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Making Atiku My Vice-President was A Mistake – Obasanjo

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2023 Elections'll Make Or Break Nigeria - Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that he made two mistakes which included the choice of his ‘number two’ ahead of the 1999 presidential election.

Obasanjo said on Saturday that the second mistake was his refusal to accept an asylum when he was told that the late Head of State, Sani Abacha, wanted to arrest him, the action, he said, could have led to his death .

Obasanjo became democratically elected President in 1999 while the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, was his vice president.

Obasanjo, who did not mention Atiku in his statement, said it was a mistake he made in good faith, but was saved by God

The former president spoke on his life and achievements both as a military Head of State and as a civilian President.

Obasanjo stated this while answering questions posed by students from selected secondary schools that participated in the finals of the National Exhibition and Awards organised by Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship.

The event, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State, featured presentations and exhibitions of some products made by students of the participating schools.

The former president, while interacting with the students during a question and answer session, said he had many mistakes, which he could describe as genuine mistakes in his life but God made him to overcome.

READ ALSO: Obasanjo Seeks State Police To Check Insecurity

He said, “One of the mistakes I made was picking my number two when I wanted to become the President. But because it was a genuine mistake, God saved me.

“The second one was when Abacha wanted to arrest me. When he wanted to arrest me, I was told by the American ambassador that they would arrest me and that America had asked that I should be given an asylum. I said ‘No’. It could have been a mistake because I could have lost my life.

“I will say there are many things that could have been a mistake but God saved me from them all.”

While speaking on opportunities for the youths to take over the mantle of leadership in the country, Obasanjo said youths can never come into power, if the current trend continues.

He said with the “Not Too Young to Run campaign, and you can see that those that are contesting now are between 70 and 80 years old, how can the youths run?”

He added, “Another thing inhibiting youth from running is the amount of money involved in going into politics. I hope that things should not continue like this.

“I was 39 years old when I became the Military Head of State. Twenty years later, I came back as civilian president, but those there now do not want to allow the youths. If things continue like this, I do not know how you can come in.”

The former president also tutored the students that they should imbibe religious tolerance.

He advised them not to see their own religion as superior to that of another person.

Obasanjo said, “I have no right to say what another man belief in is inferior to mine. If God had wanted all of us to be of the same religion, he would have made it so, and since He did not make it so, no person should attempt to make it so.

“Young people should learn at a very early stage in life that if there are five religions in the world, that is how God wants it to be. If there are ten, that is how God wants it. All religions originate from the same source.

“If you are a Muslim and you did not live the way God wants you to live, you cannot enter Aljannah. If you are a Christian and you did not live the way God wants you to live, the same thing, you will not enter paradise.

“If this is the basis of religion, it is doing the right thing for the benefits of mankind, you don’t have to condemn any person because of what he believes.

“I do not believe that any religion is superior to mine and I don’t believe that mine is superior to another person’s beliefs. I will not allow any person to cast aspersions on my religion and will not do same for another person. Practise your religion the way God wants you to do it and don’t condemn another person.”

Welcoming participant at the event, the Chairman of SAGE Nigeria, Agwu Amogu, said the programme was to celebrate the creative energies and commitments of teen entrepreneurs who see the challenges in the communities as their responsibilities.

READ ALSO: Only Dishonest Nigerians Say Everything’s Well With Nigeria – Obasanjo

He said, “SAGE is an acronym for Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship. It is an international programme initiated at the California State University Chico USA in 2002 and currently operational in over 32 countries across all the continents of the world.

“It offers secondary school-age young people a hands-on learning process on how to create wealth, help others and their communities.”

Amigu said since the introduction of the programme in Nigeria in 2006, it has shown that it is a potent strategy and model for educational reform, youth re-orientation, job creation and poverty alleviation and multi-cultural integration

According to him, Nigeria urgently needs a new paradigm for education.

“The new paradigm must provide students with a chance to learn while solving community problems and immediately applying what they have learnt in the classroom by actually doing something great.

“We now live in a world where any country can compete effectively with others based on the creative imagination of its human capital. There is no better place to stoke the fire of imagination than in the young people. And that is where SAGE comes in.

“SAGE is about creating value. Students are encouraged to create something of value in their communities by applying what they learn in the classroom and testing it in the ultimate laboratory – the free market,” he said.

READ ALSO: Governing Nigeria Requires Touch Of Madness – Obasanjo

Amogu added, “We firmly believe that Nigeria can be a world leader in providing potent human capital to the rest of the world; setting a benchmark for other countries to follow.

“Having won the SAGE World Competition 8 times in the last 12 years, I have no doubt in my mind that Nigerian young people are some of the most energetic and enterprising in the world and they can quicken our rise to a global super power status.”

The SAGE chairman said winners of this year’s competition would represent Nigeria in the SAGE World Competition holding in Netherlands in August, 2022.

 

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‘Governor Abiodun Committed To Rule Of Law, Democracy’

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Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun

The commitment of the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun in Ogun State to ensure the preservation of the rule of law, battle corruption and, protect the tenets of democracy in the country has again been reiterated.

According to a top functionary of the government, apart from prioritising the welfare of the people, the administration is working hard to deepen the people’s beliefs in the nations democratic process.

Kayode Akinmade, a Chief Consultant on Media to the governor, who spoke while answering questions on a television programme on Friday, said as a law-abiding leader, the governor has always taken recourse to the judiciary to seek redress for himself and his administration whenever the need arises, rather than engage in self-help.

Akinmade stressed that the decision of the governor to approach the court over the matter between him and the impeached chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area, Wale Adedayo, is a demonstration of his belief in the rule of law and his indisposition to ‘rule of force’.

Adedayo appeared before a Magistrate’s Court at Isabo, Abeokuta, on a petition filed by the state government against him over an earlier allegation of diversion of funds meant for Council Areas in the state. Governor Abiodun is insisting that the former Council boss must prove his allegations against his administration or face the wrath of the law for falsely inciting the people against the government.

Adedayo was arraigned on a two-count charge. According to Akinmade, it is wrong for people to rush to accuse the governor of persecuting Adedayo, who according to him, has “severally apologised to the governor in private while continuing with his ill-motivated misinformation in public.”

“The governor believes that taking Adedayo before the court will deepen our democracy and entrench the rule of law.

“Unlike some other people in Governor Abiodun’s shoes who would readily recourse to sending thugs after and unleashing other forms of violence on those who accused them rightly or wrongly, our governor decided to seek redress in court. I think he should be commended by all and sundry for this. What he is doing is giving Adedayo a chance to prove his allegations,” Akinmade said.

On the allegation by the impeached chairman that the governor is behind his removal, Akinmade said Adedayo was already facing removal from office before he raised the false alarms against the governor. “He has already been accused of several impeachable offences before he wrote the letter alleging that the governor diverted council funds. He had already reached out to the governor and other leaders of the party to help him stave off his removal. It was when he realized he may not survive the impeachment move that he connived with some other unscrupulous politicians in the party to malign the governor and discredit the APC in Ogun State,” Akinmade said.

The media chief added that claims by Adedayo that he got zero allocation since he became chairman of his local government were proved wrong by the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) in the state when the House of Assembly looked into his petition. He recalled that other council chairmen in the state also debunked the allegation and even brought Adedayo with them to apologize to the governor for the wrong allegations.

“But in spite of all these, he didn’t stop his scripted plot to tarnish the image of the governor. Hence, Governor Abiodun approached the court for redress,” he added.

Speaking further, Akinmade recalled that the impeached council boss has been in office for more than two years before making his frivolous and unfounded allegations. “One then wonders why he is raising this alarm now. He claimed zero allocation, but he has been collecting his monthly N3 million security votes regularly. Local government staff in his LGA are not being owed, and primary school teachers there are paid as at when due. We all should be asking him to explain what he meant by zero allocation,” he said.

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BREAKING: Kaduna Guber Tribunal Nullifies Election Of Governor Uba Sani

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Kaduna State Governor UBA Sani

The governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Kaduna on Thursday declared the election of Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as inconclusive and thus nullified the exercise.

The tribunal made the declaration while delivering judgement via Zoom in a petition by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Isah Ashiru, challenging the election of Sani in the March 2023, election.

The tribunal ordered that fresh election be conducted in seven wards in four LGAs of the state.

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In Shakeup Of FCT Administration, Wike Sacks Agencies, Parastatals Heads

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BREAKING: Wike Dares Ayu To Stop Elections Of Ortom, Others
Federal Capital Territory Minister Nysom Wike

In a decisive shakeup of the administration of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), its Minister Nyesom Wike, has sacked the heads of 21 parastatals, agencies, and government companies.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Director of Press, Office of the Minister, Anthony Ogunleye, in Abuja on Wednesday.

Ogunleye identified the affected heads of the agencies as follows:

1. Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Abuja Investment Company Ltd

2. CEO/Managing Director, Abuja Markets Management Ltd

3. MD/CEO, Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company

4. CEO/MD, Abuja Property Development Company

5. CEO/MD, Abuja Technology Village Free Trade Zone Company

6. CEO/MD, Abuja Film Village International

7. CEO/MD, Powernoth AICL Equipment Leasing Company Ltd

8. MD, Abuja Broadcasting Corporation

9. MD, Abuja Enterprise Agency

10. General Manager, FCT Water Board

11. Director-General, FCT Emergency Management Agency

12. Executive Secretary, FCT Primary Healthcare Board

13. DG, Hospital Management Board

14. Director, Abuja Environmental Protection Board

15. Director, FCT Scholarship Board

16. Director, FCT Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board

17. Director, Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board

18. Coordinator, Abuja Infrastructure Investment Center

19. Director, FCT Health Insurance Scheme

20. Coordinator, Satellite Towns Development Department

21. Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council

The director of the press said that the affected appointees should hand over the affairs of their offices to the most senior officers in rank.

He added that appointments in the offices would be made in due course.

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