NEW YEAR SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA

1ST JANUARY 2021

My fellow countrymen and women,

First, I would like to thank and praise the Almighty who saw us through the year 2020 and has given us the opportunity to witness the start of another new year. We especially thank God because the year 2020 was one of the most trying years since our existence as a Nation.

This can also be said about all other nations around the world, due to the challenges posed on our collective humanity by the novel COVID-19 pandemic. …

BUHARI AT 78: IF ONLY WE KNEW THIS PRESIDENT

By FEMI ADESINA

Ask for a President beleaguered from all sides, and I’ll show you Muhammadu Buhari, the ramrod straight man from Daura, in Katsina State, who turns 78 today.

In the build up to the 2015 presidential election, we used to say everything had been thrown at him as projectiles, except the kitchen sink. Permit me to update that expression. Today, everything possible has been thrown at President Buhari, including the kitchen sink. Anything. Everything. Fake news. Hate speech. Lies. False propaganda. Evil thoughts. Malediction. Odium. Opprobrium. Ogbunigwe. Ogulutu.Surface to air missiles. All offensive weapons. But the man trudges on. …

DAVE UMAHI’S HEART OF LION

By FEMI ADESINA

There were three prominent red caps dotting the hall, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) held its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Tuesday at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, in Abuja.

Type of caps are often symbolic of the part of the country you hail from. Red is typical of the East, particularly if you are a title holder. And these three were no mean men.

The first red cap adorned the head of Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, a former two-term governor of Abia State, and an early comer to the APC from his region of the country. He caught the vision of a renascent Nigeria early enough. …

Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development

Protocol…

It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this Ministerial Press Briefing and also a great honour for me, at this present time in the history of our nation that I am leading this very important and strategic branch of Government: the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

The purpose of this gathering is to acquaint the Nigerian general public with the activities and programmes of the Ministry since inception.

The Ministry was established on 21st August 2019 by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the vision “to create sustainable and inclusive social systems that promotes human dignity in Nigeria.” …

Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria

For the second time in about six months, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has lauded Nigeria’s leadership role in the quest for security in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG). In a letter addressed to the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, IMO specifically highlighted the agency’s contribution to the war against piracy and maritime crimes in the region, “including facilitation of the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act, 2019, and initiation of the deep blue project.” …

*Survival Fund scheme to benefit 4500 Nigerians per state and FCT

*Payment to Artisans & Payroll Support beneficiaries ongoing

*207,319 beneficiaries drawn from 35,837 businesses paid under Payroll Support

*59,000 verified artisans have been paid in 23 states and the FCT

As the implementation of its Economic Sustainability Plan, ESP, continues, and in furtherance of its commitment to support small businesses to cushion the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Government has also launched the transport support track under its MSME Survival Fund schemes for artisans and transporters.

The launch of the transport track last Monday follows the successful take-off of the Artisans’ Support track on October 1st. While the Artisans track is under the Survival Fund, the Transport track is a different scheme also under the Fund. …

Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria

The Federal Government has launched a Transport Track Fund which seeks to give N30, 000 grants to commercial drivers including bus drivers, taxi drivers, motorcycle riders and operators of ride-hailing cabs such as Bolt and Uber. The Spokesman for the Vice-President, Mr. Laolu Akande, said in a statement on Sunday that the new initiative is a component of the Survival Fund which is under the Federal Government’s Economic Sustainability Plan put in place to support small businesses and cushion the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said Nigerians should apply for grants through their registered associations such as the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers, Keke Riders’ Association, Okada Riders’ Associations and Unions, among others. …

AUTOGAS, MODULAR REFINERY: PMB MAKING CONQUESTS STEADILY, SURELY

By FEMI ADESINA

Diverse developments in our country often bring to mind lyrics of the song ‘God Moves in a Mysterious Way,’ by William Cowper. The lines go thus: “Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour.”

If we are not discerning enough, the tendency is quite strong to think that all that is happening in Nigeria is evil, evil and more evil. Killings by insurgents, bandits, and assassins. Violent protests leading to loss of lives and wanton destruction. Kidnappings for ransom. Mayhems and murders. …