3 THINGS I’LL DO FOR TROUBLED NORTH EAST — BUHARI

THE President-elect General Muhammadu Buhari, rtd, Sunday said his administration would accord priority to ending the Boko Haram insurgency to bring stability in the north east geopolitical zone as well as focus on re-activating the Lake Chad.
Buhari however said that his third priority would be to deploy the enormous resources in the region through vigorous search for oil along the Chad Basin and parts of Borno State.
He spoke at his residence in Kaduna while responding to requests made by Governor Kashim Shettima, the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Elkanemi and some elders of the state who formed the delegation from Borno State that travelled to pay him a congratulatory visit.
Buhari said he was very much aware of the problems of the north east region and would not waste time in resolving them one after the other.
On Boko Haram, he said his administration will enhance collaboration with neighbouring countries governments like Chad, Niger and Cameroon to curtail the trans- border movements of Boko Haram insurgents, adding that this would lead to the cutting off of supply of arms, recruitment and training of fresh combatants for the insurgents.

INEC WILL NOT CANCEL RIVERS ELECTION, JEGA INSISTS

Attahiru Jega, chairman of the independent national electoral commission (INEC), says the commission will not cancel the result of the governorship election in Rivers state, despite numerous allegations of voter intimidation, ballot-box snatching and phantom voting. However, he admitted that the commission made a mistake in cancelling the results of three local government areas in the April 11 governorship election in Abia state. The professor of political science, who made this known while addressing Nigerian civil society situation room in Abuja on Tuesday, promised that his team would make amends within the ambit of the law, on the Abia cancellations. “When there are issues but announcement of result has been made, there is nothing we can do. If a mistake was made and we could correct it within the legal framework, then we intervene and make corrections,” he said. “It was a mistake to cancel

I WILL RESUME SEARCH FOR OIL ALONG THE LAKE CHAD BASIN - BUHARI

KSM news reports (the official news agency for Borno governor) that Gen Buhari in his address to the people promised to work to restore peace in the Northeast region by according top priority to ending the activities of Boko Haram. He promised to work in collaboration with the government of Chad, Cameroon and Niger to curtail the trans border movement of Boko Haram insurgents, cut supply of arms as well as cut the recruitment and training of fresh recruits.

On Agriculture, the Gen Buhari said the receding of Lake Chad will be addressed through the transfer of water from the Central African Republic to the lake to boost its commercial activities for fishing and irrigation farming.

KASHAMU REPLIES TINUBU: RISE ABOVE PETTINESS

My attention has been drawn to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reaction to the innocuous congratulatory messages that I sent to him and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the aftermath of the general election. 
First, I must say that I doubt if the statement was approved by him. However, if it was, I must state that I am taken aback by the unwarranted attacks against me as if we were still campaigning. It is unbecoming of someone of his stature and calibre.

For me, it is high time politicians and leaders rose above petty issues and raise the bar in constitutional democracy. We should not just be democrats in words but also in deeds. We should play politics without bitterness.

It is on record that no Nigerian politician has taken former President Olusegun Obasanjo to the cleaners even as a sitting President like Asiwaju Tinubu did. Yet, Chief Obasanjo forgave him. As for me and Baba Obasanjo, he remains my father and leader, just as I am his son and follower. At no time did I abuse Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

JONATHAN QUITS VILLA RESIDENCE THIS WEEK

President Goodluck Jonathan will, this week, barring any last minute change, vacate his official residence at Aso Rock. This is to give room for construction giant, Julius Berger Plc, to commence extensive renovation work at the apartment, ahead of the inauguration of President- elect, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, on May 29. Investigations revealed that Julius Berger has been given up to two weeks, beginning from next week, to complete the renovation, including furnishing of the official quarters. A top government functionary, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Jonathan would move out within the week to the Glass House located just next to his official residence. He said: “Julius Berger will commence renovation immediately and complete it in two weeks.
President Jonathan will move to the Glass House also located just beside the official residential building where he will stay with members of his family until the swearing- in of the President-elect.” Jonathan and his family started packing their personal belongings out of the official residence shortly after Buhari was announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as winner of the 2015 presidential election. Early this month, buses loaded with luggage were sighted moving out of the President’s official residence.

IGBO GROUPS DEMAND SPEAKER, HOUSE OF REPS

Prominent Igbo groups and organizations have risen in condemnation of the recent zoning formula adopted by the All Progressive Congress (APC) of which the South-East was excluded from the leadership of the national legislature, describing it as unacceptable.
They have consequently demanded that the post of Speaker of House of Representatives be zoned to the South East, noting that it was against national justice and the principle of federal character for the North to keep the Presidency, the Senate president and the Speaker, House of Representatives”.
Addressing newsmen in Enugu yesterday, a coalition of five Igbo groups, Igbo Youth Vanguard, Abia Democratic Initiative, Imo Professionals for Democracy, United Igbo Traders Association and South East Students Unions, deplored what they termed as the return to the “evil years of marginalization of Ndigbo”.
In the text press conference read by Comrade Chikezie Emezuo of Imo Professionals for Democracy, the Igbo groups urged the President-Elect, Gen Mohammadu Buhari to quickly put the machinery in motion to halt this excursionist policy being hatched by enemies of Ndigbo to keep them away from the governance of their country.

I’M NOT YOUR ROLE MODEL, TINUBU REPLIES KASHAMU

NATIONAL leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, has denied being a role model to the senator-elect in Ogun State, Buruji Kashamu.
In a statement signed by Sunday Dare, his media adviser and made available to newsmen, it said for Kashamu “to liken himself to Bola Tinubu is for a small rut to call itself a mountain.
“For Kashamu to call Tinubu a role model is Kashamu’s admission that he does not know the meaning of the term. There are no grounds for comparison. There is only contrast. Tinubu has sacrificed years trying to bring democracy to Nigeria.”
The statement described the sudden turn in Kashamu’s singing praise of the former governor of Lagos State as cynical fawning that would not work.
“Kashamu needs to stop this cynical fawning. It will not work. The days of false adulation are gone in Nigerian politics. Fake praise singers like Kashamu will find that their particular craft is no longer in vogue.

XENOPHOBIA: 6,000 NIGERIANS WILL LOSE THEIR JOBS IF MTN LEAVES NIGERIA – MTN

MTN Nigeria says about 6,000 Nigerians will lose their jobs if MTN is made to leave Nigeria. Head of Communications MTN, Mr Wale Goodluck said this while reacting to calls by a protest group in Edo state yesterday that the telecommunications offices in Nigeria will be shut and their installations attacked if the xenophobic attacks in South Africa continues.

Mr Goodluck said there are only 12 expatriates working for the company in Nigeria compared to a workforce of 6,000 Nigerians.

"So if people go ahead with their threats to attack our facilities, what that means is that we may be forced to close down the business in Nigeria and about 6,000 Nigerians that make up 99% of our workforce will be unemployed. 

‘HAUSA, YORUBA CONSPIRACY AGAINST JONATHAN MUST BE ADDRESSED BEFORE MAY 29′

THE South South Voice, a pressure group in the Niger Delta, has described as unacceptable the way and manner the North and the West truncated the second term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan and warned that the nation may face another round of crisis unless issues relating to alleged conspiracy against the people of the South South is addressed.
In a letter addressed to President Jonathan, signed by its National Coordinator, Mr Victor Tamarapreye and Michael Akpodore made available to Vanguard, it alleged that President Goodluck Jonathan was manipulated out of the contest therefore it will be unjust to hand over power to Gen.Muhammadu Buhari “who is a beneficiary of the Hausa,Yoruba conspiracy”.

BUHARI LOBBIES FOR JONATHAN’S APPOINTEE, ADESINA, AS AFDB PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT-ELECT, General Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, openly supported an appointee of outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, as the next president of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The president-elect had already requested the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to support the candidacy of the Minister of Agriculture as the next president of AfDB.
General Buhari, it was gathered, communicated the choice to the Ghanaian president, John Mahama, who is the current chairperson of ECOWAS.