in 2010 when he was an aspirant for the Kwara central senatorial seat under the PDP, preparatory to the 2011 general election.

The 1971 graduate of political science from the University of Lagos said he contested the seat with Saraki, but was “robbed of his mandate’’.

Before, 2010, LAK said he had used a similar slogan, “It Is Time For Change’’ in 2003 when he contested Kwara governorship primary of the PDP which was also won by Saraki.

‘IT DIDN’T START IN 2018’

“This movement did not just start in 2018,” the politician said. “Every revolution starts like a seed and with time it grows to become an oak tree.

“When I foresaw the revolution that will end the era of bad governance in Kwara, majority of the people did not see it.

“People did not see it then and I was accused of being too revolutionary but I assured them that we will ultimately get there.

“Gradually, the revolution assumed the spine and magnitude that we just saw in this year’s election, when the people used the power of their votes to dethrone decades of a political dynasty that had impoverished Kwara.”

The septuagenarian, who left public service as a permanent secretary in 1982 for active politics, alleged that for 40 years, Kwara was under the “government of hegemony of exploitation, massive looting of public resources and administration so insensitive to the plights of the people’’.

“Kwara is not an industrial state, it is an agrarian state but today we do not have even a Ministry of Agriculture. We do not have any thriving agricultural project at all,” he said.

“All the Agric nurseries and training schools and even the land of the Ministry of Agriculture were sold out.’’

He said the media-hyped multi-billion Naira Shonga Farm project by Saraki as governor of Kwara was a sham.

SARAKI ‘PLUNGED KWARA INTO DEBT

“Billions of Naira were pumped into the project but till today no single farm product came out of the farm till it got moribund,” he said.

“It is all fraud. What they called Zimbabwe farmers were just farm workers who did not bring a dime to the state for investment yet they called them investors.

“It was the state government that borrowed billions of Naira from the defunct Intercontinental Bank and gave it to these people but we have nothing to show for it.”

He alleged that the state-owned Trade Bank was liquidated simply because the management was not cooperating with the state’s political authority to use the bank forthe looting of resources.

COLLAPSE OF GOVERNMENT COMPANIES

LAK said under the watchful eyes of the past administrations also, state owned Gateway Insurance Company, Kwara Express and Kwara Hotels folded up.

He said the state had witnessed a total decay of infrastructure, ranging from bad roads, poor health delivery system, the collapse of environmental sanitation and educational system.

“When I saw all these, I said we must not continue in that way and allow these people to destroy the state.

 Then, I said, “O to Ge, Enough is Enough. We must rise against the misrule and slavery,’’ he said.

He said the maladministration started having significant impact on the people when it was extended to the civil service when workers, pensioners and the common man started feeling the pinch.

He said the civil service, which ought to be the engine room of government, was politicised and turned to rubber stamp.

‘ILLEGAL’ ELEVATION OF POLITICAL GODFATHERS

LAK said some Level 12 officers with political godfathers were appointed permanent secretaries above their seniors, thereby dampening the morale of workers

He said the situation got so bad that government could no longer pay salaries of civil servants as well as gratuities and pensions of retirees.

“With reckless looting of the state’s treasury and siphoning of government money to individual pockets, the government could not pay salaries of civil servants,” he said.

“The entitlements of retirees after 35 years of active service to the state were not paid and they were regularly being called for screening during which many of them died.

“In 2008, the Bukola Saraki government borrowed N3.3 billion from Intercontinental Bank to settle the accumulated arrears of benefits of Kwara retirees.

“When the government received the money, a committee set up for the disbursement recommended that 50 per cent of the money be used for the pensioners while the balance be used for the development of infrastructure.’’

He said the cumulative effects of decades of bad governance led to the mass action and revolution fuelled the “O to Ge” movement that ended Saraki’s grip on Kwara politics.

“It is not just about campaign because the people of Kwara decided that they want a change of government because they were tired of the old order,” he said.

“What we have achieved today is the collective efforts of all Kwarans who wear the shoes and know where they pinch.”

The cable

——As ACF promises to support him

ABUJA – PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday reassured Nigerians that he would not let them down in his second term in office.

This is as the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has promised to continue to support the President because he has addressed most of the concerns they brought to his attention in 2016.

President Buhari who received the leadership of the ACF that paid him a congratulatory visit at the Council Chamber Presidential Villa Abuja, said that he would work harder in the next four years to address the challenges facing the country.
“This is my last lap, I will try to work harder. I assure you, I will not let you down.” he stated.

Chairman of the ACF’s board of trustees, Alhaji Adamu Fika who led the delegation, said the visit was to congratulate the president over his victory at the polls.

While pledging the group’s continuous support to the President, he said, “We wish to recall that in 2015, a similar delegation of ACF visited and congratulated you following Your Excellency’s victory at the Presidential elections held earlier that year.

“A year later, May 2016, you were kind enough to grant an audience to another delegation of the Forum. On that occasion, the delegation, led by late Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, Danmasanin Kano, drew attention to projects of concern to the North and of benefit to Nigeria at large.

“The projects included the Baro Dry Port, the Mambilla Hydro power, self- sufficiency in agricultural produce, road construction and rehabilitation, and abve all oil and gas exploration.

“It is pleasing to note that since then, the Baro dry port has been commissioned, while all other projects have been reactivated and now being implemented.

“As this is purely a congratulatory visit, we do not Intend to discuss any Issues today. We hope and wish that, as it happened during your first term, we may have the opportunities from time to time to be given audience to intimate Your Excellency about problems and matters that are of concern to the people of the North and Nigeria.”

NAN

The second and final phase of the 2019 general elections comes up on Saturday, March 9, with Nigerians voting for governors and members of Houses of Assembly in the states.

Let me once again extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives or sustained injuries as a result of accidents or criminal violence during the elections.

The onus is once again on qualified people to turn out in large numbers to exercise their civic rights.

With the presidential poll behind us, let us not become complacent, and fail to vote in the gubernatorial poll.

The forthcoming elections are as important for good governance as that of the presidency and the National Assembly.

Indeed, governance at the state level is closer to us, and should touch our lives more directly. That is why it is vital for us to participate in the choice of who governs us at the state levels.

I, therefore, urge you to troop out massively on Saturday to elect your governors and state lawmakers.

As a member of the All Progressives Congress, I recommend those standing on the platform of the party to you, as we are guided by progressive ideals, and we will not disappoint you.

Equally, I urge you to comport yourself properly, as you turn out for the election.

Avoid all deviant behaviours like ballot stuffing, ballot snatching, and any other action that does not conform with best electoral practices.

I assure you that the security agencies will be on hand to protect voters, and ensure that the process is not undermined in anyway.

Let make the gubernatorial polls, much better than the presidential, which Local and International observers have adjudged to be free and fair.

May I repeat my appeal to our young people: do not allow yourselves to be used to cause violence or to break the law or otherwise disturb the peace.

I have pledged decent and credible electoral system for our country. I stand by that promise.

Let us together do the right thing on Saturday, so that the best hands can emerge at the states, and take us faster to the Next Level.

Thank you, and God bless our country. Amen.

Muhammadu Buhari
March 6, 2019

Ovie Omo-Agege, senator representing Delta central, says President Muhammadu Buhari will determine who becomes senate president in the ninth assembly.

NAN quoted Omo-Agege as saying that anyone who will become senate president will have to be loyal to Buhari.

He said they will all abide “and fall in line” with any decision the president makes on choice of senate president.

The senator said the All Progressives Congress (APC) would avoid the scenario that led to the emergence of Bukola Saraki as the president of the senate in 2015.

“Anybody who is going to be senate president, in the 9th senate, must be somebody who is loyal to Mr President, the party and the constitution,” he said.

‘‘The senate president will be determined by Mr President. Mr President will indicate to us through the party who he wants to work with.

“What I can tell you is that we are going to have a senate that will work with Mr President.

‘‘The era of allowing renegades who rode on the back of Mr President, who rode on the back of the party to go in there and trade the party’s mandate, I think that era is gone.

‘‘I am very hopeful that this time around, Mr President will step in and decide not only the zone that will produce the Senate president and the leadership but also who, it should be.
‘‘We don’t want to erect another opposition leader in the senate, as we had in the 8th assembly.

‘‘There are a lot of us in the senate who are returning to the next senate who fits into that position.”

The legislative arm of government is supposed to be independent of the executive, according to the constitution.

The cable

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that he will not let them down  in his second term which he described as “my last lap”.

He gave the assurance when the leadership of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) paid him a congratulatory visit at the presidential villa, Abuja.

Buhari promised to work harder in addressing the challenges facing the country.

“This is my last lap, I will try to work harder. I assure you, I will not let you down,” Buhari said.

“I’m very appreciative of this visit, especially when I have seen some of my seniors, some of my colleagues and a couple of my juniors, among the team. This reminds me of the good old days when we were in the military.

“Actually, nobody dropped from the sky. For Arewa Consultative Forum to identify with me, having come from this geo-political zone, I’m very much appreciative of this.

“I’m very pleased with the address of the chairman who reminded me of the undertaken we made basically on the three important things my party campaigned on and succeeded.”

Adamu Fika, chairman of the ACF’s board of trustees, who led the delegation, said the visit was to congratulate the president over his victory at the polls.

Fika, recalled that in May 2016, the delegation, led by Maitama Sule, Danmasanin Kano, drew Buhari’s attention to projects of concern to the north and of benefit to Nigeria at large.

He listed the projects to include the Baro Dry Port, the Mambilla Hydro power, self- sufficiency in agricultural produce, road construction and rehabilitation, and abve all oil and gas exploration.

“It is pleasing to note that since then, the Baro dry port has been commissioned, while all other projects have been reactivated and now being implemented,” Fika said.

“We pray that those organs of Government charged with the responsibility for the Implementation will double their efforts to ensure that these projects are executed fully to their logical conclusion within reasonable time.”

The cable

Following the renewal of his tenure, President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to work harder to consolidate on providing security, improving the economy, creating jobs, fighting corruption and upgrading infrastructure.

Speaking at the State House, Abuja on Wednesday when he received the leadership of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, on a courtesy visit, President Buhari said:

“This is my last lap. I will try and work even harder than I have done. I assure you that I will not let you down. I pray that my best will be good enough.”

The President, who thanked members of the ACF for their consistent and dogged support, said he remained appreciative of their goodwill.

Speaking on behalf of the ACF, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mallam Adamu Fika, said the organisation had visited to congratulate President Buhari on his re-election.

Recalling some strategic projects important to the North and the country as a whole abandoned up until 2015 such as the Baro Dry Port and Mambilla Hydro Power station, Mallam Fika said:

“It is pleasing to note that since then, the Baro Dry Port has been commissioned, while some other projects have been reactivated and are now being implemented.”

“We pray that those organs of government charged with the responsibility for the implementation will double their efforts to ensure that these projects are executed fully to their logical conclusion within reasonable time,” he added.

Premium Times.

The Director General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council , Rotimi Amaechi , has said the increased number of votes secured by the party in the South- East in the presidential election confirms the wide acceptance of President Muhammadu Buhari .

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Transportation thanked Nigerians for voting for the President in the election .

He said, “The support in the South- East increased due to the acceptability of Mr President. I think what we should be saying is we are grateful to Nigerians and the PDP .

 Let’ s not fight but encourage the Independent National Electoral Commission so that elections will be free and fair. I think we should leave the past . We now have another four years to prove them wrong.

“Not only will he ( Buhari) run an all-inclusive government , he is guided by the fact that Nigerians have suffered enough. The President will ensure we run a government that satisfies Nigerians.”

Amaechi said the administration would focus more on reshaping the economy and fulfilling most of the promises made to Nigerians which he claimed were threatened by the 16 years of misrule of the Peoples Democratic Party .

“Election is over and we are no longer discussing corruption but want to implement the policies that will ensure that the money that belongs to Nigeria is kept for Nigeria alone.

“The cardinal point that the President has continuously focused on is the fight against corruption and the need not just to rehabilitate the economy but also to make it grow , ” he said .

Speaking on the state of the economy inherited from the PDP , Amaechi said the fact that the APC would take responsibility for the economic growth did not mean that Nigerians would no longer refer to what happened in the past.

When asked if the APC would accept responsibility for the state of things in the country , Amaechi said, “I think we should leave the past , whether the PDP did well or not , we now have another four years to prove that we are better than them . We have to prove them wrong by doing better. ”

On the decision of the PDP to contest Buhari’ s victory, Amaechi said, “I told my colleagues that it is only those who failed elections that gather for meetings while the winners just gather to pop champagne and drink to their victory. We are celebrating but we are conscious of the fact that we want to repeat what Gowon said in 1970 : no victor , no vanquished. We enjoin our colleagues in the PDP to join us in ensuring that Nigerians benefit from good government.

“We believe they are our colleagues and friends but if they don ’ t see reason , I think we also have lawyers. ”

The minister blamed the violence that characterised the presidential poll , particularly the one that claimed lives of civilians and soldiers in Rivers State , on the alleged desperate bid of Governor Nyesom Wike for a second term.

Copyright PUNCH .

The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has debunked rumours making rounds that President Muhammadu Buhari was making plans to Islamize Nigeria.

Osinbajo speaking in a town hall meeting held at Hotel Du Golf off PZ junction, Aba North Local Government Area of Abia State on Tuesday with the Aba business community and supporters of the party said that Nigeria is a country that is too big for an individual to impose a religion against their wish.

He also debunked rumours being peddled in the state by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and supporters of other political parties that the APC leadership under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole reserved some state for the PDP.

The vice President while responding to questions from members of the audience disclosed that contrary to insinuations that Abia is reserved for the PDP stated that the Buhari administration was paying attention to the state because of the importance the government attached to the growth and development of the SMEs which Aba is the hub.

While thanking the people of Abia State for coming out in their numbers to vote for President Buhari and giving the party 25percent votes in the just concluded Presidential election, urged them to troop out on Saturday, March 9th to sack the PDP government whom he said has left the state underdeveloped for 16 years.

Most of the questions thrown at the Vice President demanded that he clears the air on the rumours that: his constant visit to Abia means alliance has been formed with the PDP, that his absence in the APC Abia rally connotes support for PDP as alleged.

“Abia made a historic contribution in our election as we got 25 percent votes. We know it was not all our votes that were counted. Come March 9th we shall prove that Abia is an APC.

“Abia deserves to benefit from the centre. There’s no reason for Abia to play opposition politics. By the grace of God, Abia shall join the centre come Saturday.

“That I didn’t not attend the Abia APC rally in Aba has nothing to do with any agreement. It is because I cannot be with the president at a certain location at the same time for security reasons. I can only attend if it was in the South West because I’m from there.

“On my frequent coming to Abia, I’ve been coming here because of the importance and centrality of the state not for any political reason of giving Abia out to another party.”

Speaking further he said: “One of the reasons why our members have not benefited from most of our programmes is because the Government is not APC. Come Saturday by the grace of God, we shall change the present day government and enthrone APC through Uche Sampson Ogah.

“The PDP want to use the media to claim that APC does not favour Christians. The president is a Muslim, I’m a Christian. A born again Christian for that matter. Nobody can Islamize Nigeria because there is absolutely nothing like that.

“Buhari has no intention of Islamizing Nigeria. He is a man who doesn’t interfere in anybody’s religion. He doesn’t force anybody to follow his. Such talks are lies and are mere political propaganda. The biggest church auditorium in the world, with 100,000 capacity is in Abuja.

The VP went further to lambast some men of God who play politics from the pulpit saying it is wrong. He went further to add that the talk about Buhari’s hatred for Ndigbo is political and untrue.

“People now play politics from the pulpit. Any pastor who is using the pulpit to preach for a political party is not doing the right thing.

“Any bishop can support a political party privately, but not on the pulpit. We started the home grown school feeding programme from Anambra State.

“The two times Buhari ran for president, he picked all Igbo men. He has always demonstrated his love for Ndigbo. Four states in the South East have four senior ministers. That’s a sign that he does not play politics.

Several groups who gave vote of thanks to the VP during the Town Hall Meeting includes: participants of the MSME clinic, SMEs Associations, N-Power beneficiaries, food vendors for the Free School Feeding and former Biafran soldiers.

They showered thanks to the Vice President for the opportunities given to all of them to make ends meet and begged him to ensure that the programmes continue.

Also speaking, Dr. Uche Sampson Ogah, APC governorship candidate said, “We receive our father with great joy. He gave us an appointment last time, but because of other activities he couldn’t make it, but today he is here.

“We say congratulations to you after a credible fair election. Despite the activities of the opposition, you showed strength because of the love Nigerians have for you and President Buhari.”

Osita Okechukwu, director-general of the Voice of Nigeria, says President Muhammadu Buhari has ended vote-buying in elections.

He also said the president has ended the era of “writing election results in hotels”.

Okechukwu said this at a national dialogue on curbing vote-buying and selling, organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Abuja on Tuesday.

Nigeria’s elections have usually been affected with incidents of vote-buying and selling by political parties and their candidates.

He added that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has greatly improved under the current administration and has conducted “more credible” elections than in past years.

“Days of writing election results in hotel sheets have been eliminated. And this is because of the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.

“You can no longer carry the ballot box to your hotel. If you do that, or seize the result sheets, you are wasting your time.

“The last presidential and national assembly elections in Enugu, people were asking, where is the money? If you are selling your votes for N5,000, how long can it sustain you?”

Garba Abari, NOA director-general, said the dialogue is to access the causes of vote-buying and seek ways to eliminate it.

He also said the agency will continue to mobilise Nigerians and carry out orientation programmes against vote-buying across the 36 states.

The cable

The National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) on Tuesday said that only God gives power to whoever He wills.

It also declared that the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari is the will of God for the progress and development of the country.

The Chairman of the Council and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar spoke on behalf of the Council at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, when he led members of the Council on a congratulatory visit to President Buhari.

The Council urged those who lost the 2019 Presidential election to accept the will of God and support President Buhari, to move the country forward.

He said: “The National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria is here to felicitate with you on your re-election as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We join all Nigerians and the International community in praying and wishing you very big success in your tenure.

“As traditional rulers, we are not only custodians of our people’s cultures, values and traditions but also the custodians of the religious beliefs and conscience of our people. We are therefore, fully aware that it is only God almighty who owns power and authority and who bestows this on whom He will, when He wills and how He wills.

“Therefore your election as President for a second tenure should be seen as what God has destined and no one could have changed that.

“This result is the will of the almighty God and therefore we call on all to give you maximum support for the achievement of peace, development and progress of our dear nation.”

The Sultan also charged President Buhari to continue to exhibit the characters of justice and fairness as he leads the country.

He noted that the traditional institution as an enduring cultural heritage of its people would continue to serve as the bedrock of any administration in power.

“This Council strives to ensure a peaceful, strong, united and developed Nigeria. It is for this reason that the Council resolved to continue to give maximum support to government at all levels, for the achievement of all visionary and people oriented policies, programmes and projects for the overall wellbeing of Nigerians, while at the same time maintaining its unwavering stance on  the Rule of Law  and practice of democracy,” he said.

He pledged the support of traditional rulers for President Buhari’s three cardinal areas of focus, fighting corruption, revamping the economy and improving security.

Responding, President Buhari sought for more understanding and support from the royal fathers.

The President, who thanked God for an opportunity to serve the nation for another four years, re-stated his believe in Nigeria’s multi-cultural population and the continued existence of Nigeria as an indivisible entity.

“I am very happy that you have come to congratulate me for coming to my second and final term of office. I believe in this system, such a multi-racial, multi-national and multi-cultural country like Nigeria, a country with more than 250, 000 cultures,” he said.

The President said that traditional rulers have a big role to play in securing the country, because of their unique role in the society.

“I realise that really if you want the security of the country, which is very important to us and one of our three main areas of focus. As traditional rulers, you know everybody in your constituencies and you know which family has hardened criminals and which family has respectable people so there is no way any government at any level can survive creditably without your support. This is the honest fact whether people accept it or not.

“So we always depend on you because you know the weaknesses of our system and the society. We certainly need your cooperation on day to day basis to make sure that we consolidate on what we promised the whole country,” the President stated.

Co-Chairman of the Council, the Ooni of Ife, His impearl majesty; Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi said traditional rulers across the country have resolved to work very closely with the government.

He thanked President Buhari for his willingness to work with the traditional institution, because of his believe in taking Nigeria to another level.

The Delegation comprised of paramount rulers and Chairmen of the various State Traditional Councils in Nigeria.

The Nation