SARAKI
Ex-Senate president urges Nigerian government to review suspension of Twitter’s operations
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has reacted to Federal Government’s suspension of the operations of the micro blogging and social networking service, Twitter. Newsmen report Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, had announced the “indefinite” suspension in a statement on Friday by his spokesman Segun Adeyemi. Reacting, Saraki noted that Twitter has become part of the daily lives of youths and also a source of income and livelihood for many youths. He further called for a review of the suspension. “No sir! This should not be the response from the president of a nation with a vibrant youthful population for whom #Twitter is part of their daily lives and a source of their income and livelihood. This must be reviewed,” Saraki tweeted. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to...
Senate committee gets 14 days to process President Buhari’s N2.343 trillion loan request
The Nigerian Senate has given its Committee on Foreign and Local Debts 14 days within which to process President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for a fresh ₦2.343 trillion ($6.183 billion) for approval. Senate President Ahmad Lawan gave the directive at the commencement of Tuesday’s plenary session shortly after the Senate Majority leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, drew the attention of the Senate to the pending request. The Senator Clifford Ordia-led Committee on Foreign and Local debt had approved a total of $28 billion so far. The current request will take the total loan approved to $35.683 billion. Buhari had urged the Senate to approve N2.3 trillion ($6.183 billion) external borrowing. He said the loan was to finance the 2021 budget deficit of N5.6 trillion. The President indicated that the loan ...
Taraba governor advises Nigerian government on state police
Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba has advised the Federal Government to try state police in addressing the security challenges in the country. Ishaku gave the advice in his remarks at a world news conference organised by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the party national secretariat in Abuja, on Monday. The conference also featured Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Enyinaya Abaribe, and former president of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki. According to Gov. Darius, the primary responsibility of any democratic government was to secure the people and their property. He said the state governors were going through challenges and were helpless in managing the insecurity as they have no power over security. “No matter how bad the state police, let us experiment it. After all, we have the State Electora...
NCP: North-Central doesn’t need chairmanship, but Presidency
The North Central Patriot (NCP) on Monday said that the region doesn’t need the position of chairmanship but presidency. The group said that the zone has occupied that position severally in the time past, adding that their agitation is for the position of presidency, which has eluded them since the nation transmuted in democracy. NCP specifically said that the former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki is not looking for the position of chairmanship, adding that he’s eminently qualified to be President of this country. The group, in a statement by its President, Bitrus Paul, commended the governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello, for taking the initiative to tell the world that he’s interested in the position of presidency. NCP reinstated that North Central doesn’t lack quality leaders, who...
Senator Saraki urges Nigerian government to seek help over escalating insecurity
Former President of the Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki, has advised the Federal Government to seek help wherever it could to address the escalating insecurity in the country. Saraki, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, said that calling for help in the present situation of the country was not a sign of weakness. He said he was worried over cases of violence, kidnapping and terrorism recorded on Monday in Anambra, Kaduna, Yobe, Niger, Lagos states and many parts of the country. The ex-senate president reiterated the need for President Muhammadu Buhari to convene meeting of all those who could help in finding solutions to the problem at hand. ”The people include former presidents and heads of state, serving and former chief justices, serving and former presiding officers of the National Assembly...
Senator Saraki: Yinka Odumakin will be remembered for his consistency
Former President of the Senate and Chairman of the PDP National Reconciliation & Strategy Committee, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has mourned the passing of the spokesman of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin. Saraki in a series of tweets on Saturday, said Odumakin demonstrated consistency in his beliefs. His words, “My family and I are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Mr. Yinka Odumakin, the erstwhile spokesperson of Afenifere. “Over the years, Odumakin demonstrated consistency in his beliefs; an eloquence and clarity of thought that helped him to easily draw many to his cause; and the courage to always stand up for the underdogs and less privileged. “As we all mourn the passing of this extraordinary gentleman and exemplary leader, we also celebrate his life — and pray that Almighty...
Governor El-Rufai urges federal government to increase frequency of Abuja-Kaduna trains
The governor of Kaduna state, Nasir el-Rufai, has urged the ministry of transportation to increase the frequency of trains plying the Abuja-Kaduna rail line. The governor spoke on Thursday when Gbemisola Saraki, minister of state for transportation, and the management of the National Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) paid him a courtesy visit in Kaduna. He said the increase will help to check overcrowding as the trains are “always fully booked”. “There are areas of constraints with the COVID-19 pandemic, but I think that the way our figures are going down with the rollout of the vaccination, there are going to be far more movements within the country, and particularly on that route,” he said. “So, we would like the ministry to consider increasing the frequencies and completing the p...
Senator Saraki urges President Buhari to include opposition, others in fight against insecurity
A former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to include opposition parties and the international community in the fight against insecurity in Nigeria. He spoke with newsmen shortly after he met with a former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, behind closed doors at his penthouse residence located within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State. Saraki, who is the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Reconciliation and Strategy Committee, was joined in the meeting by former Governors, Ibrahim Dankwanbo (Gombe), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Ibrahim Shehu Sema (Katsina) and former Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Mulikat Akande Adeola. Speaking after about two hours c...
Senator Saraki moves to reconcile Ayo Fayose, Seyi Makinde
Ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki, is brokering peace between former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose and Governor of Oyo State Seyi Makinde. Fayose and Makinde have been on a warpath for quite some time now. Fayose insists that Makinde shouldn’t be carrying himself as leader of the PDP in the southwest because he’s the only PDP governor in the region. Fayose has also warned Makinde that he’ll work against his re-election in 2023 if he doesn’t stop disrespecting him. “When Makinde was to contest, I was the one that presented the flag to him and a red pen. It is a higher authority that hangs your rank, a senior officer hangs the rank of a junior officer, that means he saw me as a leader at the time I was giving him the flag at Ogbomoso,” Fayose said recently, adding that Makinde was ...
Senator Saraki calls for stakeholders’ meeting on solution to insecurity
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has called for a stakeholders meeting to find solution to the problems of insecurity across the country. Saraki made the suggestion in Minna, Niger State on Friday while fielding questions from newsmen after leading the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Reconciliation and Search Committee to former President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida at his uphill residence. “It (insecurity) is of great concern to all of us as I have always said it is a matter that should not just be left to the government. “It is a matter that both the ruling party, opposition and elder statesmen should all meet and contribute to find solution to the problem so that we can successfully address the problem,” Saraki said. On the mandate of the committee, the former Senate Preside...
Ex-APC chairman speaks on ‘crisis’ in Ebonyi chapter
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State, Eze Nwachukwu, has refuted media report about leadership crisis in the state chapter of the party. Mr Nwachukwu, who is the commissioner for Inter-Governmental Affairs in the state, is the immediate past chairman of APC in the state. “It has become expedient that I react to the publication alleging leadership crisis in our great party over the appointment of Okoro-Emegha as chairman, Caretaker Committee of APC in Ebonyi. “I am the immediate past chairman of APC and the emergence of Okoro-Emegha as the current chairman, caretaker committee is a welcome development and it followed laid down legal and constitutional provisions of our party,” Mr Nwachukwu said on Saturday at a press briefing in Abakaliki. Continuing, the forme...
Senator Saraki: Former governor committed to PDP victory in 2023
Former President of the Senate and Chairman, National Committee on Reconciliation and Strategy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bukola Saraki, has said that former governors under the platform of the party are committed to the victory of the PDP in the 2023 general elections. Saraki also said that although the PDP doesn’t make noise about who is joining the party, but many, even those, who left the party are coming back to join the PDP. Addressing newsmen shortly after meeting with the former governors in Abuja, Saraki said, “yesterday we met with one of our former Presidents. Today we are consulting with our former governors who are key stakeholders and leaders in their states. “There is no way we can talk about consultations and unity of the party without consulting them. We have b...