Urhobo News

President Muhammadu Buhari rejoices with Vice President Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo, GCON, SAN on the occasion of his 66th birthday, March 8, 2023.

The President equally felicitates with the entire Osinbajo family, wishing them many happy returns, as their son, husband and father turns another year, in good health and sound mind.

President Buhari lauds the sterling service the celebrant has provided to the country, as an academic, Attorney-General of Lagos State (1997-2007), and Vice President (2015 till date).

He applauds the deft way Osinbajo, a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has combined scholarship with governance, and pastoral work, commending such dedication to the younger generation whom the Number 2 man serves as a torchbearer to.

President Buhari wishes the Vice President and his family joyful celebration, and greater grace ahead.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media and Publicity)

March 8, 2023

PRESIDENT BUHARI CALLS ON NIGERIANS IN DIASPORA TO SUPPORT TINUBU’S GOVERNMENT

– Commends their contributions to national development

President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, called on Nigerians living in the country to support President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as he takes over the reins of government on May 29.

Speaking at a Town Hall meeting as part of his visit to the State of Qatar, President Buhari said his administration set forward to emplace credible, transparent and fair elections which will conclude on Saturday, March 11, with the Governorship and State Assembly elections. He therefore called on them to “support the incoming government of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, so that Nigeria will continue to be the beacon of hope and prosperity in our continent and an example for other African countries to emulate.”

Speaking further, the President acknowledged the noble roles that Nigerians in Diaspora all over the world have been playing in the development of Nigeria, adding that his administration had approved a National Diaspora Policy, and supported the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) all the way to develop programmes for the engagement of Nigerians in the Diaspora for the ‘ambassadors’ to contribute their quota towards the development of their fatherland.

In his remarks, the Nigerian Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Yakubu Ahmed congratulated Buhari President on conducting successful Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25, 2023. He said the process has proven that Nigeria’s democracy is indeed strong while praying for an equally successful Governorship and State Assembly elections.

Ambassador Ahmed informed the President that Nigeria and the State of Qatar have maintained brotherly bilateral relationship since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 2013 noting there are currently about 7,000 Nigerians residing in Qatar, and gainfully engaged in diverse areas of human endeavours.

“I’m proud to inform you, Your Excellency that majority of our nationals in Doha are professionals who have excelled in their chosen careers, playing critical roles in healthcare, safety, oil and gas, aviation, construction, among other sectors,” he added

Speaking on behalf of the Nigerian community in the country, Dr Arabo Ibrahim, a Senior Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, said he had every reason to thank the President especially for restoring peace in the North-eastern part of Nigeria. “Our people were chased out of Mubi in Adamawa State by Boko Haran terrorists, peace is back. Now we go there and sleep peacefully. There is a lot of food now. People from the neighboring countries even come to buy food in Nigeria,” he added.

Another member of the community, Professor Akintunde Akinade, also thanked President Buhari for conducting an electoral process “alluded to as one of the best. We have gone through elections many times before and we all know what it’s all about. This is an election where money has taken a back seat. We’re very grateful to see what has happened this time in the presidential election. Thank you for bringing sanity to the country and the electoral process. We wish that this would continue.”

He equally lauded the President for the infrastructural revolution in the country, his anti-corruption war, keeping Nigeria together as well as his well-known democratic crusade in Africa. “I really want to thank you for your unwavering critique of African Presidents that really want to stay in office forever. I wish you a well-deserved rest,” he added.

The event was put together by the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri Erewa.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity)

March 8, 2023

PRESIDENT BUHARI COMMISERATES WITH VICTIMS OF LAGOS AUTO SPARE PARTS MARKET

President Muhammadu Buhari has learned with deep sadness the death of a 65-year-old security guard, the loss of personal property and means of livelihood of some hardworking Nigerians at the Akere Spare Parts market in the Apapa Ajegunle area of Lagos State.

The President’s deepest sympathies are with the traders and their families, who bear the brunt of this unfortunate incident and are at crossroads of what to do after this temporary setback.

The President is equally concerned that a similar fire incident occurred at the popular Balogun market a few weeks ago, calling on relevant authorities to take precautions to stem the tide.

While the full extent and cause of the damage is being assessed, President Buhari commends the Lagos State Fire Service for responding to the incident, salvaging a nearby filling station with a 33,000 litres PMS tanker, amongst other adjoining buildings.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity)

March 8, 2023

Rivers Guber Election

Vote PDP’s Sim Fubara For Youth Empowerment, Free Health Services, Peace, Prosperity Of Rivers State – Obuah

…Says, Sim’s Candidacy Is Divine

The Director-General of the Rivers PDP Campaign Council, Bro. Felix Obuah has called on the good people of the State to go to the polls on Saturday, March 11, 2023 and vote for Sir Siminalayi Fubara of the PDP, assuring that their votes would bring about sustainable peace, economic growth, youth empowerment, free healthcare services for pregnant women, aging mothers and all round prosperity in the state.

Speaking ahead of the governorship polls which hold on Saturday, March 11,  Bro. Obuah said the opportunity has again presented itself for Rivers people to prove that no other party exists in the state other than the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Bro. Obuah told Rivers people that  Sim, when voted into office would focus on engineering the reindustrialization of Rivers State with appropriate policies, scale and institutional measures in partnership with the private sector as the propelling force for economic growth and development.

“Sim Fubara would build on the gains of the Wike administration. He will develop a 10-year reindustrialization master plan to provide the road map for achieving the industrial transformation of the state while encouraging private investors to take over and revive state companies”, Bro. Obuah said.

He noted that because the PDP is a party whose foundation is rooted in God, their choice of candidates has always had the backing of God.

“This assertion was proven with the choice of Governor Nyesom Wike in 2015, and you could see that despite the battles he went through, God preserved him, and the result  is the all-round prosperity which his administration has brought to the State.

“God has once again given us a man, Sir Sim Fubara.  This is another opportunity Rivers people should grab with two hands by filing out in their millions to vote for Sir Sim Fubara.  A vote for Sim is a vote for continuity and consolidation of the gains brought by Governor Nyesom Wike”, Bro. Obuah stated.

A vote for Sim is a vote for peace, progress and more developments in Rivers State”, Obuah declared.

Bro. Obuah told people of the state to use the expected election of Sir Sim Fubara as a show of appreciation to Governor Wike for the great works he did for the state, for the eight years mandate given to him.

Bro. Obuah who was the immediate past State Chairman of the PDP as well as former Sole Administrator of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) said by turning out en masse on Saturday to vote for Sim Fubara, this generation of Rivers people would be writing their names in gold and posterity would continue to celebrate them.

He also charged the electorate to vote for all PDP House of Assembly candidates on the ballot, stressing that as a family, the executive and the legislature in the state are like brothers of same parents who speak and understand one language.

Jerry Needam

Secretary, Directorate of Publicity

& Communications

Rivers PDP Campaign Council.

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Dum Dekor Appeals To Ogonis To Vote Siminalayi Fubara

With three days to the all important Governorship and State Assembly Elections in Rivers State, the member representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Dumnamene Robinson Dukor has appealed to Ogonis to troop out en masse and vote for the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sir Siminalayi Fubara.

He said it is crystal clear from all indices that Sim Fubara is a divine choice for Rivers people, adding that his candidacy satisfies both the upland and riverine requirements in the State.

Reeling out strong reasons why Ogonis should vote for Sim Fubara, Dum Dekor said: “Sim is our brother from Opobo and Opobo is in the Rivers South East Senatorial District.  He has supported and touched the lives of many Ogoni people even from his days as a school teacher at Eleme.

“Sim is humble and well educated. He has no issues with anybody in Ogoni and Rivers State at large.  He will bring development to Ogoni which is something we have been yearning for. Sim  definitely stands out among the other governorship candidates.

“As each of the other candidates in the race has one or two scores to settle with people, Sim has nothing against anyone.

Sim Fubara is Godfearing, charismatic, pragmatic, peaceful, impeccable, resourceful, dependable, compassionate, dedicated to service, humane and a careful talker who chooses his words.  Sim Fubara does not have the ‘boys’ like many other governorship candidates”.

The federal lawmaker urged the Ogoni people to use their votes to prove to Sim Fubara that he is indeed one of their own.

“If we say that Ogoni is PDP and PDP is Ogoni, then another opportunity has come for us to make it real.  We should cast all our votes for Sir Sim Fubara on Saturday”, he said.

Dum Dekor also appealed to Ogonis, especially the people of Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency to vote for the PDP House of Assembly candidates in Khana Constituencies 1 and 2, as well as that of Gokana Constituency.

“From Gokana Constituency, we will vote for Dumle Maol.  He is a tried and tested lawmaker who has proven his mettle as an able representative of Gokana people.  He should return to the Assembly.

“The good people of Khana Constituency 1 and 2 should vote massively for Hon. Mrs. Barile Nwakoh and Barrister DineBari Loolo, for Khana Constituency 1 and 2 respectively.  They have been carefully chosen because we believe in their capacities to deliver.  Give them your votes and be rest assured they won’t disappoint us”, Dum Dekor assured.

Signed:

Rt. Hon. Dum Dekor Media Team

‘Lagos is operating far below its potential’, Funso Doherty shares #WithChude

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Lagos State, Funsho Doherty sits with Chude Jideonwo, host of #WithChude on a Lagos Election Special, Eko l’ on pebi, featuring the leading candidates in the Lagos Governorship election, asides the incumbent Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu who was unavoidably unavailable for the interview.

On the interview, Doherty discusses the gaps in the current leadership in the state and what he wants to do differently.

“My overall sense is that Lagos is operating far below its potential. Lagos is blessed with a lot of natural advantages relative to other cities in Nigeria. The managers of this city have been entrusted with a lot. If I look at the last 23 years that Lagos has been governed by essentially one ruling entity, even though you have had different governors, I think of where we are relative to where we could have been, and the difference is very wide”.

Reacting to the claim that overpopulation makes it difficult for the current government to do more than is presently being done, he said, “I think that is a narrative, I don’t think there is evidence to support it. Yes, we have a large population but remember that Lagos’s budget this year alone is about 1.7 trillion. I think that there is always an explanation for why we are where we are and there will always be some ground that you cover as a result of just time passing, to the extent that you spend 1.7 billion in passing. You will do some things but the question is are we doing the right things? Are we getting value for the resources that we are spending? What is the overall outcome for all of what we are doing, is the society becoming more equitable, or are the resources of the society becoming more and more concentrated?”

Doherty also shared from his TIGER agenda on what he plans to do when in office, “One of the first things that we will do is, we will unwind the revenue collection agreement that the government have with the AlphaBeta agency, we think that it is something that doesn’t happen in a modern society like Lagos. We don’t see the reason why you should have a small group of people with limited transparency accounting for the revenue and keeping a share of those revenues. For the transportation project, the rail project has been on for almost 16 years, there is no reason why that should be, and there is no transparency around those things. A large public works project like that should be in the public domain, and people should know. When we come into office, we will open it up and share the information with Lagosians and understand what the issues are. And we will ensure that the project is delivered or amended as needed”.

On the evidence to back the perception that Lagos has been being ruled by the same entity for the past 23 years, he shared, ‘I think there are significant arrangements that you can point to, and the AlphaBeta arrangement is one of them, that is something that originated from one administration many years ago, I don’t think any governor that comes from the platform of the ruling party can do anything about it when they come. This thing that I talk about is even in the Agbero space, some of the actions that were taken in the issue with NURTW the other day and how that was handled, you can see that there is a coziness in that relationship that goes beyond the person that is currently occupying the seat. Even some of the actions of the governor in relating to whom we might think of as the principal – Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The other day, our governor was in Chatham House answering questions for ex-governor Tinubu. There is perception and reality and all of them apply in this case’.