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Buhari Was Uncomfortable With Politics, But He Believed In Rule Of Law, Says Amina Mohammed

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Buhari Was Uncomfortable With Politics, But He Believed In Rule Of Law, Says Amina Mohammed

Buhari was uncomfortable with politics, but he believed in rule of law, says Amina Mohammed. Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations (UN), says the late former President Muhammadu Buhari was uncomfortable with politics but swept his feelings aside for governance.

Buhari died on Sunday in London and was buried in Daura, Katsina state, on Tuesday. He was president from 2015 to 2023.

Mohammed, who served as minister of environment under Buhari from 2015 to 2016, eulogised her former boss in an interview with Channels TV.

She recounted how the late former president played an advisory role in encouraging her to take up the UN appointment as its deputy secretary-general.

“We were sitting in a meeting in Marrakesh at a climate meeting, and Ban Ki-moon came over and said, ‘We think that the new secretary-general is going to ask you to come and be his deputy,’ and I said, ‘No, it’s not possible; I’ve come home, and I’m serving’,” she recalled.

“And then, I had a discussion with him (Buhari) to say that I really needed his support and if they came to ask him, he shouldn’t say yes. He said, ‘Of course not. We need all our people back here in the team to serve Nigeria; we need the best’.

“So, I felt very confident and left Marrakesh for India, which was my next trip. And in India, I got a call from the current secretary-general to ask if I could be his deputy secretary-general.

“So, I said with a lot of confidence, ‘I can’t. I can’t leave the service that I have, and I’m committed to President Muhamad Buhari.’

“So, he said, “will you allow me to speak to him? I said, ‘Of course, you can speak to him’.

“I have to tell you, I was very confident that my president would say no. So, I left India, I went home, and they said the president was looking for me.

“I went and sat in front of him, and he talked to me for a long time about service, and I just thought, ‘My God, I know where he’s going’.

“And at the end of it, after explaining why these things mattered in terms of representing the country. He said, ‘But of course, the decision is yours’. And in my head, I just thought, ‘My goodness me, of course, the decision is not mine’.

“In our culture, when a man of that status, one that you look to as a father, speaks to you, know that he wants the best, and so the only thing you can say is ‘Yes, sir’.”

‘BUHARI WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH POLITICS’
When asked about the legacy Buhari’s administration bequeathed to Nigerians, Mohammed noted that Buhari was convinced about sacrificing for the good of the nation.

“I think first and foremost is that this is an officer and a gentleman who went through from a military role to a democracy. He dropped his uniform, and he embraced democracy,” she said.
“I don’t think he was always comfortable with politics, but what he did was try and try and try again.

“He believed in the rule of law, and he believed in a system that even if it was imperfect, he would keep trying until he got to where he needed to get to. And it was God’s will that he would be the president at the time he was.”

Mohammed said she wanted Nigerians to note that, like Buhari recognised, progress does not happen overnight.

“The struggle of Nigeria is what I think he leaves—is that you don’t give up on this country; it’s the only one you have, and it is not perfect, but it’s up to us to do that nation building,” she said.

“And he was sometimes very excited and looked to see the potential and pushed us, but he was also at times disappointed in our responses in terms of what we were going to do and whether we were ready to go that last mile.

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Buhari

“And I think that what we have to think about is that he gave it his all. Whenever he was asked to serve, he served, and we have to think about that.

“To serve is not an easy thing to do. It is a sacrifice—enormous sacrifice to his wife, to his children, to his family, and to his lifestyle, because remember, he was also not a person who was always out there.

“He was very much one that kept his own council and a very small gathering of trusted friends and family.”

Mohammed said Buhari stood for the courage of his conviction, adding that the late former president never wavered in the time she worked with him and encouraged Nigerians to embody the same morals.

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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