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Nigerian Senate Head Says He’s Considering Running for President

Published

7 years ago

August 15, 2018

Eric

Nigerian Senate President Bukola Saraki is considering running against President Muhammadu Buhari when Africa’s top oil producer holds elections in February.

“I am consulting and actively considering it,” Saraki, 56, said Tuesday in an interview at his residence in the capital, Abuja. “I believe I can make the change.”

After recently defecting from the ruling All Progressives Congress, Saraki said that if he decided to run, it would be under the banner of the People’s Democratic Party, the main opposition group. He would need to win the party’s ticket during primary elections in October.

At odds with Buhari ever since he emerged as the senate leader against the president’s wishes in 2015, Saraki is a former member of the PDP who despite joining the APC, often went against the party line.

His defection last month back to the PDP came amid a wave of such departures from the APC, including dozens of senators and at least two state governors. After security operatives surrounded Saraki’s home last month for undisclosed reasons, the secret police temporarily blocked access to the National Assembly on Aug. 7, in what Saraki said was an illegal attempt to impeach him. The head of the State Security Services was dismissed over the deployment.

Confidence Lost

“If a government can go and lock up an arm of government — and it’s never happened in our history — we should all be very concerned,” Saraki said. “We should not be surprised that they would use security agencies for elections.”

Investors and citizens have lost confidence in the president, according to Saraki, the nation’s third ranking official after Buhari and his deputy. Buhari’s election victory in 2015, which marked the first time an opposition party won power at the ballot box and put an end to 16 years of PDP rule, came after he pledged to fix the economy, improve security and fight corruption.

While Buhari’s administration has raised record amounts of money in oversubscribed Eurobond sales and increased revenue to boost investments in roads, rail, ports and power, poverty remains widespread in Nigeria and the nation is still dealing with deadly violence in several regions.

To win the PDP ticket at the party’s primaries on Oct. 5 and 6, Saraki would need to beat another presidential aspirant, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who also defected from the APC last year.

Saraki said Nigeria needs to be governed by a genuinely pro-business administration that will be able to tackle recurrent security issues. Below are some excerpts from the interview:

On investment:

“Most of the inflows that have come in are merely hot money, and that is because the oil price has gone up. Investment in the real sector is not seen. The private sector, in my view, has probably taken a position that the confidence is not there in the government. The country requires a government that is truly pro-business, and a president that sees himself as a chief marketing officer.”

On the involvement of security forces in political matters:

“There has been a persistent disregard for due process and a lack of neutrality for some of these issues. For you to have credible elections, you must have safe elections. Security agencies are actively getting involved in the politics.”
“The fundamentals of whatever we are going to develop is going to be based on sound democracy, credible elections, freedom of choice of Nigerians. If we don’t have that as a foundation, then everything else cannot happen.”

On gasoline subsidies:

“If we are going to have a subsidy, we should have a budget for it. Because once we have a budget for it, the private sector can also play a role in the importation of petroleum products. And if the private sector plays a role, definitely the cost of the subsidy will go down and there will be more efficiency in the delivery of products. But in the environment we are in today, where it’s only the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. that’s doing that, it’s going to be inefficient, it’s not going to be transparent.”

On the PDP:

“The PDP has learnt its lesson from the loss in 2015, and I think unfortunately the APC did not learn from their victory.”
While negotiating with the PDP “we listed a number of issues. We talked about how to sustain and improve the fight against corruption; the issue of providing more powers to the states; inclusion and having a more nationalistic approach on things we do; to continue to improve the environment that will ensure investments. We listed a number of items during the discussions with the PDP, and there is a written agreement to that. We trust that we can hold them to that.”
“We would ensure that the party is strong on security. The APC too have not done well on the issue of security. We have the opportunity with the right kind of presidential candidate and president to provide the leadership for the party. The party has a good opportunity to lead the country in the right direction.”

Courtesy: Bloomberg

Featured

US Restricts Nigerians to Single-Entry, 3-Month Visas

Published

2 hours ago

July 9, 2025

Eric

The United States Department of State has announced changes to its reciprocal non-immigrant visa policy that affect Nigerian citizens.

Starting immediately, most U.S. non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerians will be single-entry visas valid for three months.

In a statement on the website of the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria on July 8, the Department of State said visas issued before July 8, 2025, will maintain their original validity and terms.

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria noted that visa reciprocity is an ongoing process subject to periodic review, which may lead to adjustments in the number of permitted entries or the duration of visa validity.

Updated information on visa reciprocity for all countries is available on the U.S. Department of State website.

The U.S. Department of State emphasized that its visa criteria aim to safeguard the integrity of U.S. immigration systems by adhering to global technical and security standards.

These criteria include ensuring the issuance of secure travel documents, limiting visa overstays, and sharing relevant security and criminal information to enhance public safety.

Officials from the U.S. Mission said they are collaborating with Nigerian government agencies to help Nigeria meet these standards.

The statement acknowledged the efforts of Nigeria’s immigration and security authorities toward aligning with international best practices but noted that challenges remain.

Nigerian travelers were advised to comply fully with visa terms and ensure their travel documents are genuine and current.

The U.S. reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening its partnership with Nigeria through business, education, and cultural exchanges, emphasizing continued cooperation with Nigerian officials to promote safe and lawful travel between the two countries.

Featured

FG Pegs Age of Tertiary Institutions Admission at 16 As JAMB Announces Ranking of Candidates

Published

12 hours ago

July 8, 2025

Eric

The Federal Government has pegged the minimum admissible age for candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria at 16 years.

Minister of Education Tunji Alausa announced this on Tuesday during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

The 16-year age requirement will be enforced through its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), with efforts made to accommodate candidates who would turn 16 by 31st August 2025.

However, JAMB expressed concern that some institutions had violated this directive by admitting underage candidates through channels outside CAPS and collecting substantial amounts from them as tuition fees.

“The Board implemented the 16-year admissible age on its CAPS platform and even bent backwards to accommodate candidates who would be 16 as of 31st August 2025.

“However, some institutions admitted candidates who were not up to the admissible age of 16 outside CAPS and even collected huge sums of money from them as tuition fees,” JAMB stated.

The Board noted that all such admissions were illegal and could not be processed through CAPS, adding that some of these cases had led to litigation against the offending institutions.

The 16-year minimum admission age comes after last year’s controversy, when former Education Minister, Prof. Tahir Mamman, faced backlash from stakeholders over his attempt to raise the benchmark to 18, a move many said was criticised.

In a related development, JAMB announced that beginning with the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), each candidate’s result slip will now include their national ranking among peers.

The initiative, according to the Board, is aimed at discouraging the celebration of high UTME scores in isolation and curbing the spread of fake scores.

“To curb the menace of celebrating top scorers of UTME, candidates’ ranking (position) will be indicated on the result slip for each candidate,” the Board explained.

JAMB stated that this measure would assist institutions in better evaluating the quality of applicants and provide a standardised reference point across cohorts.

By publishing ranking information, JAMB believes that candidates parading falsified scores would also be discouraged, and institutions would gain a clearer sense of the academic standing of each applicant.

For context, the Board revealed that in the 2025 UTME, out of a total of 1,905,539 candidates, a score of 370 is ranked 16th, 320 is ranked 5,806th, 250 is ranked 107,819th, 200 is ranked 533,805th, 180 is ranked 948,025th, 140 is ranked 1,855,607th, 120 is ranked 1,900,872nd, while 100 is ranked 1,903,661st.

JAMB reiterated its commitment to equity, transparency, and merit-based admissions in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

The ongoing policy meeting, attended by vice-chancellors, registrars, and provosts of tertiary institutions nationwide, is expected to conclude with the approval of admission cut-off marks and other regulatory guidelines for the 2025 academic session.

Featured

Glo Rolls Out Three Unique Products to Excite Customers

Published

14 hours ago

July 8, 2025

Eric

Digital solutions company, Globacom, has moved to excite its customers with the launch of three innovative products which also offer amazing rewards to users.

The products are Animation World Promo, Sport Brain, and Treasure Spin. In addition to offering subscribers content designed for varying interests, they also empower them with instant prizes including cash, airtime and data.

Giving details of the offerings in a press statement released in Lagos on Tuesday, Globacom said that everyday 20 participants will win ₦1,000 cash each, along with additional rewards including ₦1,000 worth of airtime and 3.5GB data. Every week, five lucky winners will go home with ₦100,000 each, while a grand monthly winner will be rewarded with ₦1 million, the company added.

According to Globacom, Animation World Promo is a trivia-based service that challenges subscribers’ knowledge of Nigerian cuisine. Participants are invited to answer fun, food-related questions, earn points, and unlock exciting rewards, making it a deliciously engaging way to learn and win.

On the other hand, Sport Brain is an interactive football-prediction game that allows subscribers to forecast match scores across top global leagues. Users can select their preferred leagues and fixtures, test their football instincts, and stand a chance to win exciting prizes, making it a perfect experience for football enthusiasts.

The third offering, Treasure Spin, avails subscribers the thrill of a digital treasure hunt. With each spin, users have the opportunity to win instant rewards, turning every participation into a potentially rewarding adventure.

On how to access the services, Globacom said subscribers are required to dial *13055*2# for Animation World Promo, *13199*2# for Sport Brain, and *13199*3# for Treasure Spin. Each service is available under flexible subscription options, including a daily plan for ₦100, a weekly plan for ₦300, and a monthly plan for ₦500. These plans can be activated either as a one-time purchase or through auto-renewal, depending on the subscriber’s preference.

The three services, Globacom added, are available to all Glo prepaid and postpaid subscribers nationwide. It noted that the services reflect its commitment to delivering innovative and engaging value-added solutions to its customers across the country.