President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday in Abuja warned of tougher security measures in restive parts of the country, with review of operations and strategy, reassuring Nigerians that the efforts that resulted in relative peace in South-South, and rescuing of North-East from the hold of terrorists will be ramped up.
Speaking at a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the President noted that the major security challenges have remained in the North Central and North West, saying, “We are going to be very tough.’’
“I will like us to reflect on what the situation was before we came in. How many Local Government Areas were under the control of terrorists in the North-East?
“In the South-South, we all know what the situation was; now we have relative peace. With the resources at our disposal, we have done very well.
“People are very forgetful. Our main problem now is in the North West and North Central. People are killing one another in these places, what for? We are going to be very tough,’’ he said.
President Buhari urged party members to be more mindful of the pitfalls that led to the ouster of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.
“The PDP thought that only time could remove them, and the time actually came. They thought it was impossible to lose elections,’’ he added.
President Buhari said the APC was formed by a merger of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), some members from All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the new PDP, which was a faction of the then ruling party.
“We put together a committee with clear terms of reference on how to remove the PDP from power. The PDP thought it wasn’t going to be possible. But it happened,’’ the President said.
President Buhari told new members of the National Working Committee (NWC), which had been delegated powers of NEC for a period, to work towards keeping the party together by creating more room for discussions.
“There’s no time to develop differences among ourselves. We have no time for that,’’ he added.
The President commended Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) and all its members for offering themselves to serve the party at a critical moment in utmost satisfaction despite all the attendant challenges, and for organizing the National Convention that produced the NWC.
“I must also sincerely thank all the aspirants for their desire to serve but had to withdraw their aspirations for the over-all interest of our Party. I consider it an honour to my person and an unwavering sacrifice for the unity of our great party as we approach the coming elections.
“I plead with all aspirants who were not elected to put in efforts in support of the leaderships of the Party to achieve our goal of success in the forthcoming elections. Furthermore I am pleading with all litigants to withdraw cases against the Party and put faith in party mechanisms.’’
President Buhari also advised party leaders against imposing unpopular candidates on the APC.
“I enjoin you all to follow due process in all the party processes and more importantly to develop more mechanisms against corruption. I call on all party members to abide by all extant laws, rules, and regulations and to leaders of our party to avoid imposition of candidates that cannot win popular elections.
“This dictatorial behavior cost us many strategic seats in the past. In the recent past this led to some of our strong members unfortunately opting to go elsewhere because of unfairly oppressive behavior of party leaders at state level.
“I must caution strongly against any tendency towards developing cliques, in–fighting within the party. We want to win well not succumb to factions on account of personal acerbities and desire to retain control at all costs. That surely is not the road to win,’’ he said.
President Buhari also congratulated the new National Chairman of APC, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, and the entire NWC members.
“You came in at a critical time and the entire party has a high expectation from you. The critical task ahead of you remains to continue to forge the unity of purpose among party members and to keep securing needful compromises in the interest of our great party,’’ the President noted.
President Buhari felicitated with party leaders and members for successfully conducting the Ward, Local Government, State Congresses, and the National Convention, in compliance with the Party Constitution.
“I enjoin you all to recognize the place of due process in all our tasks as managers of the party. We must develop party in-built mechanisms against corruption. Our success in 2023 will depend more on our capacity to respect our own extant rules, and regulations.
“Now that NEC has vested its powers in NWC for the time being, as requested, and in compliance with the Party Constitution in the overall interest of the Party, I want to assure Mr. Chairman and the entire NWC members of my full support,’’ he said.
In his remark, the APC Chairman appreciated President Buhari for always working for the unity and survival of the party, assuring that the NWC will further unite the party, and ensure victory at the polls.
“We must succeed, failure is not an option,’’ the APC Chairman said.
The NEC meeting was attended by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, other principal officers of the National Assembly, APC governors and state party chairmen.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
April 20, 2022
WITH ADEQUATE EDUCATION, PEOPLE NOW KNOW THAT BOKO HARAM IS NEITHER ABOUT RELIGION NOR ETHNICITY, PRESIDENT BUHARI TELLS ICC PROSECUTOR
The Boko Haram insurgency has neither religious nor ethnic underpinning, and with adequate education, majority of Nigerians now know the truth, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.
Receiving Karin Ahmad Khan, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at State House, Abuja, Wednesday, the President added that with concerted public enlightenment, it had become clear to the people that Boko Haram was a perversion of religion, rather than Islamic ideology.
Said President Buhari: “God is justice. You can’t kill innocent people, and shout; Allah Akbar (God is great). It’s either you don’t know that God at all, or you are simply being stupid.
“To say Western education is unacceptable (Haram) is very fraudulent. That is why we are fighting them, and educating the people. And we are succeeding a lot. We came to office when things were very bad, but we are educating the people. Education is fundamental. Religion and ethnicity are out of it. Some people have just made it a lifestyle to cause confusion, destruction and death.”
The ICC Prosecutor said extremism was like cancer, which spreads and can also recede, noting that what Boko Haram does in collaboration with Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), “is perversion of religion.”
He said the ICC believes in complementarity, “which promotes collaboration, as against confrontation,” counseling Nigeria in concert with other Sahel/Lake Chad basin countries to get the United Nations Security Council to refer the atrocities committed by the terrorist groups operating in the region to ICC, for investigation and subsequently trial.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)
April 20, 2022
SUBMIT PROGRESS REPORT ON LOCAL VACCINE PRODUCTION NEXT MONTH, PRESIDENT BUHARI DIRECTS MINISTER OF HEALTH
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Abuja directed the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, to submit a progress report by the end of May 2022 on the indigenous production of vaccines in the country.
The President gave the directive while receiving the leadership of the Nigeria Integrated Biopharmaceuticals Industries Consortium (NIBI), led by Mr Vilarugel Cuyas, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Fredlab.
The President commended the NIBI consortium made up of European biotechnology companies Merck, Unizima, Rommelag, and Fredlab, who are collaborating with the Nigerian start-up PIA BioPharma to establish a world-class Bio-Pharma Industrial Complex for the manufacture of vaccines and essential therapeutics in Nigeria.
Stressing that this administration considers food and medicine sufficiency as national security issues, the President asked the health minister and his team to work closely with the consortium on the Federal Government support required for the actualization of the NIBI project within the next few months.
‘‘While the Ministry of Health continues to drive collaboration with investors for vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, in a move towards self-sufficiency, I welcome the NIBI consortium’s desire to partner with the Federal Government in support of our agenda and look forward to the implementation of the NIBI project as it takes shape,’’ the President said.
Recounting the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Nigeria’s economy and health systems and how some nations with comparative advantages in being centres of bio-pharmaceutical productions adopted a “me-first” attitude towards securing their citizens, President Buhari said:
‘‘I want Nigeria to make a bold statement in this field not just for reasons mentioned earlier, but because of its knock-on effects on our economy at large.’’
The President told his audience that Nigeria has learnt key lessons from the pandemic, including that countries must look inward for sustenance in food and medical supplies.
‘‘Having witnessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our health system, our communal life and national economy, from which we are yet to fully recover, we are reminded that the wealth of a nation is dependent on the health and wellbeing of its citizens.
‘‘ At the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigeria was quick to respond to what seemed an existential threat, by strengthening the health system’s capacity to handle the pandemic – an initiative that continues till today in collaboration with the state government, private sector, and international partners.
‘‘Key lessons of the pandemic are that nations can be brought to their knees by disease outbreaks that cripple national and international trade, and that countries must be able to look inwards for sustenance in food and medical supplies. The benefit of this Administration’s early investment in agriculture came to light during this global turbulence.
‘‘However, we cannot say the same for essential medicines, health supplies and most importantly vaccines to protect our citizens. Increasing the capacity for in-country production of vaccines and medical supplies has therefore become a matter of not just urgency, but of national security.
‘‘As we saw, many nations who had developed comparative advantages in being centres of bio-pharmaceutical productions adopted a “me-first” attitude towards securing their citizens. These actions placed developing nations, particularly those in Africa at severe disadvantage.’’
The President noted that as part of the fallout and lessons learned from the crises, under his directive, the Minister of Health has been conducting local and international high-level consultations to seek access to the know-how and finance to revive domestic manufacturing of vaccines.
He added that the consultations had become more important as Nigeria prepares to fully transition from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) support for the supply of vaccines by 2028.
‘‘Since we consider food and medicine sufficiency as national security issues, technical and financial investments and partnerships are priorities in our policy planning, with the assurance that Nigeria has the market and a pool of expert scientists to draw upon, from within and outside the country,’’ he said.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
April 20, 2022
