News
Wike finally appears in public, says Tinubu best thing to happen to Nigeria
Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has finally put to rest speculations over the state of his health with his public appearance when he led a delegation of the people Abuja and environs to visit President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, on Sunday.
There had been immense speculations over issues of his health with some people on social media claiming that he was flown to France, after he allegedly collapsed at a function, which heightened when he was not seen in public for some days.
But Wike, whose home, Rivers State, had been on political fire since October 2023, reaching the anticlimax with imposition of a State of Emergency, ended the speculation with his visit to the President, whom he once again showered with profuse accolades.
Wike, who was at the Presidential Villa to pay Sallah homage to the President, told his host that the FCT residents were “deeply grateful” for his leadership and not only willingly donating their unwavering loyalty but would ensure the success of his “exemplary programmes and policies.”
His words: “The residents of the FCT are deeply grateful for your leadership and the initiatives that are being undertaken to enhance the well-being of all of us. We reaffirm our unwavering loyalty and support for the renewed hope agenda and pledge our continuous cooperation in ensuring the success of your exemplary programmes and policies.
“Despite our different backgrounds, we are united in our unwavering support for your administration and the renewed hope agenda. This unity demonstrates the collective commitment of the people to national progress and development under your visionary leadership.”
Tinubu, who praised the Minister for doing a good job, said his efforts had restored abandoned projects in the FCT and improved healthcare facilities, added that the feat was more remarkable considering that the former Governor of Rivers State was not from the North.
Recounting the conversation between him and the Minister, the first non-northerner since 1999, Tinubu, explained that it was because of the sterling and staller performance that convinced him to remove the FCT from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) to enhance faster development.
Hear the President: “I remember the day Nyesom Wike came to me and said, ‘Please, take us out of this problem of TSA so that I can do more work and achieve more’,” Tinubu said.
“Then I said, ‘Okay, tell me what you’re about to do.’ And he presented it. I threw in my own political guide: ‘Would that give me any opportunity for my party to win the election in FCT?’
“I said, ‘I know where you are coming from, your own party or my party. If this thing goes too much in your own favour, you will lose your job.’ Then he said, ‘Okay, we settle that, Oga.’ Surprisingly, Nyesom Wike is not from the north. He’s not a Hausa man. He’s from the southern part of Nigeria.
“His ability to work in the centre of the northern part of Nigeria is yielding fruits. That is a very good reflection of our diversity that we must use for our prosperity.”
Tinubu appealed for unity among Nigerians, emphasising the need to support one another in both times of joy and need.
On his part, Wike said removing FCT administration from TSA, appointment of permanent secretaries, and creation of FCT civil service commission have enhanced governance and service delivery in the capital city.
During the visit, Wike, who invited the President to the commissioning of projects completed in the past 12 months to commemorate Tinubu’s second anniversary, presented a Sallah special greetings card to Tinubu on behalf of the people of the area.
Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Wednesday showcased Peter Obi, its presidential candidate in the 2027 election, but gave a proviso – his importance would not be at the expense of the party.
A guest on Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS Television, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, now Senator representing West at the National Assembly, maintained that the belief in some quarters that Obi’s entrance into the party was a favour was completely misplaced.
Instead, he argued that the opposite was the case, as it was the party that was doing its candidates a favour by giving them the opportunity to contest elective positions on its platform in the 2027 elections, a gesture that ought to be returned.
Hear him: “Don’t make it look like anyone is doing NDC a favour. No one is. Rather, the NDC and I and my colleagues are doing people a favour by granting our platform. If you are genuinely supporting Peter Obi and you are disparaging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsensical.”
Stressing that NDC had demonstrated confidence in Obi by adopting Obi as its sole presidential candidate and selecting a vice-presidential candidate without internal disputes, he said it was enough to earn its leadership the gratitude it deserved.
He added: “Nobody paid shishi. So, if a presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to be made the sole presidential candidate and sole vice-presidential candidate, that same party cannot be the one saying that small people are underprivileged.
“I could have run. There’s no one more qualified than me. There’s no one more qualified than me to run for presidential candidate. None. There is no crisis within the NDC. Peter Obi is a cherished member of our party. On our own, we have made him a presidential candidate. Sole presidential candidate. And that counts for something. We are working well together. There’s no crisis.”
Invoking its zero tolerance on issues of security breaches, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has clamped down on aircraft and crew of the privately operated jet that landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba, Delta state.
Even with regulatory body for airline operations in Nigeria informed that no casualties were recorded in the incident, it still went for its sanctions in line with its sworn position of maintaining maximum safety at every point.
In a statement on Wednesday, Michael Achimugu, its spokesman said preliminary reports indicated that the aircraft conducted a missed approach while attempting to land at Asaba airport at about 7:43am.
Achimugu: Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said: “Reports received from personnel at the scene indicate that all occupants safely exited the aircraft and were transported to Asaba by road,” Achimugu said. The aircraft had four (4) crew members on board. At this time, no injuries to passengers or crew have been reported.
“Preliminary information available to the authority indicated that the aircraft later departed the location and returned to Lagos without obtaining the required regulatory approval. Air traffic control was informed only after the aircraft had become airborne.”
Stressing that the action constitutes a violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) and is currently under investigation by the authority, he said the NCAA immediately grounded the aircraft upon its arrival in Lagos pending the outcome of investigations.
He added: “The flight crew have been placed under regulatory review while the NCAA conducts further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the occurrence and the subsequent unauthorised departure of the aircraft.
“The NCAA has formally notified the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) of the occurrence and is coordinating with relevant aviation stakeholders, including the operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Stating that the NCAA immediately suspended the operator’s permit for non-commercial flight (PNCF), he added that the authority would review all operational, airworthiness, maintenance and flight-related records as part of its statutory responsibilities and take further enforcement action in accordance with applicable aviation regulations.
Achimugu said the NCAA remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety, security, and regulatory compliance within the Nigerian aviation sector.
Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, swore to the integrity of the process that led to his picking the party’s ticket, saying it remained untainted and consistent with the wills of the members.
Against the backdrop of the insistence of Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), that he stole the ticket by corrupting the process, Atiku, Vice President between 1999 and 2007, pooh-poohed the claim.
Before the former SGF Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation as well as Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Chairman of Nigeria Economic Summit Group, both candidates in the contest for the ADC ticket, had rejected the process as flawed, even before the outcome.
Lawal, who had earlier announced his resignation from the ADC a fortnight ago and made sundry allegations of gaming the system against Atiku, had doubled down on Monday, while appearing on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, claiming he personally monitored the exercise and had evidence that the primary was rigged.
Hear him: “Don’t forget I was the National Vice Chairman (North-East). I was in the field during the exercise, so I have evidence. Atiku’s people are the ones trying to deny what they did. We are all human beings. We know what they did. I knew the primary was rigged at the point it was being done and the results declared.”
Regardless that neither Amaechi nor Hayatu-Deen had recanted their original position Atiku, insisted that nothing was amiss, adding that his opponents actually won in the areas of their individual popularity and stronghold.
Conveying his position through Phrank Shaibu, his spokesman, who appeared as a guest on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, the former VP said: “Anybody who claims rigging or irregularity in the last election should check the places and locations they won. Where are the states that Rotimi Amaechi won? If you check the figures and the margins he got there, you will know that those are his strongholds. It was not a fraudulent process.
Maintaining that the burden of proving any fraud rested on the former SGF Shaibu, Shaibu depicted his boss as the most popular among the contestants, arguing that the outcome of the event should not be surprising to anybody.
He said of the ex-SGF: “Babachir reminds me of a baby who is yanked off her mother’s breast while suckling. It is like a deprived suckling; definitely the baby will throw tantrums. He admitted on your show that his preferred candidate was Hayatu-Deen. He worked for him.”
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