The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon E. Arase fdc, NPM has directed Companies using Supernumerary Police (SPY) nationwide to stop the use of Police uniform for their operations on or before 1st January, 2016.
The IGP gave this directive today, at a meeting with Security Managers of Companies using SPY Police for their internal security. He noted this measure being part of his administration’s renewed crime fighting strategy, is aimed at curtailing the activities of criminally minded persons who disguise in police uniform to perpetuate their nefarious activities.
However, he has approved the use of a newly designed grey and black trouser as the new uniform to be worn by spy police officers nationwide.
Ag. ACP OLABISI KOLAWOLE
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
FORCE HEADQUARTERS,
ABUJA.
News,Articles,Sports,Information Technology,Entertainment and others
Thursday, October 22, 2015
PRESS RELEASE: IGP GAVE JANUARY 1ST 2016 AS DEADLINE FOR SPY POLICE TO STOP WEARING POLICE UNIFORM
Police parade, arraign Nyanya, Kuje bombings masterminds
The Nigeria police on Thursday paraded five suspected masterminds of the October 2 bombings in Nyanya and Kuje areas of Abuja.
The suspects were paraded at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad Headquaters in Abuja, where several bomb making materials recovered from them were displayed.
Later they were arraigned at the Federal High court Abuja on five count charge bordering on terrorism.
Daily Trust
Amaechi, five others listed for screening
Former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi and five other ministerial nominees have been listed for Thursday’s screening at the Senate.
Other nominees that will face the lawmakers on Thursday are – Heineken Lokpobiri, Claudius Omoleye Daramola, Prof. Adewole Isaac, Shehuri Mustapha and Ocholi James.
The Nation News
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Opinion: An Ode To The Tyrant, By Femi Fani-Kayode
There comes a time in the life of a man when he must be a man and stand up and speak the truth, even where others are too timid and intimidated to do so.
By the grace of God I have today reached that point and I will bare my mind to the sickly tyrant. And after I have had my say I shall gallantly take my stand and with faith proclaim: let the demons of hell be invoked and conjured up and let them come forth and do their very worse, for they shall not pass and neither shall they prevail.
And so it shall be as I stand on these holy words and boldly proclaim, o wicked tyrant, I stand and I fight against you. I stand and I fight in the name of the Living God. I stand and I fight in the name of Harrow and Cambridge.
I stand and I fight in the name of Kelly and London. I stand and I fight as the son of my father. I stand and I fight as a proud and strong African. I stand and I fight as a resilient and irresistible Nigerian. I stand and I fight as a man of courage. I stand and I fight as a beautiful and irrepressible black man.
I stand and I fight as a man of faith, a Christian who knows that his God is mighty and can never be defeated. We are what we believe ourselves to be. I am unbeatable, irrepressible and indestructible. I am a covenant child of the Living God, a prince of the Faith and a son of the Kingdom.
My head may be bloodied but it is not bowed. I do not know the meaning of fear and I have learnt to master the affliction of pain. I do not flinch.
I stand and I fight with my whole being: with my body, with my spirit and with my soul. I stand and I fight to win and not to lose. I stand and I fight, tall and proud and by the power of the God that I serve, I shall always prevail.
I stand and I fight because children of Israel are never alone. I stand and I fight because all tyrants must be resisted. I stand and I fight because God’s word says “He shall cut off the spirit of princes” and “He is terrible to the kings of the earth”.
And so to the tyrant, I have just this to say: you can detain me, you can malign me, you can arrest me and you can misrepresent me. You can persecute me, you can subjugate me, you can lie about me and you can scatter my household and my loved ones.
You can vilify me, you can torment me, you can jeer at me and you can mock me. You can sack my associates, you can query my loyalists and you can cause my friends to flee the land.
You can humiliate those who stand for me, you can pour scorn on those who love me, you can threaten those who speak for me and you can bribe those who work for me. You can plan, you can scheme, you can assign and you can direct and delegate destruction at my doorsteps and at my gates.
You can intimidate and torment and you can use your kingly power to abuse and to destroy. You can do all these things yet ultimately you will fail because, like all beastly tyrants, you have forgotten the power of God in all your subterranean wickedness and in all your sinister schemes.
Holding on to power at all costs? That is nothing new, Saul tried it and failed. Agag tried it and failed. Herod tried it and failed. Pharaoh tried it and failed and so did Nero and Caligula and Jezebel and countless others.
For the God that stopped them is still alive and continues to rule in the affairs of men and He alone forges the destiny of nations. And in all this know one thing: that you cannot break me, you cannot kill me, you cannot defeat me and you cannot destroy me.
This is because I am anointed for greatness and I am truly blessed by He who sits above the circles of the earth and by He who created all that is. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places and yea I have a goodly heritage. My future has been established and decreed by the oracles of God.
It has been inscribed in the stars and it has been written in the books of heaven. It cannot be altered or aborted by you or your invocations and spells and your wicked ways.
And yet perhaps you should know another: that your end has already been decreed by the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob and it is only a matter of time before it suddenly comes.
For my soul stands defiant against you. I defy you with all my being. My contempt for you is resounding, for you are nothing but sickness and weakness and failure and deceit and emptiness.
You are nothing but the darkness that seeks the darkness, both you and the Amalekite foundation from which you come.
My God has spoken and on His word I stand. My spirit is lifted and it is filled with joy and strength. I stand and I fight because my victory is assured. I stand and I fight because I despise the shame.
I stand and I fight because there is a greater tomorrow.. I stand and I fight because I will never bow before this beastly and deceitful tyrant. I stand and I fight because I am who I am. I stand and I fight because my God is “a man of war”.
I stand and I fight because the Lord has steeled my body, my spirit and my soul. I stand and I fight because the fewer the number, the greater the share of honor.
I stand and I fight because King David stood and fought, and Gideon and Joshua and Jehu that went before him. So let the sickly tyrant rant and rave. Let him do his very worse.
Let him, like Nero, play his fiddle whilst Rome burns and let him make merry in his wickedness and inglorious ways.
Let him plot and plan both night and day. Let him invoke strange spirits, consult the stars, torture, detain, defame, destroy, charge, frame, kill and maim. Let him “cry havoc” and let slip the horrific dogs of war.
Let him break and let him crush the very spirit of the people. Let him enslave the whole of our nation and cower us all into silence and submission.
Let him unleash his kinsmen and cattle-rearers on the southern part of our country. Let him engender the philosophy of Boko Haram. Let him turn us into cowards and quislings, let him plunge us into darkness and let him bewitch our feeble souls.
Yet in all his treacheries and schemings let him know one thing, that we are not shaken and neither are we moved. For even if he were to carve up our flesh and send our dismembered limbs to the four corners of the kingdom, our God is able to put us back together again and give us life, even more abundant.
And even if he can kill our weak and worldly bodies, he cannot break our spirits and neither can he take our souls. For if our God can move mountains who and what is he?
If our God be for us, what can he possibly do? Our God’s word says “who is he that sayest a thing and it cometh to pass when the Lord God of Hosts has commanded it not?”
It says “who is he that lays a charge before God’s elect, is it not Christ that justifies?” It says “whose report will you believe and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
It says “who can separate us from the love of the Lord?” and that “nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us”.
We stand and we fight because we are indeed “more than conquerors”. We stand and we fight because tin pot tyrants come and go: they are a dime a dozen, soon to be forgotten.
We stand and we fight because heroes and martyrs, even if they fall in their course, will always live forever. We stand and we fight because we serve a mighty God who never fails and who will never leave us or forsake us.
We stand and we fight knowing that the victory is ours. We stand and we fight for our honor, for our nation, for our women and for our children. We stand and we fight with courage, strength, defiance and joy knowing that though weeping may tarry in the night, “joy comes in the morning”.
We stand and we fight because His word says “once has it been spoken and twice have we heard that all power belongs to God and the heavens do rule in the affairs of men”.
We stand and we fight because we have no other choice, for good will always triumph over evil and light will always overcome the darkness in the end. We stand and we fight because we fear not death, we fear not the tyrant and we fear not his gods and idols.
We stand and we fight because our God will always love us and through Him and by Him our salvation is secure. We stand and we fight because we have been prepared for war.
We stand and we fight because the Lord is our defense and the Holy One of Israel is our king and our God. We stand and we fight because His word boldly asks, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine that has chosen to defy the armies of the Living God?”
We stand and we fight because He goes on to affirm that “I have found David my servant and with my holy oil have I anointed him”. We stand and we fight because His holy word proclaims “who art thou o mountain before Zerrubabel? Thou shalt be made a plain”.
We stand and we fight because we wax strong in battle. We stand and we fight because we cannot be defeated. We stand and we fight because we are not in the hands of men but rather we are under the power of God.
We stand and we fight because He is our shield, He is our glory and the lifter of our heads. We stand and we fight because He will “pour out His wrath upon the heathen that have not known Him and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon His name.”
So let it be and so it is and yet until then, we stand and we fight, we stand and we fight, we stand and we fight.
Fani-Kayode is a Nigerian politician, a former minister, presidential spokesman and a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
Buhari replaces Head of Service, Kifasi with Winifred Oyo-Ita
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday removed the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr Danladi Kifasi and replaced him with Mrs Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, current Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology.
She is 51 years old.
Mr Kifasi was due to retire on January, 1, 2016 when he will clock 60.
His last day would have been December 31, 2015. He would have proceeded on three months pre-retirement leave since the beginning of October, if he were to observe his terminal leave.
Though details of the development were sketchy at press time, The Guardian was told by competent sources last night that the new Head of Service, a chartered accountant, who hails from Cross River State, is to be there in an acting capacity, though the office does not require Senate approval but a direct presidential appointment.
Winifred Oyo-Ita
This development came last night even as sources hinted that the president might consider retiring all permanent secretaries that have spent more than four years considered to be the end of the first tenure. Permanent Secretaries are entitled to two terms of eight years only under the tenure regime the Umaru Yar’Adua administration put in place in 2009.
Signs of Trouble
A source in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) told The Guardian that Kifasi has been a regular visitor to the office but yesterday’s visit was different in all respects, as it was quite unusual.
“He came to see the SGF as early as 8.00 a.m and we all wondered what brought him so early. He looked really worried. He went into the SGF’s office immediately for a private discussion.
Two Permanent Secretaries and about three Directors also came in , but they all left as quickly as they got in, having obviously been told that they were not needed.
“After about 20 minutes or so of private discussion with the SGF, Kifasi left. It was obvious something was amiss, but we could not confirm what it was”, The Guardian was told.
The Guardian confirmed that Kifasi, a chartered accountant and lawyer has not really been in the good books of the Presidency, but was allowed to tarry on because he is due to retire in December .
That was before something else came up, bordering on loyalty and ethics, backed up with documented evidence. With this the Presidency could not tolerate him any longer.
Another source attributed the change of guard at the HOS to imperative for political balance, given that the SGF Mr.Babachir Lawal who hails from Adamawa is from the same geopolitical zone as Kifasi who comes from Taraba State.
It was gathered last night that Oyo-Ita Ekanem will take over from Kifasi today.
Oyo-Ita Ekanem hails from Adiabo community of Odukpani Local Council of Cross Rivers State, was born in April 1964, educated at the Queens College Yaba, graduated at the University of Lagos in 1984 with B.Sc Accounting and holds a Master’s degree from the Nasarawa State University
She was Director, Finance and Accounts at the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
Before her appointment as the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology in April 2014, Oyo-Ita was Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Read more...
Buhari replaces Head of Service, Kifasi with Winifred Oyo-Ita
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday removed the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr Danladi Kifasi and replaced him with Mrs Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, current Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology.
She is 51 years old.
Mr Kifasi was due to retire on January, 1, 2016 when he will clock 60.
His last day would have been December 31, 2015. He would have proceeded on three months pre-retirement leave since the beginning of October, if he were to observe his terminal leave.
Though details of the development were sketchy at press time, The Guardian was told by competent sources last night that the new Head of Service, a chartered accountant, who hails from Cross River State, is to be there in an acting capacity, though the office does not require Senate approval but a direct presidential appointment.
Winifred Oyo-Ita
This development came last night even as sources hinted that the president might consider retiring all permanent secretaries that have spent more than four years considered to be the end of the first tenure. Permanent Secretaries are entitled to two terms of eight years only under the tenure regime the Umaru Yar’Adua administration put in place in 2009.
Signs of Trouble
A source in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) told The Guardian that Kifasi has been a regular visitor to the office but yesterday’s visit was different in all respects, as it was quite unusual.
“He came to see the SGF as early as 8.00 a.m and we all wondered what brought him so early. He looked really worried. He went into the SGF’s office immediately for a private discussion.
Two Permanent Secretaries and about three Directors also came in , but they all left as quickly as they got in, having obviously been told that they were not needed.
“After about 20 minutes or so of private discussion with the SGF, Kifasi left. It was obvious something was amiss, but we could not confirm what it was”, The Guardian was told.
The Guardian confirmed that Kifasi, a chartered accountant and lawyer has not really been in the good books of the Presidency, but was allowed to tarry on because he is due to retire in December .
That was before something else came up, bordering on loyalty and ethics, backed up with documented evidence. With this the Presidency could not tolerate him any longer.
Another source attributed the change of guard at the HOS to imperative for political balance, given that the SGF Mr.Babachir Lawal who hails from Adamawa is from the same geopolitical zone as Kifasi who comes from Taraba State.
It was gathered last night that Oyo-Ita Ekanem will take over from Kifasi today.
Oyo-Ita Ekanem hails from Adiabo community of Odukpani Local Council of Cross Rivers State, was born in April 1964, educated at the Queens College Yaba, graduated at the University of Lagos in 1984 with B.Sc Accounting and holds a Master’s degree from the Nasarawa State University
She was Director, Finance and Accounts at the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
Before her appointment as the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology in April 2014, Oyo-Ita was Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Read more...
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Lagos, Oh! Our Lagos
Edo Gov. Oshiomhole reshuffles cabinet
Man hospitalised after sleeping with friend’s wife
A 21- year- old man in Ugbona village, Ishieke community Ebonyi local government area of Ebonyi State, Orima Onyebuchi has been hospitalised after having sex with his friend’s wife.
Onyebuchi has been allegedly having affairs with the woman until the last one which resulted in his hospitalization.
He had a day after the sex complained of serious pain in his private which became very serious leading to his rush to some local hospitals in the area for treatment including prayer house as the sickness persisted.
At the prayer house where he narrated having affair with his friend’s wife to the pastor, the pastor advised him to confess the act to his friend, Friday Nwankwo following the deterioration of his health which he did.
But after the confession Tuesday, he was asked to provide N250, 000 to enable Nwankwo destroy the charm (juju) that caused the sickness for having affairs with his wife.
Nwankwo said he had been suspecting Onyebuchi and his wife’s relationship and has to get the charm from a native doctor to stop the relationship and insisted that he must be given the N250,000 for the man to free himself from the ‘bondage’.
Sensing that Nwankwo was determined to allow Onyebuchi to die, the suspect’s parents offered N50, 000 which Nwankwo rejected.
The parents then left home and started selling-off some of their properties to be able to raise the amount.
Dailypost
Buhari flags off N600m Calabar-Katsina-Ala Highway
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday performed the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the 260km dual carriage road to link Calabar to Northern Nigeria.
Speaking at the event held at Obung Village, Netim Clam, Akampa local government area of Cross River State, Buhari expressed the commitment of the Federal Government to the speedy completion of the project, which is scheduled to be completed within the next four to five years.
The project, he said, is expected to open the doors of opportunity for the people of Cross River State and Nigeria as a whole.
He said: “When completed, this road, which starts from the seaport and terminates at the boundary between Cross River and Benue States will link the southern part of Nigeria to the North-Central, the North-East and ultimately Central Africa.
“This will undoubtedly expand the boundaries of our economy by providing countries such as Niger Republic and Chad access to the seaport.
He commended the state governor and his team for creating a new vista of business opportunities for Cross River and the rest of the country.
The 260km super highway, which is an evacuation corridor from a deep seaport in Bakassi, is expected to reduce travel time between Calabar and Katsina-Ala from about six hours to one hour and 30 minutes.
The super highway and the sea port projects are estimated to cost about N700 billion.
The Nation
70-year-old man arrested for impersonating Buhari’s adviser
Capital Territory have arrested a 70-year-old man, Adamu Sule, who was impersonating as the Special Adviser to the President on Defence Matters.
The police said Sule who specialises in defrauding influential people was arrested at a house in Maitama area of Abuja where he claimed to have met a former governor.
A statement by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Manzah Anjuguri, on Monday said police detectives arrested Sule following a tip-off last Sunday.
Items recovered from the suspect include a fake identity card bearing Col. Adamu Sule, Senior Special Adviser to the President and five complimentary cards.
The statement partly read, “Upon his arrest, the suspect confessed to the police that the claim that he served in the army and that he is the Senior Special Adviser to the President were all falsified.
“He also confessed that he only hides under that guise to solicit for juicy contracts or financial favour from his high profile victims.”
Anjuguri stated that the suspect had been transferred to the Command Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department for further investigation.
The police also arrested a member of a notorious syndicate that specialises in producing and circulating fake N1,000 notes to unsuspecting members of the public.
The suspect was arrested around Royal Park in Wuse 2, Abuja where he had gone to buy N200 recharge card with a fake N1,000 note.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, enjoined members of the public to be vigilant and to always provide the police with information about criminals and their nefarious activities.
He also enjoined the FCT residents to take advantage of the FCT Police Command emergency helplines: 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653, and 08028940883.
Meanwhile, the police have reiterated the ban on fireworks and fire-crackers in the country.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Kolawole, in a statement cautioned Nigerians to desist from using fireworks, noting that the ban on it is still in force.
Source: Punch
Sunday, October 18, 2015
ENTERING THE WORLD OF OGBONI
Wednesday, October 07, 2015
10th Wole Soyinka Award For Investigative Reporting Calls For Entries
Press Statement
The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ)
invites entries from Nigerian reporters for the 10th Wole Soyinka
Award for Investigative Reporting from the 4th of October 2015. The
award programme, true to its tradition, will honour works that
involve reporting on public and or corporate corruption, human
rights abuses or on the failure of regulatory agencies.
This year, the award plans to reward outstanding reporters from
print, radio, television, online, photography and editorial cartoon
categories. The submitted stories must have first been published or
broadcast in a Nigerian media between 4th October 2014 and 3rd
October 2015.
In addition to the entry coding system which makes the details of
media house and by-line of entrants anonymous to judges
introduced in 2012, the WSCIJ now converts entries to electronic
format before sending to judges. The electronic entries system is
helping to ease scoring for judges and enable the inclusion of
persons from across Nigeria and abroad to participate in the judging
process.
Entries will be scored by a panel of judges drawn from the media
and related professions who are passionate about investigative
reporting. Over all, judges will be looking for ethical reporting
courage, individual creativity and public benefit.
Interested reporters may visitwww.wscij.org for details of the 2015
award. The deadline for submission of entries is 4pm onFriday, 23
October 2015.
Signed:
Motunrayo Alaka
Centre Coordinator
motunrayo@wscij.org
entries@wscij.org
Monday, October 05, 2015
Seoul: N. Korea to release detained South Korean student
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Monday North Korea will release a detained South Korean student from New York University.
Won Moon Joo, 21, who has permanent resident status in the United States, was arrested in April for allegedly entering North Korea illegally across the Chinese border.
Seoul's Unification Ministry said in a statement North Korea has told South Korea that it will repatriate Joo through the border village of Panmunjom on Monday.
Last month, Joo was presented to the media in Pyongyang and said he had not been able to contact his family but wanted them to know he was healthy. For most of the 30-minute appearance, Joo read a prepared — and probably coached — speech full of praise for the country, its government and people.
Other foreigners who have been detained in the North have said after their release that they were coerced or coached closely on what to say in such statements.
South Korea says North Korea is holding three other South Korean nationals and has urged Pyongyang to return them.
The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
AP
Porsche Crashes Into Crowd, Injuring 26 People
A supercar has careered into dozens of spectators at a charity event in Malta – critically injuring five people, including a young girl.
The Porsche Spyder was travelling at high speed along a disused airport runway when it clipped the grass and crashed through the barriers into a crowd.
It is believed 26 people were injured in total, and a six-year-old is among those badly hurt.
Nine people suffered cuts or fractures and needed hospital care, including the driver – and he is believed to be British.
The Paqpaqli Ghall-Istrina event, where the accident happened, is an annual fundraiser which is organised by the Maltese government.
Dashcam footage uploaded to YouTube showed the supercar making its final lap before the crash happened on Sunday afternoon.
President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca has said she is heartbroken and traumatised by the major incident, according to The Times of Malta.
Sky News
Thursday, October 01, 2015
Celtic manager blames Efe Ambrose for costly 'stupid mistake'
Ronny Deila blamed Efe Ambrose for "a stupid mistake" that allowed Fenerbahce to work their way back into the Europa League clash and earn a share of the spoils at Celtic Park.
Leigh Griffiths and Kris Commons had given the Scottish Champions the lead inside the first half hour but a defensive blunder by Efe Ambrose let Fernandao pull a goal back before the break.
The substitute then struck a second just minutes after the second-half got underway with the home side unable to find a winner.
Deila said errors like the Nigerian's are punished at Europa League level and his lack of concentration cost Celtic dearly in the 2-2 draw.
"When you are defending you need to keep concentration for 90 minutes and that is the biggest challenge Efe has," the manager said.
STV
"He plays 88 minutes very good but he sometimes makes some easy mistakes and today was one of them. As a defender you have to keep concentration for 90 minutes.
"I think we had good control over them but of course we made a stupid mistake which happens in football, but you get punished when you are in Europe.
"I think we played well in the first half, we got 2-0 up and it was important to keep that lead into the break. I thought we would have had a very good chance in the second-half but we conceded an easy goal and that gave them energy and put us on the back foot a little bit.
"They had us for 15 minutes in the second-half, they didn't create a lot but got the second goal from the set-play and it was disappointing that they scored with the two chances they had.
"In the second-half I think we were a little bit too deep. We made some changes and got more into the game and we kept the ball more. You can see that when we believe in ourselves, and we dare to play football, we are a good team and that's what we have to do more."
Clinton raises $28M in past three months — Sanders just behind
WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton‘s campaign says it raised $28 million in the past three months to fuel her 2016 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Clinton is trailed tightly by Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose campaign says it raised more than $24 million in that time.
Clinton’s campaign says 93 percent of the donations were $100 or less. More than 60 percent came from women.
Sanders’ campaign says it raised at least $1.5 million on Wednesday, the last day of the fundraising period. Campaign spokesman Michael Briggs says most of the contributions came online.
Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook says in a statement that she is “thrilled and grateful” for the support
AP
Full Text: President Buhari’s Independence Day Speech
October 1, 2015
By President Muhammadu Buhari
October 1st is a day for joy and celebrations for us Nigerians, whatever the circumstances we find ourselves in because it is the day, 55 years ago; we liberated ourselves from the shackles of colonialism and began our long march to nationhood and to greatness.
No temporary problems or passing challenges should stop us from honouring this day. Let us remind ourselves of the gifts God has given us. Our Creator has bequeathed to us Numbers – Nigeria is the ninth most populated country on the planet. We have in addition arable land; water; forests; oil and gas; coastline; and solid minerals
We have all the attributes of a great nation. We are not there yet because the one commodity we have been unable to exploit to the fullest is unity of purpose. This would have enabled us to achieve not only more orderly political evolution and integration but also continuity and economic progress.
Countries far less endowed have made greater economic progress by greater coherence and unity of purpose.
Nonetheless, that we have remained together is an achievement we should all appreciate and try to consolidate. We have witnessed this year a change in our democratic development.
The fact that an opposition party replaced an entrenched government in a free and fair election is indicative of the deeper roots of our democratic system. Whatever one’s views are, Nigerians must thank former President Jonathan for not digging-in in the face of defeat and thereby saving the country untold consequences.
As I said in my inaugural speech, I bear no ill will against anyone on past events. Nobody should fear anything from me. We are not after anyone. People should only fear the consequences of their actions. I hereby invite everyone, whatever his or her political view to join me in working for the nation.
My countrymen and women, every new government inherits problems. Ours was no different. But what Nigerians want are solutions, quick solutions not a recitation of problems inherited.
Accordingly, after consultations with the Vice President, senior party leaders and other senior stakeholders, I quickly got down to work on the immediate, medium-term and long-term problems which we must solve if we are to maintain the confidence which Nigerians so generously bestowed on us in the March elections and since then.
As you know, I toured the neighbouring countries, marshalled a coalition of armed forces of the five nations to confront and defeat Boko Haram. I met also the G-7 leaders and other friendly presidents in an effort to build an international coalition against Boko Haram.
Our gallant armed forces under new leadership have taken the battle to the insurgents, and severely weakened their logistical and infrastructural capabilities. Boko Haram are being scattered and are on the run.
That they are resorting to shameless attacks on soft targets such as I.D.P. camps is indicative of their cowardice and desperation. I have instructed security and local authorities to tighten vigilance in vulnerable places. On power, government officials have held a series of long sessions over several weeks about the best way to improve the nation’s power supply in the safest and most cost-effective way.
In the meantime, improvement in the power supply is moderately encouraging. By the same token, supply of petrol and kerosene to the public has improved throughout the country. All the early signs are that within months the whole country would begin to feel a change for the better.
Preliminary steps have been taken to sanitize NNPC and improve its operations so that the inefficiency and corruption could be reduced to a minimum.
Those of our refineries which can be serviced and brought back into partial production would be enabled to resume operations so that the whole sordid business of exporting crude and importing finished products in dubious transactions could be stopped.
In addition to NNPC, I have ordered a complete audit of our other revenue generating agencies mainly CBN, FIRS, Customs, NCC, for better service delivery to the nation. Prudent house-keeping is needed now more than ever in view of the sharp decline in world market oil prices. It is a challenge we have to face squarely. But what counts is not so much what accrues but how we manage our resources.
We have seen in the last few years how huge resources were mismanaged, squandered and wasted. The new APC government is embarking on a clean up, introducing prudence and probity in public financing.
At an early stage, the federal government addressed the issue of salary arrears in many states, a situation capable of degenerating into social unrest. The APC government stepped in to provide short-term support to the debtor states and enabled them to pay off the backlog and restore the livelihood of millions of Nigerians.
Fellow Nigerians, there have been a lot of anxiety and impatience over the apparent delay in announcement of ministers. There is no cause to be anxious. Our government set out to do things methodically and properly. We received the handing over notes from the outgoing government only four days before taking over. Consequently, the Joda Transition Committee submitted its Report on the reorganization of Federal Government structure after studying the hand over notes. It would have been haphazard to announce ministers when the government had not finalized the number of ministries to optimally carry the burden of governance.
Anyway, the wait is over. The first set of names for ministerial nominees for confirmation has been sent to the senate. Subsequent lists will be forwarded in due course. Impatience is not a virtue. Order is more vital than speed. Careful and deliberate decisions after consultations get far better results. And better results for our country is what the APC government for CHANGE is all about.
I would like to end my address this morning on our agenda for CHANGE. Change does not just happen. You and I and all of us must appreciate that we all have our part to play if we want to bring change about. We must change our lawless habits, our attitude to public office and public trust. We must change our unruly behaviour in schools, hospitals, market places, motor parks, on the roads, in homes and offices. To bring about change, we must change ourselves by being law-abiding citizens.
Happy Independence Celebrations. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.