Tag: Femi Adesina

  • Buhari Served Nigeria Meritoriously In Eight Years – Femi Adesina

    Buhari Served Nigeria Meritoriously In Eight Years – Femi Adesina

    Presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, says President Muhammadu Buhari served Nigeria “meritoriously” throughout his administration.

    Adesina, in a statement on Sunday, claimed Buhari would not be leaving the country the way he met it.

    Recall that Buhari emerged president of the country in 2015 and won the seat for a second term in 2019.

    However, his eight-year tenure will come to an end on May 29.

    Meanwhile, as Buhari prepares to leave office this month, Adesina has described his administration’s “achievement” as “a collector’s item”.

    “Those who are objective, taking a dispassionate look at this fact sheet, would admit that President Buhari came, and served meritoriously. As he had promised many times, he would not be leaving Nigeria the way he met it,” part of his statement read.

  • Why Buhari made u-turn on fuel subsidy removal – Adesina

    Why Buhari made u-turn on fuel subsidy removal – Adesina

    Despite describing it as a fraud, President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to remove fuel subsidy payments as he promised prior to the 2015 general election.

    About eight years down Buhari’s tenure, which will end in May, the fuel subsidy payments persist and the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed has said the payments will gulp N3.36 trillion in the first six months of this year.

    However, Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity explained that the President failed to remove fuel subsidy payments due to economic and social factors.

    “Each time there is an effort to fight the fraud in the subsidy regime, you have to contend with labour, you have to contend with the people. The government needed to weigh its options because of the social consequences,” Adesina said on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Wednesday.

    Recall that during his campaign ahead of the 2015 presidential election, Buhari had questioned the justification behind retaining fuel subsidy and described it as a fraud.

    However, about eight years after, the Buhari administration announced recently that subsidy removal will come into effect in June 2023 after he must have completed his two terms in office.

    Adesina blamed his principal’s inability to remove subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, on economic and social factors.

    “In the beginning, his (Buhari’s) position was: what was subsidy really? But over the years it became evident that the country was bleeding, the economy was bleeding, there was a lot of haemorrhage which needed to be stopped and the time came and that time is now,” Adesina said.

    The presidential aide also said that petrol subsidy had stayed longer than required. He added that almost every Nigerian has now come to the realisation that it must come to a stop.

    Meanwhile, speaking during a public presentation and breakdown of the 2023 Appropriation Act in Abuja, the Minister of Finance confirmed that payment of fuel subsidy will stop by the end of June 2023.

    She noted that in the 2023 fiscal period, the government made provisions of N3.36 trillion naira for fuel subsidy payment to cover the first six months of 2023.

    This, according to her, is in line with the 18-month extension announced early 2022.

  • President Buhari To Present 2023 Budget Proposal To NASS On Friday – Adesina

    President Buhari To Present 2023 Budget Proposal To NASS On Friday – Adesina

    President Muhammadu Buhari will on Friday present the proposed N19.76 trillion budget for the 2023 fiscal year to the National Assembly. 

    This is according to presidential aide Femi Adesina who briefed reporters at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.

    “It was virtually one item in the Federal Executive Council meeting. The budget proposal for 2023 was presented and discussed at length,” he explained.

    “That budget proposal would be taken to the National Assembly on Friday morning by the President.”

    He, however, failed to give details of the council’s decision as a “mark of respect for the national assembly”.

    Adesina, who also spoke about the hybrid FEC sessions (in-person and online participants), said the move was in line with the country’s COVID-19 guidelines.

    “You know you have to follow the protocol as done by the steering committee on COVID-19. The last protocol they announced was that when you are in an open place, you are at liberty to do without your mask, but when you are in an enclosed place, then it is advisable to still use your mask,” Adesina noted.

    “The Council Chamber is enclosed. There are, I think 42 ministers by the time 42 ministers congregate there, along with other cabinet office staff, it’s becoming choked.

    “Then it may not be advisable to have a full-blown physical meeting yet, but I’m sure we’ll get to that point.”

  • Obasanjo, others built Second Niger Bridge for 16 years with mouth – Femi Adesina

    Obasanjo, others built Second Niger Bridge for 16 years with mouth – Femi Adesina

    By Joyce Babayeju

    Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President Muhammadu Buhari has said former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, and his successors elected under the Peoples Democratic Party platform built the Second Niger bridge with mouth for sixteen years.

    Adesina, who made the claim in an article titled, ‘NDABOSKI! If Only For 2nd Niger Bridge, This Country Won’t Ever Forget Buhari’, and shared on his official Facebook page on Thursday, noted that the successive PDP governments only pay lip service to the project.
    The presidential spokesman noted that despite the trauma and travails users of the River Niger bridge passes through, the administrations before that of his principal, the President Muhammadu Buhari used words of mouth to sway the people for votes when its election time.

    According to him, when politicians want the votes of South Easterners as elections approach, they go and offload shovels, pickaxes, wheelbarrows, cutlasses, and others at the site, as if that is what is required to build a bridge of that magnitude.

    He wrote, “Built-in 1965, the artery between the South East, South-South, and the rest of the country has become grossly inadequate, and torture to navigate at peak seasons. There was a year travelers even spent the night on the bridge.
    “There is a long history to the building of a second bridge over the River Niger, and it had over the years become a tool of false promises, lies, and propaganda.

    “When politicians want the votes of South Easterners as elections approach, they go and offload shovels, pickaxes, wheelbarrows, cutlasses, and others at the site, as if that is what is required to build a bridge of that magnitude.

    “After they’ve got the votes, they come to remove their miserable implements. Goodbye basket, I’ve carried all my apples. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) did it for 16 years, building the bridge with their mouths.”

    After giving details on the project from the successive military regimes before Obasanjo’s presidency, Adesina wrote, “Then came Olusegun Obasanjo, a former military head of state, as civilian President. He promised to build the bridge. It didn’t happen in eight years.

    “About five days before he left office, Obasanjo flagged off the project, to cost N58.6 billion, and handed it to his successor, Umaru Yar’Adua. No action in the three years that the administration lasted. Understandably so, for Yar’Adua was infirm.
    “Then came Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who even at a point added Azikiwe to his name. He promised Heaven on earth, saying he was a South easterner, and he would build the bridge.

    During a Town Hall meeting on August 30, 2012, in the region, he said what would he claim he had done for his Igbo brethren, if he didn’t build the bridge.

    “Later, Azikiwe disappeared from Jonathan’s name, and the Second Niger bridge disappeared with it. All that happened in the about six years that the administration lasted was a Federal Executive Council approval for final planning and design of the bridge. All motion, no movement.”

    On Buhari’s response, he added, “And then came the man from Daura, a Fulani, with no affinity with the South East. He didn’t make promises, he didn’t boast. He just went to work quietly.

    “From September 1, 2018, without fanfare or swashbuckling, action started on the Second Niger bridge. Babatunde Raji Fashola, Minister for Works and Housing, was the chief executioner.

    Doggedly, he and his principal set to work. And here we are today. What has defeated many military and civilian administrations is now reality in our country.”

  • Governors use Buhari as shield for poor performance – Femi Adesina

    Governors use Buhari as shield for poor performance – Femi Adesina

    Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President Muhammadu Buhari has alleged that some governors in the country used the president as a shield for their poor performance in office.

    Adesina who made the claim in an article titled, ‘Zulum Zooms In’, and shared on his official Facebook page on Thursday, noted that the governors quickly found respite in blaming Buhari for every wrong thing within their control.

    He explained that though the president was open to everyone, including his die-hard critics among the governors, they still chose to antagonize him, in order to cover up their ineptitude.

    According to Adesina, some governors used to abuse him in daytime, then would come to the Presidential Villa under cover of darkness, and he still opened the doors to them.

    The article read in part, “Some Governors think they can be heroes by antagonizing the President. If they owe salaries and pensions, once the month is ending, they begin to abuse the President, thinking their people would forget the outstanding salaries and pensions.

    Second Niger Bridge named after Buhari, not Jonathan – Bashir Ahmad
    “When they have not built a single kilometer of road, it is Buhari. When infrastructure has decayed under them, it is Buhari. When they can’t secure the lives and property of the people they govern, it is Buhari.

    “They play to the gallery, thinking they will receive applause from their people. No, the only sound the people hear is the rumbling from their bellies, due to hunger. And they know where their problems come from.”

  • AFCON 2021: Femi Adesina slams those who blame Buhari for Nigeria’s elimination

    AFCON 2021: Femi Adesina slams those who blame Buhari for Nigeria’s elimination

    Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, has slammed those who took to social media to blame President Muhammadu Buhari for Super Eagles’ 1-0 defeat against Tunisia at the ongoing 2021 Africa Cup of (AFCON) in Cameroon.

    Tunisia had eliminated Nigeria from the AFCON in the round of 16 a few days ago.

    Before the match, Buhari held a video conference with the Super Eagles to wish them good luck against Tunisia.

    However, as soon as the match ended, some Nigerians took to social media to call out Buhari, saying the video conference was bad luck to the Super Eagles.

    But Adesina, in an article entitled, ‘Losing Is Part Of The Game,’ berated those behind the social media post.

    He insisted that the same people would have come out to condemn the President if the Super Eagles had gone into the match against Tunisia without any support from him.

    His post read in part, “I have read many silly, idiotic and imbecilic comments, trying to link the loss to the video conference the President had with the players on Sunday morning. Witless. Thoughtless. And incidentally, if the Super Eagles had gone into the match without encouragement from their President, the same people would have come out to condemn the leader of the country for being taciturn and insensitive. Head or tail, you never win with some Nigerians.

    “There are countries, and football teams, who have established a tradition for being outstanding in soccer. But such teams and countries have lost scandalously before, underscoring the truth that losing is part of the game.”

  • Insecurity: Buhari will end insurgency in next 17 months – Femi Adesina

    Insecurity: Buhari will end insurgency in next 17 months – Femi Adesina

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina has said his principal can end insurgency before the end of his tenure in 2023.

    Adesina said Buhari government would take out those behind insurgency within the next 17 months remaining.

    Speaking with Channels Television, the presidential spokesman recounted how the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka was taken out after 28 years of rebellion.

    According to Adesina: “Nothing is impossible. I always refer to the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.

    “That rebellion lasted for 28 years. But one day, the mastermind of that rebellion was taken out and that was the automatic ending of it.

    “Those who are behind this insurgency will be taken out. They are being taken out one after the other and it will get to a point that the last of them will be taken out, and then we’ll get to the end of it. It can be done within 17 months that remains for this administration.”

  • Sen Abaribe Ought To Be Cooling Off In Prison – Femi Adesina

    Sen Abaribe Ought To Be Cooling Off In Prison – Femi Adesina

    Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, says Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe ought to be cooling off in prison.

    Abaribe, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator from Abia State, stood as surety for Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), before he jumped bail in 2017.

    Kanu was later rearrested and he is currently in custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).

    In his weekly article, Adesina alluded to how Abaribe stood as Kanu’s surety.

    Although he neither mentioned the name of Abaribe nor Kanu’s, it was clear that he was referring to the duo.

    “Some people incite violence through words or actions, thus exacerbating the security challenges we have. You wonder where they are from, and why they would further stoke a burning fire with incendiary materials.

    “There is one funny Senator who talks about the mismanagement of our diversity as a country, yet he daily uses foul language against those in leadership.

    “He stood surety for someone bent on dismemberment of the country, and when that one vanished, and he should have been cooling his feet in prison, the Senator still spews rubbish. Chief ‘mismanager’ of our diversity. And the President had words for him and his ilk, who exist round the country.

    “We are ready to arrest and prosecute all persons inciting violence through words or action. Our resolve for a peaceful, united and one Nigeria remains resolute and unwavering…

    “The seeds of violence are planted in people’s heads through words. Reckless utterances of a few have led to losses of many innocent lives and destruction of properties.”

  • Why Buhari can’t seek Medical Check-up in Nigeria – Femi Adesina

    Why Buhari can’t seek Medical Check-up in Nigeria – Femi Adesina

    Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina has revealed why his principal cannot seek medical attention in Nigeria.

    Adesina said Buhari could not be treated in Nigeria because he has his own medical team in the United Kingdom.

    According to him, the President has used the medical team for over 40 years, hence the need to continue seeking medical help in the country.

    Why I never liked PDP – Femi Adesina

    He said this while defending Buhari’s frequent medical tour to the United Kingdom.

    DAILY POST reported that Buhari had on Monday departed Abuja for London to enable him to attend the Global Education Summit on Financing Global Partnership for Education (GPE) 2021-2025 in the UK.

    Disclosing this, Adesina said the President would remain in London for two weeks to enable him to undergo his earlier scheduled medical checkup in London.

    When asked why the President could not have been treated in Nigeria, Adesina told Channels Television’s Politics Today, “President Buhari has been with the same doctors and medical team for upward of 40 years.

    “It’s advisable that he continues with those who know his medical history and that is why he comes to London to see them. He has used the same medical team for over 40 years. Once you can afford it, then stay with the team that has your history.”

  • Nigerians Should Not Depend On Buhari Alone For Security – Femi Adesina

    Nigerians Should Not Depend On Buhari Alone For Security – Femi Adesina

    The presidency on Monday said Nigeri­ans will be making a grave mistake if they believe that it is the sole re­sponsibility of President Mu­hammadu Buhari to provide security for the country.

    Femi Adesina, Special Ad­viser on Media and Publicity, who disclosed this while fea­turing as a guest on Channels Television programme, ‘Poli­tics Today’, said the president was right when he charged school owners, including state and local governments, to scale up security around their educational institu­tions.

    According to him, while he swore to protect the lives and property of Nigerians as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, every Ni­gerian is part of the security architecture of the country.

    “That can only be wrong and it can only be part of the problem, rather than the solution. Security is every­body’s business. Even at the ward and local government levels, people can be part of the security apparatus. Be­cause when you see some­thing and you say something, you are contributing to the security architecture of the country.

    “When you see strangers loitering around and mov­ing suspiciously at the local level, you can tell somebody. You can tell the traditional rulers who will tell the se­curity agencies. If we have the mindset that everything about security is the duty of the president, then that can only be wrong.

    “Yes, the president has the responsibility to guarantee safety of lives and property according to the constitution that he swore to uphold but to say that it is his sole business, responsibility or prerogative, we will be very wrong. Every­body is part of the security architecture of the country. It is just that the responsibility weighs heavier on one person than the others but we all are part of it”.

    Speaking further, Adesi­na said state governors as the chief security officers of their respective states have the duty to secure their states as they have sworn to do un­der the constitution.

    “You are talking of diffus­ing power so that state gov­ernment can be in charge, they have always been in charge. Governors are the chief security officers of their states, it is not the pres­ident. It is very convenient to talk about true federalism when it pleases us, at other times, it is also convenient to heap all the blames on the president.

    “Governors are the chief security officers of their states and they have a role to play in the security architec­ture of the country. Yes, the president is the command­er-in-chief and the bulk stops on his table but governors are chief security officers of their states”.

    Also reacting to the spate of abductions under Presi­dent Buhari, Adesina said Ni­gerians should be concerned about the swift response of the government in rescuing the abducted students rath­er than focusing on why the kidnapping occurred in the first place.

    “Now when these abduc­tions happen, how did it end? You have Dapchi, they were recovered. You had Kankara, they were recovered. You had Kagara, they were recovered. We are working on Jangebe in Zamfara now. You look at the end result not just that it happened.

    “This is a vast country with security challenges. There could be glitches, there could be shortcomings in one area or the other but how did those things end? So, Nigeri­ans should give some credit to this government.

    “There is nothing wrong in being reactive; you can’t be proactive about everything. In security, there are things you can also react to. Yes, you can be proactive in pre­venting certain things, but the truth is that, you cannot prevent everything.

    “No single country in the world has been able to pre­vent all security glitches. It happens. But the speed with which you react and the effi­ciency with which you react will matter”.

    Also speaking on last Fri­day’s abduction of female students from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, Adesina said all cards are on the ta­ble to ensure that they are rescued at the shortest pos­sible time.

    “The Zamfara girls will be rescued at the shortest possible time. That is why government is working, the state government is working, security and inter-security are working. Everything is being done to bring those girls back.

    “Every card is on the ta­ble. Each situation is taken according to its peculiarity. There are situations in which there will be dialogue, there will be situations in which there will be negotiations”.