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El-rufai’s Farewell Address To The People of Kaduna State

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6 months ago

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El-rufai’s Farewell Address To The People of Kaduna State

Remarks by Malam Nasir El-Rufai on completion of his tenure as the Governor of Kaduna State, 29th May 2023

  1. I wish to express my gratitude to the people of Kaduna State for the support they have provided me as their governor over the last eight years. I thank them for twice electing me to this office, and for the prayers, advice and counsel they have offered us.
  2. At every step of the way during this journey of service, I have been able to count on the support and understanding of the people. In good times and in challenging moments, your support has buoyed us to serve you to the best of our ability. We have had to take difficult decisions, and most of our people have often understood that those steps were taken to uphold the common good. We are immensely grateful to the residents of our state.
  3. As we conclude our period of service, I am confident that we have made Kaduna State a better place than we met it. We have made Kaduna State proud as an investment destination, a place of innovation in governance reforms and a state of equal opportunity for all who call it home. Our Kaduna is a state where every resident is a citizen.
  4. We have made Kaduna State better prepared to address the challenges of today and tomorrow, and to harness the opportunities that are emerging. We have expanded access to education and health care. We have reformed our public school system to deliver free education for every child until they complete senior secondary school. We have placed primary health care at the heart of our health care delivery strategy. I am proud that we have guaranteed every child in Kaduna State the chance to climb the ladder of social mobility that a decent education and access to affordable health care offer. We have improved the chances of every child surviving infancy. We have reduced the chances that a woman would die from the perils of pregnancy.
  5. Our appointments have shown that we value women and youths. We believe that we have a duty to carry every segment of society along in governance. We initiated programmes to empower people, but we have rejected any attempt to create, foster or exploit dependence. We provide for our pensioners; we were the first state to pay the new minimum wage and we wish that we can pay our public servants even better than that.
  6. Under our watch, we have digitised the land registry, and laid the foundations for an efficient and fair tax system. We have built a government machinery that asserts the imperative of supporting business. We are changing perceptions and reorienting minds about the proper role of government in promoting social and economic development. We have put the people first as we promised. We have created metropolitan authorities to manage our cities and we have built more markets to expand access to commercial opportunities.
  7. I thank the people for supporting the delivery of the urban renewal projects for the benefit of the entire state. Many of our people have borne the inconveniences of construction, including longer commuting times, the removal of some buildings, adjustment of fence lines and other attachments in the public interest. Several have been constructive in their attitude to matters of compensation and in reporting saboteurs. We remain grateful to them all.
  8. Our government worked hard to firmly confront the security challenges that emerged. The measures we took ensured that we did not record any statewide crisis over the last eight years. We expanded the security footprint in the state, ensuring that more military bases and police divisions were established. We harnessed soft measures, like creating the Peace Commission, and we created a dedicated Ministry of Internal Security. We foresaw that banditry could mutate into a terrible menace. We galvanised neighbouring states for collaborative action to address the problem right from 2015.
  9. In 2017, I requested the Federal Government to designate the emerging banditry as an insurgency and to unleash on them the full weight of the military. Sadly, this was not done until 2022 acting upon the declaration of the Federal High Court. It is a matter for regret that the Federal Government did not appreciate the gravity of the problem until banditry had wreaked so much havoc to the lives, liberty and the livelihoods of so many people. Although coordinated military action began later in 2022, the job remains incomplete. I therefore urge the incoming government to sustain the pressure on the bandits, insurgents and terrorists and make the military action comprehensive and simultaneous across the seven frontline states, six in the Northwest and Niger, that are most impacted.
  10. As we complete our tenure, we have not relented in removing as many security threats as we can in order to help clear the deck for the incoming government. We have taken action against groups and individuals that are engaged in acts that are inimical to peace and lawful order in the state. We are removing the properties of identified sponsors of terrorism and those of unlawful societies that have been proscribed in this state. We have insisted on the primacy of law and order, and on asserting the prerogatives of the State in guaranteeing life and liberty. On security, I can say that we did all that is within the powers of a subnational to do, and resisted pressure to negotiate with or pay off the criminals.
  11. We are leaving behind a bank balance of N13.11bn and USD 2.05m as at 29th May 2023. Kaduna State has claims on the Federal Government of more than N30bn. This does not include the sums due to the State from accumulated stamp duties. As at the last financial year, Kaduna State has the following liabilities:

i. Domestic debt: N64.54bn
ii. Other Contingent Liabilities: N16.06bn
iii. Foreign debts: USD577.32m

  1. I pay tribute to the extraordinary work of our team in the Kaduna State Government. The Deputy Governor, our commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, Local Government chairmen, special advisers, assistants and other government officials have displayed imagination and demonstrated commitment to help the Kaduna State Government to achieve set objectives, and I applaud them for living up to their oaths of office. Our traditional rulers and religious leaders have been partners in mobilising the populace to understand our policies and support our efforts. Our partners in civil society have been critical in enabling the government to appreciate the concerns of citizens without a voice.
  2. Yesterday, I completed the administrative handover to my worthy successor, Distinguished Senator Uba Sani. I call on the people of Kaduna State to support him as he leads the next government. With your votes, you have vested in him the future direction of the state. Let us all support him to succeed in the service of the state and its people, and pray that he succeeds beyond our hopes and imagination.
  3. Several members of our governing team broke down in tears at the valedictory session of the Executive Council, overwhelmed by the reality of saying goodbye. But goodbyes are not necessarily bad. In fact, goodbyes are part of the order of nature. Everything that has a beginning must have an end. One era ends and another begins. New leaders take change and life continues. Our duty is to keep hope alive and do our best.
  4. May the Almighty continue to protect the people of Kaduna State. May He bless our endeavours and shower on this land peace, progress and prosperity. Farewell, thank you and God bless.

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IGP Egbetokun Assumes Duty As 22nd Indigenous Inspector General Of Police

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5 months ago

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June 22, 2023

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IGP Egbetokun Assumes Duty As 22nd Indigenous Inspector General Of Police

  • As Former IGP Usman Alkali Baba Retires From Service

The Inspector General of Police, Ag. IGP Egbetokun Olukayode Adeolu, PhD, NPM, today, 21st June, 2023 assumed duty as the Inspector General of Police of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was appointed by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on 19th June, 2023. He takes over from IGP Usman Alkali Baba, fdc, CFR, who retired after 35years of meritorious service to the nation. The handing/taking over of leadership between the former and new Police Chief was held in a brief but colourful ceremony at the Force Headquarters, Abuja. The event was climaxed with the symbolic handover of the Nigeria National and Police flags.

CSP olumuyiwa adejobi, mnipr, mipra, Force Public Relations Officer
Force Headquarters
Abuja, said in a press release he signed that
the new IGP, who is the 22nd indigenous Inspector General of Police, appreciated the President, Commander in Chief, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for the confidence reposed in him stressing that the appointment is a commitment, a calling to make a difference in the shared mission to safeguard the lives and well-being of everyone that lives in our great country.

Ag. IGP Egbetokun Olukayode Adeolu, PhD, NPM, hails from Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State. He was commissioned into the Nigeria Police Force on 3rd March, 1990 as a member of Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police Course 16 from the prestigious Nigeria Police Academy. He holds a Doctorate degree in Peace and Security Studies, a Post Graduate Diploma in Petroleum Economics, a Masters in Business Administration, a Certification in Electronic Data Processing/Computer Programming, a Masters in Engineering Analysis, and a Bachelors in Mathematics.

The amiable policing strategist and accountability icon, has held several strategic positions in the past cutting across all the departments of the Force. These include: Commander Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Lagos State Command, Area Commander Osogbo, Osun State, and Gusuau, Zamfara State, Commandant Police Training School Ikeja, Commissioner of Police Explosive Ordnance Department, Commissioner of Police Kwara State Command, Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7 Abuja amongst others. Until his appointment as the Ag. IGP, he was the Deputy Inspector General of Police in-charge of the Force Criminal Investigations Department.

The new Ag. IGP Egbetokun Olukayode Adeolu, PhD, NPM, holds an unwavering commitment to the principles of justice, security, and the rule of law. He assures that the Nigeria Police Force, under his leadership, will strive for excellence, transparency, and accountability to rebuild public trust, restore confidence in our law enforcement institutions, and create a Nigeria where every citizen feels safe, protected, and respected. He assures that his administration will unveil new tactics to release the great potential the Nigeria Police Force possesses to secure the nation, build lasting peace, and deliver on the vision of the President for a thriving and prosperous Nigeria.

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Sen. Bulkachuwa’s Admission Of influence over the Judiciary Must Be Investigated and dealt with according to law-Princess Hamman-Obels

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5 months ago

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June 21, 2023

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Senator Bulkachuwa’s Admission Of influence over the Judiciary Must Be Investigated and dealt with according to law-Princess Hamman-Obels

…Safe our democracy today by addressing undue influence over members of the judiciary-
IRIAD, The Electoral Hub

By Emmanuel Daudu-Abuja

The Initiative for Research, Innovation and Advocacy in Development (IRIAD) and The Electoral Hub has strongly condemned any form of undue influence over members of the judiciary.

The Director of the both International organizations, Princess Hamman-Obels
made this known in a press statement she signed on Tuesday 20th June, 2023 following
Senator, Adamu Muhammad Bulkachuwa’s rain of thanks giving to his wife, retired Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, former President of the Court of Appeal. During a valedictory session. Senator Bulkachuwa thanked his wife for being tolerant, acceptant of his encroachment, and for extending her help to his colleagues while she was in office.

According to the press release, Princess Hamman-Obels said, “a thank-you message of this nature would ordinarily be of little interest to public discourse but his wife’s position as the former President of the Court of Appeal raises serious concerns about the integrity of the judiciary and questions the sanctity of Nigerian democracy. If, as insinuated, Justice Bulkachuwa’s position had been used to influence electoral adjudications and other judicial processes unfairly, it constitutes an electoral crime and the perpetrator should be prosecuted accordingly.

“The institution plays a
key role in upholding the principles of justice, fairness and the rule of law, and ought not to be tainted by outside influence. It is, therefore, very unsettling that a lawmaker entrusted with representing the interests of the people boasts about influencing the decisions of a high-ranking judge.
In the interest of our democracy and the sanctity of our electoral process, we call on relevant stakeholders to thoroughly investigate this anomaly and ensure the prosecution of everyone found culpable. Immediate action is required in the interest of public good. We specifically call on the Nigerian Police Force, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Nigeria Judicial Council to take steps towards restoring the trust in our judiciary. We implore these institutions to conduct a collaboratory review of actions or inactions of Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa while in office. This would help in establishing the basis on which judicial proceedings can be initiated and the sanity of our democratic experience restored

“It is our position that the inadvertent admission of guilt by Senator Bulkachuwa should not be allowed to go unaddressed. Relevant governmental agencies should act to restore public trust in the judiciary. Citizens and civil society actors should continually follow up the process and engage actively for action in the interest of our democracy.

“It is our position that the inadvertent admission of guilt should not be allowed to go unaddressed. Relevant governmental agencies should act to restore public trust. Citizens and civil society actors should continually follow up the process and engage actively for action in the interest of our democracy.
We reiterate that accountability, transparency and justice are major requirements for democracy, democratic consolidation and societal development. As such, we commit to continue monitoring this situation closely and ensuring fairness and impartiality in a judicial system that serves the best interests of all Nigerians”, she added.

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Approves Dissolution Of Boards Of Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies, Institutions And Government-owned Companies

Published

5 months ago

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June 20, 2023

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BREAKING:

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Approves Dissolution Of Boards Of Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies, Institutions And Government-owned Companies

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the immediate dissolution of the Governing Boards of all Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies, Institutions, and Government-Owned Companies in the exercise of its Constitutional Powers and in the Public interest.

According to Willie Bassey, Director, Information
For: Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the dissolution does not, however, affect Boards, Commissions and Councils listed in the Third Schedule, Part 1, Section 153 (i) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

In view of this development and until such a time new boards are constituted, the Chief Executive Officers of the Parastatals, Agencies, Institutions, and Government-Owned Companies are directed to refer matters requiring the attention of their Boards to the President, through the Permanent Secretaries of their respective supervisory Ministries and Offices.

Permanent Secretaries are directed, also, to route such correspondences to Mr President through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Consequently, all Ministries, Departments and Agencies under the supervision of their respective Ministries/Offices for immediate compliance.

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