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Presidential Campaign Documents: APC, PDP in war of words over action plans
…Atiku’s manifesto filled with Buhari’s ongoing projects — APC
…All projects claimed by APC were our initiatives – PDP
…Says ruling party can’t take Nigeria out of doom
By Joel Oladele-Abuja
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have engaged in war of words over the policy document containing the action plans of their candidates.
The APC Presidential Campaign Council lampooned the presidential candidate of the opposition, PDP, for accusing his APC counterpart, Bola Tinubu of plagiarism with respect to the latter’s recently unveiled 80-page manifesto.
According to the APC, the PDP’s 74-page campaign document is nothing but an itemisation of ongoing projects of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Minister of Labour and Employment and Chief Spokesperson of the APC PCC, Mr Festus Keyamo SAN in a statement said it appears the PDP is unaware that Nigerians have since dismissed it as an unserious and broken opposition party.
“If nothing at all, its latest press release signed by Chief Dele Momodu attests to its crass unseriousness,” he stated.
Keyamo noted that the 5-point agenda of the flag bearer of the PDP is nothing to write home about.
“Top on the list is his lip service to unify Nigeria. We can only laugh. This is a man whose party is torn between division and disarray. Now, he is yet to fix it. What a failure!
“His 74-page campaign document has in it ongoing milestones of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. From lifting millions out of poverty to power generation to economic revitalization, it is clear that they are either too lazy to think or bereft of fresh ideas.
“Everywhere Atiku went, he was never caught speaking to issues of governance. Rather, if he is not promising the Igbo Presidency in 2027, he is playing the ethnic card (like in Kaduna). Nigerians are wise, they know he has nothing to offer,” the APC added.
Keyamo added that PDP’s attempt to pooh-pooh Tinubu’s Action Plan only ended up as nothing but a joke.
He said APC’s expectation is that its action plan would inspire other political parties, especially the intellectually bankrupt PDP, to engage it constructively on the initiatives and programmes it intends to implement.
“True to type, PDP has again reacted, in our view, without even reading the content on the document. All they are interested in is the title of our message, not the quality of our ideas. We are extremely amused, but not entirely shocked. This only demonstrates once again their incurable incapacity to act as a credible opposition to the ruling party.
“Dele Momodu should have rather stayed in his accustomed lane of praise-singing socialites and the likes instead of dabbling in the more demanding job of critiquing policy statements. It is clearly not his forte! The quality of his recent write-up is a testament that his team is not made up of experts in governance and policy formulation. He must have gathered his team of photographers and video editors to read through a document that is far beyond their tabloid-centered minds.
“One would have expected Dele Momodu to make clear comparative analyses between Hope ‘93 campaign document of MKO Abiola and the Renewed Hope document of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He goofed miserably. He was just huffing and puffing without substance. A write-up that was intended to be a critique of a document on its supposed lack of details ended up as an empty shell.
“Dele Momodu has lived in Lagos for more than three decades. He surely knows the state of Lagos pre and post-1999. He has praised, on many occasions and at different fora, the imperishable legacies and monumental milestones of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos.
“In the same piece, Momodu narrated how Asiwaju Tinubu began the “systematic and robust increase of Lagos’ Internally Generated Revenue, making the state one of the richest self-sustaining governments in Africa”, and how “he single-handled (sic) revived and revamped Local Governments in Lagos and brought developments to practically every part of the state.
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is known for “his glittering records and achievements in both private and public sectors.
“Can Dele Momodu also say this about his principal, Atiku Abubakar, whose time as Vice President has no other legacy to be remembered for other than the failed privatization exercise he was assigned to supervise where he sold national assets to his friends and cronies for peanuts? Should we remind you, Dele Momodu, of the distasteful remarks made by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on your party’s flag-bearer as Vice President?
“Of course, track records should be critical in evaluating any party or candidate. If we may ask Dele Momodu, what are your party’s track records? When the country had substantial receipts from crude oil export, your party squandered it all. PDP represents what the Yoruba proverbially call “Arungun” (squanderer). They promised the people the South-East Second Niger Bridge for 16 years, yet, nothing was built. Today, thanks to President Muhammadu Buhari of APC, the Second Niger Bridge is completed. At a time, a former Spokesperson of your government said Nigeria couldn’t afford train coaches, and much fewer rail lines.
“Today, we have Lagos – Ibadan, and Itakpe – Warri rail lines. Even in the face of dwindling resources and global economic challenges, we have lifted millions of Nigerians out of poverty with our National Social Investment Programs, widely acclaimed as the first in Africa in scale and innovation. Nigeria has become a sufficient rice-growing nation, rated highest in rice and sorghum production in Africa by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), a status PDP thought was impossible,” Keyamo added.
The APC campaign Spokesman noted that Dele Momodu and his party failed woefully to point out a single example of the copy-and-paste he referred to in the press statement released by him.
“It was expected that he would have cited one example of an original document from which we copied and the portion in particular. In all, his press release is just juvenile prose, bereft of details and substance, full of highfalutin nonsense and signifying nothing,” he said.
….All projects claimed by APC were our initiatives – PDP
Reacting, the main opposition, the PDP, has fired back at the ruling party stating that all projects claimed by it were initiatives of its party while in government, maintaining that the ruling APC has led the Country into a doom it can’t redeem it from.
Kola Ologbondiyan, the immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while reacting to the statement by the Minister of Labour and Employment and Chief Spokesperson of the APC PCC, Mr Festus Keyamo SAN, said the APC should be ashamed of even coming out to campaign after failing Nigerians in all areas for over seven years.
According to him, all the projects APC now claim to have completed were initiated by PDP’s administration, adding that, right under their watch, the economy has degenerated so much that an average Nigerian now finds it difficult to survive.
In a chat with NewsDirect, he assured it’s only the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who has what it takes to rescue the country.
His words, “If someone is claiming that Buhari is doing fine in economy, if he had listed indices, we will challenge him on the basis of indices. How much was the cost of a car before 2015 and how much is it now? What was the cost of a bag of rice before? it was between N8,000 and N10,000. Today, under the APC Government, a bag of rice is N40,000 or more.
“So, if Keyamo is talking about economy, what’s he talking about? If you want to talk about the dollar, they inherited dollar at the rate of N158 or thereabout. How much is dollar now? 720 Naira.
“There is no project that Buhari government is doing that didn’t start under the Peoples Democratic Party and I challenge them to just mention one project that APC initiated since they came in over seven years ago.
“They can’t, they have failed. All the projects they claim they executed are the projects they inherited from PDP, including the 2nd Niger Bridge.
“There is one road around my place here, they inherited it from Jonathan, they have been on it for the past 7 years and they have not finished it. Or is it international Airport in Abuja that they just went and put flowers and commissioned, or is it the railway station, which one?” He queried.
Reacting to another issue raised by Keyamo that Alhaji Atiku cannot unify Nigeria since he has not been able to resolve the crises rocking his party, Ologbondiyan said, “how did he know whether PDP is unified or not? Is he a member of PDP? Does he know the efforts going on within the party to reconcile people?
“The fact that there is a disagreement in one sector, does it mean the whole sector has collapsed? Nigerians who rally round Atiku Abubakar know fully well he’s the only one amongst other presidential candidates, including Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who can unify the country. Atiku is the only one that anywhere you go, he has built friendship. He has relationship, he’s got the experience, others don’t have any relationship outside their region.
“Leave Keyamo alone, he doesn’t know what he’s taking about. Ask Keyamo, the phone he’s holding today that he’s using to drop all these messages that he’s passing to the public, It was as a result of privatization that he’s able to use that phone. Before that privatization that Atiku supervised, he didn’t even have a phone in his house and couldn’t afford the cost of a land line.
“I’m in a position today to also remind him that because Atiku Abubakar presided over privatization policy, that’s why he can afford to have a mobile line. Atiku has never hidden his interest in Public-Private partnerships (PPPs) and he has always said that the best way is for government to create an enabling environment that will make private investments to thrive, he has never hidden it.
“In 2019, he said that look, the way the refinery is, let us privatize it. Keyamo was amongst the people saying no, no, he wants to sell it to his friends, he want to steal it. Today, have they not declared NNPC, a public enterprise? As we speak today, is the country benefiting, are they not remitting zero Naira to the Federation account?
“When they came in, Nigeria’s refinery was producing around 1.9 million barrel per day. Since they came in, despite their promise to build one refinery per year which they failed to fulfill, they cannot optimally get our existing refineries to produce at maximum limit and as at today, it has dwindled to 900,000 barrel per day from 1.9 million they inherited.
“I don’t want to talk much about the past, I want to be futuristic and what do I see in the future? The APC can’t take us out of the doom they brought us. Even their candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is only speaking to general terms, he’s not specific.
“Asiwaju has been campaigning for restructuring since he has been in politics, he brought a government to office, he could not work on them to restructure. Today, Asiwaju is running away from State Police, he can not discuss it just because he wants to win election. He’s running away from restructuring. So, you cannot believe whatever they are saying in APC, don’t believe them and that’s why Nigerians refer to them as All Promises Cancelled,” Ologbondiyan said.
By Matthew Denis
In a bid to enhance economic growth, President Ahmed Tinubu has promised to inject a whopping sum of N2trillions into the economy.
The President stated this while inaugurating a 31-man Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC), drawn from different sectors of society and the economy
The inauguration comes three months after the President established the committee on March 27, 2024.
After inaugurating the council, President Tinubu presented the outcomes of his review of the accelerated stabilization and advancement plan, which seeks to inject a total of N2 trillion into the economy in the next six months.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, who led selected members of the council to brief journalists after the briefing, gave a breakdown of the areas to benefit from the emergency funding including Health, Agriculture, Energy/Power and other areas.
“The president has just inaugurated the Presidential Economic Coordination Council and that is a body that is made up of the President’s Economic Management Team, the Legislature, represented by the leaders of the National Assembly; the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, as well as very importantly, the sub-nationals, represented by the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, and, of course, the elite of the private sector.
“They were presented with the outcomes of Mr. President’s review of the accelerated stabilization and advancement plan and that was an emergency plan to cover the next six months, which Mr. President had directed that a combination of his own Economic Management Team and the sub nationals, the governor’s level, and the private sector put together for his consideration.
The sum of that very important exercise is that a N2 trillion package involving N350 billion funding for Health and Social Welfare; N500 billion funding for Agriculture and Food Security; N500 billion for the Energy and Power sector and general business support of about N650 billion.
“In addition to a range of policy measures and tax measures, there is a range of executive orders which Mr. President has signed and which are being gazetted to ease the cost of doing business at this particular time”, he said.
President Tinubu announced the constitution of the Council, which he personally chairs, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, of March 27, 2024.
Other members of the PECC are Vice President Kashim Shettima, Vice-Chairman; President of the Nigerian Senate; Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum; Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance; Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; Ministers of Agriculture and Food Security; Aviation and Aerospace Development and Budget and Economic Planning.
The song of that very important exercise is that a N2 trillion package involving N350 billion funding for Health and Social Welfare; N500 billion funding for Agriculture and Food Security; N500 billion for the Energy and Power sector and general business support of about N650 billion.
“In addition to a range of policy measures and tax measures, there is a range of executive orders which Mr. President has signed and which are being gazetted to ease the cost of doing business at this particular time”, he said.
Recall that Tinubu had announced the constitution of the Council, which he personally chairs, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, of March 27, 2024.
Top members of the PECC are Vice President Kashim Shettima, Vice-Chairman; President of the Nigerian Senate; Godswill Akpabio, Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum; Abdulrahkan Abdulrasaq , Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance; Wale Edun , Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; Yemi Cardoso, Ministers of Agriculture and Food Security; Aviation and Aerospace Development and Budget and Economic Planning.
The council also comprises 13 persons drawn from the organised private sector including the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; UBA Chairman, Mr. Tony Elumelu; BUA Founder, Abdulsamad Rabiu, among others.
The members of the organised private sector would serve on the council for a one-year tenure.
They include Ms. Amina Maina, Mr. Begun Ajayi-Kadir, Mrs. Funke Okpeke and Dr. Doyin Salami, Mr. Patrick Okigbo, Mr. Kola Adesina, Mr. Segun Agbaje, Mr. Chidi Ajaere, Mr. Abdulkadir Aliu and Mr. Rasheed Sarumi.
The move is “in furtherance of his administration’s efforts at re-engineering the nation’s economic governance framework,” the Presidency said in a statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, in late March.
The statement is titled ‘President Tinubu establishes comprehensive economic coordination and planning system for Nigeria.’
It came weeks after the President created an economic advisory committee comprising the federal government, sub-nationals, and the private sector, on February 25.
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#BigSamBigImpact: Old students to inaugurate, name library after NewsDirect Founding Publisher, Samuel Ibiyemi
…Ex-Ogun NUJ chairman calls for annual program to honour late NewsDirect publisher
By Omobolaji Adekunle
The Olode Grammar School Old Students Association has announced plans to rename the school library after Late Dr Samuel Folorunsho Ibiyemi, a renowned journalist and founding publisher of Nigerian NewsDirect in recognition of his contributions to the school and the community.
Ibiyemi who was a past president of the Rotary Club of Ota has donated over 200,000 books to the school library, which has been a valuable resource for students and teachers.
This was disclosed on Thursday by the National President of the Olode Grammar School Old Students Association, Dr. Salau Dauda Folaranmi, during the first year remembrance of the late publisher at his residence.
According to the National President, “We will renovate the library and dedicate it to his memory. He loved people, assisted people, and donated 200,000 books to the school, which has been beneficial to teachers and students.”
Also, Engr. Niyi Adegoke, a Rotarian of the Rotary Club of Ota, suggested the idea of renaming the library after Ibiyemi, saying, “Late Samuel Ibiyemi was a very active member of the club, and he lived his life for humanity. He was a philanthropist, and we will support the initiative to ensure that the project comes to reality.”
In the same vein, Former Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ogun State Chapter and current Senior Special Assistant to the National President of the NUJ, Wole Shokunbi, has paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Samuel Ibiyemi, a renowned journalist and publisher.
Shokunbi, who described Ibiyemi as a mentor and brother, recalled their close relationship, which spanned over two decades.
He praised Ibiyemi’s commitment to developing people and bringing joy to others, even at his own detriment.
Shokunbi called for Ibiyemi’s immortalisation, suggesting that the NUJ and the Guild of Editors come together to organise an annual program in his memory.
He also promised to take action to support the family, saying, “We will get back to the family soon.”
…Governor launches special health insurance scheme for all Lagos retirees
By Esther Agbo
Lagos State announced that it has achieved a significant milestone in pension administration by clearing a longstanding backlog, disbursing a total of N4,461,659,536.82 to 2,000 retirees.
This accomplishment follows a previous payment of N3.1 billion to 1,013 retirees earlier this year, marking a commitment fulfilled.
Employees of Lagos State Government who retire from the civil service will now get their full pension benefits and gratuity immediately after retirement.
This unprecedented record has just been set by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who fulfilled his promise to settle all arrears and current pension liabilities in the State’s public service.
Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, presented pension bond certificates totaling N4.5 billion to 2,000 retirees at the 105th Retirement Benefit Bond Certificate Presentation Ceremony hosted by Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) in Oregun.
The clearing of the accrued pension liability essentially implies that the State Government owes no outstanding pension benefits and any form of entitlement to any individual who retired from its public service.
By implication, fresh retirees will no longer wait endlessly after service before being paid their retirement benefits. Settlement of the State’s pension backlog has transitioned Lagos pension administration from servicing a liability to an era of pay-as-you-go.
Besides, Sanwo-Olu launched a special health insurance scheme for all living retirees, who served the State.
The Governor said the development marked a milestone in the State’s pension administration, stressing that the new template of “Pay-As You-Go” had prioritised quick payment of accrued rights in order to ensure retirees in the State enjoy dignity and financial stability after their retirement.
He said, “Today, we mark the 105th Retirement Bond Certificate presentation and I am pleased to present bond certificates worth a total of N4,461,659,536.82 to 2,000 retirees from our civil service.
“This development marks a historic milestone as our dear State transitions into a new era of Pension Administration known as ‘Pay-As You-Go.’ From now on, all retirees of the State Government will be paid as they retire, provided all procedures and approvals have been completed before retirement.
”We have strategically prioritised clearing all backlogs of Accrued Rights payments to ensure our retirees enjoy dignity and financial stability after retirement. This commitment extends to the welfare of both current and former members of our workforce, recognising their unblemished careers in the State’s public service.
“These funds, along with their monthly contributions, have already been remitted into their respective Retirement Savings Accounts with the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs).”
Sanwo-Olu said Lagos was the first State in the country to embrace the Contributory Pension Scheme when it commenced in 2004, pointing out that the State Government had paid N141.2 billion to 35,191 retirees till date.
Under his administration, the Governor disclosed that the State had paid N59.7 billion to 17,039 retirees over the last five years, making Lagos a top performer in pension payments.
Sanwo-Olu said the newly introduced health insurance scheme for the retirees was to further appreciate the service of the senior citizens in addition to payment of their financial entitlements.
He said, “We have also launched a Health Insurance Scheme tailored specifically for our retirees. This scheme will provide access to a wide range of medical services, from routine check-ups to specialised treatments.
“This initiative underscores our commitment to the well-being of our retirees, while ensuring that they receive not only what is due statutorily but also additional support and assistance to enhance your lives in retirement.”
LASPEC Director-General, Mr. Babalola Obilana, said the settlement of all backlogs of accrued rights demonstrated a significant achievement in public service, adding that the development reflected the Governor’s dedication to addressing the challenges faced by our retirees.
He said the Pay-As-You-Go template would help secure comfortable and dignified retirement for the retirees.
Head of Service, Mr. Olabode Agoro, observed that the Sanwo-Olu administration had been steadfast in recognising invaluable service of the State’s workforce, which made the Governor push all efforts to clear all backlogs of Accrued Rights Payments.
Agoro, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Public Service Office, Mrs. Sunkanmi Oyegbola, said, “The State Government recognises and appreciates the remarkable contributions made by our esteemed retirees. Your commitment, dedication, and sacrifices have been instrumental in the achievements of our Public Service, which in turn have significantly contributed to the progress of our great State.”
Commissioner for Establishment and Training, Mr. Afolabi Ayantayo, said the transition to Pay-As-You-Go template had set a precedent for establishing a sustainable and dependable pension system, which would serve as a model in the country.
Ayantayo, represented by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Establishments and Training, Mrs Olubukola Abidakun, noted that the ministry had worked collaboratively with LASPEC and PFAs to ensure the disbursement processes were efficient and transparent.
“This gesture will undoubtedly impact the lives of our retirees positively, rebuild trust in the State’s pension system, boost employee morale, enhance productivity and ensure that public servants can anticipate a secure retirement,” the Commissioner said.
The retirees, in appreciation of the Governor’s gesture, held a special prayer session for Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat. The senior citizens also trooped out to dance with the Governor.
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