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Reactions as Obasanjo asks Aisha Buhari to tell President the truth about insecurity

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has supported recent concerns raised by the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha, on insecurity and other challenges facing the country.

Obasanjo, however, advised her to engage her husband in what he called “pillow talk” on the state of the nation.

The former President, according to a statement by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, said this while playing host to the members of the Editorial Board of a Social media platform, Penpushing Media at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Boardroom.

Some groups including the Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, have however said Obasanjo was right to call on Aisha to tell her husband the truth.

The President’s wife, Aisha, had last week renewed her criticisms of the Federal Government’s programmes.

She had also faulted the social investment programmes of her husband’s administration, saying there was no evidence to show that the funds allocated were judiciously utilised.

Mrs Buhari had said, “I am sure that my husband decided to put somebody from Kano because of the population and political impact it made.”

She said she discovered that key aspects of the programme were not properly implemented in Adamawa and Kano states.

Mrs Buhari, “So, I don’t know where the social investment was successful, maybe it worked out in some states. In my own state, only a local government benefitted out of the 22.

“I did not ask what happened and I do not want to know but for it to fail woefully in Kano, it is not a good sign and it is not a good thing.”

Also on Saturday, she challenged security agencies to quickly end banditry and other insecurity challenges in the country.

“The security agents should either assist to take action or allow the situation continues until bandits finish killing our people,” she had said.

But on Monday Obasanjo said it was good that the wife of the President raised the concerns.

He urged Aisha to engage her spouse in a “pillow talk” to inform him about the true position of the state of the nation.

The former President commended Mrs Buhari for her courage to speak out on the state of the nation.

Obasanjo advised the wife of President to adopt the bedroom approach to get her husband’s attention on the challenges in the country.

He said, “We have to put all things on the table to address these problems. Mind you, we have to be sincere and genuine with ourselves. It is nice that the President’s wife is talking; I think she did well, and maybe she should also have a pillow talk with the President.

“I believe every Nigerian family, individual, group is entitled to livelihood. It is the responsibility of all to make sure we have a dignified life. That should be our aim collectively.”

The statement added that the former President advocated increased sensitization to get the desired change Nigerians were yearning for.

Earlier in her speech, the Chairman, Editorial Board of the organisation, Mrs Funke Fadugba, was reported to have said that the visit was to brief the former President about the 3rd anniversary lecture of the organisation scheduled to hold on July 19.

Obasanjo is right – Ohanaeze

Meanwhile, the Deputy Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze, Chuks Ibegbu, who spoke with The PUNCH, described Aisha Buhari as a patriot and a kind-hearted first lady.

He added, “She should force or cajole Buhari, her husband to the other room with pillow so they can have useful talks to address our challenges.

“Obasanjo is right. We live in a stone age here, even Rwanda and Chad are better than us now.”

Also Chief Emeka Attama, the Media Advisor to the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, said President Buhari appeared not to be in charge of his government, adding had he been in control he would have known that the government intervention programmes were not reaching the right people.

“Recently, the President commented that the level of poverty in the country was too high, that Nigerians were suffering. Mr President seems not to be in charge as to know what is happening in different parts of this country because if he knew he would have known that the intervention programmes of the Federal Government was not really reaching the right people.

“However, Obasanjo is very correct, if it only requires the wife to engage Buhari in a bedroom chat to be able to address this, so be it.”

Aisha expressing frustration, says Afenifere

On its part, Afenifere said the President’s wife was right to express her frustrations on the situations in the country, despite being told by the President that her place was in the bedroom and the kitchen.

The Afenifere Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, said, “One of the times Aisha spoke, the President said that her place was in the other room, and not in the political arena. So, I think, like every Nigerian, she goes to the social media to vent her frustrations and give her views.

“The former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, was throwing a funny one. If Aisha was told to remain in the other room and the kitchen, then the option is a pillow talk. But there is no doubt that the situation in the country is raising concerns for every rational Nigerian. This is why the First Lady too is venting her frustrations.”

We won’t take issue with Obasanjo – ACF

But the Arewa Consultative Forum said it would not take issue with Obasanjo over his advice to the President’s wife.

When contacted on the telephone on the northern body’s take on Obasanjo’s advice to Aisha, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim-Biu, said, “We do not want to take issue with Chief Obasanjo over his counsel to Mrs Aisha Buhari on the PMB’s administration.”

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FG Expands Eid-el-Fitr Public Holidays to Thursday

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The Federal Government has declared Thursday, April 11, 2024, as additional public holiday to commemorate Eid-El-Fitr.

This was made known in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr Aishetu Ndayako, shared on the ministry’s X account on Tuesday.

The statement said, “The Federal Government has approved Thursday, April 11, 2024 as an additional public holiday to celebrate this year’s Eid -El-Fitr.

“The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, while congratulating the Muslim Ummah for a successful completion of a month of spiritual rejuvenation, reiterates President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s firm commitment to providing a safe and prosperous Nigeria for all to thrive.”

Saudi Arabia, on Monday, said the crescent of Shawwal has not been sighted, indicating that the fasting will continue on Tuesday.

It also added that the Eid-El-Fitr would hold on Wednesday, April 10 to mark the beginning of the new Islamic month.

The Federal Government had earlier Sunday declared Tuesday and Wednesday, April 9 and 10, 2024, as public holidays to mark the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

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Bribery, Corruption: Kano Govt Files Criminal Charges Against Ex-Gov Ganduje, Wife, Son, Others

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The Kano State government has filed a fresh lawsuit against former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his wife Hafsat Umar and six others before a State High Court.

The six other defendants joined in the fresh suit include Ganduje’s son, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lesage General Enterprises.

The government is dragging Ganduje and seven others before the court on eight count charges concerning dollar bribery allegation, misappropriations and diversion of funds running into billions of Naira.

The charges read: “That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Sometimes between the period of January 10th 2016 or thereabout, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor of Kano State and being a public servant in the government of Kano State corruptly asked for and received the sum of $200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand United State Dollars) being benefit for yourself from one of the beneficiaries of contracts awarded by the Kano State Government on your instruction and approval as part of your function as the Governor of Kano State thereby committed the offence of official corruption contrary to and punishable under Section 22 of The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended), Law N02 of 2009, Laws of Kano State of Nigeria.

“That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Sometime between the period of February 2017 or there about, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor of Kano State and being a public servant in the government of Kano State agreed to do or caused to be done an illegal act, to wit, dishonestly and/or corruptly to your own advantage collected a kick back of the sum of $ 213,000 (Two Hundred And Thirteen Thousand United State Dollars) being money generated from people and entities seeking or holding the execution of Kano State Government contact and or project for the remodeling of Kantin Kwari textile market as a bribe through one of the contractors (agent) thereby committed the offence of official corruption contrary to and punishable under Section 22 of The Kano State Public Complaints and Anticorruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended), Law N02 of 2009, Laws of Kano State of Nigeria.

“That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Sometimes between the period of September 2020 and march 2021 or thereabout, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, together with one Hafsat Umar (your spouse) and Abubakar Bawuro, a Business man, Safari Textile Ltd, a limited liability company, wholly owned and maintained by the 3 rd Defendant, agreed to do an illegal act to wit: dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of (One Billion Three Hundred and seventy Six million Naira) through account No. 7085982019 belonging to the 3rd Defendant being monies earmarked and approved for the purchase and supply of face marks and other hospital equipment for the health sector, thereby causing wrongful loss to the people and government of Kano State and thereby jointly committed the offence of Criminal Conspiracy contrary to section 96 and punishable under section 97 of The penal code (as amended) CAP,105, Vol.2. The Laws of Kano State of Nigeria, 1991.

“That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, sometimes between the period of September 2020 and January 2022 or thereabout, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, together with one Hafsat Umar (your spouse) and Abubakar Bawuro, a Business man, Safari Textile Ltd, a limited liability company, while entrusted with the sum of (One Billion Three Hundred and seventy Six million Naira) or dominion over the said sum, earmarked for the purchase and supply of face masks and other hospital equipment dishonestly misappropriated and/or converted the said sum to your own use through account No. 7085982019 belonging to the 3 rd defendant, thereby jointly committed the offence of Criminal Breach of Trust contrary to section 311 and punishable under section 312 of The penal code (as amended) CAP, 105, Vol.2.

The Laws of Kano State of Nigeria, 1991.

“That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Sometimes between the period march of 2021 or there about, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor and being a public servant in the government of Kano State for your own benefit and that of your immediate family conspire with the 4th defendant (Umar Abdullahi Umar) being your biological son using defendant (Lamash Properties Ltd) a company owned and or operated by members of your family including the 4th defendant and dishonestly allocated 501 (five hundred and one) high density plots of lands you hold in trust for the benefit all Nigerians at Zawachiki layout No. TP/KNUPD/256B in the name of 6th defendant company under the pretext of site and services arrangement in the land compulsory acquired by you being the Governor of Kano State from destitute members of the public (peasant farmers) were it was sold and the proceed part of which the sum of (Seven Hundred Million Naira) was deposited in the account of Bureau de change operator vision Steel link Ltd No. Domicile at Access Bank where dollar equivalent was given to the defendant to the detriment of the people and government of Kano State thereby jointly committed the offence of Criminal Conspiracy contrary to section 96 and punishable under section 97 of The penal code (as amended) CAP,105, Vol.2. The Laws of Kano State of Nigeria, 1991,” the charges read.

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Lessons from Senegal: The Will of the People is Sacrosanct

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By Dolapo Aina

The Presidential elections which held on Sunday, March 24, 2024 was one election that the whole of West Africa and the African Continent watched with keen interests for several reasons which were pertinent to the regional bloc of ECOWAS and the Continental body of the African Union. In the West African region, Senegal has stood as a country with one of the most enviable political and democratic transition. This year’s election was not going to be different notwithstanding the myriad of political somersaults and political bottlenecks which the citizens of Senegal vociferously objected to. The two major candidates; Bassirou Diomaye Faye of PASTEF had the popular vote of 2,434,751 (54.28%) while Amadou Ba of the ruling party APR pulled 1,605,086 (35.79%).

For an on the ground and concise understanding of the dynamics of politics in Senegal, Dolapo Aina in search of answers and armed with some pertinent questions reached out to Senegal’s Dr. Fadel Ndiame, who is the CEO of Food Systems Transformation Solutions and the former Deputy President of AGRA and Nigeria’s Mr. Chris Ogunmodede, who is a consultant and policy analyst based in Dakar, Senegal.
In his own words, Chris Ogunmodede: “The conduct of the presidential election was as free, fair and transparent as an election could hope to be. There were virtually no reports of foul play anywhere and the results of the ejection generally reflected the will of the electorate.”

On the question about any doubts about the democratic processes in Senegal, Mr Ogunmodede further stated that: “I would say that I am a critic of the popular narrative about Senegal being a regional exception or “beacon of democracy in West Africa,” as is commonly said in mainstream discourse. While Senegal regularly conducts credible elections that reflect popular opinion, it is not immune to the same pitfalls of authoritarianism, weak party systems and political interference that other West African countries experience and the events of the last few months (and even the last few years) bear that out.”

On the factors that made the electorate vote in Bassirou Diomaye Faye as the new President, the Nigerian who resides in Senegal went thus: “Senegalese voters were largely disappointed with the tenure of President Macky Sall, who began his presidency with so much promise but soiled his reputation with his overreach and failure to ensure that Senegal’s macroeconomic indicators made a meaningful impact in the lives of people. The last straw was his ill-fated bid for a third term and imposition of an unpopular candidate on his party.”

Africans who followed the elections in Senegal voiced and chorused a ubiquitous question bordering about the uniqueness of Senegal’s democracy that the rest of Africa does not know about or unaware of. Mr Chris Ogunmodede posited and quoting him verbatim: “I would say that there is a lack of nuanced knowledge about Senegal’s political system that reflects the Anglophone bias of media coverage of Africa. But one thing other Africans must know is that for all Senegal’s shortcomings, its impressive civic participation beyond elections is something the rest of the continent can learn from.”

Senegal’s Dr. Fadel Ndiame described the just concluded elections positing that: “The elections and their outcomes were both exceptional and deeply significant in terms of the size of the victory of the opposition candidate. The irruption of PASTEF and its political discourse brought to the fore a narrative of change, a break away from the dominant system of patronage and mismanagement of public resources and corruption. It popularised a sense of deep hope for a more democratic, prosperous country, anchored on a strong ideology of political independence, shared economic prosperity and social inclusion which resonate very well with the aspirations of the Senegalese voters, especially the younger ones.”

Dr. Ndiame further elucidated that: “The biggest challenge that I see for the newly elected President and the opposition movement that brought President Faye to the Presidency, is to live up to the expectations of those who voted for them and the aspirations of the Senegalese population at large.”

On doubt(s) about the democratic processes in Senegal, the top agriculture expert went thus: “Yes, at many points in the process there were some worrying signs that the electoral process would not abide to democratic principles and constitutional rules. The most significant factors having been the imprisonment of the most popular candidates (who eventually) won the contest on a landslide, despite their last-minute release from prison and the large number of candidates. Luckily it was possible for the main political contenders to find an acceptable arrangement which enabled the continuation of the political process and the inclusion of some or the key political figures to compete for the vote of the Senegalese people. There were also some concerns about the integrity of the whole electoral process.”

On the possible factors that made the electorate vote in Bassirou Diomaye Faye as the new President of Senegal; Dr Ndiame posited that: “This requires more studies of the election results and how the vote distribution across region and demographics groups. But it seems like the leadership of PASTEF succeeded in articulating the concerns and aspirations of voters and especially the younger segments of the voters who were eager to sanction the ruling party and its candidates.”

Other contributing factors could have been the popular perception that the government of the day was compromising the constitutional rules, and abusively cracking down of the leading opposition party and leader; containing and curtailing the freedom of the independent media, while controlling the parliament and the judiciary. The election of President Diomaye is to be a popular referendum against that system. So said the former deputy President of AGRA.
On the question about Senegal’s democracy that the rest of Africa might not be aware of, Dr Ndiame wen thus: “Well, I would say Senegal has a historical tradition of democracy and constitutionally grounded rights for people and their institutions; while the system still needs to be strengthened to maintain checks and balances, and ensure an equilibrium between different centres of powers (political, economic, social and religious. In my view, this is what we are experiencing in Senegal which is simply; political and citizenry maturation processes that take time and require the good will of the leadership of all sectors (public, private, civil society, the religious and traditional). Ultimately for Senegal and any other country, the priority is to build and strengthen our institutions, guarantee the full independence of the judicial system, investing in the political literacy and education of the electorate, to enable their voices heard in a loud, but peaceful and democratic way.”

As President-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye gets inaugurated as the President of Senegal on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, the citizens of the West African country are expectant and will hold their leaders accountable as they have always done. One major lesson from Senegal is that the unflinching will of the people must be obeyed by all and sundry including players, partakers and observers. And most importantly, the will of the electorate is sacrosanct still.

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