Travelling President: President Buhari Set to Jet Out for Chad on Monday

Nigeria's number one citizen, President Muhammadu Buhari is set to travel out of the country to Chad soon. 

President Buhari will jet out of Abuja for N’Djamena in Chad on Monday.

 

He will be jetting out to attend the inauguration of the Chadian President, Idriss Deby.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that this information is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity.

 

The statement said President Buhari would be joining other Heads of State and Government for the ceremony.

 

It added that the President would be accompanied on the one-day trip by Abdullahi Ganduje and Kashim Shettima, governors of Kano and Borno states respectively.

 

According to the statement, the President’s delegation will also include Senator Baba Kaka Garba; Tahir Monguno; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno.

 

“The President will return to Abuja after the inauguration,’’ the statement said.

 

It will be recalled that President Deby won the presidential election in his country in April.

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Happening Now! Buhari and Obasanjo in a Closed-door Meeting at the Presidential Villa

Former President Obasanjo and President Muhammadu Buhari, the only Nigerian leaders who have ruled the country as military heads of state and civilian presidents, are currently in a closed-door meeting in Abuja. 

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is currently in a private meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja.

 

According to TheCable News, Obasanjo arrived at the villa at about 12:50pm, and proceeded into a closed-door meeting with the president.

 

Recall that the former presidents has had series of such private discussions since President Buhari assumed power on May 29.

 

Obasanjo who seem to be enjoying a good relationship with Buhari, met the president for private talks on November 10, and on August 8, and he returned to the villa a month later.

 

This is a developing story...we'll be updating you for more details as soon as its made possible.

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Presidency Denies Signing Any Loan Deal with China

Following the widely reported loan deal President Buhari went to secure from China, the presidency has finally clarified on the transaction that went down.
The Presidency on Saturday said President Muhammadu Buhari did not sign any loan deal with the Peoples Republic of China during his just-concluded one-week working visit to the country.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, gave the clarification in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH.

Ahead of Buhari’s trip which started last Sunday, there were media reports that he would sign a $2bn loan deal with China during the visit as the Federal Government sought funds to finance the over N2tn budget deficit.

Reuters had reported that Adesina confirmed that loan agreement would be signed but he could not say how much until it was signed.

But the presidential spokesman told our correspondent on Saturday that there was no iota of truth in the report.

“There was no loan deal during the President’s visit to China. All that is coming are investments into Nigeria,” he stated.

At the conclusion of the visit on Friday, the Presidency had said the President’s trip yielded over $6bn additional investments for Nigeria.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists.

Shehu said the President believed that the agreements concluded with the Chinese during the visit would have a huge and positive impact on key sectors of the Nigerian economy, including power, solid minerals, agriculture, housing and rail transportation.

He said, “In the power sector, North South Power Company Limited and Sinohydro Corporation Limited signed an agreement valued at $478,657,941.28 for the construction of 300 Mega Watts solar power in Shiriro, Niger State.

“In the solid minerals sector, Granite and Marble Nigeria Limited and Shanghai Shibang signed an agreement valued at $55m for the construction and equipping of granite mining plant in Nigeria.

“A total of $1bn is to be invested in the development of a greenfield expressway for Abuja-Ibadan-Lagos under an agreement reached by the Infrastructure Bank and Sinohydro Corporation Limited.

“For the housing sector, both companies also sealed a $250m deal to develop an ultra modern 27-storeyed high rise complex and a $2.5bn agreement for the development of the Lagos Metro Rail Transit Red Line project.”

According to the presidential spokesman, other agreements announced and signed during the visit included $1bn for the establishment of a hi-tech industrial park in Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone in Igbesa, Ogun State.

He added that the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone and CNG (Nigeria) Investment Limited also signed an agreement valued at $200m for the construction of two 500MT/day float gas facilities.

“An agreement valued at $363m for the establishment of a comprehensive farm and downstream industrial park in Kogi State was also announced at the Nigeria-China business forum.

“Other agreements undergoing negotiations include a $500m project for the provision of television broadcast equipment and a $25m facility for production of pre-paid smart meters between Mojec International Limited and Microstar Company Limited.

“About 100 Nigerian businesses and 300 Chinese firms participated in the Nigeria-China business forum, which took place a day after President Buhari began his visit to China,” Shehu added.


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Nigeria has got a Touring President: Buhari to embark on 3-Nation Tour of Egypt, Saudi Arabia & Qatar

President Muhammadu Buhari is on his way back to Nigeria from the United Kingdom following an abrupt five-day vacation he began in London last week.

Following a five-day vacation he began in London last week,  President Muhammadu Buhari is on his way back to Nigeria from the United Kingdom as sources revealed his Presidential jet departed London for Abuja at exactly 13:45hrs GMT.

 

It can be recalled that after participating in a Syria donor conference in London early last week, the president abruptly embarked on the five-day vacation.

 

According to SaharaReporters, his handlers merely inserted him into the Syria conference as a cover for a medical visit to his doctors, as it is still unclear why his healthcare is shrouded in secrecy.

 

It was gathered that the President stayed at an apartment in the Knightsbridge area of London, but sent the bulk of his aides back to Nigeria. Close sources disclosed to SR that following meetings with his doctors over two days, he rested in the apartment until today.  

 

Though it was speculated in the media as rumours that the president was sighted in Saudi Arabia, SR confirmed that the president did not leave London until today.

 

The commander-in-chief is expected to be in Nigeria for the next two weeks, but will resume his foreign tour on February 24, if everything goes as planned, with a three-nation state visit to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

 

While in Saudi Arabia, President Buhari is expected to perform the Umrah, as well as visit Makka and Madina.

 

 

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Buhari Orders Reduction of Presidency's N19bn Allocation in 2016 Budget

The Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari has asked for the reduction of the amount allocated to the presidency in the 2016 budget as bashing continues to trail the allocation. 

We'll Help You Plan Your Budget Here...

Following the outrage which had trailed the billions of Naira allocated to the Presidency in the 2016 Budget, President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly ordered for a downward review of the budget.

According to Daily Post, the president was angered at the bashing he was receiving over the billions allocated to his office, that of his vice, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, as well as Aso Rock as a whole.

Details provided by Nigeria’s budget office shows that the presidency got N19billion.
 

Further details on the presidential budget are as follows: State House headquarters – N12billion; President’s operations – N1.9billion; Vice President’s operations – N322million; Chief of Staff – N2.3million; Chief Security Officer – N3.2million; Lagos liaison office – N127million; State House medical centre – N3.9billion; Feeding N445million.

Most of the figures are higher to allocations budgeted for same departments in recent years under President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Daily Post report shows that despite denials by presidential aides, Buhari has ordered that the allocation to the presidency be reduced.

 

Reacting, Buhari’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu had on Monday admitted that some figures in the budget were new.

According to him, the Ministry of Budget and Planning have been instructed to look through the figures. Shehu advised the media to exercise patience until the federal legislature gets the details of the budget.

He said: “When the National Assembly returns from recess, the lawmakers will be given the full estimates of the budget, including what is voted for each department, ministries and agencies. What is voted for the State House will also be included.”
 

Daily Post reveals that a government official however stated that the Budget Ministry had received presidential directive to slash the N19billion budget.

“The president became alarmed when his attention was called to the fact that the figures were higher to that of his predecessor, whom he criticised. He also demanded explanation on some of the allocations in view of the economic crisis.

“Expect a reduced figure. I can’t speculate by how much, but things not really necessary will either be slashed or outrightly expunged,” he said at an event in Lagos on Tuesday.

It will be recalled that Buhari had on December 22, 2015 presented a budget estimate of N6.08 trillion to a joint sitting of the National Assembly.

Some parts of the budget have attracted criticisms from many Nigerians, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and even members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

 

 

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Vote Buhari out if he fails to perform – Fashola charges Nigerians

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State yesterday charged Nigerians to vote out the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), if he fails to perform in his first term if he is handed the mandate on the 28 of this month.

Fashola, who spoke at an interactive session Buhari had with youth groups and students at the Muson Centre in Lagos, urged the youths to defend their votes, which he said did not mean fighting and being violent, but to wait until their votes were counted.

Noting that the time had come for people to vote for performance, he noted that those who were first given the mandate and failed to perform should be kicked out through the ballot box.

“Vote and defend your votes. It does not mean you should fight. Wait until your votes are counted. Nobody, armed or unarmed, has the right to stop you from voting. It is your right,” he said.

The Governor wondered why a federal government that promised to improve technology would be afraid of the use of card readers for elections. He asked why it supported issuance of Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, in the first instance.

He encouraged the youths to know that this was the best time to change a poor-performing federal government, adding that by so doing, they would make history as the first generation to have changed a bad government through the ballot box in Nigeria.

“If you agree that your country is not doing well and you want to change it, it will be the first time a bad government is changed by the people in Nigeria. If you elect Buhari and Osibanjo, you will have succeeded in changing a bad government and if Gen. Buhari and Osinbajo did not perform, you should vote them out,” he said.

While stressing that integrity and untainted records distinguished the Buhari/Osinbajo candidacy, the APC stalwart noted that, “I have said this to help you make informed decision and not on the basis of what your friend chooses. Buhari is contesting because past leaders have failed to keep their promises.

Source: http://dailypost.ng