Singapore News Channel, Singapore News Network

I’d never had the head for figures. In fact, the enmity between me and mathematics was so bad that if you gave me a bottle, and you asked me to use the bottom to write the letter ‘o,’ it may likely come out as ‘p’ or ‘q,’ or even something more catastrophic.

But what God seemed to have denied me in numeracy, He compensated in letters. I was just at home with literary subjects.

In 1977, as a secondary class 2 student, I had one Sri Lankan, who taught us mathematics. His name was Mr Paranahewa. The subject was just like his mother tongue, from the way he taught it. For me, it was simply Greek.

Mr Paranahewa could not understand why anybody would not have the foggiest idea about mathematics, which was the case with me and some other students in the same category. What to do? He created a special class for us, which he ran for about an hour or two after school hours, at no cost to our parents at all.

Amazingly, as we progressed, I began to show flashes that inspired the tutor. He went to the very basics with us, and I began to pull my weight after a few weeks. Mr Paranahewa was happy, and we became friends (I never liked mathematics teachers, mind you).

I don’t know what happened thereafter. I suddenly lost interest in figures again. There were surely easier ways to live one’s life than the mumbo jumbo of algebra or geometry, I must have told myself. So, I stopped cooperating with the teacher.

One day, Mr Paranahewa came to my desk, and looked at me quizzically. He then said:”Victor (which was the name I was known by in schooldays), you were walking in the bush. Somebody then found you, took you onto the main road, and you were happy. You trod the main road for some time, and then, suddenly, you jumped back into the bush again. Why?”

The answer was blowing in the wind.

Myself and the teacher laughed till our ribs nearly cracked. And that was the end of the romance with mathematics. He eventually disbanded the special class, I jilted the subject for life,  and ended scoring what I scored in the school certificate examination. What did I score? Don’t ask me. I have many compatriots in that area, including most likely you. Lol.

Why have I told this story which dates back 42 years? Because I find a similitude between what happened to me, and what is happening to Nigeria. This country had wandered in the bush for too long. And then President Muhammadu Buhari came, and put us back on the main road, planted our feet on the road to Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. Suddenly, we have now come to a crunch point in the journey. Shall we continue on the main road, leading to the Promised Land, or we shall jump back into the bush? Shall we jump from terra firma, back into the miry clay? God forbid!

Shortly before He went to the cross, Jesus looked at Jerusalem, the Holy City, overtaken by sin and unbelief, and He lamented over it, saying, with weeping: “If thou had known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which pertain unto thy peace! But now, they are hid from thy eyes.” (Luke 19:42).

As we hold elections this Saturday to elect our President for the next four years, may we know the things that pertain to our peace as a country. May we opt for the straight and narrow path we’ve been treading for about four years, because at the end of it is peace. May we resist the allure to jump into the wide road that seems quite easy to travel, for at the end of it is destruction and damnation. Not all that glitters is gold. A goodly apple might be rotten at the cheek.

What are the things that pertain to our peace as a nation? Righteousness. Integrity. Accountability. Service. A heart for men, particularly the poor and downtrodden. Diversified economy. Massive infrastructure. Making the money of Nigeria work for Nigerians. And all these Buhari gives, and more.

What is the flip-side? A rent seeking, bubble economy, which collapses with a pin prick. An opaque government. A coalition of people with questionable reputation, who have entered into a confederacy, poised to again stick their snouts into the nectar of office, and perhaps suck out the very lifeblood of the country. In the past, while they held sway, they drew down the Federation Account. Plundered the foreign reserves. Looted the excess crude account into nothingness. Ran the country into a hole. Till they were given the left leg of fellowship by Nigerians in 2015. Now they have regrouped, poised to wreak havoc again? Not if Nigerians know the things that pertain to their peace.

There is a farmer who ruled this country for about 12 years in all, if you decide to add his time as a military head of state and two terms as a civilian leader. He paid lip service to agriculture, following it with billions upon billions of naira. It all went down the drain. At the end of his tenure, in which he had to quit involuntarily, Nigeria was nowhere near food self-sufficiency. We still spent millions of dollars annually to import food. But within three years, President Buhari changed the picture. Rice importation reduced by about 90%, we can now feed ourselves, and also sell food to neighboring countries. That same man claims he hasn’t seen what President Buhari has done. True. No man is as blind as the person who deliberately refuses to see.

There was a time the sluice gate of corruption was open in this country. Public coffers were like gravy train, from which you took what you wanted at will. Till a new Sheriff came into town. President Buhari came this way, and stealing promptly became corruption. Would we then exchange transparency for fantastic and grand corruption? Not if we know what pertains to our peace.

See infrastructural development round the country. Roads, bridges, rail, power, all showing a government at work for the people. The second Niger Bridge that they built with their mouths in 16 years is now making steady, sustainable progress. Every state in the country has at least a major federal road under construction. The whole country is now one huge construction site. And then, we forgo all these and give power to people who will play what Igbos call agbata eke (put on the table and share) politics? May God let us not afflict ourselves with blindness, after we had enjoyed the luxury of clear sight.

There are people who have filled the land with hate messages. Pastors who don’t know their Master as the Prince of Peace. People who spread utter falsehood on the social media. They concoct and share evil from the pit of hell, just to turn the people against the government. “But He that sits in Heaven shall laugh…” That is what the Good Book says. The merchants of fake news and polluting messages simply don’t know what pertains to their peace.

Ask the pensioners from Nigeria Airways. The defunct Nitel. The  Biafra police. And many more. They will have good stories to tell. Ask millions who have benefitted from the several schemes under the Social Investment Program. They’ll have happy stories to tell. How about farmers who now have access to fertilizers at half of what they used to pay? And how about people who lived under the throes of insurgency, who never could sleep with two eyes closed? Good days have come, and better days beckon. They sure know what pertains to their peace.

I’ll rather have an accountable man rule me any day. That is what we have in President Buhari, the mai gaskiya (honest man). And that is why I’ll follow him, till Africa and China join together, till fishes begin to dance in the streets, and remain alive. I know what pertains to my peace as a Nigerian. I know what pertains to the peace of my children, and to the peace of generations unborn.

Having been brought from the bush to the main road, I am not ready to jump into the bush again. Onward to the Next Level. What about you?

.Adesina is Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said on Wednesday that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was working for the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2019 general election.

Oshiomhole however, added that the governing party will not decent to the level of bringing down state institutions because the APC believes that state institutions should be allowed to perform their functions.

Responding to questions about alleged collusion between the Electoral Management Body and President Muhammadu Buhari, Oshiomhole alleged that at the moment, two Resident Electoral Commissioners in the South-South have been going about campaigning with the PDP.

Oshiomhole who asked Nigerians not to return the PDP to power said the pledge by the PDP candidate to float the naira was a receipt to economic woes, adding that Atiku has always been part of wrath facing the nation.

He also dismissed PDP allegations that the APC was responsible for burning some INEC offices that have recently been engulfed in flame, stressing that he could easily allude to the fact that the PDP burnt the INEC offices because they are afraid of losing elections in those places.

He said “If anything, this INEC has been very unfair to the APC. But we just discovered that we have a responsibility. The fact that we are a governing party imposes on us a certain level of code that you can’t be seen to rubbish every institution because if we rubbish everything, it would mean that we don’t want election. INEC believe everything the PDP says.

“As we speak, there are two Resident Electoral Commissioners who are virtually campaigning line by line with the PDP in the south South. INEC, without giving us any explanation and without any concrete evidence went ahead to say we can’t field candidates in Zamfara, thereby seeking to award, without any context and nullify democracy in Zamfara state.

“Is that the way your friends behave if they are your friends. INEC is working more for the PDP, based on evidence I can show. How can they explain that a court of competent jurisdiction gave orders in Zamfara to say this candidate is eligible to contest election and another high court in Abuja also gave a verdict saying APC did not conclude its primaries but did not give order to INEC.

 “There is no order issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja. The court of Appeal made a pronouncement on this matter today that there was no order from the court in Abuja, but that there was a concrate order from a Zamfara High Court which upheld the primaries that was conducted in Zamfara.

“The INEC Chairman has said that when there are two court orders, they will adopt the last judgement. In Zamfara state, the Abuja judgement came first and the Zamfara judgment came last even though it is the same say.

“More as INEC has said they will always obey the last judgement when it came to the Zamfara issue, they changed the goal post. As media, you have to be careful. When you say people alleged there were meetings and can’t even cite any, it is a disservice. We have been at the receiving end of abuse.

“There is a candidate in Kano whose nomination we forwarded to INEC, but they changed the nomination and as we speak, we are in court over that. We showed our evidence.

“Do you remember the confession of the former Deputy Senate President who, on national television and on social media where anything is possible, narrated how President Obasanjo used him and Atiku to rig election, how they wrote results, how they collude with INEC. This same Atiku was in office when Mantu was doing those things.

“So, if PDP functionaries have enumerated how they use to rig election, how can in all fairness point to President Muhammadu Buhari who has been victim of election rigging three times such that in our legal history it is part precedent that the Supreme Court was persuaded to accept that election where ballot papers had no serial number was OK and not a major infraction.”

On the allegation by the PDP that the party was responsible for the fire incidences in some INEC offices, Oshiomhole said “does it make sense for any responsible Nigerian, when there is fire incidence either in a private property or a public property, to jump into conclusion from the comfort of your room say that the ruling party must have done it.

“There is an Igbo proverb that when you see a mad man running naked and he pulled your clothes, you don’t join him in running naked. The PDP choose to run naked and make allegations over everything. They are free to do that. We are more busy and will not join issues.

“This election is for us and no election can be this easy for us. All we need is one man one vote and we will defeat the PDP. There will be no violence, no fighting. Just the votes which will be counted and we will win.”

He likened Atiku’s plans to grant amnesty to looters who refund part of their loot to a situation of not putting in place any punitive measure to deter others from towing the same part.

He said President Buhari was not a sit tight leader, but only exercising his constitutional right to seek a second term in office, saying the President has demonstrated his love for Nigeria with the love of infrastructures he has put in place across the country.

He told foreign observers that while their presence was appreciated, western leaders should not come and dictate to Nigeria how to carry out their activities, saying “we are not a colony of any western nation”.

Nigeria, he said is much more than all those seeking to be the President, appealing for a violence-free election which he said will be won by his party without having to resort to any form of rigging or intimidation.

The Nation

An All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, says the recent attack on the APC rally in Ogun was disrespectful to the office of the Nigerian President.

Tinubu lamented in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media, Mr Tunde Rahman on Tuesday in Lagos, that the attack could have potentially harmed the person of the President.

He was reacting to the APC rally in Ogun on Monday where some APC leaders were attacked.

”An incident did actually occur at the Ogun State APC rally, but it is not the one PDP has concocted.

”The true incident that should be reported and condemned is that people who oppose the party and the president tried to infiltrate and disrupt the rally.

”The attack by these operatives is disrespectful of the office of the president and could have potentially harmed the person of the president.

“Such antics have no place in our political discourse. The author of these misdeeds should desist before real harm is done.”

Tinubu said he had no plans of leaving the party as being insinuated by some reports based on a video clip from the Ogun rally.

In the video, Tinubu was alleged to be seen throwing the party’s flag at the presidential rally.

He, however, accused the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of framing the video clip to mean that he was throwing away the party’s flag.
According to him, he remains ‘Gidigba’ (solid) in the governing party.

”If the issue of the flag has become the hotspot of the PDP campaign, then they are in serious trouble.

“During that portion of the Ogun rally, the National Chairman and others were looking for a party flag.

”I spotted one within my reach. I picked it up and attempted to toss it to the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole so that the Chairman can present it to the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Prince Dapo Abiodun.

“If you want to fault me for anything in this matter, your critique can only be limited to the accuracy of my toss.

“Any attempt to enlarge the episode beyond this is fiction and mischief writ large, ” he said.

Tinubu said he was committed to the party and had been hard at work for the victory of the APC and all of its candidates in the upcoming elections.

“As the National Leader. It is unthinkable that I will leave the party. Moreover, there is no reason for me to do so.

“I understand the bigger picture. I know what is at stake in this election.

”Either the nation moves forward along the progressive path of the APC or it will be forced to retreat into the ills of the past created by the PDP.

”With the nation’s future hanging in the balance, I will not allow myself to be deterred by petty mischief.

”After the election, I will be there celebrating the APC and this nation’s victory over those who will prevent us our rightful future,” he said.

Vanguard

Militants and ex-militants in the Niger Delta region have endorsed the reelection bid of President Muhammadu Buhari.

They announced this at the end of a workshop in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital, on Wednesday.

The militants said they believe that the interest of the region would be well served under Buhari.

“The Niger Delta is the most important region of Nigeria and also produces over 2 million barrels of oil daily which is the economic bedrock of the country which therefore makes peace a pre-requisite for that sustainable development of the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole,” they said in a statement issued after the meeting.

“Participants agreed and that the overall interest of the Niger Delta should be the guarding principle of all political considerations in the run-up to the 2019 presidential elections.

“Participants observed that since politics is a game of interest, and having realised that the interest of the Niger Delta would be better served by the incumbent president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari.

“Participants also considered other presidential candidates in the 2019 presidential elections and unanimously endorsed Muhammadu Buhari in the February 16, presidential elections and urged all leaders and ex-agitators to vote en-mass for him.

“Participants also agreed and resolved to pursue peace during and after the elections and also assist all relevant security agencies to achieve and maintain peace in the region.”

Ebikabowei Ben, a militant leader better known as Boyloaf, was nominated to engage directly with Buhari after the elections “with a view of pursing the collective interest of all ex-agitators and the Niger Delta as a whole”.

The cable

—Allow votes to count—Atiku tells President
—As Presidential candidates renew peace pact

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Abuja appealed to all the Presidential candidates in the February 16 election to commit to the ideals of the peace accord for a rancor free contest.

President Buhari made the appeal when he and other Presidential candidates including the former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar signed a second peace pact.

But Atiku Abubakar also told the President to make use of his good office to ensure that every eligible person that cast vote in the forthcoming elections was confident in the process and in the belief that their vote will count.

In his remarks at the signing ceremony, President Buhari said that the most important thing about the exercise was for the candidates to accept the final outcome even as he said that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had already assured that they had done everything possible to ensure free and fair elections.

He said even though there was apprehension in the air regarding the general elections, all contestants must understand that it signified that the country was growing politically.

The President said that the forthcoming election has expectedly generated anxiety, adding that it was a typical of any form of competition and contest, no matter how well prepared all contestants and regulators are.

He said the elections were very special and significant for the growth of the nation’s democracy.

According to him, “Another election is upon us and not unexpectedly, there is anxiety in the air. This is typical of any form of competition and contest, no matter how well prepared all contestants and regulators are. The forthcoming elections are very special and significant for the growth of our Democracy.

“First, they come immediately after one of the most peaceful elections in the history of our country. I am not saying this because I was blessed to emerge as the winner. I am saying there had been a lot of fears and anxieties from within and outside Nigeria about the future of the country. We are hopeful that this is evidence that we are all maturing in our disposition towards electoral outcomes. We see this as an opportunity to grow our sense of political culture in Nigeria.

“Secondly, we are witnessing an exciting development in the area of the engagement of our Youth and Women in the democratic process. Hitherto, these groups have often not been in the mainstream of our political competition. It is in appreciation of their contribution that we passed the Not Too Young to Run Bill last year.

“The success of the Act is illustrated by the unprecedented number of young men and women who have stepped forward to participate in this process as Candidates at all levels. Significantly, we have witnessed also the emergence of Women as Candidates across the political space.

“Thirdly, these elections are taking place against the backdrop of the emergence of an unprecedented number of Political Parties. As of now, we have 91 Political Parties, out of which over 70 fielded Presidential Candidates. Although some Candidates have dropped out of the race, there is no doubt in our minds that our country is moving forward and that our democracy is expanding and also deepening.

“I call on all Nigerians to contribute to the building of a viable polity by more active participation well beyond the mere casting of votes. Elections by themselves do not constitute Democracy. It is the spirit of citizenship engagement that utilizes the energy of citizens towards the attainment of good governance.

“We have assembled here to mark the final phase of our campaigns and we are now at the doorstep of our elections. The Campaigns so far have gone well and we thank God for that.

 For the few incidents in which people lost their lives largely through accidents, we pray that God grants them eternal peace. Now campaigns are over and our next assignment is for us all, citizens and contestants alike, to go out and exercise our civic duties.

“We, the Presidential candidates are here to sign and commit ourselves to do all that is possible to ensure the success of the elections but most importantly to accept the final outcome. I appeal to my fellow contestants to commit to these ideals so as to keep our country and people safe.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, our electoral Umpire, has already assured us that they have done everything possible to ensure free and fair elections.

“It was to ensure this that I made sure that INEC received all the resources they needed to perform their job. Our Security Agencies have been fully briefed and they know that their visible neutrality is key to the conduct, credibility and success of the elections.”

He commended the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Patricia Scotland for witnessing the event, adding, “Your presence here and your friendship mean a lot to us as a country. To the Members of the Diplomatic Corps, the International Team of Monitors, again, I say, welcome to Nigeria and thank you very much for standing by us. Your presence helps to validate our process and commitment to growing our Democracy.”

President Buhari also thanked General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Chairman of the National Peace Committee and his members for their efforts in ensuring that the forthcoming elections were peaceful, noting that they contributed in shaping the 2015 elections.

He advised the citizens to pray for a successful election and also appealed that the opportunity would be used to strengthen the beliefs in a united country.

“Our elections are important only to the extent that they make our country peaceful and prepare us for development. I am making a special appeal to our young people: Do not allow yourselves to be used to cause violence.

“Please eschew all forms of violence and cooperate with all the relevant agencies during these elections. We will vote according to Parties, but in the end, the only real Party is Nigeria, our country. Our elections are important only to the extent that they make her strong. Let us do our best and ask God to bless us and our country,” he said.

In his remarks, the PDP Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar commended General Abubakar and members of the Peace Committee for their tireless enthusiasm, dedication, and passion towards ensuring the success of the peace accord process.

He said, “Our gathering here today clearly demonstrates the importance of the upcoming elections as well as how our democracy has matured, not only to our people, but also to the international community whose solidarity, Nigeria’s democracy has benefited from.

“As we prepare to sign off on this Peace Accord, as representatives of our party and people, may I freely quote the words of former President Goodluck Jonathan, which remains a benchmark, for me, taking into account the deep feelings that prevail as February 16, 2019, approaches.

“My ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. In this context, I appeal once again to every staff and the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force, to be fair arbiters in the upcoming elections while letting neutrality prevail.

“For emphasis and in the spirit of fair play, I also urge our security agencies, not to embark on indiscriminate arrests of members of the opposition, 24 to 48 hours before elections, as has been the case in previous elections.

“Hopefully, our democracy should emerge stronger from this process with the 2019 elections proving better managed than the 2015 process, which was adjudged free and fair with the then opposition’s victory unobstructed.

“Consequently, I also appeal to the President, General Buhari, to use his good office to ensure that every eligible person who casts their vote is confident in the process and in the belief that their vote will count.

“Additionally, every candidate must remember that this election is about the future of Nigeria, therefore, we must abide by the will of the people as freely expressed through elections, under the terms of our constitution.

“Once again, despite concerns expressed by my party leaders concerning likely electoral malpractices and the intimidation of voters and observers, I trust that our election officials and security services will do their duty in accordance with their oath and obligations.

“In conclusion, I appeal once again, to our citizens, to go out and cast their votes for the candidates of their choice, to be peaceful at all times, and confident in our democracy, its institutions and processes. So, please go out this Saturday to vote for your future and the future of our great nation.”

President Buhari at exactly 11:55am, signed the peace accord, after Atiku as well as candidates of other parties had signed the peace accord. They shook hands at the prompting of former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who is leading the ECOWAS observer mission.

The chairman of the national peace committee, former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar said the committee decided to organise the peace accord signing in order to ensure a peaceful conduct for all elections in the country.

The Presidential and the National Assembly elections hold this Saturday, February 16th, while that of governors and members of state Houses of Assembly hold on March 2, 2019.

Abdulsalami in his welcome remarks said elections will not hold in the absence of peaceful atmosphere, noting that even governance after election will not be peaceful without a peaceful environment. “Don’t make anything to make a bad situation worse,” he said.

Abdulsalami said disharmony among political parties retards Nigeria’s development, adding, “Without cooperation among political parties, we are going nowhere.”

He reminded the presidential candidates that by signing the peace accord, they had committed themselves to ensuring a peaceful election in Nigeria and that mere signing of the peace accord would not achieve the required objective “unless all other actors are forced to work with the same rules”.

Also speaking the former head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, urged the candidate to tell their supporters to ensure peaceful conduct during the elections so that in the future, there may be no need for foreign observers because the right conduct would have been assured.

“May the winner be as dictated from above,” he said.

In her remarks, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland said that millions of people across the world were praying for Nigeria and its people hoping that the election will hold peacefully.

She noted that Saturday’s election will be the sixth since 1999 when the country returned to democracy after military rule and expressed optimism that the election will entrench and build on the gains achieved since 1999.

She said the world was holding their breath because Nigeria was the largest economy with the largest population and that what happens in Nigeria affects all.

“It is a burden that Nigerian leaders gathered here today carry. We call on their party, supporters and public to follow their lead. Elections will come and go, but this great Nigeria will remain,” Scotland said.

Convener of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Clement Nwankwo, in his good will message, said it was an opportunity for the country to get it right and he urged security agencies to be neutral.

Nwankwo noted that the country had bled tremendously and there was the need to subject their ambition to the will of all Nigerians.

He said from the situation room made up of civil society, they will observe the elections and report to Nigerians, give blow by blow account.

Among those in attendance at the event were Former Liberian President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who is leading the ECOWAS observer mission, a former President of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete, who heads the Commonwealth observer mission and Festus Moghai a former President of Botswana who is heading the Democratic National Institute and Republic National Institute.

Vanguard

President Muhammadu Buhari says Niger Delta militants were unleashed on his administration.

Buhari said this on Wednesday while commenting on the challenges his government encountered when it came on board.

He said through dedication and hard work, his government was able to surmount those challenges.

The president spoke at a mega rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which held at Eagle Square, Abuja.

“When we came in, Boko Haram was controlling 17 local government areas and even operating here in Abuja but today that is no longer happening,” he said.

“What Boko Haram is doing now is to indoctrinate some young people. Our government faced so many challenges… militants were unleashed on my administration but we have been able to make progress.”

Buhari spoke a few hours after some
militants endorsed his reelection bid.

The resurgence of militancy under Buhari happened in the heat of economic recession. Led by a group known as the Niger Delta Avengers, the militants blew up several oil pipelines in the region.

This affected the country’s oil production and created economic instability.

President Muhammadu Buhari says elections are important only if they make the country safe .
Buhari said this at the signing of the national peace accord ahead of the February 16 presidential election.

Citing the growing number of political parties, young candidates participation and female representations in the political sphere, the president expressed his delight at the changes being experienced in the country’s electoral process, saying the nation’s democracy is “deepening and expanding”.

He called on the youths to avoid being used as tools for violence, saying peaceful elections are the bedrock of the nation’s democracy.

Below is the speech he delivered:

Another election is upon us and not unexpectedly, there is anxiety in the air. This is typical of any form of competition and contest, no matter how well prepared all contestants and regulators are. The forthcoming elections are very special and significant for the growth of our Democracy.

First, they come immediately after one of the most peaceful elections in the history of our country. I am not saying this because I was blessed to emerge as the winner. I am saying there had been a lot of fears and anxieties from within and outside Nigeria about the future of the country. We are hopeful that this is evidence that we are all maturing in our disposition towards electoral outcomes. We see this as an opportunity to grow our sense of political culture in Nigeria.

Secondly, we are witnessing an exciting development in the area of the engagement of our Youth and Women in the democratic process.

 Hitherto, these groups have often not been in the mainstream of our political competition. It is in appreciation of their contribution that we passed the Not Too Young to Run Bill last year. The success of the Act is illustrated by the unprecedented number of young men and women who have stepped forward to participate in this process as Candidates at all levels. Significantly, we have witnessed also the emergence of Women as Candidates across the political space.

Thirdly, these elections are taking place against the backdrop of the emergence of an unprecedented number of Political Parties. As of now, we have 91 Political Parties, out of which over 70 fielded Presidential Candidates. Although some Candidates have dropped out of the race, there is no doubt in our minds that our country is moving forward and that our democracy is expanding and also deepening.

I call on all Nigerians to contribute to the building of a viable polity by more active participation well beyond the mere casting of votes. Elections by themselves do not constitute Democracy. It is the spirit of citizenship engagement that utilizes the energy of citizens towards the attainment of good governance.

We have assembled here to mark the final phase of our campaigns and we are now at the doorstep of our elections. The Campaigns so far have gone well and we thank God for that.

 For the few incidents in which people lost their lives largely through accidents, we pray that God grants them eternal peace. Now campaigns are over and our next assignment is for us all, citizens and contestants alike, to go out and exercise our civic duties.

We, the Presidential candidates are here to sign and commit ourselves to do all that is possible to ensure the success of the elections but most importantly to accept the final outcome. I appeal to my fellow contestants to commit to these ideals so as to keep our country and people safe. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, our electoral Umpire, has already assured us that they have done everything possible to ensure free and fair elections.

It was to ensure this that I made sure that INEC received all the resources they needed to perform their job. Our Security Agencies have been fully briefed and they know that their visible neutrality is key to the conduct, credibility and success of the elections.

To the Rt. Honourable Patricia Scotland, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat, we extend our felicitations and welcome to you. Your presence here and your friendship mean a lot to us as a country. To the Members of the Diplomatic Corps, the International Team of Monitors, again, I say, welcome to Nigeria and thank you very much for standing by us. Your presence helps to validate our process and commitment to growing our Democracy.

I want to thank General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the Chairman of the National Peace Committee and all his members for the hard work they have put into ensuring that our Elections are peaceful. Your great work contributed significantly in shaping the 2015 elections and we are sure that the same impact will be felt in these elections.

To all our citizens, I want to thank you. As we go into the elections in few days, please let us pray for our country. Let us use this opportunity to strengthen our beliefs in a united country. Our elections are important only to the extent that they make our country peaceful and prepare us for development.

I am making a special appeal to our young people: Do not allow yourselves to be used to cause violence. Please eschew all forms of violence and cooperate with all the relevant agencies during these elections. We will vote according to Parties, but in the end, the only real Party is Nigeria, our country. Our elections are important only to the extent that they make her strong. Let us do our best and ask God to bless us and our country.

Thank you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The cable

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{content: “Daddy, when we get home do I have to go to bed straightaway?” View Entire Post › , title:BuzzFeed – Latest, url:https://bzfd.it/2tkPRmA, author:, feed_url: https://bzfd.it/1V7UNzh, }

{content: Today I learned putting butter on popcorn is an American thing. View Entire Post › , title:BuzzFeed – Latest, url:https://bzfd.it/2BvM767, author:, feed_url: https://bzfd.it/1V7UNzh, }