More photos from GEJ's Thanksgiving in Bayelsa yesterday.
“As far as the President is concerned, the place (his official residence) is not ready yet. Workers are cleaning and refurbishing the place. Once the exercise is completed, the President will move in.”When asked to be specific on how soon Buhari would move in, Shehu said he believed it would not take time.
“As we are talking now, we do not know his (the President’s) activities for tomorrow (today). We cannot plan for his activities. We do not know which groups he will be meeting or how many people he will be meeting.
It is when we have an idea of those who he will be meeting that we can schedule them regarding allocation of time and venue. These would have been easier for us if a Chief of Staff is in place.”A security source also said the situation was affecting the security department. He said because they were not carried along, the inauguration gala night held inside the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa on Friday nearly flopped as people kept trooping in.
“For now, we are waiting for the two big men (President and Vice President) to move into the Villa so that we can do our jobs. For now, we are only securing the seat of power without the men of power,” he declared.
“I worked formerly as a truck driver. That was in 2009. My boss was Mr. Ogbonna Okorie, who used to load bags of rice in the Seme area. My route is from Mile 2 to the border area. I also ply the Idiroko area in Ogun State. I came to Lagos in 2005, and I used to stay with my uncle in the Maryland area before I joined the gang.
“The first vehicle we stole was a Toyota Camry. I drove it to Benin, Edo State, where we sold it for N600,000. The second car was a Toyota Sienna which I took to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and sold for N700,000. I sold it to one Lucky Oboh. We usually removed the plate numbers when selling so that our buyers would not suspect the vehicles were stolen. I was given N300,000 as my share.
“The third one was another Toyota Camry, which I drove to the Badagry area of Lagos to sell. The fourth was a Toyota Sienna and I was to also take it to Port Harcourt when the police arrested me. I am not the gang leader. The leader is known simply as Segun.
“My role is to find a buyer for the vehicle and drive it to his location after an agreement. It was the gang leader who operated with this gun. I was also a drug addict and I used the robbery proceeds to take care of my mother who had a poor health.”
“We started in the northern parts of the country because of the challenges we are facing there with the desert encroaching into the country and people still cut down trees. Now, the President wants it to spread throughout the country and so we have this project. The ministry has received N5 billion so far. You know when N9.2 billion was approved by the Federal Government last year, we told Nigerians that N9.2 billion has been approved by the Federal Government. But so far, N5 billion has been released to the ministry. We have given the contractor 15 per cent, which is N1.3 billion. That is what we have released to the contractor and we still have N3.7 billion in the ministry’s account.”she said
He said: “The country had been poorly managed in the last eight years and it would take someHe urged Nigerians to be really patient with the incoming administration because the damage that had been done to the country in the last eight years could not be corrected overnight.
time for Buhari’s government to correct the anomalies. But I want to tell him not to be frightened.”
“What I would say is that we should all put our minds at rest. He (Buhari) is someone that will perform but we must exercise patience because what has been destroyed for eight years cannot be undone overnight.
But like the Chinese proverb which says the journey of a thousand miles starts with a step, it is not only the first step (that matters) but the first step in the right direction because if you take a wrong step, you’re not likely to get to the destination,” he said.
He further said:
“When I came in 1999, there was no fuel and power. The situation was like this and I thought we have put that one behind us,” he stressed, even as he expressed confidence in the ability of Buhari to surmount the hurdle.
The man that is coming on board has a lot of experience in terms of governance. He is not a novice in governance having ruled the country as a military Head of State from 1983 to 1985. Nigerians need to exercise patience because what has been destroyed in eight years cannot be rebuilt in a day,” Obasanjo maintained.Recalling his years as military Head of State between 1976 and 1979, Obasanjo said he worked closely with Buhari and that their association produced great results.
“Let’s give him time. Let’s pray for him and let’s cooperate with him. We are all concerned about the present situation of Nigeria. The expectation is very high but at the same time, there is a lot of goodwill internally and externally for the incoming government.
Once the incoming administration realises this and takes every step, particularly in the first three months when people will be watching and counting, I think for me, we will get there,” the former Peoples Democratic Party leader said.Obasanjo warned Buhari not to take Nigerians for granted as he called on him to always be honest in his dealing with the populace.
“God has provided a new opportunity for Nigeria and Nigerians and I believe God does not make mistakes. There are two things I believe the incoming President appreciates; one is that he knows that the expectations of Nigerians are high and two, that he should not be frightened by the situation on the ground.”
He said: “It is disheartening to know that the incoming government of Buhari will have to contend with a debt of over $60billion and there is nothing to show for this huge debt. Well, we would know what happened to these monies, because I believe that the Buhari administration has to, and should, in national interest, investigate the administration so that we would know what happened.”
“all the political parties are the same [and] very bad.” adding that “I rather steer clear of it. I support anyone who comes to me for money based on what I make of their person irrespective of political affiliations,” he said.
"You know, really, I don’t give a damn (about) what Obasanjo says about me.Asked whether the former president scuttled his political career/presidential ambition, Atiku replied;
As far as I am concerned, Obasanjo may believe that he scuttled my presidential ambition, but I believe it is about God. If God says I will be president, I will be president; if he says I will not be president, I will not be president. Let’s forget about Obasanjo.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, May 11, 2015 arraigned Uchenna Nwako, Ejikeme Oluchukwu, Nnamani Ikechukwu, Ibeh kodili Martins and Nwako Victoria Ifeoma before Justice D.V Agishir of the Federal High Court, Enugu, on a 16-count charge bordering on intent to defraud and obtaining N26,338,000 by false pretence.The five accused persons were picked up by EFCC operatives on February 27, 2013 after intelligence reports indicated that they were involved in fraudulent activities bordering on cybercrime.
