COVER
Atiku to Christians: You’re Safe Under My Presidency
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By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja
The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has assured Christians that they are very safe under his watch if elected President come next month. He said that as a born unifier, he believes in the integration of humanity at all levels and would do everything to promote unity in diversity.
“Atiku was speaking in Jos while gracing the 2023 extra-ordinary General Church Council (GCC) of the Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA.
Speaking through the former Speaker, Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara, the former VP, said God did not make any mistake in creating people and allowing them to belong to different tribal, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.
According to him, “a divided Nigeria cannot achieve the purpose of God for us as a people. A divided country will only keep us in darkness and chains. All through my lifetime, I have lived and worked harmoniously with people of other faiths and ethnic affiliations with ease because of mutual understanding and respect. My business and political partners come from different backgrounds with zero expressions of religious or ethnic sentiments. I have never contemplated same faith ticket throughout my political career because it will result in unmitigated disaster for all Nigerians. No statesman at the incipient adopts a position that clearly excludes nearly half the Country and still hope to do the work Nigria is in dire need of. No matter how hard and skilful one dresses the same faith ticket, it is an open invitation to anarchy and a clear statement that not everyone will be carried along in government.”“As Governor- elect of Adamawa State, in 1999, I gave my full backing, against all odds, to Boni Haruna to take over when I was nominated Vice President. Boni governed Adamawa for 8 interrupted years. Also, in Taraba State, Rev. Jolly Nyame was encouraged to contest the governorship in 1999 with my full backing. We have and are still working together with many Christians across the nation, and the Church should have confidence in my capacity, experience, and ability to deliver credible leadership that unites our people and empower Nigerians of all creed to live together in peace and harmony,” he continued.
Atiku appreciates Christians all over the nation for their prayers and commitment to the nation and assured that he will not relent in cementing a cordial relationship between Christians and Muslims at all times.
“The church stands to get a lot under my watch as President of this nation if elected. I will do everything possible if elected to rid Nigeria of conflict entrepreneurs and profiteers in order to lay a solid foundation for Nigeria’s advancement. This must be the case if we ever hope to realise our full potentials as a nation. No society in history has ever remained disunited and still kept its civilisation. Politics is not enough reason to keep us divided. A divided Nigeria cannot take any of us anywhere. If Nigeria is divided, both Christians and Muslims will suffer. I am proud to say that I have a strong partner in Governor Okowa, who is not only a Christian but a man of abiding faith in Nigeria and our people. I am convinced beyond doubt that, together with Gov Ifeanyi Okowa as Vice President, we will take Nigeria to the desired greater heights.”
He commended ECWA for sustaining the annual extra- ordinary GCC Council meeting where progress and developments are reviewed and new working strategies are adopted. He prayed for wisdom and strength for the ECWA leadership to continue to provide good leadership for the church.
Speaking for himself, Dogara admonished Christians to take stock of what each presidential candidate has done for Northern Christians and meditate on it. Quoting copiously from the Bible, Dogara likened Atiku to the popular centurion in the Bible, whose faith was acknowledged by Jesus and of whom the Jews spoke glowingly to Jesus about his love for the jews and the fact that he even built a synagogue for them. He queried why the present Church is not attracting centurions anymore and urged the clergy to reflect hard and long on that. Citing Governors Bony Haruna and Rev Jolly Nyame, he said those two represent two solid synagogues Atiku had built for the Church and challenged Christians to examine other candidates and if they have done what Atiku has done, then they can vote for them. He also warned that the presidency does not change the president in a way that he will start doing what he is not known for overnight. The presidency can only reveal who the president is. None of them will start doing the good work they haven’t done for the Church in the past just because they have been elected president.
He said that on their part, they settled for Atiku following a scientific analysis of the various candidates, which was transparently carried out. Do not waste your votes by casting them elsewhere so that we won’t lament like Job in the Bible who said, “the things I greatly feared have come upon me.” No believer should waste his vote because the God we serve does not tolerate waste. We believe very strongly in the coming together and living together of Nigerians of all creed in order for us to make progress, hence our rejection of the same faith ticket.
According to Dogara, Christianity is serving the God of justice, and justice is indivisible. He said for those querying why should a Muslim succeed another Muslim, let them not forget that from 1999 to date Christians in President’s Obasanjo and Jonathan have ruled Nigeria for 14years while Muslims in Presidents Yar’adua and Buhari have ruled for 10years. He said he sees himself in Presidents Obasanjo and Jonathan and no Christian who stands for the truth will say otherwise and we must acknowledge that between Christians and Muslims, it ll take another 4 years before we level up. Any one that denies this denies the truth, and anyone who denies the truth is not of Christ because the devil is the father of all lies.
Dogara apologised for the absence of Atiku and Okowa at the occasion, saying that it was not out of disrespect for the Church but because they were both in Ekiti for the nationwide presidential rally.
In his remark, the President of ECWA, Rev Dr Stephen Baba Panya appreciates Atiku for finding time to give attention to what the church is doing and for sending eminent political leaders to grace the church’s GCC meeting.
He particularly commented Atiku for sending Dogara to represent him because the latter has excellent standing with the Church even before joining politics. He concluded that the church is watching, monitoring, and listening to all the candidates and will take a decision according to its convictions soon.
COVER
BOI Restates Commitment to Local Manufacturing, Job Creation
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Managing Director of the Bank of Industry (BOI), Mr Olasupo Olusi has reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to supporting local manufacturing in Nigeria.Olusi said this when he visited the GU Ebeco facility and inspected ongoing projects at the Nisa Medical and Zeberced Group at the Idu Industrial Layout, Abuja yesterday.
He expressed delight at the progress made so far at the various facilities while commending the chief executives of the organisations, urging them to do more. During the visit to the GU Ebeco, the BOI boss emphasised the importance of job creation and the need for their products to proudly bear the “Made in Nigeria” label.Olusi praised GU Ebeco’s progress over the past seven years, applauding its expansion into a national enterprise with over 1,500 employees and several facilities across the country.“I am very happy with the fact that BOI has supported this enterprise for the last seven years. It is wonderful to see that it has grown.“It employs 1,500 staff, and operates a national distribution system. We are proud of the significant role GU Ebeco is playing in the Nigerian manufacturing landscape,” he said.The BOI boss also commended the loan repayment performance of the company saying it had taken multiple facilities from the BOI. He encouraged other young entrepreneurs to stay focused, while assuring them of BOI’s commitment to supporting them and Nigeria’s industrialisation efforts.Responding Mr Ebere Uzozie, Managing Director of GU Ebeco, expressed his appreciation for the continued support from the BOI.“We are grateful for the Bank of Industry’s backing. Their loans have helped us expand and create lasting change. We now have 34 facilities, and we are debt-free.” We are optimistic the visit will mark a new chapter for the company, and will ensure further growth and partnerships that will contribute to Nigeria’s industrial future,” Uzozie said.at the Zeberced Group, its Managing Director, Mr Aydin Kurt, said that Nigeria had lots of potential and could be the future of the world.While acknowledging the country’s potential in industrialisation, he emphasised the importance of producing locally in Nigeria rather than relying on imports.Kurt also appealed for more collaboration with the BOI to promote industrialisation, create jobs and help grow the economy.“I cannot do it alone. we have to come together and create a synergy to attract different investors to come and also invest in this country.“This is our vision we have a lot to share with you, and thank you once again for visiting our corporations,” he said.Responding, the BOI managing director said that the bank was keen on infrastructure and committed to supporting industrious infrastructure.“This project is very important to us and a critical objective for the county and, in that spirit, we have decided that we will continue to support the proliferation of industrial parts across the nation.Why yours is so unique is because it has a plan for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) which is very important.“We have a mandate to support that particular segment of our economy because they are the ones that champion job creation and most of the growth of the economy is attributed to them,” Olusi said.The BOI boss thanked Zeberced Group for the opportunity while commending the groups’ vision, energy and optimism to carry the project forward.“We look forward to our partnership. Like I said, we all want to be parts and parcel of this project, we have already given you some money to implement it, and we will see how we can do more.“As you expand we will support, but you have to also show us the job creation numbers, and make sure your goods are branded made in Nigeria,” he said.The News Agency of Nigeria reports that GU Ebeco is a furniture company while Zeberced is a construction company. NANCOVER
FRSC Unveils App to Mitigate Road Crashes Impact
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By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has unveiled an app to boost efficiency and mitigate the impact of road accidents in the country.Speaking at the event yesterday in Abuja, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume explained that the app was designed to digitalize FRSC operations for effective traffic management.
The SGF who described the current rate of accidents as a great concern to the present administration, urged the FRSC management to involve stakeholders in the implementation of the app to monitor motorists and curb the excesses of FRSC officers and personnel. The Chairman, House Committee on Road Safety, Abiodun Adeshida said the National Assembly was ready to review the 2007 Federal Road Safety Corps Act for more efficient service delivery.The Kenyan Ambassador to Nigeria, Isaac Parashina said African countries have a lot to learn from the FRSC’s experience in addressing the high rate of road crashes across the continent.According to the him, Africans must come together and provide homegrown solutions to address road safety challenges.In his welcome remarks, the Corps Marshal FRSC, Shehu Mohammed stated that the innovation was part of efforts to align with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration on the use of the new technology to strengthen the commitment of road users and enhancing road safety operations.Mohammed said the corps would embark on aggressive sensitization in all motor parks and town hall meetings for stakeholders to key into the new technology.The Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Dr. Mohammed Bulama expressed confidence that the new technology would bring sanity to Nigerian roads.Dr Bulama commended FRSC management for the new operational initiative and pledged FRCN’s continued support to every program to reduce death and enhance economic activities in the country.The Acting President, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Isa Ore said leaders in the transport sector would contribute to the success of the application in saving lives on the highway.Other stakeholders in the transport sector promised to support FRSC in enforcing traffic laws and protect lives and property on Nigerian roads.COVER
Lokpobiri Meets Shettima, Denies Involvement in Petrol Price Hike
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By David Torough, Abuja
Minister of State (Oil) Petroleum Resources Heineken Lokpobiri yesterday denied that the Federal Government is responsible for the Tuesday increase in the price of petrol, saying it is a function of deregulation.The latest hike in the price of petrol has pushed up transport fares by over 50 percent in major cities across Nigeria.
The increase implemented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL) Retail Management ranges from N855 to N897 per litre, depending on the location from the previous N568-N617. Independent marketers have adjusted their prices to between N930 and N1,200 per litre of petrol.The minister denied FG’s involvement while addressing State House correspondents after a meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima in Abuja.Shettima had summoned Lokpobiri along with the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Mele Kyari and the National Security Adviser Malam Nuhu Ribadu over the recent hike in the price of petrol.Lokpobiri said, “This sector is deregulated. And we believe that with the availability of products, the price will find its level.“What is important is that the product is available in the country. Between now and weekend, there will be availability of the product across the length and breadth of the country.“We believe that by the time there is availability of the product across the country, the price itself will stabilise.”Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, Executive Director, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said regulatory efforts were geared toward stabilising supply of petrol in the country, which he said would impact positively on stability of price.Okuoha said, “The objective of the regulator is to ensure that there’s increased operating hours from all loading depots; vessels are being cleared promptly and extended hours where safety can permit truck outs as well.“More importantly also is the reinforcement of the support being given to local refinancing, because with increased production there will be higher supply, which will stabilise the price.”Despite making its product available, the Federal Government has not started lifting petrol from the Dangote Refinery.Yesterday, Dangote Group refuted the claim in the media that NNPCL is currently lifting petrol from its refinery and selling at N897 per litre.A statement signed by the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina said the company has not yet finalised any contract with NNPCL.The statement entitled, “NNPC yet to lift our petrol” reads, “Our attention has been drawn to a headline “NNPC lifts Dangote Petrol, sells at N897 per litre” published in the BusinessDay Newspapers of Wednesday, 4 September 2024.“We would like to state that NNPCL has not commenced lifting of refined Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, from our Dangote Petroleum Refinery.“Therefore, the issue of fixing the price of petrol lifted from our refinery does not arise, as we are yet to finalize our contract with NNPCL.“The PMS market is strictly regulated, which is known to all oil marketers and stakeholders in the sector, hence we cannot determine, fix, or influence the product price, which falls under the purview of relevant government authorities.“We urge the public to disregard the headline as it is misleading and does not represent the true position in this matter.“We are guaranteeing Nigerians of exceptionally high quality petroleum products that will be readily available all over the country.”