President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has again expressed his displeasure at the military’s inability to secure the life and property of its citizens.
“The military has never been so incapacitated like now. It’s a shame that the military cannot secure 14 of Nigeria’s local governments out of the 774 local governments in the country,” he said.
According to the president-elect, what is more worrisome is the fact that Nigeria’s military has to rely on South African mercenaries before it could gain recent success in the war against Boko Haram.
General Buhari, who made the above comment in Kaduna while playing host to the national executive council of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on Tuesday described the development as “shameful and unacceptable.”
“My administration will concentrate on three major areas on assumption of office; that is insecurity, the economy/unemployment and corruption. We will ensure we nip insecurity in bud.
“The Nigeria Army could not do small thing, they have to bring in South African mercenaries to enable them record the recent gains in the North East,” Buhari stated.
Speaking on governance, the president-elect said his administration would make sure that every Nigerian lives within his honest earnings, adding that “a situation where people live above their earnings will not be tolerated.”
In his address, the ACF chairman, Ibrahim Ahmadu Coomassie, a former inspector-general of police, had told the president-elect that Nigerians voted for him because they believe in his integrity, transparency, accountability, honesty and commitment to the security of life and property.
Coomassie noted Nigeria had never experienced the level of decay, the collapse of moral values and the high level of corruption, crime and impoverishment of the citizenry like in the last six years.
The ACF leader said: “Security has been the major concern, especially in the North-East region which has been devastated by the insurgency caused by the Boko Haram; and the energy, which is the source of power and main driver of the economy, requires serious and urgent attention. “
The former IGP further told Buhari that Nigerians are eagerly waiting for him to solve the problems facing them and to also free them from the shackles of poverty, ignorance, corruption and insurgency.
He advised the president-elect to restrict the powers of the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF).
He said, “The current situation when SGF operates above ministers offends the laid-down principles of accountability in governance.”
APC holds forum on policy direction for new government
Ahead of the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) central government in the country, the roadmap for the policy direction of the Muhammadu Buhari –led administration would be unveiled during a two-day policy dialogue to be held in Abuja tomorrow and Thursday.
The policy dialogue, with the theme, “Implementing Change: From Vision to Reality,” is being organised by the Policy, Research and Strategy Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
Briefing journalists in Abuja yesterday, the deputy head of the directorate and former minister of youth and sports, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the president-elect would declare the dialogue open while the vice-president-elect, Prof Yemi Osibajo (SAN), would chair it.
Former British prime minister, Mr Tony Blair, is the keynote speaker at the dialogue where input to the roadmap for the actualisation of the policies of the incoming administration would be made by experts drawn from different fields and members of the public.
Abdullahi identified the core areas of focus in the two-day dialogue to include the economy, governance, job creation and security in line with the APC manifesto.
According to him, topics for discussion include: Improving the National Economy for Shared Prosperity; Repositioning Agriculture for Job Creation and Economic Prosperity; Developing Infrastructure for National Development; Achieving Sustainable Reforms on Oil/Gas Sector; Reducing Inequality and Achieving Sustainable Human Development; Achieving Holistic and Sustainable Reforms in the Education Sector; Developing an Education System Relevant to Nigeria’s Developmental Aspiration, and Achieving Qualitative and Affordable Healthcare.
Others include: Achieving Diversity and Inclusion in Public Life; Exploring Sports, Tourism and Creative Industry for Job Creation; Governance and Improved Efficiency in Public Service; Tackling Corruption in Public Sector and Foreign Policy and Agenda for Change.
Some of the speakers and discussants expected at the dialogue include Ms Ifueko Omogui-Okauru, former FIRS chairperson; Dr Rilwan Babalola, former minister of power; Dr Tajudeen Umar, former country chair, Nigeria-Sao Tome and Principe Joint Development Authority; Prof Niyi Ayoola Daniels, president, International Institute for Petroleum Energy Law and Policy; Mr Tunde Ahonsi, resident representative, UNFPA, Ghana, and Major-General Ishola Williamsn (retd).
Others include : Prof Pai Obanya, WAEC chairman; Dr Ayo Teriba, CEO, Economic Associates; Prof. Bolaji Aluko, vice chancellor, Federal University, Otuoke; Prof Mohammed Tabia, Department of Islamic Law, Bayero University, Kano; General Abdulrahman Dambazzau , former Chief of Army Staff; Prof Ibrahim Gambari, former Nigerian permanent representative, United Nations; Mr Fola Arthur-Worrey, former solicitor-general, Lagos State; Ms Bolanle Onagoruwa, former director-general, BPE; Mr Wale Fapounda, of Legal Resources Consortium, and Prof Etannibi Alemika, chairman, CLEEN Foundation.
The programme will also mark the winding down of activities of the Policy, Research and Strategy Directorate of the APC Campaign Council, Abdullahi added.
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