NEWS
Wipe terrorists off, Buhari charges military officers
President Muhammadu Buhari has charged Nigerian military officers to fight terrorists and wipe them off the face of the earth.
Buhari spoke in Jaji, Kaduna State at the graduation ceremony of 247 students of the Senior Course 44 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College.
Full text of his speech:
I am delighted to once again visit the Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji Nigeria, on the occasion of the Graduation Ceremony of Senior Course 44.
2.Command and Staff courses hold great promise to the careers of mid-level officers of the Armed Forces. They prepare officers for tactical and operational level leadership, focusing on national security, joint planning processes, interagency cooperation and operations as well as multinational integration.
3.I am pleased to note that you have since inception of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji, over 40 years, steadfastly kept faith with the ideals of the College.
4. The Armed Forces Command and Staff College has been pivotal to the achievements of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. Furthermore the College provides a broad platform for training of members of the Armed Forces of friendly countries and Senior Course 44 is no exception.
5.This Graduation is a milestone in the careers of the 247 graduating students today. You have made a success of this Course after 48 daunting weeks and I say to you all, Congratulations!
6.It is particularly gratifying to note that amongst the graduating students are international officers from sister African countries. Gentlemen, I am confident that you have enjoyed our friendliness during your stay here. I am also sure you would have observed that despite our diversity and challenges, Nigeria is still one of the most hospitable and enjoyable countries to visit and stay.
7.Your participation on the Course is a further testimony of our national security aspirations to promote international peace, friendship and cooperation. To the graduating students from Nigeria’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies, you have indeed justified the confidence reposed in you by your respective organizations. Congratulations!
8.We must specially commend the spouses of the graduands here for keeping the home front and without whose sacrifices there would have been no celebrations for many here today.
9.Most of the security challenges facing the world today are both asymmetric and trans-border in nature, involving mainly non-state actors in different regions and sub-regions of the world. The West African sub-region and indeed our beloved continent of Africa are not immune to these threats.
10.We have witnessed recent terrorist attacks in Nigeria bearing the hallmark of national and trans-border insurgents trying to cause havoc in Nigeria as well as in neighbouring countries. It will be part of your duty to confront these terrorists and insurgents and wipe them off the face of the earth and bring peace to our countries.
11.Consequently, the specifics of your training which focused primarily on countering these security threats are important. Combating these prevalent security threats effectively demands that African countries continue to work together at all levels; be it tactical, operational and strategic.
12.To this end, the ongoing collaboration of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Cameroun, Niger Republic and Chad in a multinational operation to combat the Boko Haram Insurgency in the Lake Chad region has been productive and particularly commendable and successful.
13.The synergy achieved in operating together must have been enhanced by an understanding of the doctrines of the cooperating forces.
14.This occasion provides me another opportunity to briefly reflect on the state of the Nigerian nation, particularly regarding national security. The last 12 years have been very challenging for our nation, considering the different security threats that have besieged the country.
15.Our government is poised to promote national security and development, as well as to remain committed to promoting a vision of a secure, safe, just, peaceful, prosperous and strong Nigeria.
16.We shall be employing all elements of our national power in ensuring security, a just society, peaceful coexistence, national unity and sustainable development while promoting our good standing internationally.
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17.The Armed Forces of Nigeria are working tirelessly to enhance their combat effectiveness, operational capability and training necessary to eliminate the threats, in synergy with other institutions and nations. The response of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, militancy, kidnapping as well as the activities of separatists and armed militias amongst others have been commendable. This government will continue to provide the required guidance and support to ensure that the desired results are achieved.
18.I am duly informed that in recent times, a lot of work has been done to expand and upgrade the facilities of the College. This is to provide a conducive and amenable environment that is fit for purpose.
19.This, you are complementing by ensuring that the College’s curricula speak to the critical needs of the knowledge, skills and aptitudes of the officers to face the dynamic contemporary national security challenges.
20.Your efforts are maintaining the status of the College as a mid-level military training institution of repute. I therefore commend the College Board as well as the Commandant and staff for these remarkable achievements.
21.This government will continue to support the College in its developmental strides. My administration will also continue to give priority to the training and welfare of officers and men of our Armed Forces.
22.Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, let me now return to our graduating students in whose honour we are gathered here today. You, the graduating students, should realize that the nation has made a lot of investment in your training up to this stage of your respective careers.
23.I am confident that you have been sufficiently groomed in character and learning to take-up the challenges you will be confronted with hereafter.
24.For the Nigerian graduating students amongst you, the graduation today is a clarion call to duty in service to our country. Nigeria expects the very best from you in terms of loyalty, commitment to duty and service to your fatherland.
25.Therefore, you must endeavour to make honest and positive contributions in the discharge of the constitutional responsibilities of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, your strategic Ministries, Department and Agencies and be good ambassadors of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College.
26.Let me once again congratulate the Commandant and his team for transforming these graduating students into the highly refined products they have become today. I also congratulate your families whom I expect would be proud of your successful completion of this Senior Course. I want to thank them once again for always holding the home front together as you are moved from place to place as duty calls. We must all join hands and play our part in order to take our country Nigeria to its rightful place of peace and prosperity.
27.I thank you all for listening and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu has announced a new minimum monthly wage of N40,000 for the state’s lowest-paid workers, up from N30,000.
The governor made this declaration during his address to workers at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar on Workers’ Day.
According to Otu, the wage increase is a response to current economic conditions and the limited federal allocations received by the state, rather than a sentimental decision.
Despite acknowledging the state’s industrial output as “very poor” at 5%, the governor expressed his administration’s appreciation for the workers’ efforts.
He said, “Government considers its workforce as the driver of lofty projects and programmes for the common good of the people. Workers in the State are always held in high esteem to achieve good results, which reason prompt payment of salary and pension has been up to date.”
“The State Government is presently on the verge of concluding necessary arrangements for the staggered payment of outstanding gratuity to its retired workers. I therefore sue for a little patience from the pensioners in this regard.”
Additionally, the Organised Labour in Cross River State has criticized the state government, alleging neglect and deceit.
They are demanding open recruitment to fill vacant positions with qualified youths.
According to Comrade Monday Ogolodom, Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the government failed to deliver on its promise to clear the backlog of gratuities owed to senior citizens since 2013, deceiving them.
Addressing workers, Ogolodom said, “Payment of gratuity in the state has become a mirage. I recall on the 4 of October, 2023, during the swearing-in of the Head of Service, Innocent Eteng, His Excellency, the Governor made a very welcoming, sweet and promising speech, saying “before the end of December, 2023 all backlog of Gratuity in the state shall be cleared”.
“Today is 1″ May 2024, 4 (four) months after, nothing has started”, adding that this has portrayed the governor in bad light and appealed to him to set up machinery towards actualizing the promise as some of our elder statesmen and women were dying due to lack of funds for medications.
He claims that bribery for promotion has become widespread, which is demotivating for hardworking and qualified employees.
He also expressed frustration with the prolonged verification exercise aimed at eliminating ghost workers, which has delayed long-overdue promotions for deserving workers.
Furthermore, Ogolodom criticized the government’s secretive recruitment practices, urging them to conduct open and official recruitment exercises instead.
Festus Osifo, head of the Trade Union Congress, didn’t mince words during his address at the 2024 Workers’ Day event in Abuja on Wednesday.
Osifo slammed the high electricity tariffs burdening Nigerians, labeling them unethical.
Urging immediate action, he called upon the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to reverse the tariff hike within a week.
Osifo underscored the severe impact of inconsistent power supply on the nation’s economic growth, stressing the urgency of effective energy management to prevent further setbacks.
He said, “One of the pivotal factors constraining our nation is our glaring incompetence in managing this sector for the collective welfare of our citizens.
“Power, regardless of its source, remains paramount in kickstarting any economy, while oil and gas are indispensable for robust energy success in every country.”
He emphasized that despite over a decade passing since the privatization of the power sector, its challenges persist unchanged.
He said “The reasons are glaringly evident. As long as those who sold the companies remain the buyers, Nigerians will continue to face formidable challenges in the power sector.
“It is unethical to force Nigerians to pay higher tariffs for non-existent electricity. Estimated billing is an extortion and a daylight robbery against Nigerians.
Recall that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) greenlit a significant increase in electricity tariffs for customers falling under the Band A classification.
Musliu Oseni, the Vice Chairman of NERC, confirmed that this adjustment would raise the rate from the current N66 per kilowatt-hour to N225 per kilowatt-hour.
Notably, customers categorized under Band A typically receive 20 hours of electricity supply daily.
The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) and Civil Society Partners (CSP), have revealed that the abduction of the General Editor of FirstNews newspapers, Segun Olatunji, has been referred to the national ombudsman for adjudication.
According to a statement jointly signed by President, Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN)/President, Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), Mal. Kabiru A. Yusuf, and elected officers of the other media bodies in Nigeria, following pressure from the concerned groups, the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), requested a meeting with the NPO, BON and the CSP on April 14, 2024.
The statement disclosed that the military authorities said that they acted to forestall a potential threat to national security and would have reported the matter to the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC) – The National Media Ombudsman – if they had been aware of its existence.
After considering this disposition towards the Ombudsman, the NPO, BON and the CSP have decided after reviewing the outcome of the April 14 meeting, to refer the matter to the Ombudsman for adjudication.
The report of the Ombudsman process would be made public.
We hope that the parties concerned will seize this opportunity to settle the matter in the interest of law, order and respect for the provisions of Nigeria’s constitution.
Besides, the specific issue of Olatunji, the group condemns the increasing militarisation of the civic space, which has seen increasing use of excessive force by soldiers in matters that would have ordinarily be handled by the police.
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