The president of Nigeria receives 10 do or get impeached marching order from the National Assembly.
After, a joint deliberation of the Federal House of Representatives and Senate, the house came up with the 10 riot act against President Mohamed Buhari.
The ten riot act was read out by the senate president Dr Bukola Sariki as the joint section was presided over by both the Senate President and the Speaker of House of Respresentative.
2018 Biafra Day celebration surprised many.BVI Channel 1 online went to the town to gauge the feelings of Biafrans on the street.At Upper Iweka,Onitsha,the road was deserted as traders and travelers decided to celebrate the Biafra day at their various homes.When BVI Channel 1 Reporter asked Okechukwu at Uga road Onitsha why the road was empty and deserted ,he responded thus ; ‘ We no longer feel like we were still part of Nigeria.Today,we wanted to demonstrate to the entire humanity that we are Biafrans’.Okechukwu concluded.Driving around Anambra State on 30th May,BVI Channel 1 can confirm that the three major cities in Anambra viz Awka,Onitsha and Nnewi were ghost -like as a result of Biafra day celebration and sit at home.
On a related note,The Coalition of Pro- Biafra groups organised an annual lecture on the 51 years after Biafra Declaration between Territorial Sovereignty and Cultural identity at Rojenny Stadium ,Oba .The event was chaired by Dr Dozie Ikedife while many other scholars were invited to the event.Prof Chidi Osuagwu and Evangelist Joe Agbo presented papers.Chief R. Ezeonwuka -The Chairman of Rojenny was part of the event.
The Coalition of Pro- Biafra Groups had organised a candle night prayer on the eve of 30th May at the same venue to pray for the souls of all those who died fighting for freedom.
Dr Dozie Ikedife spoke extensively on the unity of all the pro- Biafra groups as the sure way to restore Biafra.He used the opportunity to invite other credible Elders in Biafraland to join the Council of Elders of Biafra.His statement reads in full ‘For many good reasons,i shall not make a long speech today.However,my short message is an appeal.All who are hungry for self -determination for people of Biafra land through either legal process,diplomatic process ,dialogue,consultation,referendum or legislative process should come together and speak with one mind and one voice.Ofu Obi ,Ofu Onu.Remember,Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt ,but he did not lead them into Israel.Joshua did.So is life.Play your role responsibly and leave the rest to God.My appeal is for unity,co-operation and love of one another.Let us show love,not hate,to one another. Njikoka,Onye aghana nwanneya. Anyi bu ofu. Let us today particularly remember our past Heroes.Also ,remember many other heroes now incarcerated in detention.Heroes who paid the supreme price.For example,Bruce Mayrock,a Columbia University in New York under-graduate who doused himself with inflammable material and set himself ablaze on the grounds of united Nations headquarters in New York.This was to draw the attention of the world to the genocide going on in Nigeria.Remember the Soldiers who died in the war front,the home front,the victims of starvation,air raids .
Our other friends like Count Von Rosen who from mere humanitarian consideration,at great risk,flew into Biafran Land several times to bring in relief materials; Caritas,World Council of Churches(WCC) the Red Cross,Medicine San Frontie (Doctors without Borders).Many Countries in the World like Pakistan,Bangladesh,Czech,Slovakia,Serbia,Montangro ,Croatia ,Bosnia have achieved self –determination and many more are at the brink of achieving theirs.By God’s Grace ours must follow soon.Now it is for us to come together under one common roof while each group follows its method diligently ,peacefully and synergistically within the laws of the land.Many roads lead to Rome. The Supreme Council of the Remnants of the Elders of Biafra will be expanded to accommodate more people from wider geographical space.As the Deputy Chairman of the Council,on behalf of the Chairman,Hon Justice Eze-Ozobu OFR,I hereby invite you to make input by forwarding one or two names of committed men and women for consideration for inclusion into the body of Supreme Council of Elders.A brief Profile and telephone numbers should be sent to cgipob@gmail.com not later than 30th June,2018.The selection should represent and reflect the geography and ethnicity of BiafraLand.Onceagain,i implore everybody and every group to continue to operate peacefully within the laws wherever they are.Finally ,we call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to reverse the wrong labelling of peaceful non –violent unarmed people as Terrorists.Let them hang that label on those who truely qualify for that title.May i wish you all fruitful deliberations.May God be your strength.The Statement concluded
Ndubuisi reporting for BVI Channel 1 Online
PRINCIPLE 1: Eagles fly alone at high altitude and not with sparrows or other small birds. No other bird can go to the height of the eagle. Stay away from sparrows and ravens. Eagles fly with Eagles.
PRINCIPLE 2: Eagles have strong vision. They have the ability to focus on something up to five kilometers away. When an eagle sites his prey, he narrows his focus on it and set out to get it. No matter the obstacles, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it. Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacle and you will succeed.
PRINCIPLE 3: Eagles do not eat dead things. They feed only on fresh prey. Vultures eat dead animals, but eagles will not. Be careful with what you feed your eyes and ears with, especially in movies and on TV. Steer clear of outdated and old information. Always do your research well.
PRINCIPLE 4: Eagles love the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the storm’s wind to lift it higher. Once it finds the wind of the storm, the eagles uses the raging storm to lift him above the clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime, all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees. We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably.
PRINCIPLE 5: The Eagle tests before it trusts. When a female eagle meets a male and they want to mate, she flies down to earth with the male pursuing her and she picks a twig. She flies back into the air with the male pursuing her. Once she has reached a height high enough for her, she lets the twig fall to the ground and watches it as it falls. The male chases after the twig. The faster it falls, the faster he chases it. He has to catch it before it falls to the ground. He then brings it back to the female eagle.
The female eagle grabs the twig and flies to a higher altitude and then drops the twig for the male to chase. This goes on for hours, with the height increasing until the female eagle is assured that the male eagle has mastered the art of catching the twig which shows commitment. Then and only then, will she allow him to mate with her. Whether in private life or in business, one should test commitment of people intended for partnership.
PRINCIPLE 6: The Eagle Prepares for Changes: When ready to lay eggs, the female and male eagle identify a place very high on a cliff where no predators can reach. The male flies to earth and picks thorns and lays them on the crevice of the cliff, then flies to earth again to collect twigs which he lays in the intended nest. He flies back to earth and picks thorns laying them on top of the twigs. He flies back to earth and picks soft grass to cover the thorns. When this first layering is complete the male eagle runs back to earth and picks more thorns, lays them on the nest; runs back to get grass it on top of the thorns, then plucks his feathers to complete the nest. The thorns on the outside of the nest protect it from possible intruders. Both male and female eagles participate in raising the eagle family. She lays the eggs and protects them; he builds the nest and hunts. During the time of training the young ones to fly, the mother eagle throws the eaglets out of the nest. Because they are scared, they jump into the nest again.
Next, she throws them out and then takes off the soft layers of the nest, leaving the thorns bare When the scared eaglets again jump into the nest, they are pricked by thorns. Shrieking and bleeding they jump out again this time wondering why the mother and father who love them so much are torturing them. Next, mother eagle pushes them off the cliff into the air. As they shriek in fear, father eagle flies out and catches them up on his back before they fall and brings them back to the cliff. This goes on for sometime until they start flapping their wings. They get excited at this newfound knowledge that they can fly.
The preparation of the nest teaches us to prepare for changes; The preparation for the family teaches us that active participation of both partners leads to success; The being pricked by the thorns tells us that sometimes being too comfortable where we are may result into our not experiencing life, not progressing and not learning at all. The thorns of life come to teach us that we need to grow, get out of the nest and live on. We may not know it but the seemingly comfortable and safe haven may have thorns. The people who love us do not let us languish in sloth but push us hard to grow and prosper. Even in their seemingly bad actions they have good intentions for us.
PRINCIPLE 7: The Eagle Knows when to Retire: When an Eagle grows old, his feathers become weak and cannot take him as fast as he should. When he feels weak and about to die, he retires to a place far away in the rocks. While there, he plucks out every feather on his body until he is completely bare. He stays in this hiding place until he has grown new feathers, then he can come out. We occasionally need to shed off old habits & items that burden us without adding to our lives.
The Federalism of the First Republic, of the 1963 Constitution, is being demanded by some as the solution to Nigeria’s problems. The proponents of this view seem to think that once Nigeria returns to that constitution, with possibly some slight modifications, they and their interests will be protected, and their cherished “One Nigeria” can go on.
But they are mistaken, I think.
They haven’t considered why that constitution failed them. If it failed them before, can’t it fail them again?
Like the 1963 constitution, the 1960 Constitution limited the powers of the Federal Government to Defence, Foreign Affairs, and a few other items.
But it failed woefully to protect the federating units—the regions—from a federal government that was in the hands of a hegemonist Northern region with an expansionist Caliphate colonialist agenda. Within 5 years, the Caliphate had, using the Federal might it exercised through the judiciary, parliament, the police and the military, plunged the Western region into a crisis that spread to engulf the other regions in a civil war that ended in 1970 with the Caliphate’s conquest of all of Nigeria, under the banner of preserving “One Nigeria.” That experience suggests that for a viable association the constitution must put defence, the judiciary, the military and other security services in forms that can prevent their manipulation by the Caliphate’s Federal Govt. That means an Aburi-type confederation, and failing that, total separation/Araba.
WHY YOU CAN’T GET ABURI-TYPE CONFEDERATION
To appreciate why confederation isn’t at all in the cards, we must understand how and why Aburi was not implemented. Aburi was unacceptable to the Caliphate, therefore its agents in Federal power in Lagos refused to implement it. Why was it unacceptable to the Caliphate? The Caliphate’s Nigeria project is to dominate, conquer and forever exploit the rest of Nigeria. As the Sardauna of Sokoto, the political leader of the Caliphate in the 1950s and1960s, told his people in October 1960, as the other Nigerians were celebrating what they thought was independence:
“The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate of our great-grandfather, Uthman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We use the minorities of the North as willing tools and the South as a conquered territory and never allow them to rule over us, and never allow them to have control over their future.”
–Sir Ahmadu Bello, Leader of the Northern People’s Congress (NPC), and Premier of Northern Nigeria, (Parrot Newspaper, 12th Oct. 1960; republished on November 13, 2002, by the TribuneNewspaper, Ibadan.)
Confederation Aburi-type, or of any type whatever, would have allowed the other regions to control their future. And that was what the Caliphate was totally opposed to. And because they were holding Federal power in Lagos, they prevented its implementation. That’s how and why Aburi was not implemented. That is also how and why any confederation is not possible today. The Caliphate is in total charge of the Abuja government. And confederation is still not in their permanent interest that was announced long ago by the Sardauna.
This impossibility of federation or confederation applies also to the restructuring that some are hoping can keep Nigeria going. However, and for the above reasons, any restructuring that would protect the autonomy and interests of Non-Caliphate Nigerians will not be acceptable to, and will be thwarted, by a Caliphate which is in power in Nigeria.
WHY RESTRUCTURING WON’T HAPPEN
Ohaneze at Awka has just pinned its hopes on restructuring just because every zone, including the Caliphate Arewa zone, is now singing restructuring.
Ohaneze don’t be fooled!
When Atiku and other Caliphate politicians talk Restructuring, isn’t it just a ruse to buy time by keeping everybody preoccupied and distracted while the Caliphate finishes it new amendments to its plans for perpetual domination?
Didn’t they go to Aburi? Didn’t they kill the Aburi Accord afterwards? Didn’t they go to Jonathan’s Confab? Haven’t they pocket vetoed its report and refused to implement it? The Chinese say: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Ohaneze, don’t be fooled! Afenifere, don’t be fooled! South and Middle Belt Forum, don’t be fooled! Any restructuring that can protect Non-Caliphate peoples and give them control over their future will never happen as long as the Caliphate has the power in Abuja to prevent it.
If federalism and con-federalism are both impossible in a Nigeria that includes the Caliphate, then what?
I suggest that no form of political linkage with a colonialist can protect his intended victims, just as nothing will stop a cat from hunting any mice that cohabit a house with it. Fences and cages will not be sufficient barriers. If the claws of the cat are clipped, it will return to catching mice when the clipped claws grow back. For the mice to be safe, the cat must be removed from the house and left with no access to them. So, Araba/partition is the only answer to the problem of Caliphate hegemonism in Nigeria. Regional autonomy won’t do the job now, just as it failed in the past. Confederalism won’t do it either. Only partition with the erection of some version of an iron curtain will do it.
Because of what the Federal Government can do even when its powers are explicitly limited by constitution and the federating units have reserve powers, Federalism or confederalism may be capable of many things. But the one thing it cannot do is solve the insecurity problem of Ndi-Igbo and the other Non-Caliphate Nigerians, in the Middle Belt and the entire South, who are being targeted for ethnic cleansing so the cattle of the Fulani rulers can be grazed on their land, all the way down to Lagos, Forcados, Bonny and Calabar. This insecurity is intrinsic in a Nigeria POW camp in which their Caliphate Colonialist enemy is included. To read more exposés on the Fulani Jihadist Caliphate Colonialism that is plaguing Nigerians.
University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, is in the eye of the storm as a female undergraduate has accused a professor of sexual harassment.
The student’s accusation, yesterday, came less than three months after Miss Monica Osagie, a Master of Business Administration regular programme student at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife accused Prof. Richard Akindele of sexual harassment. The management later suspended Akindele indefinitely.
The allegation of sexual harassment against the one time commissioner and former vice chancellor, Daily Sun gathered is generating ripples in the English department,
Faculty of Arts and on the campus.
The unidentified female student accused a professor in the Department of English of molestation.
The student took her case to a popular blogger to share her sad and depressing story of molestation in the hands of one of her lecturers.
According to the blogger, the student (name withheld) managed to get nude photos of her molester in one of their ‘encounters’.
“I have been suffering this for months now. Whenever students go to his office for anything he is always trying to touch you.
“I took pictures of him on one of the days I entered his office. He has made molestation a part of him. I am even scared for my life in UNILAG. That is why I am reaching out to you so he can be stopped.
“As long as you satisfy his wants. I am tired of everything. He should be stopped before he ruins the lives of other innocent girls in that department. When he touches me, I am always in tears but it doesn’t stop him. Please, this is why I am reaching out. All I want is for him to be stopped. He is destroying the mental state of girls in UNILAG.
“I just want him stopped. I reached out because I don’t want him to continue molesting girls. The English department is like a cult. The lecturers have information among themselves. They talk about the girls they have slept with and the ones they plan to sleep with. It has been going on for years.
“Management respectfully solicits information from members of the university community and pledges confidentiality and protection,’’ the statement added.
When Daily Sun visited the English Department yesterday afternoon, the office of the professor was locked. He had been sighted at a book launch of a colleague at Ade Ajayi Auditorium on Wednesday.
Students of the English did not know the female student but that the news had spread all over the campus.
source : Sun
BVI Channel 1 Online can authoritatively confirm that 30th May of every year will be declared -The Biafra Day.Activities will be lined up to celebrate that special day in remembrance of Biafra Independent Declaration.
The above position was released to the public through ADF Statement on May 30th Remembrance Day.The Full Statement reads ‘Events in Alaigbo on May 30, 2018, once more show that May 30 has become an official Igbo Remembrance Day not only in Alaigbo but throughout the entire world where Igbo citizens live.
The BBC, Vanguard newspaper and other notable media organs report of high level
compliance by Umuigbo to the call for SIT-AT-HOME by the Indigenous Peoples of
Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of
Biafra (MASSOB).
From London to Johannesburg, to several cities in Europe, Asia. America and
Canada; the story is the same; various activities were organized by Umuigbo and
their friends to mark the occasion.
Last year, May 30, 2018, the entire Alaigbo was shut down; markets, shops, schools
and offices closed while streets were deserted to mark the Remembrance Day..
The Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF) is fully aware that May 30, is a day in
the history of Alaigbo, deeply rooted in the heart of our people which nobody can
wish away or ban by force of Law or prevent by force of arms.
It is in the light of this that the Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF) has
supported the observance of May 30, 2018 and activities lined out for the day by
different Igbo organizations.
May 30 marks the day Biafra was declared in 1967 and no patriotic Igbo son or
daughter can pretend that Biafra is not part of the history and indeed the major watershade in the history of the Igbo nation.
If anyone is in doubt let him recall what happened on May 30, 2017 and what has
happened this year, May 30 2018 when our sons and daughters under the aegis of
IPOB and MASSOB declared a SIT-AT-HOME to commemorate Biafra Day as a
historic day in the life of Ndigbo, and as well as their immediate neighbors.
The total compliance of that call throughout the length and breadth of Alaigbo was
not because IPOB or MASSOB had become their supreme authority. No! That call
evoked intense yearning in the innermost recesses of their heart and mind. And,
therefore, whoever provoked the observance was welcome as a lover of the Igbo
nation.
BIAFRA evokes intense longing for freedom for our people. Biafra is indeed more
than a state of the mind. It is also a material force that moves our people. Why will
Biafra not be in their mind; why will Biafra not symbolize their longing for freedom
when their predicament since the Amalgamation in 1904 up to Biafra Declaration on
My 30, 2017 and since Biafra has been a continuous state of estrangement, brutal and
punitive measures against their spiritual, economic, political and physical survival?
The Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), therefore, proposes that we should
turn May 30 every year to be observed as a REMEMBRANCE DAY (IGBO DAY
or BIAFRA DAY) – a day to remember our history, to review our successes and
failures, to remember those who have died fighting the Igbo cause and think of our
future.
Thereafter, ADF shall make all necessary efforts to convince the Governments in
Alaigbo, Igbo leaders, as well as the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and other panIgbo
organizations to accept May 30 as global IGBO DAY because it has greater
significance than 29th May or 29th September.
The Statement was signed by the underlisted Officers.
PROF. T. UZODINMA NWALA
ADF PRESIDENT
PROF NATH ANIEKWU
ADF SECRETARY
COL. JUSTINO EZEOKE
ADF PUBLICITY SECRETARY
ADDRESS BY MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 2018 DEMOCRACY DAY CELEBRATION, TUESDAY, 29TH MAY, 2018
My Dear Nigerians!
Today marks the 19th year of our nascent democracy and the 3rd Anniversary of this administration. I am thankful to Almighty God for bringing us thus far. This administration came at a time that Nigerians needed Change, the Change we promised and the Change we continue to deliver. We have faced a lot of challenges on this journey and Nigerians have stood by us in achieving the three cardinal points of this administration namely; Security, Corruption and the Economy.
3. Public safety and security remains the primary duty of this Government. Before this Administration came into being 3 years ago, Boko Haram held large areas of land spanning several Local Governments in the North East.
4. Today, the capacity of the insurgents has been degraded leading to the re-establishment of authority of government and the release of captives including, happily, 106 Chibok and 104 Dapchi girls, and over 16,000 other persons held by the Boko Haram.
5. In order to minimize the impact of the insurgency on Internally Displaced Persons, Government has established secure IDP Camps and has improved the mechanism for the distribution of basic aid, foods and essential commodities using various strategies in collaboration with local and international Organizations.
6. Efforts are in process for resettlement of IDPs in their home communities by providing schools, hospitals, clinics, water, and sanitation to facilitate a quick return to economic activities. Government is similarly implementing de-radicalization and rehabilitation programmes to facilitate sustainable peace and development.
7. The unfortunate incidences of kidnappings, herdsmen and farmers clashes in several communities which have led to high number of fatalities and loss of properties across the country is being addressed and the identified culprits and their sponsors shall be made to face the full wrath of the law. All the three tiers of Government are presently engaged with communities and religious organizations to restore peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.
8. I want to commend members of the Multinational Joint Task Force drawn from Niger, Benin, Chad, Cameroon and our own country in collaboration with the International Community who are assisting in the fight against insurgency in the North East. I also commend the gallantry of members of our Armed Forces and other security agencies that have continued to provide security for lives and properties across the country. State and Local traditional authorities are helping with much needed intelligence in this fight against insurgency.
10. The Niger Delta Region has enjoyed relative peace through social inclusiveness and cooperation of the Elders and the good people of the region. Government is committed to implementing the comprehensive peace, security and development plan for the region. The environmental clean-up of the region which commenced with the launch in Bodo, Ogoni in June, 2016 is progressing satisfactorily. Furthermore farming assets are being revived and investors in cocoa and palm oil plantations are showing serious interest.
11. The second primary object of this Administration is to fight corruption headlong. Like I have always said, if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will destroy the country. Three years into this Administration, Nigerians and the international community have begun to applaud our policies and determination to fight corruption. We are more than ever before determined to win this war, however hard the road is. I therefore appeal to all well-meaning Nigerians to continue to support us in this fight.
12. Various policy measures already put in place to stem the tide of corrupt practices are yielding remarkable results. Some of these key reform policies include:
a. The Treasury Single Account (TSA) has realized Billions of Naira being saved from maintenance fee payable to banks. N200 Billion has also been saved from elimination of ghost workers in public service.
b. The Whistle-Blowing Policy has helped to recover over N500 Billion;
c. The Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit set up with a mandate to validate controls, assess risks, prune personnel costs, ensure compliance with Public Financial Management reforms has helped to identify and remove over 52,000 ghost workers from the Federal Government MDAs Payroll;
d. The Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) aimed at expanding tax education and awareness has offered the opportunity for tax defaulters to regularise their status in order to enjoy the amnesty of forgiveness on overdue interest, penalties and the assurance of non-prosecution or subject to tax investigations.
e. The Sovereign Wealth Fund project portfolio has been expanded with an injection of US$650 million so as to strengthen its investment in local infrastructure, power, health, re-construction of Abuja-Kano road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, East West Road (Section V) and the Mambilla Hydro-electric Power project as well as the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge.
13. The fight against corruption through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has resulted in recoveries of Billions of Naira, as well as forfeiture of various forms of assets. This alongside other efforts has improved Nigeria’s international image and regional cooperation.
14. We have retained the services of one of the world’s leading assets tracing firms to investigate and trace assets globally. This is in addition to the exploitation of provisions of existing Treaties, Conventions as well as Bilateral Agreements with Multilateral bodies and Nations. Nigeria has also signed Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements to ensure that there is no hiding place for fugitives.
15. This Administration has therefore focused on revamping the ailing economy it inherited in 2015. In 2016, Government executed an expansionary budget and developed the Strategic Implementation Plan. For the first time, 30% of the budget was earmarked for capital expenditure which represents an upward review when compared with the 2015 budget. The SIP was followed by the development of a comprehensive medium term plan – the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017 – 2020.
16. The broad strategic objectives of the ERGP were to; Restore and sustain economic growth; Build a globally competitive economy; and Invest in our people. The implementation of the ERGP has started yielding results. The National Bureau of Statistics reports that the economy grew by 1.95% in 1st quarter 2018, which is a good performance when viewed against -0.91 in 1st quarter 2017 and -0.67% in 1st quarter 2016 respectively.
17. Our foreign reserve has improved significantly to 47.5 billion USD as of May, 2018 as against 29.6 billion USD in 2015. The inflationary rate has consistently declined every month since January, 2017.
18. Recently, Government conducted Focus Labs in three key sectors of the Economy namely, Agriculture & Transport, Manufacturing and Processing as well as Power and Gas. These have yielded significant prospects for investments and Job creation to the tune of US$ 22.5 billion with a potential for creating more than 500,000 jobs by 2020. These investment generation initiatives are expected to increase capital inflows in the form of foreign direct investment. There is a high prospect that the cumulative investments from this first phase of the Labs will hit US$39.2 billion by 2025.
19. Under agriculture, Nigeria continues to pursue a strategic food security programme built around self-sufficiency and minimization of import dependency. As a result, rice importation from other countries has been cut down by 90% which has a direct impact on foreign reserves.
20. The Social Investment Programmes (SIP) has been created as a means to graduating our citizens from poverty through capacity building, investment and direct support. The major strategic objective is to restore livelihood, economic opportunities and sustenance for the poor across the country. The SIP programmes and projects include:
a. Home Grown School Feeding Programme – About 8.2 million pupils are currently being fed from 24 States of the Federation with over 75,000 Catering Staff engaged under the programme.
b. The Conditional Cash Transfer has so far recorded over 297,000 caregivers and being trained by 2,495 Community Facilitators in 21 states. Less privileged Nigerians are now being paid N5,000 monthly stipend in 9 pilot States of Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Osun and Oyo. Eventually the scheme will cover all the 36 states of the federation including the FCT.
c. Under the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme – About 264,269 loans had been disbursed to 4,822 societies in the 36 States and FCT, while another 370,635 are awaiting release of funds.
d. N-Power Job creation Scheme – is targeted at providing jobs for unemployed young graduates and has so far recruited 200,000 youths while the next batch of 300,000 have been selected, verified and would soon be deployed across the 36 States and the FCT. Furthermore, 20,000 non-graduate volunteers have also been selected to kick off the N-Build programme in collaboration with the National Automotive Design and Development Council and the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria.
21. In the area of power generation, Nigerians from all parts of the country continue to report better power supply and less use of generators. This underscores the effectiveness of the methodical plan to deliver incremental and uninterrupted power supply to our homes, markets, offices and factories.
22. The country achieved 5, 222.3 MW representing the highest peak of power generated onto the national grid and delivered to customers in December, 2017. With new facilities, repairs and rehabilitations by Government and private investors, generation capability now exceeds 7,500 MW.
23. This Administration is committed to lawful interventions to ensure the operators of the distribution business live up to expectations especially in the areas of distribution capacity, service delivery, collection efficiency, and metering to eliminate contentious estimated billing.
24. The Transportation Sector continues to undergo a series of reforms in order to sustain the international best practices and ensure safety and security. The nation’s major airports have witnessed reconstruction of runways, installation of navigational equipment and new international terminals due for commissioning in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Enugu. Bilateral Air Services Agreements between Nigeria and the Governments of other countries will significantly open up new flight routes.
25. As a result of strict regulatory and compliance policies, Nigeria retained her Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category 1 status, after a routine international audit. Recently, a new Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility with capacity for aircraft C-checks and other comprehensive levels of maintenance was established in Lagos. This would save the country an estimated $90m annually.
26. Giant strides have been recorded over the past three years to improve road transport infrastructure in all geopolitical zones of the country.
27. The Railway Sector has also received tremendous attention as this Administration is committed to the goal of linking all State capitals in the Federation by rail network to ease the movement of goods and passengers.
28. The Education Sector especially at tertiary level has continued to witness expansion in order to improve access to higher education by millions of youths in Nigeria. Over the last three years, Government has approved the establishment of 1 new Federal Polytechnic, granted licenses for the establishment of 4 State and 14 private-owned Universities as well as 12 private Polytechnics.
29. Government has also continued to support the implementation of various initiatives aimed at improving the quality of Basic Education delivery. Thus, it has ensured proper funding at the Basic Education level with the disbursement of N42.2 billion UBE Matching Grant to 26 States and the FCT, N851.5 million Special Education Grant disbursed to 23 States and private providers of Special Education and N2.2 billion Teachers Professional Development Fund to 33 States and the FCT.
30. The Federal Government has continued to support fiscal sustainability at the sub-national governments through the implementation of the Budget Support Facility which was accompanied by the 22- point Fiscal Sustainability Plan. Thus, bailouts funds were made available to States to ease their fiscal challenges and other obligations including payment of salaries.
31. In addition, a total of 73 Ecological Fund projects for the control of gully erosion in different communities across all geopolitical zones have been completed in the last three years and are undergoing commissioning while 53 other projects are ongoing. The execution of these projects has generated 357 skilled jobs and 1,350 unskilled jobs during this period.
32. It is pertinent to also make mention of the immeasurable contributions of the Nigerian woman to national development and advancement of democracy, over the last three years. The government and people appreciate you all as mothers of our great country.
33. My dear country men and women, as we all celebrate our democratic experience, let us resolve to avoid hatred and intolerance; we can only achieve our objectives in an atmosphere of harmony and peaceful co-existence.
34. Finally, the up-coming months will usher us into another season of general elections. Let me use this opportunity to urge us all to conduct ourselves, our wards and our constituencies with the utmost sense of fairness, justice and peaceful co-existence such that we will have not only hitch free elections but also a credible and violence free process.
35. In few days to come, I will be joined by many promising young Nigerians to sign into law the “Not Too Young to Run” Bill
36. I thank you for your attention.
Flashback: The coup speech that overthrew Buhari on August 27, 1985
