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2023: Atiku not prepared for job of a president, says Tinubu campaign DG

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Atiku cautions members against statements compromising PDP’s unity
The Tinubu Campaign Organisation (TCO) has said that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2023 presidential candidate is not prepared for the job.
Mr Bayo Onanuga, TCO Director, Media and Communications, said this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja while reacting to comments made by Atiku in a television interview.
“We have watched Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s interview on a national television and were extremely shocked by the many lies and ignorance displayed by the PDP presidential candidate.
“In the interview, Atiku exposed himself as a man who is not prepared for the job he is applying for and a man who cannot be entrusted with our commonwealth.
“He was flippant in his response to important questions about his record of service and how he made money while serving in Customs.
“He muddled up facts and exhibited befudling absence of mind during the interview,” Onanuga said.
He said It was most shocking that Atiku in the interview, admitted that he cheated the system for decades and engaged in gross misconduct as a government worker.
Onanuga said as a customs officer at the Idi-Iroko border, Atiku revealed that he ran a commercial taxi service, claiming there was no law stopping public officers from doing business in Nigeria.
“He punched harder, claiming there is no conflict of interest in doing so, but we found this to be untrue.
“Every officer in the civil service is expected to comply with a code of conduct and service rules.
“The rules bar civil and public servants from engaging in private business while in government employment to the detriment of the service he is employed to render to the public.
“The 1999 Constitution further codifies this in part one, fifth schedule section of 2 (b),” Onanuga said.
He explained that the section said a public officer shall not, except where he is not employed on full-time basis, engage or participate in the management or running of any private business, profession or trade.
The TSO DG noted that the rule, however, allowed a public officer to engage in farming activities.
He therefore wondered which rule or law Atiku was relying upon for his gross misconduct as a public officer.
“It is our considered view that Atiku gamed the system all through his career in public service, culminating in his founding of the Intel Logistics along with Late Shehu Yar’Adua and some Italians.
This, he said, was even while he was still in the employment of the Nigeria Customs Service.
He added that Atiku while trying to impress his audience with his supposed knowledge of international affairs, ended up embarrassing himself with false data he cited from Egypt.
Onanuga said the TCO found Atiku’s claim that Egypt had two million police officers on the streets to be untrue.
This, he said, was especially as various sources put the number at about 500,000 for a population of 104 million and not 80 million as Atiku claimed.
He said the PDP presidential candidate also displayed poor knowledge of key sectors of the country’s economy.
Onanuga added that it was surprising that Atiku does not know the contribution of oil and gas industry to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“He claimed the sector represents 20 per cent of our national GDP whereas it is below 10 per cent.
“And it is still falling, owing to the growth of non-oil sector under the current President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress(APC) administration.
“Our conclusion is that Atiku is ill-prepared to be president of Nigeria, if he could bungle a television interview that was planned well ahead of the day and time.
“We expected the PDP presidential candidate to be well informed on any issue before coming on national television to expose himself to avoidable ridicule,” Onanuga said.
He added that it was unfortunate that while criticising APC’s 2023 Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, Atiku didn’t see seeking to be president on PDP’s ticket after eight years of a president from his part of the country as politics of exclusion.
According to him, Atiku during the interview, provided several contradictory answers, adding that in one breath, he said power rotation is not in the Constitution.
“In another breath, he said the PDP has never micro zoned any position, then he admitted that the party has always rotated power between the North and South.
Atiku’s justification as to why he became PDP’s presidential candidate, instead of a southerner is a perfect example in ellipsis,” Onanuga said

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N1.7trn Loan: Atiku Blames NASS For Worsening Nigeria’s Debt Burden

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Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.

In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.

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He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.

The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.

“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.

He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.

“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.

Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.

“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said

He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.

“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”

Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.

He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.

“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.

“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.

He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.

 

 

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ICC Issues Arrest Warrants For Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Others

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The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.

In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”

READ MORE: Osun Govt Decries Attempted Murder Of Park Mgt  Chairman By Police

The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.

Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.

The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.

With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.

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Edo State Governor Sets Up Committee To Recover Missing Gov’t Vehicles

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Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has inaugurated a 12-member committee tasked with recovering government vehicles reportedly in private hands.

The committee, led by Kelly Okungbowa, has been given a two-week mandate to retrieve the vehicles and ensure their return to the state government.

READ ALSO: Finnish Police Arrest Simon Ekpa Over Terror-Related Allegations

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony in Benin City, Governor Okpebholo emphasized the importance of accountability in the management of public resources.

He urged the committee to carry out its assignment thoroughly and within the bounds of the law.

In his response, Okungbowa expressed gratitude to the governor for entrusting the team with the assignment, vowing to deliver results within the stipulated timeframe.

“A lot of vehicles used by the past administration are missing, as those in custody of the vehicles have refused to return them,” Okungbowa said.

“The governor deemed it fit to inaugurate us today with a mandate to recover all government vehicles in private hands.”

The committee, which includes representatives from Edo’s three senatorial districts, is set to investigate and recover the vehicles based on credible intelligence already at their disposal.

“We already have vital information regarding some persons still holding government vehicles,” Okungbowa stated. “We will do the job according to the law, and both the government and the people will be satisfied with the outcome.”

He also called on members of the public to assist the committee by providing information about any government vehicles that may still be in private possession.

“We want to appeal to members of the public who might be aware of anyone still keeping government vehicles in their houses to please inform us to enable the committee to recover such for the Edo State Government,” Okungbowa said.

The committee’s vice chairman, Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror, a former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, will work alongside other members to ensure the success of the initiative. The public can reach the committee at 08110165121.

 

 

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