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Call for Buhari’s resignation is misrepresentation of facts, mischief by Ikenga’s CUPP- NDF

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The National Democratic Front (NDF) has rubbished the call for President Muhammadu Buhari’s resignation over insecurity by the Spokesperson of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Ikenga Ugochinyere, describing it as a mere mischief and misrepresentation of facts.

According to NDF, CUPP’s agenda is to heat up the polity, especially as its “paymasters are indeed behind the politically sponsored acts of violence in the country”.

In a statement signed by Secretary-General, Abdulkadir Bokaji, on Friday, the NDF revealed that the CUPP have entered a “strategic alliance with some vested interest to cause a distraction in Nigeria by making unsubstantiated allegations” against the president.

The National Democratic Front, therefore, urged Nigerians to ignore CUPP and other groups in the country out to rubbish the noble efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari.

It further warned that CUPP’s campaign of culumny will  gather momentum in the coming weeks and months, through press statements, press conferences and fictitious report targeted at the president, military and Service Chiefs.

The NDF, however, called on Nigerians to continue to support the Federal Government in its efforts at delivering the dividends of democracy.

Read the full statement below:

The National Democratic Front wishes to raise concerns on the plot by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) to heat the polity by calling for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari from office over politically masterminded killings and sponsored acts of terrorism in the country by agents of destabilization .

This call is most uncharitable and a gross misrepresentation of facts and the promotion of fictitious narratives as evident in the press conference where its spokesperson Ikenga Ugochinyere made some aloof statements against the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

We wish to state that the position taken by the CUPP is a function of their disappointment with the prosecution of the war against terrorism and other acts of criminalities in the country by the Nigerian Military.

What the CUPP failed to tell Nigerians is the fact that their paymasters are indeed behind the politically sponsored acts of violence in the country and the tough stance taken by the present administration towards addressing the issues has not gone down well with them hence the disjointed narrative they want Nigerians to swallow hook, line and sinker.

The National Democratic Front is aware that the CUPP has of late entered a strategic alliance with some vested interest to cause a distraction in Nigeria by making unsubstantiated allegations against President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the Service Chiefs in the country.

If this is not the case, we consequently wonder why the CUPP has elected to be ferocious in their messages which are outright falsehoods with recourse to the sensibilities of Nigerians from all parts of the country that are appreciative of the efforts of the federal government towards addressing the politically motivated security issues.

The National Democratic Front not only frowns at such display of idiocy, but it also challenges the CUPP to tell Nigerians what they know about the spate of insecurity in some parts of the country and the amount of monies that have exchanged hands in return for holding press conferences with the overarching objective of rubbishing the noble efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari in the critical security sector in the country.

The National Democratic Front wishes to advise members of the general public to be wary of groups such as the CUPP pretending to act in the interest of the country wherein they are serving the script of their paymasters whose ultimate goal is to destabilize the country.

The general public must also be aware that this campaign of calumny against the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari by the CUPP would gather momentum in the coming weeks and months, through press statements, press conferences and fictitious report all in a bid to poison the minds of the general public towards the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to the Nigerian cause.

The CUPP must indeed retrace their steps and put politics aside to act in the best interest of the country and desist from their ignoble campaign to destabilize Nigeria in fulfilment of the goals of their paymasters and sponsors.

This much the CUPP must also admit that the individuals and organizations they are in alliance with have been mostly responsible for the spate of insecurity in the country through the sponsorship of criminal groups across the country to paint a picture of incapacity of the present administration to address the security challenges in the country.

The National Democratic Front also wishes to inform members of the general public that the Nigerian Military would not be spared of the vicious attack through the sponsorship of acts of violence across the country thereby making the Nigerian Military look incapable of dealing with the security challenges in the country and a subsequent call for the sack of Service Chiefs in the country.

The National Democratic Front is using this medium to call on Nigerians from all walks of life to continue to support the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in its efforts at delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of Nigeria.

The National Democratic Front is proud of the lofty achievements of the Muhammadu Buhari led administration in critical sectors of the economy. We wish to state that any form of distractions from the CUPP and their paymasters would not be tolerated any further.

The National Democratic Front acknowledges the fact that Nigeria is indeed making significant progress under the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration. However, this fact is not going down well with those that are against the development of Nigeria and as such, they have elected to launch and sustain scathing attacks on President Muhammadu Buhari for choosing to stand on the side of the generality of Nigerians rather than a select few that have stolen the country blind in times past.

This is on the heels that under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Military has been repositioned to address the various security challenges in the country. This reality has also not gone down well with the enemies of Nigeria that thought by now; they would have grounded the country.

It is therefore imperative for the general public to be aware of the antics deployed by the CUPP and their sponsors so as not to be misled into believing the lies against the present administration with regards to its commitment to leading Nigeria on the path of sustainable growth and development.

The National Democratic Front owes Nigeria the duty to defend its democracy and expose the nefarious plots of groups like the CUPP that want to see to the disintegration of Nigeria.

Chinese Loan: Buhari, APC Owe Nigerians Apology – Atiku

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Former Vice President and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general election, Atiku Abubakar, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to apologise to Nigerians over what he described as reckless borrowing by the administration and how the terms of such loans could compromise the future of the country.

In a statement on Sunday, the former vice president said that some managers of the party and even the government had denied the allegations that he raised as well as the warning for caution.

But according to him, just last week, a cabinet minister confirmed the allegations.

“Now, we all are aware that Nigeria’s sovereignty may have been traded for foreign loans and God forbids our inability to service those loans, the lender country would take ownership of choice infrastructure on the Nigerian soil. No negotiation could be weaker than that!

“Nigeria had a total foreign debt stock of $7.02 billion on May 29, 2015. Today, our foreign debt is $23 billion and rapidly rising. Debt, by itself, is not a bad thing. But debt budgeted for such unproductive ventures, like the proposed $500 million upgrade of the Nigerian Television Authority and other sundry bogus contracts, is debt that leads to death. To trade Nigeria’s sovereignty for this type of profligacy is the height of irresponsibility!,” the statement read in part.

Atiku said he has long advocated for a more robust engagement of the private sector and promotion of foreign direct investment as sustainable alternatives through which government could fund infrastructure development.

But on the contrary, according to him, the Nigerian government under the banner of the All Progressives Congress threaded the direction of looking for cheap foreign loans in exchange for the sovereignty for Nigeria.

“Recall that former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration initiated a National Privatization Programme with the sole objective of ensuring that the private sector took some measure of influence in social investment portfolio and, in some instances, provided funding for infrastructure development.

“There was nothing in that plan that traded Nigeria’s sovereignty for some cheap loans which, in the light of unfolding revelations of sleaze in some departments of government, would have ended in private pockets,”.

He, therefore, stated that the government and the APC must apologize to Nigerians and make an admittance of guilt for taking the country through the throes of subjugation to another country.

COVID-19 Death Toll In Latin America, Caribbean Exceeds 200,000

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More than 200,000 people have died from coronavirus in Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil and Mexico accounting for nearly three-quarters of those deaths, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources at 0830 GMT on Sunday.

The number of fatalities stood at 200,212 in Latin America and the Caribbean, out of a total 4,919,054 reported cases. The death total doubled in just over a single month.

Doctor Moyra Lopez comforts a terminal patient at the so-called ‘humanized farewell’ room, where patients received messages from their relatives through technological devices, at the Barros Luco Hospital, in Santiago, on July 22, 2020. AFP

Latin America is the second hardest-hit region in the world after Europe, which has recorded 210,425 deaths and 3,189,322 infections.

The United States and Canada are third.

After Brazil and Mexico, the worst-affected countries in Latin America are Peru, Colombia and Chile.

According to virus infection numbers as a proportion of the population, Peru tops the region’s list, followed by Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Panama.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.

Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases.

2023: Why Mamman Daura Should Not Be Vilified

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By Philip Agbese

In the year 2017, a group of northern leaders felt ashamed by the crop of leaders warming up to take over the mantle of leadership from the current set of leaders that it realised it has to do something about the leadership selection process in the region.

At the end of that summit which held in Kaduna, many of the participants were of the view that the current process which throws up clanish champions as national leaders may not be the best and that something must be done to create a system where competence would be the major criteria for leadership selection.

Three years later, elder stateman, Malam Mamman Daura has come out to hit tha nail on the head about what has been at the base of poor leadership in Nigeria and recommended that competence should be prioritised while zoning should be rested.

But this noble idea has been  shouted down for no other reason than the fact that it is coming from what is considered an inappropriate quarters to voice out such concerns.

The North is always considered as conservative and reactionary and not expected to advance progressives ideas.

Hence, when Malam Daura, a northern elder made the suggestion, the criticism that trailed his comment had nothing to do with merit of the idea, but the perceived undertone that it was meant to favour a particular region.

But while castigating the message because of the messenger, many have failed to acknowledge some historical factors that support the Daura viewpoint.

In both the 1st and 2nd Republics, when the team of what was considered as the 1st Eleven of Nigerian politicians featured, nobody said anything about zoning the prime minister or president position to any particular zone in the country.

Though the dominant parties then had their bases in the respective zones of their party’s leaders, they all went into elections believing that the electorate is mature enough to decide the best based on what the candidates present to them.

The great Nnamdi Azikiwe because of his eloquence,  erudition and the programme of his party, won elections in the Southwest devoid of any ethnic or religious consideration.

In the era of the 2nd Republic, the NPP which had Azikiwe as its presidential candidate won the northern state of Plateau and almost won Benue in 1983 before the coming of the military, while the NPN considered as made up of northern conservatives, won southern states like Rivers and Cross Rivers in the south.

The apogee of such political idealism was when in 1993, MKO Abiola defeated Bashir Tofa in his home state of Kano.

These examples have shown that Nigeria had always preferred merit and competence over parochial considerations.

Step forward to 2020 and elder statesman, Malam Mamman Daura, who has seen it all makes recommendations that Nigeria should go back to its preferred pattern of leadership selection process where competence would be placed above geopolitical considerations and all hell was let loose.

The question is, what is strange in the Malam Daura suggestion to warrant such attacks and misrepresentations when it had always been actually what Nigerians wanted .

The Nigerian electoral body, which is now known as INEC had over the years tried to de-emphasize regional, religious or ethnic politics and that is why it had always made it mandatory that any party seeking to be registered to contest election in Nigeria must have functional offices in at least two third of the states of the federation.

Further than that, the electoral laws also provide that a candidate can only be declared winner of a presidential election if he, in addition to winning the majority votes, also scores at least two third of the votes in at least two third of the states of the federation.

Translated, this means that even the laws governing elections in the country have tried to deemphasize regional considerations as a candidates can only receive such nationwide acceptance based on merit.

This is the point that Malam Daura tried to make when he said the 2023 presidency should be about competence and not based on zoning as the nation had tried zoing about three times and it has not worked.

When Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was president between 1999 and 2007, the zone that complained most about neglect was the Southwest and when Yar’Adua succeeded him, the North did not fare better than in the previous administration. Till date, Jonathan is being accused of not doing enough for the South south.

This shows that the idea of rotational presidency does not even help the region the president hails but only puts pressure on the incumbent to look at his region eve  when he had sworn an oath not to use his office to give undue favour to one side.

The fact is, competence is the new order in the world in leadership selection process.That was why America chose Barack Obama, that was why Russia is almost stuck with Vladimir Putin as its leader and that is why issues of where a political leader hails from hardly matter in most advanced countries.

Naturally, people gravitate towards good leadership no matter where it comes from. The first US president, George Washington was offered a third term but he declined not minding whether he was from the North or South.

Rwanda after genocidal war came back and repeatedly elected Paul Kagame, a true leader, who has moved the nation forward despite being from what was considered a minority ethnic group.

It is said that in Tanzania, the people dont even care where their president hails from as he has been able to wield the nation of different ethnic groups into one nation.

Malam Daura has not excluded any zone from contesting the 2023 elections as there are qualified and competent persons from all the regions in the country.

What he is saying is that the best among the collection  should be favoured.

Nigerians should accept this as this as the new world order as zoning has proven to be undemocratic, dictatorial and exclusive.

To continue on the archaic and primordial principle of zoning which has not helped any would be to retrogress.

Besides, it is unconstitutional as zoning denies people their rights and privileges to contest at a given time.

Worse still, the principle has never been respected in the first place as people from other zones usually defy the recommendation to contest with those from the zone it is zoned to.

That is why zoning should be jettisoned since it has always been observed in the breach while competence, like Malam Daura said should be the new thing.

Agbese wrote this piece from Abuja.

Boko Haram/ Banditry: APC UK, Diaspora appreciate PMB, Service Chiefs for leading war with total commitment

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…. set to mobilize international support, resources for Nigeria

Nigeria's elections: APC calls for holistic reform of INEC - Daily ...
Dr. Philip Idaewor, Chairman APC UK Chapter

The APC UK and All-Diaspora Chapters of the All Progressives Congress have hailed President Muhammadu Buhari and the Service Chiefs for exhibiting “extraordinary patriotism and commitment” in the war against terrorism.

Owing to their sacrifices to end the insurgency, the APC groups in the diaspora have vowed to mobilize international support and resources to complement the Federal Government’s tremendous effort in the final clearance operation.

After a thorough review of the happenings in the North-East, the APC groups affirmed that significant progress has been made by the troops since the relocation of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General TY Buratai to the theatre of operations.

In a statement signed by Dr. Philip Idaewor, Chairman APC UK Chapter and Chairman Committee of Diaspora chairmen, the groups recounted how several high profile Boko Haram/ISWAP commanders were killed and many others injured, fleeing to neighbouring countries.

” We note that the Nigerian Military made significant gains against Boko Haram terrorists following the relocation of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General TY Buratai to the war front, which resulted in the war being taken to the camp of the terrorists. This onslaught led to terrorist camps being destroyed and several high-ranking commanders of the abhorrent group being killed while other terrorists fled into neighbouring countries as they always do,” Dr Idaewor said.

“We equally note that Boko Haram resorted to abducting aid workers and murdering them. Our reading of the situation is that this is a desperate ploy to court attention after they have suffered serial losses to the Nigerian Military. Other forms of desperate attacks calculated at inflicting terror and shoring up the morale of terrorists appear to have been ordered by commanders of the terrorists.”

While admitting that the terrorists have been beaten to its lowest point in history, the Nigerians in diaspora added that it is crucial to capitalize and completely wipe out the remnants from the continent.

However, with Nigeria almost in the battle alone with minimal support from neighbours and the international community, the APC groups reckoned that this may be a tough ask.

” We further noted that even though the terrorist group has been beaten to its lowest in years, there is an urgency to completely wipe out this scourge from Africa so that the people can live in peace and return to normal community activities. If the remnants of the group are not eradicated with a scorch-earth totality then there is the risk that they will regroup, rearm and return to be a threat to everyone,” he said.

“We observe that Nigeria is practically going the war on terrorism alone with minimal or no military input from countries that ordinarily present themselves as friends of Nigeria. Assistance from such countries at the moment is mostly in the form of humanitarian work, which some have even used as a cover to funnel support to the terrorists and further undermine Nigeria.”

The APC UK Chapter and Diaspora Chapters, therefore, vowed to rally for support from the international community and fellow Nigerian professionals in the diaspora to put a final end to the challenges of insecurity at home.

The groups further called on “Nigerian professionals in their various fields to help in changing the narrative and bringing about the needed peace and security in the country”.

“The United Kingdom (UK) and Diaspora Chapters of APC are convinced that time is running out for the international community to pitch in and collaborate with Nigeria to defeat Boko Haram/ISIS. The reality is that the Nigerian Government and the Militarily require international collaboration and support to Defeat Boko Haram,” Dr Idaewor acknowledged.

“Our recognition of this imperative has made us embark on mobilizing international support for the war against insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria. Winning the war against terrorism in all its colour in Nigeria and Africa should now detain international attention in order to attain global peace and minimise dangerous transcontinental migration. The COAS and other Security Chiefs must be supported by all Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora to do more. “

Service chiefs have no tenure – Ex-COAS, Akinrinade

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A former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Alani Akinrinade (retd.), has said the sacking of the heads of the armed forces in the country is at the discretion of the President, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

The former army chief said service chiefs could resign if they felt they did not have anything new to contribute again or wait to be sacked by the President.

Akinrinade made this known in a recent interview.

There have been calls for the sacking of service chiefs due to the worsening insecurity in the country and the Senate last week called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack them.

Asked if he supported the calls that service chiefs should go, Akinrinade said the President had the power to either sack the service chiefs or retain them.

He said, “A service chief can resign but sacking them is at the discretion of the President. When you get to that position, you are serving at the discretion of the President.

“If he wants you to go, then you leave. If you have served and you feel that you don’t have anything again to contribute, then you can approach the President and tell him. Or you can write to your minister who will deliver such letter to the President to tell him that you will like to leave.

“But if you are not interested in leaving, you wait for the President to tell you to leave. There is no tenure and that is the problem. It is not stated anywhere that you have to serve as the Chief of Army Staff for four years or as Chief of Defence Staff for two years. There is no tenure.”

Akinrinade, who is a chieftain of the National Democratic Coalition, said the civil service rule stipulating retirement for anybody who has served for 35 years which he said had been extended to the armed forces was not helpful to the nation at times.

He stated that some persons might join the armed forces early and would still be productive after spending 35 years in service.

He said, “The civil service rule which has been extended to the forces now; that if you have served for 35 years, you should leave. I don’t particularly think this is a good idea because somebody can serve for 35 years and he or she is only 56 years old, has such person reached the climax of their productive life?

“If the person is doing well are we going to just kick out such person because they have served for 35 years?

These are matters which
we have installed in our system but which are not necessarily productive at some points. “

Asked to proffer solutions to the insecurity in the country, Akinrinade said it would be difficult to offer good advice without having complete information of what was going on in the military and in the minds of the enemies of the country.

Boko Haram: Maintain control over liberated territories, Buratai tells troops

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Lieutenant General TY Buratai, Chief of Army staff

Against the backdrop of continued Boko Haram attacks in the North East and the fear created among citizens of communities in the zone, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai has disclosed that a lot more needed to be done to maintain control over liberated territories, as well as full establish government authority in all areas within the North East.

Aside the need for control of liberated territories, General Buratai told troops, “We must remain poised to ensure the final defeat of the terrorists and to resist any attempt by the criminals to re-establish control in the liberated area”.

Speaking through the Chief of Training and Operations, Nigerian Army, Maj Gen Enobong Udoh who represented him at the Chief of Army Staff 2020 Ed-el-Kabir Sallah Luncheon with troops of Super Camp 14 Damasak in Borno State on Saturday the 1st of August 2020, the COAS also reminded the troops that additional vehicles, fighting equipment have been injected into the Theatre in the last one year, and the Nigerian Army has taken additional delivery of new weapons and armaments of different calibers that will soon be injected into the mission area.

Furthermore, General Burarai thanked Mr President, Commander – in – Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari for his unflinching support to the Nigerian Army.

He noted that “the Nigerian Army has in the past 5 years witnessed rapid development in terms of its equipment holding, infrastructural development and welfare of troops with the numerous supports from President Buhari.

Continuing, Buratai expressed happiness for the Theatre’s tremendous successes over Boko Haram criminals and their international and local collaborators as well as their auxiliaries. He used the opportunity to acknowledge the resilience, selfless service and doggedness of troops of Army Super Camp 14 Damasak in particular and 5 Brigade in general for their efforts at securing their Area of Responsibility in the face of daunting terrorists’ threats. He also commended troops of the Theatre for their sacrifice, gallantry and patriotism in the face of daunting challenges.

Earlier, the Commander Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) N’Djamena Maj Gen IM Yusuf, in his goodwill remarks at the event appreciated the Chief of Army Staff for inviting him to be at the occasion and for making Sector 3 Damasak host the Luncheon, stating that the super camp Damasak is part of the MNJTF and also part of Sector 3 Nigeria.

He noted that the troops of the Sector/Super Camp have been doing very well in the counter-terrorism operations both as part of Sector 3 Nigeria and as part of the MNJTF and used the opportunity to commend the unity of purpose and the cohesion between and among the troops of the MNJTF.

Among senior officers that attended the occasion were the Theatre Commander Operation Lafiya Dole Maj Gen Farouk Yahaya, Air Component Commander, Air Commodore Amadi, Commander 5 Brigade and Acting Director Army Public Relations, Col Sagir Musa.

 

COVID-19: Russia to roll out mass vaccination against Corovirus in October

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Russia’s local news agencies have revealed that the country’s Health Minister, Mikhail Musashko, has concluded plans for a mass vaccination campaign against  Coronavirus starting from October.

Interfax News Agency had quoted Musashko as saying that a state research facility in Moscow, the Gamaleya Institute, had completed clinical trials of the vaccine even as the paperwork for registration are being prepared.

Murashko said that doctors and teachers would be the first to be vaccinated against the virus. According to him,  “We plan wider vaccinations for October.’’

Nairametrics had reported that Russia, which is currently the world’s fourth most COVID-19 infested country, has concluded plans to register a coronavirus vaccine as early as August 10, 2020. This is to make way for what could most likely become the world’s first officially approved vaccine against the Coronavirus pandemic.

The head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, has compared what he described as Russia’s success in developing a vaccine to the successful launch of Sputnik 1, the world’s first satellite, by the Soviet Union in 1957.

Meanwhile, the western media has called to question whether Russia is putting national prestige before science and safety, considering the speed at which it is moving to roll out the vaccine.

While the vaccine has been described by its developers as safe and potentially the first to get to the public, the data has not been published yet and other countries are raising questions over the speed at which Russia is moving.

Russia, which have been badly hit by the pandemic, has a total number of 845,443 reported cases as of Saturday, August 1, 2020, with a total of 14,058 deaths.

The World Health Organization had disclosed that about 150 possible vaccines against the coronavirus disease are currently under development across the globe. The United Health agency said that at least 4 of the vaccines are in final phase 3 human trials.

These include the 3 developed in China and another one in the UK.

China Loan: Nigeria Will Pay Back in 20 years, Says Amaechi

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Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has given the assurance that the Nigerian government has the capability to pay back the loans collected for the construction of rail projects within the stipulated period of twenty years.

Amaechi stated this Friday when he appeared on a live television programme (Democracy Today) aired on AIT in Abuja.

He said China is the only country willing to give out loans with a low interest rate of 2.8 percent as no country in the world would give out a loan with such pay back rate.

“The trade agreement between Nigeria and China: The first thing is that the ministry of transport doesn’t take loan, everything about loan is directed to the ministry of finance, so I couldn’t have signed any loan because I don’t take loan. What I signed is what is called commercial contract, which is contract between the federal government and CCECC as a contractor, the contract between Nigeria and China is usually signed by the ministry of finance., Amaechi said.

“Whether it is the ministry of finance that signed it or the ministry of transportation, the issue is that nobody will give you loan free of charge , there must be an agreement and such agreement must contain some terms, that doesn’t mean that you are signing away the sovereignty of the country, no country will sign out its sovereignty.

“What clause 8 does is to say to you, I expect you to pay according to those terms we have agreed, if you don’t pay, don’t throw your immunity on me when I come to collect back the guarantee that was put forward, that is all.

“We are paying the loans. In the same National Assembly sitting, they were told that the 500million dollars loan, we have paid 96 million dollars already, Nigeria is already paying and the 500 million dollars was not taking by us, it was taken by President Goodluck Jonathan in his term and that clause was there.

“Nigeria has the capacity to pay back for the period of 20 years at 2.8 percent, which country will give you that loan? secondly , these loans are not giving to us, they are paid directly to the contractors, once they sign that the job has been done , they pay the contractors and that has never happened before and this project are in place, are they trying to rubbish the fact that there is a railway from Abuja-Kaduna?

“There is no loan in Nigeria either internal or external that is not approved by the National Assembly, none. Chinese government will not even give you a loan without an approval by the National Assembly because if they give you a loan without the approval from NASS that is no loan,” he explained.

Reacting to fears by Nigerians that the country is being sold out to China because of the loans, Amaechi said ” when we stop collecting the loans, then we stop developing because there was no money by the time we came into government, by the time we came the money has been blown away”, he said.

Amaechi further said that the sovereign guarantee and sovereign immunity clause raised by the National Assembly was just a term used to ensure that loans collected were paid back and in the case of a default only the assets constructed with such a loan would be taken back.

According to him, even commercial banks would not give anybody a loan without an asset that can be used to pay back the loan collected, same with the Chinese loan or any other loan in the world.

Hear him, “What you do is you give a sovereign guarantee and that guarantee is the immunity clause they are talking about. When we say I give you a sovereign guarantee and we get immunity clause, the immunity clause is that if tomorrow am not able to pay you and you come to collect the items that we have agreed upon, that these are items that am putting down as guarantee, I can waive my immunity and say no you can’t touch it am sovereign country.

” So, they are saying if you are not able to pay, don’t stop us from taking back those items that will make us recover our funds, so is China our father that will give us money for free? It is a standard clause in every agreement whether is America we signed it with, whether is Britain, any country would want to know that they can recover their money.

“Anybody that is saying he doesn’t know what a sovereign guarantee or immunity is, too bad for the person, because it simply means in trade that I am not giving you this loan free of charge, just like you go to the bank to collect a loan, the moment you don’t pay they go after your assets you put down, that is all about the clause, the Chinese can never come and take over Aso rock and become President or Minister.

” And if the assets you put down become depreciated then you negotiate which assets they can go after. Chinese will never take over what was not constructed with the loan.”

Amaechi said it would be unconstitutional to take a loan not approved by the National Assembly, but for the issue of confidentiality in government he would have published the clauses generating the dusts.

“The National Assembly are aware of all these loans, we can’t take loan without the National Assembly, so ask why they are investigating? The Chinese is just asking us to show them the evidence that we will pay back which is the immunity clause. If we don’t pay, they can take back their assets,” he noted.

Speaking about the Zambia experience, where the country could not meet up with its loan agreement, the minister said that the Chinese government will never take over infrastructure that was not constructed from the money taken.

He also acknowledged that the finance ministry in a payment plan had started paying back some of the loans collected.

“The payment plan is the responsibility of the ministry of finance, ours is to implement the contract. They are meeting the requirements, at any point in time that we need to pay, we’ll pay, adding, “1.6 billion dollars was taken to fix Lagos to Ibadan, we are asking for 5.3 billion dollars to fix from Ibadan to Kano, 3.2 billion dollars to fix Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, then Lagos to Calabar which is about 11.1billion dollars, if those things were done when we had money, will we be here today? The answer is no.”

Amaechi who also called on the National Assembly and Nigerians to appreciate government effort in providing infrastructure said the Itakpe /Warri rail project in the South South which was abandoned for thirty four years by successive governments was fully rehabilitated by the present administration without seeking for loan.

Edo Election: Obaseki Has Seen His Defeat – John Mayaki

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The All Progressives Congress, APC, Campaign Organisation for the Edo State governorship election, has described the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki, as a confused man merely projecting the criminal plans his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are perfecting.

The APC campaign said it was dawning realization for the PDP that they have been rejected by the people of Edo State.

The APC said that it is the only party campaigning on its documented manifesto because of it sole strategy to win the election is by winning the hearts and goodwill of the people through well-thought-out programs and policies that will bring relief and erase the failures of the past four years.

This was contained in a statement signed and made available to APR by Prince John Mayaki, Chairman, Edo State APC Media Campaign Council

“Despite spending four years in office, Obaseki has neither achievements nor plans to show,” the statement added.

“He is campaigning largely on empty rhetorics, revisionism, and shameful blackmail and propaganda.

“Election may be weeks away but the truth has finally dawned on Obaseki. He is on his way to a sound, comprehensive defeat so like all failures, he is already preparing the grounds for his defeat with false, ridiculous accusations.

“He is also trying to deflect attention while himself and his party, already renowned for violence, continue to ferry thugs and cultists into the State to rig the election.

“But he will be resisted. Together with our people, we are going to keep watch and ensure the votes to return Obaseki to where he came from are protected.

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