Vice President’s spokesman Laolu Akande, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said the forum was hosted by the Austrian government on behalf of the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU).
Osinbajo would be speaking on the theme of the forum, ‘Taking Cooperation to the Digital Age’ holding from Dec. 17 to Dec. 18.
According to the organisers in the EU and AU, the forum would promote innovation and digitalisation as important enablers of future development, so that everyone can benefit from the ongoing digital transformation.
It would assess how the partnerships between Africa and Europe contribute to this goal and complement the ongoing implementation of the joint declaration of the 2017 Abidjan Summit between the AU and the EU.
The declaration among other things highlighted the importance of unlocking the potential of the digital economy for Africa and Europe.
It also aimed at contributing to the Africa-Europe Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs.
In Vienna, Osinbajo would hold a town-hall meeting with the Nigerian community in Austria; and also attend several bilateral meetings with European government leaders.
Some of the European government leaders are the Prime Minister of Czech Republic, Andrej Babis; Prime Minister of Finland, Juha Sipilä; the Federal Chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz; and the UK Minister for Africa, Harriet Baldwin.
Osinbajo would also meet with top officials of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Presidents Muhammadu Buhari, Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger and Idriss Deby Itno of Chad have renewed their commitment to fight the Boko Haram terrorists and bring their insurgency to an end.
The leaders, along with President Faustin-Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic, Patrice Talon of the Republic of Benin and Prime Minister of Cameroon, Philemon Yang, made the vow in Abuja Saturday, at the meeting of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).
It was their second meeting in three weeks, following another meeting in N’djamena at the end of November.
Also at the Abuja meeting were the Ministers of Defence of Lake Chad Basin Commission Member Countries and the Chiefs of Defence Staff of Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin Republic
The African leaders made their position known in a communiqué issued at the end of the summit convened by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, Mamman Nuhu, read the English version of the communique.
The regional leaders agreed to seek the support of the community leaders to strengthen the fight against terrorism.
The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the accelerated implementation of the Regional Stabilisation Strategy in the areas of Lake Chad affected by the Boko Haram crisis.
The Regional Stabilisation Strategy was recently endorsed by the African Union Peace and Security Council.
They, therefore, agreed to implement the Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) within the limit of available resources to provide immediate relief to the communities affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
While expressing appreciation to the African Union Peace and Security Council for renewing the yearly mandate of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) for the year 2019, the leaders also commended LCBC partners and international community for their support and contributions.
They, however, urged them to extend additional assistance to the LCBC/MNJTF to eradicate the Boko Haram insurgency and to reinforce global peace and security.
The regional leaders also directed the Committee of the Chiefs of Defence Staff to meet regularly to assess the security situation and the efforts being made to bring an end to the insurgency.
They also thanked President Buhari for his inspiring leadership as Chairman of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of Lake Chad Basin Commission.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who marked his 76th birthday today has penned an appreciation note to all Nigerians thanking them for the show of love and prayers on his special day.
He also seized the opportunity to renew his pledge to serve Nigerians diligently and take the country to greater heights or as his re-election campaign will put it, the Next Level.
Read the personal letter of President Buhari:
Dear Nigerians/Friends –
It’s been my joy and honour to serve our country, Nigeria, for most of my life.
As I turned 76 today, I am deeply grateful for all the prayers, goodwill messages and encouragement from Nigerians and friends, at home and abroad.
Life is better lived together in peace, unity and prosperity.
In all, I give glory to almighty Allah for mercies, and thanks to Nigerians for counting me worthy to serve them. It is something I have rededicated myself to, and will do to the very best of my ability.
Nigeria has all the potentials for greatness. Our greatness as individuals will only derive from Nigeria’s greatness. So, on this special day, I commit myself again to the task of taking our country to greater heights, and invite you to partner with me in that worthy cause.
By FEMI ADESINA“That’s him, that’s him,” the two old women, wrinkled and bent with age, exclaimed. You could see wonderment and fulfillment in their eyes. And as if on cue, they both began to cry.
It was in Bauchi earlier this year. President Muhammadu Buhari was visiting to commiserate with the people on the ravages of windstorm, which had destroyed many homes and other property. As he waved at the tumultuous crowd, the two women saw him, perhaps for the first time in their lives. And so great was their satisfaction, their pure joy, that they began to cry.
That is the kind of emotion that courses through millions and millions of Nigerians when they behold their President, the honest man (mai gaskiya), the man of integrity, man of accountability, one whose word you can take to the bank. The man who loves them, and they love and trust in return.
Don’t misunderstand me. Not all estimated 196 million Nigerians share this sentiment. Not possible. There are those who are passionately opposed to the President. They are a very vocal minority, who abhor his integrity, hate his sense of accountability, and even want him dead. But we are not talking about those who Fela Anikulapo-Kuti called “opposite people.” On this day of his 76th birthday, we are talking of the teeming masses who love Buhari, and who can go to the ends of the earth for him.
Why do they love Buhari? Or better still, why do we love Buhari? The old, the young, men, women, boy, girl, the strong, the infirm. Why do we love the tall man from Daura? For many reasons.
I have said it before, and say it again. It will take a while before Nigeria will see another political leader with such ability to pull an unsolicited and uninduced crowd like Muhammadu Buhari. Anywhere he goes, he doesn’t have to procure the crowd. They turn out in their numbers to see and hear him. They will trek from Africa to China, walk from Cape Town to Cairo, all to see, hear and cheer the man they love.
Why?
Many reasons. He is an honest man. My father, that stern educationist, who ran the home and the schools he administered with an iron hand, used to tell us: “Honesty is the best policy.” That was true over 50 years ago when he drummed it into our ears, and it is still true today. And will remain true tomorrow, and forever. That is why we love Buhari. He is an honest man, who will tell the truth to his own hurt.
At a recent meeting with governors, while discussing the seemingly knotty issue of minimum wage, the President told them to level with him. He said he knew that general elections were by the corner, “but I don’t like to lie to anybody. I will still like to tell Nigerians the truth, and nothing but the truth, as to what we can truly afford to pay.” Consultations are still ongoing.
Some people will give you fibs, just because they want to hoodwink you, and get your votes. They will announce that they’ve increased the salaries of fictitious workers, even when truly they are owing many of their employees. But not President Buhari. Nothing for him is a matter of life and death. Truth is the best thing in a man’s keeping. Make yourself an honest man, and there is one rascal less in the world. That is why we love the man.
Accountability. I will never forget a promise Buhari made to the crowd at a campaign rally in Lagos in 2011, when he ran with Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly. Two honest men. “Every kobo that comes into the treasury will be used for the good of Nigerians.” That’s the accountable man, who would not dip his hands into the treasury for private gains, who will not line his pocket at the expense of the people. That is why we love him.
Just over a week ago, I met a man who was an accountant at the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), when the then Gen. Buhari was chairman. Executive Chairman, who could do anything he wanted, since the place was awash with billions of petrol money.
“I told him his salary would be N200,000 monthly,” the man recounted.
“He said it was too much, since he still drew pension from public coffers as a retired General and former head of state. I don’t know how he calculated it, but he said he would rather be paid N84,000 monthly. And that was what he earned.”
Yet some people say don’t follow this honest man. Till he has one tooth left in his mouth, and is bent double over his walking stick, we will, no matter what they say. Honesty is still the best policy. Today, tomorrow, and forever.
See all the positions he has held in this country. Governor of North-east, then made up of what is now six states. Minister of Petroleum for over three years. Head of State for 20 months. Chairman of PTF for many years. Yet he remains a man of modest means. That is why we love him.
In the early days of this administration, when oil prices had crashed to as low as 39 dollars per barrel (from as high as 115 in preceding years, stabilizing at over $100 for a long time, yet we had no savings, no reserves), it was usually a spectacle to see the President and the then Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, seated and apportioning funds for the week. Depending on what was in the coffers, they prioritized spending, just like traders with low capital base.
Nigeria had been run into a hole. No reserve for the rainy day, and we were being badly beaten by the rain. Yet salaries must be paid as at when due. At least 27 states could not meet their obligations, till President Buhari gave them a lifeline. And then, one day, a counsel was given at a meeting: “This is the time to ideally cut the strength of the federal civil service by at least half, as we may not be able to carry the load for long.” It made a lot of fiscal sense. But to the President, it was nonsense. “If it lies within my powers, I will ensure that no single person loses his or her job. Yes, it may be the right thing to do, looking at the state of our finances, but I won’t do it,” President Buhari said.
And you say we shouldn’t love this President? We will love him till Africa and China meet.
A confederacy has arrayed itself against the honest man. A crooked confederacy. Anybody that is anybody in the pantheon of questionable character is there. Are Nigerians fools? After their eyes have been opened, will they willfully afflict themselves with blindness again? Not on their lives! The country will never go back to the slave market. Not after we have known prudence, experienced accountability, and we are are inching out of the morass in which we were soused and marooned.
For more than five decades, mere lip service was paid to diversification of the economy. But we remained a mono-product country. Oil. So, whenever the price of oil crashed in the international market, we simply crashed with it. Now gradually, and inexorably, we are on the road to a diversified economy. Wonders are being done in agriculture. Mining is flexing muscles. Manufacturing is showing prospects. All in less than four years.
What of infrastructure? The sum of N2.7 trillion spent in two years. The roads are roaring to life. The rail is snaking in. Power is powering back. Wonders are being unfolded in different parts of the country. And we shouldn’t love this President? We will, no matter what the naysayers say.
Hear pensioners rejoice: This is the best administration we’ve had since the advent of Contributory Pension Scheme 14 years ago.
Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State spoke at a meeting of governors with the President last Friday. He said since the creation of the state, this was the first time pensioners were being paid, adding that pension liabilities have been cleared by about 40%. Just because there is a President that cares.
Former Nigeria Airways workers. Railway workers. Former Biafran policemen. And many others, have had their pensions paid. And we shouldn’t love the ‘birthday man?’ They should tell it to the marines.
When you have a heart for men, it is God himself that keeps you alive. We have seen a practical demonstration in President Buhari.
From the brink of death early 2017, there is now an unmistakable glow in him, evidence of good health from the inside. It is God at work. No wonder wicked people came with the idiocy of Jubril of Sudan. Otiose. Hollow. Products of addled minds. That was why we ignored them, till the President himself responded to a question from Nigerians in Poland two weeks ago.
And you know what? Our love for this President is at no cost. No charge. Whether we work for him, and for him, or we don’t, the real cost of our love is no charge.
Do you know that classic song, No Charge, made popular by Shirley Caesar and Sonia Spence? It told the story of a small boy who decided to charge his mum for all that he considered favours he had done her.
“For mowing the yard, five dollars
And for making my own room this week, one dollar
For going to the store, 50 cents
And playing with little brother while you went shopping, 25 cents
Taking out the trash, one dollar
And for getting a good report card, five dollars
For raking the yard, two dollars
Total owed, fourteen seventy-five.”
The woman looked at her son, standing there expectantly. Then she collected the paper from him, and wrote on it:
“For the nine months I carried you,
Growing inside me, no charge
For the nights I sat up with you
Doctored you, prayed for you, no charge
For the time and tears, and the cost through the years, no charge
When you add it all up, the full cost of my love is no charge.”
For millions upon millions of Nigerians who love this President, it is an unconditional love. The full cost of our love is no charge. Happy birthday, Mr President.
Adesina is Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity
The National Council of Elders has called on security agencies to closely watch the lawmaker for Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Senator Shehu Sani, who it described as having graduated from being a comical rabble rouser into a chronic inciter of violence.
President of the council, Elder Anthony Danjuma, who stated this while speaking in Kaduna on Monday, expressed concern that Shehu Sani is being encouraged by the failure of the country to hold him accountable for the scores of deaths from the crises he recently instigated in Kaduna state.
Danjuma warned that a failure to place Shehu Sani on a watch list means trouble for the country since there is now sufficient proof from his social media accounts that he is working hard to truncate the democratic process in Nigeria.
The elder statesman expressed consternation that the Kaduna Central Senator is abusing the privileges of being a federal lawmaker to promote hate speech on a scale that would have landed any other ordinary citizen in jail.
According to Danjuma, “Senator Shehu Sani went on his Twitter handle to cast aspersion and doubts on an election that has not even been conducted knowing that the free and fair conduct of the polls is critical to the peace of the country. A situation where someone of the stature of a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can send such message to his followers to doubt the current administration’s commitment to free and transparent elections is a pure case of call to insurrection.
“This call to violence and disruption of the electoral process is particularly irresponsible when weighed against the background that Shehu Sani is profoundly aware that his Tweets are largely responsible for the crises that rocked Kaduna state this year leading to dozens of deaths.
“Whatever grouse he has with his state governor does not justify trying to set Nigeria ablaze after almost destroying his own state. Except he wants to tell us that his new pastime is sucking human blood, there is no justification for priming citizens to reject a elections that are yet to hold,” Elder Danjuma charged.
The President of the National Council of Elders insisted that security agencies must watch Shehu Sani closely to ensure he does not truncate Nigeria’s democracy, since the collapse of previous republics in the country is usually triggered from one state.
Danjuma lamented that “We do not know why security agencies have to wait for elders to make interventions like we are doing now before they will realize they have to go after persons that openly incite other Nigerians to violence while making it appear as I he genuinely loves the country. Had he not been found wanting and pushed from grace in his former political party, we wonder if he would be running around as he is currently doing.
“Our expectation is that security agencies will invite Shehu Sani to explain how he arrived at the conclusion that the elections will not be free and fair since there is nothing on ground to justify the spurious allegations he is making with all the assertion of the electoral body.
“Authorities must also note that they cannot run the affairs of the country with two sets of rules, one for Shehu Sani with other trouble makers that are never held to account for their utterances and one for other Nigerians that are made to answer for their words each time they step out of line,” Danjuma stressed.
As tributes and encomium continue to pour in for President Muhammdu Buhari on his 76 birthday, Nigerian women Monday morning trooped out in their number to celebrate him.
The women, under the aegis of African Women Arise for Change and Good Governance , who stormed the Unity Fountain to declare their support for the president, called on Nigerians to reelect Buhari in 2019.
The women also launched the ‘Tell Your Neighbours Say Baba’ campaign in support of the Buhari’s second term bid.
Speaking on behalf of the women group, Mrs. Jaiyetola Mohammed, said the president deserved all the support to win reelection in 2019.
“Of a truth, we are confident that God kept Mr President for a purpose. Our group stood by him at all times especially when he was ill and needed to take a break to attend to his health. Nigerians are happy that God has seen him through and put naysayers to shame.
“Today is a day to thank God for healing, to thank God for wisdom, to thank God for victory over those that had concluded as men that it was the end when in reality God is just starting with taking our dear country to a new place through President Buhari.
“We use this occasion of President Buhari’s birthday to express our gratitude to him that he is doing a great work. The social intervention programmes being implemented under his leadership is empowering women. School feeding programme, N-Power, Trade Moni, Conditional Grants among others have gone a long way to improve the lives of women in the land.
“The fight against insurgency and taming of Boko Haram is one point of encouragement that no woman who has ever given birth would want to witness. Mr. President and our Army stood boldly for the country when it was risky to do so.
“We commend him for the many other infrastructural projects across the country. While the end result will benefit citizens collectively, we can attest that the execution of these projects have created millions of indirect jobs for women. These jobs have been strategic to reducing poverty and empowering women to taking greater control of their lives. For us this is a boon that we do not want disrupted. We want to continue to have access to decent work, investment opportunities and access to capital as we are currently getting due to intervention of our dear president.
“As members of African Women Arise for Change and Good Governance , we have therefore resolved to go back to our respective homes and work very hard for the re-election of Mr President. We shall be moving to our various states, local governments, wards, polling units and door to door to show other women how the re-election of President Buhari would ensure that even more women would be able to benefit from life changing government programmes. This project we have christened “ Tell Your Neighbour Say Baba” and will be going to the 36 states of the federation after this celebration.
“The mobilization we will be doing is our token birthday gift. It is our thank you to Mr President and it is our own way of saying we want him to do more of the great job he has been doing with Nigeria.”
