NEWS
Group Calls for Restraint over Planned Impeachment of President Buhari
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
A group has cautioned against the planned impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari by the Senate.
Minority members of the Senate recently walked out of the plenary threatening to commence Impeachment procedures against the President if he fails to address the growing insecurity in the country.
The group, under the banner of Non State Actors Consultative Forum (NOSACOF) said in statement in Abuja that it was improper to start talking about Impeaching the President now given the economic and security challenges the country is presently facing.
The statement which was jointly signed by
Abdulrazaq Alkali Bako, Lead Convener and Ernest Bako, Co-convener, said, “We the members of Non State Actors Consultative forum (NOSACOF) feel a sense of responsibility to lend our voice on this issue in defence of democracy and the unity of Nigeria”.
The statement further reads: “The economic and security challenges bedevilling Nigeria as a nation have got worse in recent months. More and more Nigerians have fallen below the poverty line, and terrorism by bandits and faceless terrorist acting against defenceless citizens have continued with little resistance from the Nigeria’s security apparatus.
“Inflation is on the rise, and citizens are finding it very difficult to keep up cost of living. There have been a lot of fingers pointing, as well as accusations and counter accusation between citizens and the government as well as between warring ethnic nationalities. It is indeed a very trying time for Nigerians!
“While Majority of Nigerians blame the government for not fulfilling its promise on improving and protecting lives and properties of citizens, the government is also accusing some citizens of selfishness and not fulfilling their citizenry duty of community policing but instead some are colluding with terrorist and serving as informant for the terror groups, thus making it difficult for the Nigerian security operatives to overcome the terror groups.
“While there are some truths to both arguments, one thing that stands out and contribute to the shortcomings from both parties (citizens and leaders) can be related to economic challenges the country is facing. However, it should be clear to all that the recent economic challenges are largely a global challenge resulting from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
“However, Nigerians may find it more challenging compared to other countries due to the fact that over the previous decades, previous administrations have failed to invest in agriculture, infrastructure, crude oil refining and in modernising the security infrastructure. All these have combined to make the insecurity problems more complex to solve.
“Amidst all these turbulence, legislative chambers in Nigeria are most at times full of drama’s due to the incompetent behaviour of some the legislators, a dangerously new twist have started to unfold in the National Assembly, where some members of the opposition and some disgruntled members of the ruling party are making moves for the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari and fuelling accusations and sentiments against the president and his team in order to get backing from Nigerians.
“However, in doing so, they have failed to look at the failures of both national assemblies (house and senate) and how their incompetence’s have contributed to the worsening economic and security the situation in Nigeria. We can all agree that the current security problems of Nigeria today have been as a result of accumulation of years of incompetence, selfishness, greed, injustice and corruption perpetrated by mostly political leaders who are shielded by ethnic and religious entities, a weak and corrupt justice system and to some extend by common citizens.
“As such despite some weakness on the part the President Muhammad Buhari, it will be unjust to lay all the blame on his table and start calling for his impeachment, rather the legislators should focus on finding real solutions of making citizens-oriented legislation that will bring solutions to the insecurities tormenting the country.
“They have also failed to carryout the oversight functions on the various security arms of the government despite billions of dollars budgeted for security, instead majority of them have focused their attention on befriending the head of these agencies in their chase for getting contracts and other financials gains. And that we have come to realize the move to impeach the president is orchestrated by mostly members of the ruling APC who lost out at the presidential primaries and senatorial of the party.
“Most of those in the forefront of the impeachment struggle are agents of some defeated candidates that will benefit if the president is impeached. While there are others supporting the impeachment out of sheer frustration to pull down the APC since they won’t return to the red chambers having been defeated earlier in the contest.
Section 143 of the 1999 constitution as amended have outline the steps and guidelines to be followed for the impeachment of a sitting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The question here is whether the legislators championing the move for impeachment s are willing to follow due process or they just want to create a high-level chaos that capable of completely plunging the country in worse internal conflicts, it may never recover from. It is very clear that promoters of the impeachment neither have the numbers nor the facts and evidence to successfully impeach the president, but just want to serve a selfish motive and interest. It is imperative for well meaning Nigerians not to allow themselves to be played by the selfish interest of a few, whose action will worsen the fragile situation in this country.
” It is very important for Nigerians to exercise caution and allow democratic process to take place through proper electoral transition, the general election is just around the corner, and the current administration will leave less than year from now. The ball is now in our court as Nigerians to vote for competent leaders for both executive and legislative positions and to make sure that those we voted for next will put the interest of citizens first in everything they do”.
Chief Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged President Bola Tinubu to reduce the price of petrol to N300 per litre ,to make things easy for Nigerians during the festive season.
George, the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, made this plea at an interactive session with newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos.
The price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, is currently above N1,000 per litre.
According to the elder statesman,Nigerians are going through hardship, the President should give an order to reduce fuel price, specifying time frame the people will enjoy such window of relief.
He said that the federal government as well as well- meaning individuals and businesses could bear the cost of such price slash , to bring happiness to all Nigerians.
The PDP leader, who noted that December and January are special months , said that such gesture could start from the middle of December and run through January.
“I have been thinking, as a Nigerian, what can we do because the anger and the hunger are almost equal on the streets of Nigeria.
“What am I suggesting is that Mr President should sit down with his managers and give an order that from the middle of December to the end of January, the cost of petrol will be N300 per litre.
“The government can absorb the losses in the interest of the suffering people.
“If they (government) want others to contribute, let us know how much that is going to cost and ask people to donate, to bear the cost.
“We will be sending a lot of messages of happiness across the tribes and homes.
“Everybody in Nigeria will be happy because it will positively impact on this period of the year. It is a challenge and he (Tinubu) can do it.
“We need this in this December and January to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians, ” George, a PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) life member, said.
Advising the President to take further measures to bring relief to the people, he said that the gesture would crash prices of essential commodities and services for the benefit of all .
He said that government’s efforts should be concentrated on reducing high inflation rate, unemployment, poverty and youth restlessness in order to create a better future for Nigerians
Speaking on the recent presidential election in Ghana, George noted that Nigeria’s electoral system needed reforms to guard against electoral frauds and manipulations.
According to him, the nation will continue to grope for development if the system fails to encourage best candidates to emerge.
Stating that election must reflect the wishes of the people and be devoid of religious and tribal sentiments, George said that Ghana election should be a wake up call for Nigeria.
“INEC performance must improve. The commission must make sure that the voice of the people is heard in elections.
“Electoral offenders should be made to face the music and sent to jail. We must be very firm about due process, credibility and transparency in elections,” he said.
Urging the President to revisit resolutions in the 2014 Constitutional Conference, George said that the current constitution was not federal in principle and practice.
“We should not deceive ourselves, the constitution is a problem. It is a military constitution, it is not democratic,” he said.
George called on the National Assembly to ensure devolution of powers and electoral reforms that would do away with manual collation of election results and mandate electronic transmission of election results from polling units.
George disagreed with political watchers saying no vacancy in presidency in 2027.
On the dwindling strength of the former ruling party, George, who noted that all organisations had its ups and downs, said that selfish interests and disregard for party rules remained PDP’s major challenge.
He said that PDP could bounce back and win presidential election if the leadership decided to elevate national interest above selfish interests and adhere to the party’s constitution.
“We will tell ourselves some serious old truth. We messed ourselves up. ” he said.
Stating, however, that the PDP was not dead, George said that lack of justice, equity, fairness and the inability to adhere to the party’s zoning and rotational principle cost the party victory in 2023.
Calling on the party’s founding fathers alive to wake up and rescue the party, George said that Nigerians were still waiting for the former ruling party to take over power and put things right. (NAN)
President Bola Tinubu, is set to perform the groundbreaking of 2,000 housing units of the Renewed Hope City in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, in the next few weeks.
Mr Ahmed Dangiwa, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, announced this during an official assessment visit, on Wednesday in Lagos
Dangiwa said Lagos would represent the South-west, while the president would do that of the North-West in Kano, before doing that of the four other regions.
“Arrangements is already on ground, we have gotten sites, and work has commenced for 2000 houses in the Renewed Hope City that we intend to build in Ibeju-Lekki,” he said.
Towards achieving the set goal, the minister said the visiting team also paid a courtesy visit to Gov.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu to discuss area of collaboration between the federal and state governments.He disclosed that the federal and Lagos state governments had agreed to set up a Tripartite committee and ensure all the issues of concerns between the parties were resolved amicably for the benefit of all.
Earlier, the Minister embarked on an assessment visit of deplorable Federal Government buildings and assets across Lagos state in a bid to commence rehabilitation on them in a few months.
Dangiwa said the rehabilitation was necessary as the deplorable buildings posed a challenge and security concerns to the Lagos state government. (NAN)
Gov. Hyacinth Alia on Wednesday presented the sum of N550.1bn as the 2025 appropriation bill to the Benue State House of Assembly for consideration and passage into law.
Alia told the lawmakers that out of the total budget size, N175.4 billion is for recurrent expenditure while the N374.
7 billion is for capital expenditure.The governor said that the total estimate represented a 47.
5 per cent increment over the 2024 revised and approved figure of N373 billion.He stated that the appropriation bill tagged “Budget of Human Capital Development, Food Security, and Digital Economy” was to consolidate the gains made in 2024.
Alia further explained that the proposed recurrent expenditure of N175.
4 billion was 13.55 per cent higher than the previous year.According to him, budgeted capital expenditure of N374.7 billion represents a 71.5 per cent increment on the 2024 revised capital expenditure.
“The budget breakdown indicated that the sum of N212.2 billion, representing 38.52 per cent is for administration; N196.6 billion, representing 35.68 per cent is for the economy; law and justice will take N26.6 billion, representing 4.84 per cent while social welfare will gulp N115.5 billion, representing 20.96 per cent.
“We have the vision. We have the will. And most importantly, we have the people ready to work alongside us to turn this vision into reality.
“Together, we will build a state where every citizen has the opportunity to succeed, where food is plentiful, and where the digital economy opens new frontiers of opportunity for all,” he said.
The governor said the intention of the government was to stay within the limits of its recurring revenue to build the state without accruing unnecessary debts for generations unborn.
He, however, said that since the 2025 budget was a deficit one, it proposed a borrowing plan of a conservative sum of N26bn, representing a modest 4.7 per cent of the proposed aggregate expenditure for 2025.
“This is lower than the state’s debt-to-GDP ratio of 8.2 per cent which is within the benchmark of the 25 per cent debt sustainability threshold.
“Despite these favourable debt ratios, I want to reiterate that borrowing will only be considered as a last resort and for regenerative investment purposes,” he added.
Alia stated that the problem of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) remained a challenge, adding that they have reasonably improved their living conditions.
He said the Bureau of International Cooperation and Development has elicited substantial grants from donors, totalling N85bn. (NAN)
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