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Akpabio: Lawmakers Not Elected To Fight Executive

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Akpabio

Akpabio: Lawmakers Not Elected To Fight Executive

Akpabio: Lawmakers not elected to fight executive. The Senate president reflected on the importance of cooperation between the National Assembly and the executive.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio says lawmakers were not elected to engage in confrontation with the executive but to foster policies that promote national development.

Mr Akpabio said this in an upcoming documentary to mark two years of the Bola Tinubu administration, according to a statement by presidential aide Bayo Onanuga on Tuesday.

The Senate president reflected on the importance of cooperation between the National Assembly and the executive.

He said, “When elected into the National Assembly, whether in the Senate or the House of Representatives, your constituents will not give you boxing gloves.
“It’s not a boxing tournament. You are there to work in a bipartisan manner for the interest of Nigeria.”

Mr Akpabio emphasised that the relationship between both arms of government had been cordial over the past two years, owing to a shared vision for the country’s progress.

“If you spend all your energy fighting the executive, who will work for Nigeria?” he asked.

He added that the current administration was unique in Nigeria’s history, with a president, First Lady, and vice president, all former senators.

Highlighting legislative priorities, Mr Akpabio said the National Assembly was working on a bill mandating ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to prioritise procuring locally assembled vehicles over imported alternatives.

“We have started the bill for enacting legislation to enable us first purchase automobiles from Nigerian companies before thinking of importing them,” he said.
“We lose billions of dollars annually importing vehicles and other items that can be produced locally.”

Mr Akpabio underscored the urgent need to revive Nigeria’s manufacturing sector, citing the collapse of the textiles industry and cash crops, such as cotton, groundnut and palm oil, which were once the bedrock of the economy.

“Over 50 textile companies have left Nigeria. The cotton industry collapsed. The groundnut industry collapsed. The palm oil industry collapsed. Look at countries like Malaysia that have leveraged palm oil to boost their economies,” he lamented.

Mr Akpabio praised the “Nigeria First” policy championed by the Tinubu administration, describing it as a “fantastic” initiative that deserved legislative backing.

He said discussions were ongoing with the Raw Materials Research and Development Council to promote laws ensuring Nigeria produced most of its consumption.

Mr Akpabio called for more support for local entrepreneurs, noting that even small-scale production ventures such as vinegar or bread could thrive in Nigeria’s vast consumer market.

He promised that the National Assembly would pass the necessary legal instruments to sustain this industrial renaissance and reduce the country’s import dependence.

Akpabio

Akpabio

Regarding checks and balances, Mr Akpabio refuted claims that the legislature was merely rubber-stamping executive decisions.

He noted that the National Assembly had occasionally rejected presidential nominees when necessary.

“People forget that we have made enemies by rejecting some of the nominees that the president sent to us. It’s not everything the president brings that he takes back the same way,” he said.

Mr Akpabio maintained that the assembly’s role was to scrutinise, amend, and support executive actions aligned with national interest.

“Our job is to make sure we cross the Ts and dot the I’s to assist the President in having the best for the Nigerian population,” said Mr Akpabio.

He assured Nigerians that the 10th National Assembly would continue prioritising pro-people legislation supporting the president’s bold reform agenda.

Abuja

Wike Orders ‘Heightened’ Security In FCT, Reactivates ‘Operation Sweep’

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FCT Traders Decry High Shop Rent

Wike Orders ‘Heightened’ Security In FCT, Reactivates ‘Operation Sweep’

Wike orders ‘heightened’ security in FCT, reactivates ‘operation sweep’. Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has directed security agencies to intensify surveillance and strengthen security operations across Abuja, the nation’s capital, as part of renewed efforts to curb criminal activities in the territory.

Speaking on Tuesday at the formal resumption of “Operation Sweep”, Miller Dantawaye, FCT commissioner of police, said the minister had provided the logistics and operational support required for the exercise.

Dantawaye said the operation is being carried out by a joint security team comprising the military, the police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and other agencies already deployed across strategic locations in the capital city.
The police commissioner said the team has been tasked with working more aggressively to prevent kidnappings, banditry and other crimes, especially as the festive season draws nearer.

He added that service chiefs and the inspector-general of police (IGP) have also granted full approval for the renewed operation.
“The FCT minister, His Excellency Nyesom Wike, has given complete support, especially in terms of logistics for this operation,” Dantawaye said.

“By the time we leave here today, the funds for fuelling and servicing of vehicles, as well as allowances for personnel, will have dropped into an account we can access.”

Operation Sweep

Operation Sweep

Dantawaye also said part of the renewed operation will focus on profiling individuals loitering around the city under the guise of begging, noting that some of them have been found to engage in criminal activities.
“We know that amongst the people who claim to be beggars, some are not exactly beggars. Most come with criminal intent,” he said.
“We are going to profile them and take off the streets those who are criminally minded, even if they claim to be beggars.”

He added that the police will work with relevant agencies, including the Abuja environmental protection board (AEPB), to determine the appropriate legal steps to manage street begging and ensure overall safety in the city.

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Abuja

Army Bosses To Wike: “The Soldier’s Reaction Is The Courage Of A Disciplined Soldier”

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Army Bosses To Wike

Army Bosses To Wike: “The Soldier’s Reaction Is The Courage Of A Disciplined Soldier”

Army Bosses to Wike: “The Soldier’s reaction is the courage of a disciplined soldier”. Here is the view of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) about the stand-off between Wike and Yerima in Abuja.

“Every soldier has an element of madness…
For while the right thinking man withdraws from danger, a soldier charges towards it

GENERAL OO OLUYEDE OFR

CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF”.

The Nigerian Defence Academy does not produce docile officers. The officer’s response reflects admirable composure and emotional intelligence-qualities that lie at the heart of military leadership training.

His ability to remain calm, firm, and respectful under verbal provocation demonstrates discipline and professionalism.

Army Bosses To Wike

Army Bosses To Wike

Nevertheless, it is both unfortunate and inappropriate for a federal minister to use such language toward a serving officer of the Armed Forces.

Public officials should model civility and restraint, especially when addressing those in uniform who embody national service and sacrifice”.

Notwithstanding, the case is subject to my scrutiny.

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Abuja

Orji Kalu Backs Trump, Says “Nigerian Christians Subjected To ‘Mass Slaughter’ By Jihadists”

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Orji Kalu Says

Orji Kalu Backs Trump, Says “Nigerian Christians Subjected To ‘Mass Slaughter’ By Jihadists”

Orji Kalu backs Trump, says “Nigerian Christians subjected to ‘mass slaughter’ by Jihadists”. Senator Orji Kalu has backed American President Donald Trump’s allegation that Christians in Nigeria are being targeted for massacre by “Jihadists”.

Senator Orji Kalu has backed American President Donald Trump’s allegation that Christians in Nigeria are being targeted for massacre by “Jihadists”.

Mr Kalu made this statement when asked on Tuesday at the National Assembly about his take on Mr Trump’s recent comments on alleged Christian genocide in the country.

“What Donald Trump said, “is it a lie? It is not a lie because Donald Trump said the Truth,” replied Mr Kalu.
In a social media post in October, Mr Trump said, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’ — But that is the least of it.”

The senator noted, however, that “Nigerians are being killed, whether they are Christians or Muslims”.

“If they (terrorists) kill in Plateau, those they kill are Christians. If they go to Benue, the majority of people they’ll kill are Christians,” explained the former Abia governor. “If they go to Zamfara, the people they will kill in the mosque are Muslims. These people are jihadists. These people just want to destroy Nigeria. We should blacklist them without pity so that they will be smoked out.”

Mr Kalu added, “Before President Trump says a word, the American intelligence community must have found out where these terrorists are located. You can see that the Nigerian Air Force is already acting, possibly using information shared by the U.S. to bomb terrorist hideouts. That’s how it should be.”

Orji Kalu Says

Orji Kalu Says

Following up on his initial post, the U.S. president said, “If the Nigerian government continues to allow the k1lling of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.

“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”

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