Speech: VP Osinbajo’s Remarks At The Parade Of Honour Held For The Late Dr. Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme

I am deeply honoured this morning on behalf of the President, Commander- In- Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari to receive the body of the first elected civilian Vice President of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger.

As we receive his body this morning, we are reminded of his selfless service to nation, our region, Africa and indeed the world. We are reminded of his commitment to the timeless ideals of integrity, loyalty and of kindness to all.

We thank the almighty God for giving us, 85 glorious years of Dr. Alex Ekwueme. When he was asked what his vision was for the country, he said, I would like to see Nigeria be a Nation not just a country.

Those words tell us how committed he was to the unity of this country, and I pray that in death and as we remember him, this will not only encourage us but also cement the relationship between all of the peoples and nationalities of this country so that we become and remain one.

We thank the almighty God for his family, and for all of us he left behind. We pray that his great wishes for this nation and all that he sacrificed for, will not be in vain.

Dr. Alex Ekwueme GCON, first elected civilian Vice-President of Nigeria, is perhaps one of the most remarkable persons to have served our nation.

Despite being probably one of the most thoroughly educated persons anywhere in the world, with degrees in disciplines as distinct as Architecture, Philosophy, Sociology and Law, he possessed the profound humility that comes from understanding how much more there was to learn. And he demonstrated it by his evident willingness to listen and to learn at all times. As Vice President, he set an excellent example of loyalty, discipline, team spirit and fidelity to the nation.

He was fearless! Armed with the courage of his convictions, he led the G34, the group of eminent Nigerians who confronted military dictatorship in its darkest and most fearsome days in Nigerian history. Their roles significantly contributed to the return of democracy in 1999.

In public discourse, nationally and regionally, as an elder in ECOWAS, even on the most emotive subjects, he spoke truthfully, but maintaining a thoughtful balance, ensuring that his words built rather than destroyed. He worked tirelessly to build and maintain the bridges established across ethnic and religious lines by so many through the years. He never once doubted the validity of one indivisible Nigeria.

Indeed when he was asked what his vision was for Nigeria, he said “My vision for Nigeria is that Nigeria should become a nation rather than a country”.

Your Excellencies, whether it was in spending 20 or more unjustified months in detention after the 1983 coup, or the eventual conclusion that he had not abused his office in anyway, or his principled and fearless leadership in confronting the military dictatorship when it chose to succeed itself, or his principled intervention in many national debates, Dr. Ekwueme epitomized impeccable integrity, courage, and selflessness.

His values, like himself, remain relevant in every age and time. Almost a year to the date of his sad passing, he graciously responded to my invitation to join other former Nigerian heads of State and their deputies, to record for broadcast the hymn “O lord our help in ages past” which we have just seen.

As a man of depth, he understood the symbolism of leaders of our nation, honouring God as we affirmed that we and our beloved nation owed everything to His grace alone. When he was teased about his voice as he delivered a line of the hymn in Igbo, because there was a lot of teasing and joking that afternoon at Aguda House, he said he was “just warming up”.

When he was asked in an interview some years ago how he would want to be remembered he said “My music teacher in secondary school said you have to blow your own trumpet because if you don’t, no one will blow it for you until it gets rusty. But I will like to be remembered as someone who came into public office to render service and rendered that service selflessly”.

Of course, Alex Ifeyinchukwu Ekwueme, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, the Ideh of Oko, never had to blow his trumpet and will never have to, his service to country and people is the assurance that he would have many trumpeters, amongst the high and low.

Our nation will miss his calm dignity and wise words even in the most turbulent circumstances.

But we thank God for giving us for 85 years, such an exemplar of decency, kindness and integrity.

God bless his memory and God bless his family.

Thank you.

Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity
Office of the Vice President
29 January, 2018

Press Release: Africa Must Speedily Establish A Single Market To Create More Jobs And Reduce Poverty, Says President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari Monday canvassed for the speedy establishment of a single, unified market in Africa to increase trade, create more jobs and reduce poverty.

The President made the call while presenting Nigeria’s position in favour of the Report on the establishment of a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) and related issues presented by President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic, during the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

According to President Buhari, “It is Nigeria’s position that as African leaders and principal architects of our Union, we must now speed up action to conclude the negotiations and establish the CFTA.”

Noting that the continent has missed the timeline set by the African Union (AU) in January 2012 to establish the CFTA in 2017, he said African leaders still had the opportunity to set it up by March 2018.

Justifying Nigeria’s vote for the CFTA, the President said:

“In a rapidly changing global economy, with much uncertainty, we believe that the establishment of a CFTA would provide Africa with tremendous opportunity to achieve significant growth driven by intra-African trade.”

According to him, while the stakes in setting up CFTA are no doubt very high, the benefits are wide-ranging and significant.

“The primary objective is economic namely, for trade in goods and services on the continent. A single, unified market would lead to a comprehensive and mutually beneficial trade agreement amongst African Union Member States. If we integrate Africa’s market for trade in goods and services, we will not only double intra-African trade, but also negotiate with other regions or continents on trade matters,” he said.

President Buhari argued further that, “If we increase our trade, we grow faster, create more jobs and reduce poverty. Thus, with CFTA, our continent will be more integrated, united and prosperous.”

He noted that the “CFTA will carry significant welfare gains associated with increased production, consumption and revenue. It will generate more economic growth, enhance efficiency and support enterprise and innovation.”

The Nigerian leader urged his African colleagues to also look beyond the economic benefits of the CFTA, stressing that it will “be another step in uniting Africa and consolidating the architecture of the African Union.”

In his words, “The establishment of the CFTA is also the first step for the African Union in the implementation of “Agenda 2063” for the socio-economic transformation of the continent as well as being a building block in the achievement of the goals of the 1991 Abuja Treaty on the African Economic Community.”

President Buhari, who commended President Issoufou on his role as the “AU Champion for the CFTA”, whose work “has significantly advanced our goal to conclude and launch the CFTA,” also lauded the technical support provided by the AU Commission, with Nigeria serving as the Chair of the Negotiating Forum and Chairperson of the AU Ministers of Trade.

Considering the huge benefits of the CFTA, the President said Nigeria welcomed the idea and called on AU Member States to lend their strategic support without delay.

Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity)
January 29, 2018.

Press Statement: President Buhari To Attend AU Summit in Addis-Ababa; Set To Champion Anti-Corruption Campaign At Regional Level

President Muhammadu Buhari will Friday depart for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to participate in the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).

The highlight of the President’s engagements during the visit will be his Statement under the historic theme for the AU Summit, namely: “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.”

This is the first time in the 54-year history of the AU that anti-corruption will be made a theme of the gathering of the regional leaders.

It would be recalled that on July 4, 2017 during the 29th Session of the AU, African leaders unanimously endorsed President Buhari to champion the fight against corruption on the continent. The endorsement was in recognition of his personal commitment and widely acclaimed anti-graft drive at the domestic level.

On July 25, 2017, the President in a letter to President Alpha Conde of Guinea, who is also the out-going AU Chairperson, formally accepted his nomination to lead members of the AU on this crucial crusade against a veritable socio-economic vice that is anti-development.

While thanking his colleagues for the honour, he reiterated his “commitment to contribute towards our collective efforts to strengthen good governance and development on the continent.”

Apart from anti-corruption, other issues lined for consideration by African leaders and their delegations include, peace and security (transnational terrorism); institutional reforms of the continental body; free movement of persons; climate change; trade; aviation; education; gender and development.

President Buhari will also hold bilateral meetings with some of his colleagues on issues of common interests.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Danbazau; the Minister of State (Aviation), Hadi Sirika; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu are in the President’s delegation to the Summit.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity)
January 25, 2018.

Press Statement: Response to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s Letter By The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on January 24, 2018

We have read the press statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the State of the Nation.

For the record, Chief Obasanjo is a patriot, and he has proven this time and time again. We appreciate what he said concerning the Administration’s performance in two out of the three key issues that formed the plank of its campaign: Fighting corruption and tackling insurgency. Specifically, the former President said President Buhari must be given credit for his achievement so far in these two areas. We thank him for this.

Apparently, the former President believes that the Administration does not deserve a pass mark in the area of the economy, which is the third of our three-pronged campaign promises.

We have no doubt that in the face of massive challenges in this area, this Administration has availed itself creditably. We believe that Chief Obasanjo, because of his very busy schedule, may not have been fully availed of developments in the government’s efforts to revamp the economy, which was battered by the consequences of over-dependence on a commodity as well as unprecedented pillaging of the treasury.

Today, most of the indices by which an economy is measured are looking up. Permit me to say, however, that Nigeria would not have exited recession through a mere order or if the Administration had not made use of ”good Nigerians” who could help.

This Administration is making steady progress in its determined effort to revamp the economy, and the results are showing:

* Foreign Reserves have peaked at $40b, the highest level in about four years, and up from $24 billion just a year ago, even though when we came in, the price of oil had crashed woefully.

* According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBC), headline inflation has fallen for 11 consecutive months, standing at 15.37% as at Dec. 2017. This is the lowest inflation rate since Jan 2017, and it has met and surpassed the target set for inflation in the Administration’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

* Our determined implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has stopped the hemorrhaging of the treasury. Some 108 billion Naira has been saved from removal of maintenance fees payable to banks, pre-TSA. The nation is being saved 24.7 billion Naira monthly with the full implementation of the TSA.

* The elimination of ghost workers has saved the nation 120 billion Naira

* At about 1.8 billion dollars, the capital inflows in the second quarter of 2017 were almost double the $908 million in the first quarter.

* In the wake of a stable Naira and increased investment inflows, Nigeria’s stock market emerged one of the best-performing in the world, delivering returns in excess of 40 percent.

* Nigeria rose 24 places on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking, and earned a place on the List of Top 10 Reformers in the world.

* According to Q3 2017 figures, agriculture export is up year-on-year by 25%, solid minerals exports are up year-on-year by 78%, raw materials exports are up 70% year-on-year and manufactured goods exports are up 22% year-on-year.

* Government agencies such as the Nigeria Customs Service are reporting highest ever revenue collection, while JAMB, under the new management appointed by President Buhari in 2016, remitted N7.8 billion to the coffers of the federal government. The total amount remitted by JAMB between 2010 and 2016 was a paltry N51 million!

These positive indices may not have immediately impacted positively on Nigerians, but Nigerians will definitely get a new lease of life a short while from now. This is because the good news from the agricultural sector, which is recording a bumper harvest, will bring down the cost of foodstuffs, especially such staple as rice, and our massive Social Investment Programme will ease the pain of the most vulnerable in the society.

When we assumed office in 2015, some 6 million farmers were involved in rice production. Thanks to the Anchor Borrowers’ programme of this Administration, we have grown that number to over 12 million farmers. The result is that our rice import from Thailand alone has dropped from 644,000 metric tonnes to 22,000 MT in just two years. This is phenomenal.

Apart from rice, Nigeria is also doing well in other grains, especially Millet, Sorghum and Maize. We are now the second largest producer of sorghum after the US, the third in millet after India and our breweries are now enjoying local sourcing of those commodities.

For maize, we are producing 10 million tons while we need about 13 million tons for both human and animal nutrition. Nigeria leads the world in the yam and cassava production. We account for 70% of the world’s yam production. In two years, we hope to be the world’s largest exporter of yam! Overall, our ambition is that agriculture should rise from 25% to 40% of GDP, so that we can banish poverty and overcome our economic anxiety.

Our Social Investment Programme is Nigeria’s most ambitious social welfare programme ever. Currently, 5.2 million primary school children in 28,249 schools in 19 states are being fed daily; 200,000 unemployed graduates have enlisted into the N-power Job Scheme, and a quarter of a million loans already distributed to artisans, traders, and farmers.

Finally, our investment in infrastructure is simply unprecedented. This is because infrastructure is key to faster economic growth and development.

Here is a synopsis of what we have done in this area:

* Power Generation at an all-time high of 7,000mw and all can be transmitted

* RAIL: Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge is on. Lagos-Ibadan sector ready 2019, Kano Kaduna ready 2019; The entire stretch ready 2021; Negotiations on for Coastal Rail covering 15 cities from Lagos to Calabar.

* ROAD: 25 major highways being funded with the N100b Sukuk Bond, and all geo political zones are benefitting equally

This Administration is not unaware of the enormity of the challenges facing the nation, but we are up to the task. We have taken the bull by the horns, and long suffering Nigerians will begin to experience a new lease of life as our efforts yield fruits. We will not go into a state of funk for whatever reason.

On the Herders/Farmers’ clashes, this Administration is determined to end the crisis resulting from this once and for all, not minding the fact that the clashes predate us. we urge Nigerians to have faith in the Administration’s ability to resolve the crisis, and to watch out for concrete measures in this regard.

On whether or not President Muhammadu Buhari should run for another term, it is true that many Nigerians have been calling on the President to run again, while others are opposed to his return.

However, we believe this issue is a distraction for the President at this time. This is because Mr. President spends every waking hour tackling the enormous challenges facing the nation, most of which were bequeathed to his Administration by successive past Administrations.

He is committed to fulfilling the mandate given to him by Nigerians in 2015. And that’s where we are right now!

Finally, we have no reason to believe that former President Obasanjo has any motive beyond the well-being of the nation in issuing his Special Press Statement. We have also taken his admonition in good faith, and we thank him most sincerely for taking time off his busy schedule to pen such a long statement.

Speech: Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’s Address At The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 24, 2018

I’m extremely pleased that you have the time to come to spend some time with us here.

The truth is that what we are trying to achieve is just exactly what was described by the Honourable Minister who had just spoken; one that addresses specific issues and then we can deal with them with the partners and government through the right people; and that access will be made available. That’s why we have the industrial council. We also have the business forum and would ensure that we are opened at all times.

I think it is important that we emphasise and keep emphasising that the partnership that we are trying to build is a genuine partnership, because we understand that in a big country, especially a federation, many times we have issues, even with the state governments, and we have to be able to resolve them. Some of them are easy to resolve through a phone call, but we insist that those we do business with in Nigeria must find it easy to do business and that really has been the way that we have tried to function, especially in the last two and half years. We intend to maintain that approach and we really would like you to join us in proving that this will work.

Some of the issues that were mentioned (there was a Q & A before the VP spoke) include security, for example. As you can imagine, security is obviously an ongoing issue, but l want to say that, perhaps, for people in the diaspora and if you are following the social media, it might be difficult to appreciate; maybe you have been away too long, maybe you also come back and see for yourselves.

In the country, people are doing business and are doing fine, but that’s not to say there are no herdsmen and farmer clashes and all that, or to say that all is settled down in the North East; but in major places where business is being done, where investments are been done.

But by and large, we should raise (the issue of) adequate security. l think a lot of people are reasonably satisfied with the security, but we are doing all we can to improve on security. A lot of police reforms are going on, we are ramping up even the number of police officers we are recruiting. We are also getting joint task forces, sometimes involving the military in some of these joint task forces, where we think that there might be trouble.

A few months ago, we held a security summit with all of the governors and the service chiefs, where security agencies looked at all of the specific places where there are problems, and tried to identify what the problems could be, especially in areas that people have investments.

In the Niger Delta, I’m sure that you will agree with me that between last year and now, a lot has changed; we still find opportunistic vandalism where people are vandalising properties, but by and large improvements are being made and we are working very hard on ensuring that we sustain that.

It’s possibly more important for us as sole business of government to ensure that people can walk around free and can do their business without looking over their shoulders. Because of our commitment to that, we are reasonably certain that we will achieve maximum security.

I think it was Tony (one of the participants at the Q & A) that said that in many parts of the world there are places that you may not want to go and there are always situations where there are breaches of security. But l think, by and large, we are really focused on ensuring security and most of the country is entirely peaceful and ready for business.

In respect to power, a lot has happened and I just wanted to address that. In power, I’m not going to talk about the issues that have been addressed already, but l think that the critical thing is that we have identified primarily what the issues are and now some of our reforms are going on. We are enabling a situation where industry or private sector and businesses can actually access power on their own without necessarily going through the DISCOs; we have a willing buyer-willing seller arrangement. Recently NERC issued a declaration to that effect.

So we are concentrating also on powering industrial areas, a lot of that is going on and is private sector-driven.

A lot of that has to do with the cost of power etc., and whether or not the cost is adequate, whether the cost is too high or too low and all that.

But what l will want you to do is to take advantage of some of the new regulations, especially in the willing buyer-willing seller that we are putting in place, so that industries can buy their own power and can even develop their own power structure, and even in the states. A lot of the state governments are now investing in power plants. Off-grid power is one of the very critical solutions for us because a lot of the power that is going onto the grid, we are able to take that much. But if that is the solution in Nigeria, we must have plenty of off-grid power opportunities and we are trying to work hard on all of those off-grid power facilities and create an environment where people can invest in power and supply power to those who need it without going through the system that we have at the moment.

So we think that, in the next couple of years, we will have a power situation that will certainly be a lot better than what we are experiencing today.

What we are trying to do is to ensure that we are not constrained by some of the problems that we have been experiencing in the past years, and we let go of the power marketing in such a way that many players can come in to do a lot more from generation to distribution, and especially transmission because we find that that is one of the critical areas for us today.

Transmission and distribution are critical areas for us and we are working very hard to ensure that we are able to do a lot with some of transmission and the distribution assets that we have. l know that a lot of those who are here are converts or at least people who do business and want to continue to do business in Nigeria, l want to thank you for the support you have given us over the years and hope that you will not only maintain that support, but also work with us in being able to create a better business environment and being able to do the kind of businesses that can be done in Nigeria.

There is no question at all as to why our country is a good destination; we know that the critical issue is to ensure that the environment is friendly enough and that we offer the necessary incentives where such incentives are crucial. We are ready to do that and we are ready to work with you to ensure that business is comfortable for you and that you can make profit and create the jobs and opportunities that we are also looking at.

Thank you very much.

Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity)
Office of the Vice President
January 25, 2018

Press Release: FG’S Collaboration With Private Sector Will Facilitate Take Off Of Special Economic Zones, Says Osinbajo in Davos Day Two

The Federal Government and Private Sector will collaborate in creating Special Economic Zones, starting first with the Textile and Garment industry in the hope of spurring the nation’s economic development, according to Vice President Osinbajo, SAN.

Speaking today at an interaction with selected investors in Davos, at the ongoing World Economic Forum, the Vice President noted that “having the right mind-set and understanding where we want to go”, will affect the implementation process whilst ensuring things get done in the nation’s business environment.

He stressed that the collaboration between private sector and the government ensures consistency in the implementation of economic policies.

The Vice President added that one of the reasons he is optimistic about the forthcoming SEZ for garment manufacturing is because it is “specific and is something we can measure very quickly; working with investors and allowing them to tell us what they want to achieve. This will help us attain set objectives.”

Furthermore, Prof Osinbajo stated that having labs, where issues around effective implementation plans would be intensely discussed with expert participants drawn from the private sector and public sector, will also help ensure “that we achieve our objectives” as those labs will set up the implementation agenda and see it through to the end.

Both the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, and Minister for Industry, Trade & Investment, Dr. Okey Enelamah were also at the interaction.

Speaking earlier, Senator Udoma mentioned that there were many advantages for Nigeria to create the SEZ for Textile manufacturing, citing the use of English as our official language, our political stable environment and the provision of an enabling environment for the private sector.

He further went on to say that confidence is being restored in the hearts of people regarding economic policies.

In his own remarks, the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Okey Enelamah noted that 2018 is a year of implementation regardless of the consequences. Enelamah went on to stress the need for a continuous active implementation of the ERGP based on three legs; investment, trade and industrialisation with an enabling environment as the thrust that runs through all three legs.

Former World Bank Chief Economist, Professor Justin Lin who was also in attendance mentioned that the Garment and Textile industry in Nigeria has huge potential because Nigeria produces cotton, as well as the availability of good locations around the country, including the large markets both domestically and internationally.

Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
January 24, 2018

Press Release: I Will Give My Best To All Nigerians, President Buhari Tells APC South East Leaders

President Muhammadu Buhari Monday in Abuja pledged to give his best to all Nigerians, guided by a clear conscience in making decisions for the progress of the country.

Receiving leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South East at the Presidential Villa, President Buhari thanked them for their patriotism, sacrifices and support for the peace and stability of the country.

President Buhari commended the South East leaders for acknowledging the laudable and consistent efforts of his administration to restore Nigeria to the position of eminence.

‘‘I am very pleased for your patriotism and consistency in supporting our administration. You are always going around explaining things even at the risk of abuse.

‘‘I want you to know that I have not forgotten the efforts and sacrifices you have made in the successes I have achieved in my position and I appreciate what you are doing for the stability of our country and the future of our children and our grandchildren.

‘‘I assure you that whatever I try to do, I will do it with a clear conscience and I’ll do the best I can do for all Nigerians,’’ he said.

In an address on behalf of South East leaders, Hon. Emma Eneukwu, National Vice Chairman, South East APC, thanked the President for the several projects receiving attention of the Federal Government in the South East including , 2nd Niger Bridge, Enugu-Port Harcourt road as well as the Enugu-Onitsha –Owerri road, among others.

Reaffirming the unanimous decision of the party in the zone on December 31, 2017 endorsing the President for a second term in office, Eneukwu said: ‘‘It is our conviction that four years is not enough for you to complete this worthy journey hence the need for another four years to enable you make Nigeria truly great.’’

He added: ‘‘we implore Mr President, as a just and fair-minded leader, to make history by supporting the zoning of the office of the President in our great party to the South East at the end of your second tenure in office as President in 2023.’’

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President for Media & Publicity
January 22, 2018

Press Release: We Will Deliver On Three-Pronged Campaign Promises – President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari Monday in Abuja said his administration remains resolute and focused on delivering on the three-pronged promises of securing the lives and properties of Nigerians, halting the pillage of the economy by corrupt public officials, and creating employment opportunities for the youths.

Receiving the Board of Directors of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group at the State House, President Buhari said the initial economic challenge posed by recession was already dwindling, with the economy smarting out and posting better results on falling inflation rates, higher foreign reserve and better ranking on ease of doing business.

“If you look critically into the 2018 budget, we have already taken into account key issues of more stable electricity, construction of roads and rails, and the airport concession’’ he said.

The President said the government will work more to accelerate and increase momentum in agriculture, power, gas, manufacturing and processing, while commending the Chinese government for its support in improving infrastructure in Nigeria.

“We send our gratitude to the Chinese for all their support to Nigeria. Since Independence, no country has helped our country on infrastructural development like the Chinese. In some projects, the Chinese help us with 85 per cent payment, and soft loans that span 20 years. No country has done that for us,’’ he said.

The President assured Nigerians that the rising attacks on communities by herdsmen will soon be brought under control by security forces deployed to the vulnerable areas across the country.

He said the unfortunate incident of attacks, which had resulted in loss of lives and properties, had already brought sorrow and hardship on many Nigerians, with the government deeply affected.

President Buhari said the government will continue to strengthen its relationship with the NESG, especially in integrating its recommendations into policies that will improve the livelihood of all Nigerians.

In his remark, the chairman of the NESG Board of Directors, Kyari Abba Bukar, commended the government for the “pragmatic approach’’ in engaging with citizens of Niger Delta region which had translated into steady rise in oil production.

“Your Excellency, we salute your courage in providing support to the states that have had fiscal challenges. We recognise that without the intervention of the Presidency, many state governments would have been unable to pay salaries last year,’’ he said.

Bukar said the outlook on the economy remained upwardly positive, projecting a 3.5 per cent GDP growth, urging the President to pay more attention on the herdsmen attacks, which could reverse the gains recorded in the agricultural sector.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President(Media & Publicity)
January 22nd, 2018

Press Release: President Buhari Felicitates With King Charles Ayemi-Bolu on his 70th Birthday

President Muhammadu Buhari joins all the illustrious sons and daughters of Seimbiri Kingdom in celebrating the 70th birthday of King (Dr) Charles Ayemi-Botu, which interestingly marks his 24th anniversary on the throne of his fathers.

President Buhari congratulates the paramount ruler of the Seimbiri Kingdom, his family and friends on the milestones, both lined with narratives of courage, diligence and care for his domain and humanity, earning him the appellation of “Lion of the Niger.’’

The President salutes King Ayemi-Botu for his visionary, reconciliatory and selfless leadership style of always looking at the big picture of national unity and encouraging all his subjects to uphold and project patriotism in all their endeavours.

As His Majesty turns a septuagenarian, President Buhari believes the wealth of wisdom and experience he has acquired, working as the former National Chairman of Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral Producing Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCON) and serving as the National Leader of Pan Niger Delta People’s Congress, would be most useful in fostering peace and stability in the region, and the development of the nation.

The President prays that the almighty God will grant “the Lion of the Niger’’ longer life, good health and prosperity to keep serving his people and the nation.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity)
January 19th, 2018

Press Release: The Economist Disowns Publication

The Economist, a London-based magazine, has disowned a publication which claims that Nigerians have shown unprecedented level of patience with President Muhammadu Buhari. The publication has been making rounds on the social media and on some websites in the country, and beyond.

A letter dated January 18, 2018, written and signed by Jonathan Rosenthal, the Africa Editor of the magazine , reads: “It has come to my attention that an article has been circulating on social media and been published on various websites that purports to have been written or published by The Economist.

“The article with the headline ‘The Unprecedented Level of Patience Shown to Buhari’ was not written nor published by The Economist. Any claims connecting it to The Economist are false.”

The Presidency enjoins Nigerians to be very watchful and circumspect about the kind of information they are exposed to, and share, especially in this period when purveyors of fake news abound.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity)
January 18, 2018