Politics
‘Two Powerful men are behind President Buhari’s slow performance’ – Aisha Buhari bares it all
Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, yesterday revealed that the leadership of the country under her husband would have performed better, but for two powerful individuals standing as clogs in its wheels. Mrs. Buhari said there are two men in President Muhammadu Buhari administration who have constituted themselves as hindrance for the speedy progress of governance.
The President’s wife said that she is disappointed in men who rather than fight these two men will go to them in the night begging for favour.
The President’s wife, who spoke at a National Women Leadership Summit organised by a political group, Project 4+4 for Buhari & Osinbajo 2019, in Abuja, however, did not mention the names of the powerful persons. She noted that if not for the two powerful men, Buhari’s achievements in the last three and a half years would have been accomplished by the President in one year. Mrs. Buhari stated that the two people in government would never allow things to move fast.
The First Lady, however, stated that the President has done well in the delivery of good governance. The event was also attended by the wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo. Mrs. Buhari urged Nige- rian women to rise up and fight.
When the Political Adviser to the President, Senator Babafemi Ojodu, was signalling to the First Lady to move away from the topic, she said: “I have realised that Senator Babafemi Ojodu, Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President, and Dr. Hajo Sani, my aide, Sajo, and wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Osinbajo, are not comfortable with me saying this and want me to confine myself to my prepared speech, but we must say the truth.”
The President’s wife insisted that the two powerful people are retrogressive elements preventing the government from moving forward. This is not the first time the first Lady would be critical of her husband’s government and its functionaries.
In an interview with BBC Hausa, Aisha had stated that Buhari’s government had been hijacked by only a “few people”, who were behind presidential appointments. According to her, the president did not know most of the officials he appointed. The First Lady stated that people who did not share the vision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were appointed to top posts because of the influence a “few people” wield.
Her words: “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. “Some people are sitting down in their homes folding their arms only for them to be called to come and head an agency or a ministerial position,” she said.
When asked to name those who had hijacked the government, the First Lady simply said: “You will know them if you watch television.” Asked whether the president was in charge, Mrs. Buhari had said: “That is left for the people to decide.”
Meanwhile, Mrs. Buhari has observed that during the last election, women participated fully in the voting process and ensured that APC was elected. According to her, “That is why the government of President Buhari came up with social investment programmes targeted at them and their children in order to engage them and reduce the level of poverty among them.
“I wish to call on women to spread the good news and accomplishments of the present administration. “I also call on you to propagate our party manifesto which promises to change the lives of Nigerians and what it has achieved so far,’’ she said.
She called on women not to relent in their effort at sensitising and mobilising women to ensure the success of the party in the 2019 elections. Mrs. Buhari said with commencement of campaign for the 2019 elections, the key areas for APC women would be critical information sharing, security awareness and advocacy against vote buying.
She said that the summit had set the tune for Buhari/Osinbajo support groups to go on with the 2019 campaign.
The wife of the president, therefore, appealed to participants drawn from the 774 local government areas of the country to reflect on the achievements of the Buhari administration. In her contributions, the wife of Vice-President, Mrs. Osinbajo, said that the APC government had performed creditably in the fight against insurgency and the rebuilding and rehabilitation of victims of insurgency and their communities.
On her part, the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Dr. Hajo Sani, urged women to be resilient in the effort to ensure the re-election of Buhari/ Osinbajo in the 2019 election. According to her, women are convinced that the Buhari administration had completed and initiated new road projects as well as other infrastructure developments across the country.
Sani restated the commitment of the wife of the President to better the lives of women and children through gender balancing in Nigeria. Also, the former Deputy Governor of Plateau, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, appealed to Nigerian women to give the Buhari/Osinbajo a chance in the 2019 elections to consolidate on their achievements. Earlier, the APC National Woman Leader, Hajiya Salamatu Baiwa, urged APC women to shun campaign of calumny.
Breaking: Speaker Obasa Debunks Allegation Of Spending N17b On Assembly Gate
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, on Thursday described the allegation that the House spent N17 billion on the fixing of a gate as spurious and funny.
A self-proclaimed group, Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition, had accused the Assembly of spending the amount to construct a gate. The group also sought investigation of the claim.
Speaking at plenary, Dr. Obasa said the allegation stemmed from the fear of some people over 2027 which is still more than two years away.
Obasa further debunked the claim that the House spent N200 million on its recently organised 22nd thanksgiving service for staff.
“It is so funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in the whole year that we will decide to spend N17 billion on a gate? They even claimed that we expended 200 million on thanksgiving that did not hold.
“We are aware that at a period like this when we are approaching elections in 2027, we should expect such things. I think some people are scared and I don’t know why.
“This House did not and has not embarked on any such project. We are not that reckless. We had our thanksgiving last Friday and dignitaries from various parts of the State attended it,” the Speaker said.
Addressing further claims by the group about the alleged relationship between him and the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, the Speaker denied attending the latter’s screening and confirmation by the National Assembly.
“They said that I was at the National Assembly when they were confirming the EFCC chairman. I want to believe that there are CCTV cameras at the National Assembly to identify those who attended the event. The press must have written about it too. So the group should do more to confirm if I was there.
“This is just to deny the allegations in the interest of the public and not the writers because the writers are not those we should be joining words with,” the Speaker said.
Earlier, the House, through its spokesperson, Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, had addressed the allegations noting that the Assembly bases its activities on integrity, transparency and accountability.
“It is ludicrous the claim about constituency intervention funds and constituency project funds and their handling by Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and Clerk of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko as claimed by the group.
“One would have expected a self-acclaimed anti-corruption crusading group to do its groundwork before jumping across the fence with conviction that it hit a jackpot to malign an institution of repute in the name of politics.
“Simply put, the Lagos State House of Assembly does not have any such funds. The Assembly does not embark on constituency projects. Instead, once every year, the House holds stakeholders’ meetings simultaneously across the state where constituents have the opportunity to tell the lawmakers their expectations and make requests for the betterment of the state.
“These requests and expectations are compiled and sent to the executive arm of government for consideration as inputs in subsequent budgets. If this is what the group takes as constituency intervention or project funds, we are sure this explanation has given the required education, moreover, it is common knowledge that it is the responsibility of the Executive arm to execute such projects,” the earlier statement by Ogundipe read.
Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
- Catholic Bishops Conference of Ethiopia: Pastoral message for Advent, December 2024 December 22, 2024
- The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Applauds Egypt’s Milestone Achievement in Medicines and Vaccine Regulation December 22, 2024
- Viewing of State House Christmas Decorations Attracts Record Crowd December 22, 2024
- Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan hold 4th Tripartite Technical Boundary Committee Meeting in Kampala December 22, 2024
- Eritrea: Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare Activity Assessment Meeting December 22, 2024
- Africa Financial Industry Summit (AFIS) 2024: Building African Unicorns (and Gazelles) for Continental Economic Growth (By Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede) December 22, 2024
- Eritrea: President Isaias Holds Talks with Special Chinese Delegation December 21, 2024
- United States of America (US) Government and Ethiopia: Sustaining Gains and Accelerating Progress Toward Ending the HIV Epidemic December 21, 2024
- United Arab Emirates (UAE) Condemns Car Ramming Attack at Market in Germany December 21, 2024
- His Excellency Sheikh Shakhboot Bin Nahyan Meets President of South Africa December 21, 2024
- Catholic Bishops Conference of Ethiopia: Pastoral message for Advent, December 2024 December 22, 2024
- The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Applauds Egypt’s Milestone Achievement in Medicines and Vaccine Regulation December 22, 2024
- Viewing of State House Christmas Decorations Attracts Record Crowd December 22, 2024
- Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan hold 4th Tripartite Technical Boundary Committee Meeting in Kampala December 22, 2024
- Eritrea: Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare Activity Assessment Meeting December 22, 2024
- Africa Financial Industry Summit (AFIS) 2024: Building African Unicorns (and Gazelles) for Continental Economic Growth (By Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede) December 22, 2024
- Eritrea: President Isaias Holds Talks with Special Chinese Delegation December 21, 2024
-
Entertainment6 months agoAkanke Amororo: The New Yoruba Movie Everyone Is Talking About + Why People Are Rushing To YouTube To See It
-
Politics7 months agoGov Fubara And One Year of His Signature in Rivers By Nath Odili
-
Business7 months agoFIRSTBANK WINS 2024 BEST SME BANK IN NIGERIA AND BEST SME BANK IN AFRICA BY ASIAN BANKER AWARDS
-
Business5 months agoPROFILE: JESSICA AMARACHI OKU BY CHINEDU NSOFOR
You must be logged in to post a comment Login