Photos: Aisha Buhari, Toyin Saraki, Zahra Buhari, others at the funeral of the fallen heroes

Wife of President Buhari, Aisha Buhari, her daughter Zahra, Wife of Senate President Toyin Saraki, President Buhari's Chief of Staff Abbah Kyari and others attended the Funeral ceremony of the seven soldiers killed by Boko Haram in Mallam Fatori, Borno state last week. Chief of Army staff Buratai Tukur broke down in tears during the funeral. More photos after the cut.

Buhari Mourns Lt-Col Abu-Ali, Others, Says Sacrifices Won’t Be In Vain

 

Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, says the sacrifices of fallen officers and men in the war against terrorism in Nigeria would never go in vain, and that their memories would be eternally etched in the hearts and minds of fellow citizens for whose sake they laid down their lives.
President Buhari was reacting to the death of Colonel Abu-Ali, one of Nigeria’s finest and bravest soldiers in recent history.
He said in a condolence statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, that he was rudely shocked by the news of the officer’s death along with other gallant soldiers during an encounter with the Boko Haram bandits in Borno State.
According to the President, “a courageous commander does not only give orders, but also joins his men to fight the battle, no matter the risks or the obvious danger”.
He explained that the late Colonel Abu Ali “was an extraordinary officer who inspired respect and adoration among those he commanded”, noting that “one of the greatest attributes of a war hero is the ability to help your troops overcome fear in the face of danger”.
President Buhari said that the late Lt-Colonel Ali and his other fallen colleagues had brought glory to the Army and the country for laying down their lives for the sake of others.
In his passionate condolence to the families of the victims and the Nigerian Army, the President also noted that their heroic sacrifices were “so immeasurable that no words can do justice to their patriotism and remarkable courage.”
President Buhari, who personally called Ali’s father, Brigadier-Gen. Abu Ali (Rtd), to console the family, reassured them that the death of Ali and others in battle would never go in vain. “He was a gallant soldier, never to be forgotten. He has brought a good name to the family,” said the President.
He then called on members of the armed forces not to let the tragic incident to dampen their morale and spirit, adding that under no circumstances should the Boko Haram terrorists be allowed to destroy the will of our troops.
The President said “evil should not be given any chance to defeat good and humanity”, and that “members of our armed forces should remain formidably united in the war against terrorism”.
Meanwhile, the President has appointed a high powered delegation to be led by the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, that includes the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello and the Minister of State Solid Minerals Development, Baba Buhari to represent him at the funeral of Colonel Abu Ali and others on Monday November 7, 2016.
Lt-Col Abu-Ali was among the five soldiers killed when suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked a 119 Battalion Nigerian Army location at Mallam Fatori, northern Borno state.
According to the Acting Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Usman, the troops repelled the attack and killed 14 Boko Haram terrorists.
However, the five soldiers lost their lives while other soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries during the encounter.
Lt-Col Abu-Ali was the Commanding Officer of 272 Task Force Tank Battalion.

President Buhari cannot direct EFCC to investigate Amaechi, Kyari- Femi Adesina

Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, says President Buhari cannot order EFCC to investigate any of his Ministers accused of corruption because the anti-graft agency is an independent body and is not controlled by the Presidency.

Adesina said this in a recent interview with Naija Standard when he was asked why President Buhari has not ordered EFCC to investigate Rotimi Amaechi and Abbah Kyari who are both ministers and have been accused of corrupt practices.


Adesina in his reply said

"President Buhari does not direct the EFCC. He maintains a critical distance from all the anti-graft agencies, and does not dictate to them. So, if any Minister has a tidy case built against him, the EFCC does its job without waiting for directives from the President"he said

Read more excerpts from the interview as shared by Adesina below

Q: When you received offer from President Buhari to serve in your present capacity, what were the virtues you saw in him that drew you to accept the appointment?

A: Let me say that I had always admired Muhammadu Buhari since he was a military head of state. I admired his discipline, his integrity, forthrightness, and simplicity. The things he represented just resonated with my lifestyle, maybe because I grew up under a father who also stood for such things. It was, therefore, my worst day when Buhari was overthrown in 1985. I believed Nigeria had missed an opportunity to be great, and one was proven right.
When Buhari joined partisan politics in 2002, I was quite glad. As a journalist who wrote a weekly column, I supported him in 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015, when he won the presidential election. I had never wanted to work in government, but when I got an invitation to serve as Special Adviser on Media, I accepted because it was Buhari. With any other person, my answer would have been a flat no. President Buhari’s integrity, transparency, simplicity, and patriotism were the things that brought me into government.

Q: What lessons have you learnt so far in your present position?

A: At every stage in life, you learn lessons. Some of those I’ve learnt in government include the fact that some people do not care a hoot what happens to the country, as long as they realize their personal ambitions. That is why they would lie, perjure and assassinate the character of those serving the land faithfully. The power game can be quite devious.

Q: Can you mention few of the lofty accomplishments of President Buhari’s government since assumption of office?

A: The achievements are many. Beating back insurgency in the North-east. Rekindling
hope of a better future for the country. Setting a standard for transparency. Bringing corrupt people to book. Managing the treasury efficiently, despite crash in oil prices. Rolling off the diversification move through agriculture and mining. Teaching Nigerians to look inward, and not depending on imported products. Giving us a new reputation in the comity of nations. Attracting billions of dollars in foreign investment. The achievements are really many, and the government is still warming up. Nigerians are in for good time.

Q: Why do you think Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and other oppositions whom you once described as ‘wailing wailers’ have not yet found any single achievement in President Buhari’s administration?

A: Why have the PDP and those I call wailing wailers not seen all these achievements.? Well, it could be that they have deliberately turned a blind eye. They are like the child whose lollipop is taken away, and is throwing tantrums. Because their candidate was given a bloody nose at the 2015 elections, they seem to forget that elections are over, and we should all team up to build the country. But whether they like it or not, whether they see it or not, the good work will continue.

Q: As a renowned journalist, what is your position on the current investigation and detention of Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, and Femi Fani Kayode, a former Director of Media & Publicity for PDP, being investigated and detained on graft allegation?

A: The fact that the two gentlemen you mentioned were called in to answer questions shows that a day of reckoning will always come. When you hold certain positions, always be ready to give an account. Days of impunity are gone. But if their hands are clean, they have nothing to fear.

Q: A segment of the foreign and local media had been shouting that President Buhari should permit EFCC to open investigation on the alleged fraud of Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation and the President’s Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abba Kyari. Do you think this is feasible?

A: President Buhari does not direct the EFCC. He maintains a critical distance from all the anti-graft agencies, and does not dictate to them. So, if any Minister has a tidy case built against him, the EFCC does its job without waiting for directives from the President.

Q: How come it is under President Buhari’s government that EFCC suddenly woke up from slumber and seen to be performing?

A: Anti-graft agencies watch the body language of whoever is the President at any point in time. If your body language is tepid towards corruption, the agency would be at best lukewarm. But if you set your face like a flint against corruption, the agency would also follow suit.

Q: Regarding the ongoing investigation of former Nigeria’s First Lady, Patience Jonathan, do you think if she is eventually found guilty in the court, she may go to jail? Or will there be a ‘soft-landing’ for her, since sending any former First Lady to jail will be unprecedented in Nigeria’s history?

A: President Buhari does not interfere with the judiciary. The courts would always determine cases based on the evidences before them, and the law is no respecter of persons.

Q: What steps is this administration taking to ensure Nigerians enjoy surplus food at cheaper prices to beat rising inflation in the country?

A: Food sufficiency is a goal of the administration, and that is why budgetary provision for agriculture is so high. It is envisaged that by 2018, we won’t import rice, or any type of grains again.

Q: Recently, Nigerians in Diaspora Monitoring Group in United Kingdom issued out press statement denouncing steps taken by Godwin Emefiele, Governor of Central Bank, to save Nigeria’s economy as ‘Incompetent’. They are demanding for outright sack of CBN Governor, will President Buhari approve of this request?
A: The Central Bank governor is responsible to the President, and it is his principal who can adequately assess him.

Q: Ekiti State House of Assembly petitioned EFCC claiming that Kayode Fayemi, former Governor, present Minister of Solid Minerals allegedly squandered the sum of N40billion during his reign as chief security officer of the state. What is your
take?
A: Dr Fayemi has responded to the insinuations and allegations, and I believe he
has responded well.

Q: There are rumors that President Buhari is making plans to reshuffle his cabinet, retire tired hands and appoint more competent Nigerians into national service. Is this true or false?
A: The President assembled the cabinet, he has his standards for assessment, and he decides whether to reshuffle or not.

Q: How do you think Nigeria’s currency, Naira would be stronger on the Foreign Exchange market?
A: I am not an economist, but I believe the naira will be stronger in the foreign exchange market when we begin to earn foreign currencies. For now, oil price is down in the international market, and we don’t have many other export commodities.

Q: Finally, what should Nigerians expect from this administration as lasting legacies that would positively impact on their lives forever?

A: President Buhari would leave a strong, secure, prosperous, corrupt-free country. A country the citizens are proud of, where the youths have a future and a hope, a country that commands respect in the international arena. These would be lasting legacies.

Do not drag Buhari into judges' arrest says Presidency

The Presidency has advised journalists and other Nigerians to stop linking President Muhammadu Buhari to the legal travails of some recently arrested Judges in the country.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said President Muhammadu Buhari would be the last person to authorise anybody to induce a Judge to pervert the course of justice.

Malam Shehu recalled that, despite his personal familiarity with some court Judges, the President had never used that familiarity to seek favours from them from 2003, 2007 and 2011 when he was challenging the fairness of the presidential election results during the periods in question.

The Senior Special Assistant also explained that, as a politician, Buhari had never once ever suggested to his lawyers to approach any Judge for assistance to win his cases. He said the President lives by this principle and has never deviated from it.

On the fate of the Judges facing corruption allegations, the Presidential Media Aide said the President doesn't tell Courts how to do their jobs and that anybody accused of corruption is protected by law to defend their innocence.
He explained that the purpose of the law is to punish the guilty and acquit the innocent, noting that the law projects the rights everyone.

Shehu stressed that the President doesn't have any powers to force any court to convict anybody who is innocent, arguing that in a democratic society, that cannot happen without resistance by the people.

President Buhari receives letters of credence from Norway & China

President Buhari today received Letters of Credence from the Ambassadors of Austria, Israel, Norway and China, at the State House, Abuja. More photos after the cut.

Aisha Buhari rocks $2,600 Salvatore Ferragamo cape to Belgium

Wife of President Buhari, Aisha, departed for Belgium today rocking a Salvatore Ferragamo multicolored zig zag cape which goes for $2,600, that is about N1.183 million going by today's exchange rate. Some people are making a fuss over it but I find it very stylish... 

SOURCE:www.naijacop.com

Photos: Pres. Buhari meets with German President, Joachim Gauck

After his meeting with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel earlier in the day, President Buhari later met with the President of Germany, Joachim Gauck, in Berlin.  More photos after the cut...

Nigeria's President Buhari: My wife belongs in kitchen

  

   Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has responded to criticism from his wife by saying she belongs in his kitchen.
   On a visit to Germany, he said: "I don't know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room."
   Mr Buhari was standing next to Chancellor Angela Merkel, who seemed to glare at him.
   Aisha Buhari had said she might not back her husband at the next election unless he got a grip on his government.
   Responding to questions by reporters, Mr Buhari said that having run for president three times and having succeeded at the fourth attempt, he could "claim superior knowledge over her".
   In an interview with the BBC's Hausa language service, Mrs Buhari, a businesswoman and activist, suggested her husband's government had been hijacked by only a "few people", who were behind presidential appointments.
   "The president does not know 45 out of 50 of the people he appointed and I don't know them either, despite being his wife of 27 years," she said.
   Her decision to go public with her concerns will shock many people, but it shows the level of discontent with the president's leadership, says the BBC's Naziru Mikailu in the capital, Abuja.
   The president's remarks on the kitchen and "the other room" have been met with outrage on social media.
There was immediate criticism for the president's thoughts on the role of women.
   Some are wondering what Mr Buhari meant by "the other room", others have been posting pictures of a variety of bedrooms, and the hashtag #TheOtherRoom is trending in Nigeria.
   Aisha Buhari campaigned vigorously for her husband in last year's election in Nigeria, organising town hall meetings with women's groups and youth organisations.
   However, she kept a low profile at the start of the administration. She was restricted to her work on the empowerment of women and helping victims of the Boko Haram conflict in the north-east of the country where she is from.
   This is one reason why this damning interview has caught the attention of many Nigerians.
It is a significant blow for Mr Buhari, who has a reputation for being a tough, no-nonsense president.
Mrs Buhari's comments also bolster accusations that his government has been hijacked by a small group of individuals.
   The comments could also mark a turning point for a government that has clearly struggled to deal with economic recession and is facing growing disquiet within the ruling party.

Mr Buhari was elected last year with a promise to tackle corruption and nepotism in government.
The Nigerian economy, battered by low global oil prices and a currency devaluation, officially entered recession in August for the first time in a decade.
Oil sales account for 70% of government income.
The president famously remarked at his inauguration that he "belongs to nobody and belongs to everybody".
SOURCE: www.naijacop.com

Photo: President Buhari and his wife Aisha attend Book of Photos launch in Abuja

President Buhari and his wife Aisha attended the launch of his personal photographer, Bayo Omoboriowo's Book of Photos which held in Abuja yesterday. Also in attendance were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and his wife Dolapo, Ministers, Oba of Lagos and others. More photos after the cut.

Those who stole from Nigeria recruited militants in the Niger Delta to fight us- Pres Buhari says

President Buhari today said those who stole Nigeria dry are angry with his government and so have recruited the services of militants in the Niger Delta to fight his government. He said this while addressing a group of Nigerians professionals residing in the US.

"We got into trouble as a country, because we did not save for the rainy day. For example, between 1999 and 2015, when we produced an average of 2.1 million barrels of oil per day, and oil prices stood at an average of $100 per barrel, we did not save, neither did we develop infrastructure. Suddenly, when we came in 2015, oil prices fell to about 30 dollars per barrel. I asked; where are the savings? There were none.
Where are the railways? The roads? Power? None. I further asked; what did we do with billions of dollars that we made over the years? They said we bought food. Food with billions of dollars? I did not believe, and still do not believe. In most parts of Nigeria, we eat what we grow. People in the South eat tubers, those in the North eat grains, which they plant, and those constitute over 60 per cent of what we eat. So, where did the billions of dollars go? We did a lot of damage to ourselves by not developing infrastructure when we had the money. Talking of our military, they earned respect serving in places like Burma, Zaire, Sudan, Liberia, Sierra-Leone, and then, suddenly, that same military could no longer secure 14 out of 774 local governments in the country. Insurgents had seized them, calling them some sort of caliphate, and planting their flags there; till we came, and scattered them. We raised the morale of our military, changed the leadership, re-equipped and retrained them; USA, Britain, and some other countries helped us, and today, the pride of our military is restored"he said

On Boko Haram, he said

"They ran riot, killing innocent people in churches, mosques, markets, schools, motor parks, and so on. And they would then shout Allahu Akbar. But if they truly knew Allah, they would not do such evil. Neither Islam, nor any other religion I know of, advocates hurting the innocent. But they shed innocent blood, killed people in their thousands. Now, we have dealt with that insurgency, and subverted their recruitment base. Those who stole Nigeria dry are not happy. They recruited the militants against us in the Niger Delta, and began to sabotage oil infrastructure. We lose millions of barrels per day, at a time when every dollar we can earn, counts. It is a disgrace that a minimum of 27 states, out of 36 that we have in Nigeria, can't pay salaries. But I prayed so hard for God to make me President. I ran in 2003, 2007, 2011, and in 2015, He did. And see what I met on ground. But I can't complain, since I prayed for the job. In the military, I rose from 2nd Lieutenant to Major-General. I was military governor in 1975 over a state that is now six states. I was head of state, got detained for three years, and headed the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), which had N53 billion of that time in Nigerian banks. God has been very good to me, so I can't complain. If I feel hurt by anybody, I ask God to help me forgive. He has done so much for me. After 16 years of a different party in government, no party will come and have things easy. It's human. We need quality hands to run Nigeria, and we will utilize them. I will like to welcome you home when it's time. But I'll like you to be ready."he said.

Source: www.naijacop.com

Man who named his dog Buhari arraigned in court

 

Joachim Chinakwe a 40 year old man who named his pet dog Buhari was arraigned in court today. He was arrested at Ketere area of Sango Ota on August13th after he was reported by a neighbour for naming his pet dog Buhari.

According to the charge sheet, Joachim who is a trader, was said to have behaved himself in a manner that could cause breach of peace by naming his dog Buhari and parading same at the Hausa section of Ketere market in Sango area.

The charge read in part

“That you, Joachim Iroko ‘m’ (a.k.a Joe) and another still at large on the13th Day of August, 2016 at about 1730hrs at Ketere area Sango, in the Ota Magisterial District did conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause breach of peace by writing a name BUHARI on a dog and parading same in the Hausa section of Ketere market Sango Ota and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 249(d) of Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State of Nigeria, 2006.”

Joachim pleaded not guilty to the charge. He was granted a N50, 000 bail, with two sureties in like sum.