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Trump Delivers Emotional Farewell Speech, Says I’ll Be Back

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In his final address as President, Donald Trump, while wishing the incoming administration “great luck”, has promised to “always fight” for the American people.

Speaking to staff, supporters and members of his family gathered at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on Wednesday, Trump said, “we will be back in some form”.

“It’s been an incredible four years. We have worked hard. As the athletes would say, we have left it all in the field.

“I will always fight for you. I will be watching and listening. I wish the new administration great luck and great success. They’ve the foundation to do something really spectacular.

“We love you and will be back in some form. This is a great country. It has been my greatest honour and privilege to have been your President.

“We have the greatest country in the world. We were hit so hard by the Covid pandemic but we did something that is really considered a medical miracle, and that was the vaccine.

“We love you and will be back in some form. This is a great country. It has been my greatest honour and privilege to have been your President.

“We have the greatest country in the world. We were hit so hard by the Covid pandemic but we did something that is really considered a medical miracle, and that was the vaccine.”

His Address:

My fellow Americans: Four years ago, we launched a great national effort to rebuild our country, to renew its spirit, and to restore the allegiance of this government to its citizens.  In short, we embarked on a mission to make America great again— for all Americans.

As I conclude my term as the 45th President of the United States, I stand before you truly proud of what we have achieved together.  We did what we came here to do—and so much more.

This week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous.  We extend our best wishes, and we also want them to have luck—a very important word.

I’d like to begin by thanking just a few of the amazing people who made our remarkable journey possible.

First, let me express my overwhelming gratitude for the love and support of our spectacular First Lady, Melania.  Let me also share my deepest appreciation to my daughter Ivanka, my son-in-law Jared, and to Barron, Don, Eric, Tiffany, and Lara.  You fill my world with light and with joy.

I also want to thank Vice President Mike Pence, his wonderful wife Karen, and the entire Pence family.

Thank you as well to my Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows; the dedicated members of the White House Staff and the Cabinet; and all the incredible people across our administration who poured out their heart and soul to fight for America.

I also want to take a moment to thank a truly exceptional group of people: the United States Secret Service.  My family and I will forever be in your debt.  My profound gratitude as well to everyone in the White House Military Office, the teams of Marine One and Air Force One, every member of the Armed Forces, and state and local law enforcement all across our country.

Most of all, I want to thank the American people.  To serve as your President has been an honor beyond description.  Thank you for this extraordinary privilege.  And that’s what it is—a great privilege and a great honor.

We must never forget that while Americans will always have our disagreements, we are a nation of incredible, decent, faithful, and peace-loving citizens who all want our country to thrive and flourish and be very, very successful and good.  We are a truly magnificent nation.

All Americans were horrified by the assault on our Capitol.  Political violence is an attack on everything we cherish as Americans.  It can never be tolerated.

Now more than ever, we must unify around our shared values and rise above the partisan rancor, and forge our common destiny.

Four years ago, I came to Washington as the only true outsider ever to win the presidency.  I had not spent my career as a politician, but as a builder looking at open skylines and imagining infinite possibilities.  I ran for President because I knew there were towering new summits for America just waiting to be scaled.  I knew the potential for our nation was boundless as long as we put America first.

So I left behind my former life and stepped into a very difficult arena, but an arena nevertheless, with all sorts of potential if properly done.  America had given me so much, and I wanted to give something back.

Together with millions of hardworking patriots across this land, we built the greatest political movement in the history of our country.  We also built the greatest economy in the history of the world.  It was about “America First” because we all wanted to make America great again.  We restored the principle that a nation exists to serve its citizens.  Our agenda was not about right or left, it wasn’t about Republican or Democrat, but about the good of a nation, and that means the whole nation.

With the support and prayers of the American people, we achieved more than anyone thought possible.  Nobody thought we could even come close.

We passed the largest package of tax cuts and reforms in American history.  We slashed more job-killing regulations than any administration had ever done before.  We fixed our broken trade deals, withdrew from the horrible Trans-Pacific Partnership and the impossible Paris Climate Accord, renegotiated the one-sided South Korea deal, and we replaced NAFTA with the groundbreaking USMCA—that’s Mexico and Canada—a deal that’s worked out very, very well.

Also, and very importantly, we imposed historic and monumental tariffs on China; made a great new deal with China.  But before the ink was even dry, we and the whole world got hit with the China virus.  Our trade relationship was rapidly changing, billions and billions of dollars were pouring into the U.S., but the virus forced us to go in a different direction.

The whole world suffered, but America outperformed other countries economically because of our incredible economy and the economy that we built.  Without the foundations and footings, it wouldn’t have worked out this way.  We wouldn’t have some of the best numbers we’ve ever had.

We also unlocked our energy resources and became the world’s number-one producer of oil and natural gas by far.  Powered by these policies, we built the greatest economy in the history of the world.  We reignited America’s job creation and achieved record-low unemployment for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, women—almost everyone.

Incomes soared, wages boomed, the American Dream was restored, and millions were lifted from poverty in just a few short years.  It was a miracle.  The stock market set one record after another, with 148 stock market highs during this short period of time, and boosted the retirements and pensions of hardworking citizens all across our nation.  401(k)s are at a level they’ve never been at before.  We’ve never seen numbers like we’ve seen, and that’s before the pandemic and after the pandemic.

We rebuilt the American manufacturing base, opened up thousands of new factories, and brought back the beautiful phrase: “Made in the USA.”

To make life better for working families, we doubled the child tax credit and signed the largest-ever expansion of funding for childcare and development.  We joined with the private sector to secure commitments to train more than 16 million American workers for the jobs of tomorrow.

When our nation was hit with the terrible pandemic, we produced not one, but two vaccines with record-breaking speed, and more will quickly follow.  They said it couldn’t be done but we did it.  They call it a “medical miracle,” and that’s what they’re calling it right now: a “medical miracle.”

Another administration would have taken 3, 4, 5, maybe even up to 10 years to develop a vaccine.  We did in nine months.

We grieve for every life lost, and we pledge in their memory to wipe out this horrible pandemic once and for all.

When the virus took its brutal toll on the world’s economy, we launched the fastest economic recovery our country has ever seen.  We passed nearly $4 trillion in economic relief, saved or supported over 50 million jobs, and slashed the unemployment rate in half.  These are numbers that our country has never seen before.

We created choice and transparency in healthcare, stood up to big pharma in so many ways, but especially in our effort to get favored-nations clauses added, which will give us the lowest prescription drug prices anywhere in the world.

We passed VA Choice, VA Accountability, Right to Try, and landmark criminal justice reform.

We confirmed three new justices of the United States Supreme Court.  We appointed nearly 300 Federal judges to interpret our Constitution as written.

For years, the American people pleaded with Washington to finally secure the nation’s borders.  I am pleased to say we answered that plea and achieved the most secure border in U.S. history.  We have given our brave border agents and heroic ICE officers the tools they need to do their jobs better than they have ever done before, and to enforce our laws and keep America safe.

We proudly leave the next administration with the strongest and most robust border security measures ever put into place.  This includes historic agreements with Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, along with more than 450 miles of powerful new wall.

We restored American strength at home and American leadership abroad.  The world respects us again.  Please don’t lose that respect.

We reclaimed our sovereignty by standing up for America at the United Nations and withdrawing from the one-sided global deals that never served our interests.  And NATO countries are now paying hundreds of billions of dollars more than when I arrived just a few years ago.  It was very unfair.  We were paying the cost for the world.  Now the world is helping us.

And perhaps most importantly of all, with nearly $3 trillion, we fully rebuilt the American military—all made in the USA.  We launched the first new branch of the United States Armed Forces in 75 years: the Space Force.  And last spring, I stood at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and watched as American astronauts returned to space on American rockets for the first time in many, many years.

We revitalized our alliances and rallied the nations of the world to stand up to China like never before.

We obliterated the ISIS caliphate and ended the wretched life of its founder and leader, al Baghdadi.  We stood up to the oppressive Iranian regime and killed the world’s top terrorist, Iranian butcher Qasem Soleimani.

We recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

As a result of our bold diplomacy and principled realism, we achieved a series of historic peace deals in the Middle East.  Nobody believed it could happen.  The Abraham Accords opened the doors to a future of peace and harmony, not violence and bloodshed.  It is the dawn of a new Middle East, and we are bringing our soldiers home.

I am especially proud to be the first President in decades who has started no new wars.

Above all, we have reasserted the sacred idea that, in America, the government answers to the people.  Our guiding light, our North Star, our unwavering conviction has been that we are here to serve the noble everyday citizens of America.  Our allegiance is not to the special interests, corporations, or global entities; it’s to our children, our citizens, and to our nation itself.

As President, my top priority, my constant concern, has always been the best interests of American workers and American families.  I did not seek the easiest course; by far, it was actually the most difficult.  I did not seek the path that would get the least criticism.  I took on the tough battles, the hardest fights, the most difficult choices because that’s what you elected me to do.  Your needs were my first and last unyielding focus.

This, I hope, will be our greatest legacy: Together, we put the American people back in charge of our country.  We restored self-government.  We restored the idea that in America no one is forgotten, because everyone matters and everyone has a voice.  We fought for the principle that every citizen is entitled to equal dignity, equal treatment, and equal rights because we are all made equal by God.  Everyone is entitled to be treated with respect, to have their voice heard, and to have their government listen.  You are loyal to your country, and my administration was always loyal to you.

We worked to build a country in which every citizen could find a great job and support their wonderful families.  We fought for the communities where every American could be safe and schools where every child could learn.  We promoted a culture where our laws would be upheld, our heroes honored, our history preserved, and law-abiding citizens are never taken for granted.  Americans should take tremendous satisfaction in all that we have achieved together.  It’s incredible.

Now, as I leave the White House, I have been reflecting on the dangers that threaten the priceless inheritance we all share.  As the world’s most powerful nation, America faces constant threats and challenges from abroad.  But the greatest danger we face is a loss of confidence in ourselves, a loss of confidence in our national greatness.  A nation is only as strong as its spirit.  We are only as dynamic as our pride.  We are only as vibrant as the faith that beats in the hearts of our people.

No nation can long thrive that loses faith in its own values, history, and heroes, for these are the very sources of our unity and our vitality.

What has always allowed America to prevail and triumph over the great challenges of the past has been an unyielding and unashamed conviction in the nobility of our country and its unique purpose in history.  We must never lose this conviction.  We must never forsake our belief in America.

The key to national greatness lies in sustaining and instilling our shared national identity.  That means focusing on what we have in common: the heritage that we all share.

At the center of this heritage is also a robust belief in free expression, free speech, and open debate.  Only if we forget who we are, and how we got here, could we ever allow political censorship and blacklisting to take place in America.  It’s not even thinkable.  Shutting down free and open debate violates our core values and most enduring traditions.

In America, we don’t insist on absolute conformity or enforce rigid orthodoxies and punitive speech codes.  We just don’t do that.  America is not a timid nation of tame souls who need to be sheltered and protected from those with whom we disagree.  That’s not who we are.  It will never be who we are.

For nearly 250 years, in the face of every challenge, Americans have always summoned our unmatched courage, confidence, and fierce independence.  These are the miraculous traits that once led millions of everyday citizens to set out across a wild continent and carve out a new life in the great West.  It was the same profound love of our God-given freedom that willed our soldiers into battle and our astronauts into space.

As I think back on the past four years, one image rises in my mind above all others.  Whenever I traveled all along the motorcade route, there were thousands and thousands of people.  They came out with their families so that they could stand as we passed, and proudly wave our great American flag.  It never failed to deeply move me.  I knew that they did not just come out to show their support of me; they came out to show me their support and love for our country.

This is a republic of proud citizens who are united by our common conviction that America is the greatest nation in all of history.  We are, and must always be, a land of hope, of light, and of glory to all the world.  This is the precious inheritance that we must safeguard at every single turn.

For the past four years, I have worked to do just that.  From a great hall of Muslim leaders in Riyadh to a great square of Polish people in Warsaw; from the floor of the Korean Assembly to the podium at the United Nations General Assembly; and from the Forbidden City in Beijing to the shadow of Mount Rushmore, I fought for you, I fought for your family, I fought for our country.  Above all, I fought for America and all it stands for—and that is safe, strong, proud, and free.

Now, as I prepare to hand power over to a new administration at noon on Wednesday, I want you to know that the movement we started is only just beginning.  There’s never been anything like it.  The belief that a nation must serve its citizens will not dwindle but instead only grow stronger by the day.

As long as the American people hold in their hearts deep and devoted love of country, then there is nothing that this nation cannot achieve.  Our communities will flourish.  Our people will be prosperous.  Our traditions will be cherished.  Our faith will be strong.  And our future will be brighter than ever before.

I go from this majestic place with a loyal and joyful heart, an optimistic spirit, and a supreme confidence that for our country and for our children, the best is yet to come.

Thank you, and farewell.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.

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CBN: Cardoso Fires Directors Believed to Be Loyal to Emefiele

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There is anxiety among the management staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as 19 directors have reportedly been issued termination letters.

Reports claim that, while two of the affected directors have accepted their fate, five others are planning to institute a law suit against the apex bank for what they consider to be an unlawful termination of their appointments.

Although the apex bank has not given any explanation over the development, reliable sources within the bank confirmed the development.

There are no precise details of the reason for the reported sack of the directors.

However, the two directors who quietly accepted their termination also faced a case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the Jim Obazee repots allegedly indicted them.

The termination letters sent to the seven directors cited “reorganizational and human capital restructuring” as the reason for their dismissal, which is in line with the bank’s new strategic direction.

The letters reportedly stated that their services would no longer be required as of Friday, March 15, 2024, and they were instructed to immediately hand over all the bank’s properties to their department’s administrator.

Meanwhile, a source within the CBN expressed concern over the lack of an exit package for the terminated directors, especially considering their years of service and the absence of any charges or accusations against them.

The source also highlighted the loss of years of institutional knowledge and expertise that would result from the dismissal of these experienced directors.

It has been revealed that the remaining 12 directors who have not received their termination letters are aware of their impending dismissal.

Some staff members have appealed to the management on behalf of the affected directors, requested that the sack be reconsidered and converted to retirement to allow the directors receive their allowances.

The situation at the apex bank has sparked discussions and concerns about the impact of the dismissals on the bank’s operations and the fate of the directors.

The apex bank, on November 24, 2023, reassigned directors to a division under the Governor’s Directorate, FSS 2020, in Maitama, Abuja.

Samuel Chukwuyem Okojere, Abdulmumin Abdulsalam Isa, Dr Elizabeth Amos Kwaghe, Dr Maureen Omolola Chukwurah, and Arinze Stanley were among the directors transferred to the FSS 2020 division.

The development comes after the banks’ controversial relocation of at least 150 employees from the Banking Supervision Department, BSD, one of its 29 departments, to Lagos State.

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Military Releases Pictures, Names of Soldiers Killed in Delta Community

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The Defence Headquarters has released the list of 17 military personnel killed in an attack in Delta State. 

The military personnel were killed last week in Okuama, a community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State after a peace mission.

Days after the gruesome murder, the Defence Headquarters said 17 personnel including the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion, two majors,  one captain, and 12 personnel of the battalion.

“May The Souls of the Departed Rest In Peace,” the Nigerian Army wrote on its X handle alongside a photo collage of the personnel on Monday evening.

The Defence Headquarters gave the names of those killed as:

– Lt Col AH Ali, the Command Officer, 181 Amphibious Battalion, Nigerian Army.

– Maj SD Shafa (N/13976)

– Maj DE Obi (N/14395)

– Capt U Zakari (N/16348)

– SSgt Yahaya Saidu (#3NA/36/2974)

– Cpl Yahaya Danbaba (1ONA/65/7274)

– Col Kabiru Bashir (11NA/66/9853)

– LCol Bulus Haruna (16NA/TS/5844)

– Lal Sole Opeyemi (17NA/760719)

– LCpl Bello Anas (17NA/76/290)

– LCpl Hamman Peter (NA/T82653)

– LCpl Ibrahim Abdullahi (18NA/77/1191)

– Pte Alhaji Isah (17NA/76/6079)

– Pte Clement Francis (19NA/78/0911)

– Pte Abubakar Ali (19NA/78/2162)

– Pte Ibrahim Adamu (19NA/78/6079)

– Pte Adamu Ibrahim (21NA/80/4795).

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Glo 1 Cable is the King of Telecoms

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By Eric Elezuo

Available data and recent happenings have proved that it is not by coincidence that leading telecommunications company, Globacom, is the market leader, not only in provision of telecom services, but in being proactive to foresee future occurrences. This is exemplified in its ability to remain running even as acclaimed major networks have temporarily packed up as a result of the main one cable malfunction a few days ago in Nigeria, and some African countries.

Globacom’s Glo 1 submarine cable has literally remained the only hope for internet users covering both banking and browsing usages.

The GLO-1 (Globacom-1) submarine communications cable, which came on board in 2009, is a cable system along the west coast of Africa between Nigeria and the UK, owned by Nigerian telecoms operator Globacom, under the dynamic leadership of Africa’s pride, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr.

The submarine cable system is 9,800 km long, and became operational in 2011 with a minimum capacity of 640 Gbit/s.

A project of Globacom, Nigeria’s 2nd largest telecoms provider, total capacity of the system is now advertised as 2.5 Tbit/s. The cable’s link to Ghana was turned up in April, 2011, meaning that Ghana subscribers are part of the millions still enjoying uninterrupted network experience, the failure of main one, notwithstanding.

It would be recalled that massive internet outages was reported in Nigeria following damage to international undersea cables supplying the country with connectivity.

But Glo was not affected, a testimonial that Nigeria should celebrate the brand as against other networks that buckled under the weight of the underwater cable failure, the humongous money they are making from Nigerians notwithstanding. Those also goes to show that they don’t believe in the country.

Reports show that telecommunications companies and a number of banks which rely on the affected cables for internet services were affected by the outage, and will continue to be partially or completely out of service for the next five weeks if reports emanating from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is anything to go by.

According to reports, the damage affected major undersea cables near Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire and has led to internet downtime across West and South African countries.

The undersea cables affected are the West Africa Cable System (WACS), the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), MainOne, and SAT3.

However, Glo 1, owned by Nigeria’s leading digital services company, Globacom, was not affected by the damage and has continued to operate normally. Data users, internet service providers and financial institutions which run on Glo 1 have continued to operate normally.

Industry analysts believe the sturdy nature and resilience of Glo 1 International Submarine Cable is the reason the damage did not affect the cable.

It would be recalled that the Glo submarine cable system Glo 1, made a historic landing in Alfa Beach, Lagos, Nigeria, in 2009. The landing marked the beginning of cheap bandwidth which in itself translated into many possibilities in the Information and Communications sectors of the Nigerian economy.

The project jointly executed by Globacom and its partners, Alcatel Lucent gave and continues  to give Nigeria lead in telemedicine, eCommerce and egovernance among other practices that transform economies.

Then, the Executive Director, Human Resources, Mr Adewale Shangowawa, noted that with the landing of the Glo1 submarine cable, Globacom has scored another first and as well has taken a bold step to give Nigeria the lead in the magical broadband revolution in Africa.

The 9800km cable from Bude in UK, connects Nigeria to the rest of West Africa and the UK. It has landing points in Nigeria, London and Lisbon in Portugal. It is deploying 16 branching units to connect countries in West Africa.

The ED added that globally, the tradition is for a consortium of telecommunication companies to team up to set up a submarine cable network to enhance their connectivity and bandwidth capacity. Globacom became an exception to the norm.

Glo is the first single telecommunication company in the world to own its submarine cable. The high capacity Glo 1 optic fibre cable brought functional direct connectivity between West Africa, the UK and the rest of the world. The 9,800 km long cable provided huge capacity on its 2-fibre pair system. The Glo 1 cable also made available excess bandwidth to all the cities connected to the cable.

This will translate into much faster and more robust connectivity for voice, data and video. The cable will connect 14 West African countries through the branching units to the rest of the world. It will boost economic activities in the region, create job opportunities and serve companies in Europe and Africa.

Facts of the submarine cable landing included that Glo 1 provides connectivity from Lagos to Bude in United Kingdom through fibre optic cable laid undersea.

The cable which is of the 32 STM 64 type has virtual infinite capacity and therefore offers sufficient capacity for traffic for the Globacom’s mobile, fixed, and internet telecommunication services.

Last September, the $250 million Glo-1 cable system landed initially in Lagos and in Accra in Ghana. With 2.5 Tbps of capacity, the Glo-1 cable has been ready for commissioning since July 2010.

Mike Adenuga Jr., Globacom’s chairman, while describing the $250 million project, said the Glo-1 cable will provide Nigerian user’s two benefits: become part of the competitive telecom landscape and make broadband access and long-distance voice service more affordable.

As a company with unparalleled vision, and proactive initiatives, Glo in 2018, and in a bid to boost its data services and remain preferred data services provider with clarity and reach, commenced upgrading its undersea cable, Glo 1 capacity by 100G.

Bisi Koleoso, a deputy chief operating officer, Technical, then, which explaining the process said that, in addition the company as well is investing in equipment for more path redundancy for the Glo 1 in case of fiber cut. In 2024, fibre cut occurred, and Glo is still up and running.

“As the innovation leader in Nigeria’s telecom space, Globacom is committed to ensuring that Nigerians were not left behind in the march to a digitalised world.

“We have invested massively in new technologies to introduce these products which we believe will redefine business, social and personal pursuits,” the DCO had said.

The visionary company did not stop there however. Consequently, on April 8, 2011, it followed up the launch of the sub-marine optical fibre cable, Glo I Submarine Cable, which gulped a whopping $800 million, thereby making it the first telecommunication company to build such a high-capacity optic fibre from the United Kingdom to Nigeria with the rolling out of the Glo 2 submarine cable. The submarine optic fibre cables was designed to connect Lagos directly to Southern parts of Nigeria.

The submarine cables was programmed to “contain three fiber pairs. Fiber Pair 1 (Express) will connect Lagos directly to Southern part of Nigeria with terrestrial extension to existing terrestrial backbone.

“Fiber Pair, also known as Omnibus 1, has eight branching units to offshore oil stations and communities. Fiber Pair 3, otherwise called Omnibus 2, contains two switchable branching units southward Africa.”

The Glo II Submarine Cable would boost overall socio-economic development of the Niger Delta, and offer greater bandwidth for local ICT business to flourish and provide backup for the terrestrial fibre route from Port Harcourt to Lagos.

The company further explained that Glo 2 will equally be much more reliable as far as fibre cut is concerned, assuring that Globacom “has put in place workable plans to scale up the network for the future and innovation in products.

A statement on the effect, read in part: “We plan to initiate new data analytic tools to capture subscribers’ experience in real time and also take pre-emptive actions to improve the network. Also new sites would be rolled out into rural areas, banishing digital divide between cities and villages….to increase capacity by giving a congestion-free network and superior quality in voice data. We also plan to swap old equipment in other states with better quality ones, so that our subscribers can have better services.”

Glo’s invincibility in the telecommunication world is nothing short of insightful leadership, clear cut vision and the passion to put customers first in all its undertakings. This is not forgetting that it has done everything to project Nigeria’s ingenuity in the field of telecommunication,  and by extention other fields.

Glo is flourishing under the leadership of the spirit of Africa, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., and the Executive Vice Chairman, Mrs Bella Adenuga-Disu.

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