Buhari’s Government Drags Kaduna Governor, El-Rufai To Court Over Encroachment Of School Land

 

President Muhammadu Buhari-led Nigerian government has sued the Kaduna State government over the state government’s attempt to forcibly take part of the land of the Federal Government College (FGC), Malali.

There are allegations that the administration of Governor Nasir El-Rufai wants to take the land for friends and cronies to build private mansions.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has said the action of the Kaduna State government exposes the staff and students of the school to security threats.

In a writ of summons, the Nigerian government sought among others “A declaration that the claimants through the FGC Kaduna are the rightful owner of all the land comprising the FGC and including the land at the bank of River Kaduna.

“A declaration that the FGC, Kaduna be allowed to achieve its mandate in peace as enshrined in the Act establishing it and as provided under the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“An order of restoration of the fence pulled down by the defendants to its original status.

“An order of prohibition forbidding the defendants from depriving the claimant the use of all the land granted the college through the claimants in achieving their mandate.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants whether by themselves, agents, servants or privies from committing further acts of trespass on Federal Government College land Kaduna.”

The Nigerian government also prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining her (the defendant) from committing further acts of trespass on the school land.

Also, the Nigerian government petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), asking for the deployment of police personnel to protect the students, staff and properties of the school from the state government.

SaharaReporters in April reported how the Old Students Association of the FGC rejected the attempt by the state government to forcibly use part of the school land for private buildings, saying that they have information that the land area had already been shared among friends and cronies of the state governor, El-Rufai.

The FGC alumni noted that a similar move was made in 2015 and rebuffed, adding that on April 17, 2023, the state government, through the Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Lands, Surveys and Country Planning, wrote to the school principal and within 30 minutes of delivering the letter, deployed bulldozers to commence work.

The President of FGC Kaduna Old Students Association, Seyi Gambo, recalled that on February 12, 2015, a letter was dispatched from the Office of the Director of Basic and Secondary Education Department, Federal Ministry of Education to the Kaduna State Ministry of Lands, Surveys and Country Planning.

“I am one amongst many which include captains of industries, military generals, billionaires and hard-working old students who are scattered across the globe from all Nigeria tribes who have adopted Kaduna as our cradle.

“It was thus a rude shock to witness on Monday 17th, 2023 the physical excision and occupation of acres of land by the Kaduna State Government. We have benefitted immensely from the success of our school, we will not watch some leaders illegally take an inch of the land of our school, Federal Government College Kaduna as this we are told is the first of future balkanization of the parameters of other Unity Schools across Nigeria,” he said.

According to Gambo, in the letter titled, ‘Re: Illegal Access At The South-Western Fence Of Federal Government College, Malali, Kaduna,’ the federal ministry rejected the attempt by the Kaduna State government to “excise 45 metres of land from the South-Western end of the fence inwards along the stretch of Umar Mohammed Road to provide plots for immediate development”.

“This request was totally rejected by the Minister of Education under whose ministry our school falls within. This letter was received by the Permanent Secretary of the Kaduna State Lands Ministry,” he added.

However, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit filed by the Nigerian Government at the Kaduna State High Court.

Buhari’s Government Failed To Rescue Only Five Dapchi Girls – Femi Adesina Says

 

As the President Muhammadu Buhari regime of eight years marred with mass school children abductions by terror groups gradually winds down, Femi Adesina, spokesperson for the regime, admitted that Mr Buhari failed to rescue Leah Sharibu and four others among school children abducted by Boko Haram in Dapchi, Yobe State since 2019.

 

 “Dachi girls were taken under the administration, and within the week they were recovered except maybe five including Leah Sharibu sadly,” Mr Adesina said in an interview with Channels TV Thursday, arguing that Mr Buhari’s regime cannot be blamed for not rescuing all Chibok girls who were long abducted on 2014 before he assumed office in 2015.

Mr Adesina’s statement comes almost five years after over 100 Dapchi schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram terrorists. Some of the girls were later released, but Ms Sharibu, a Christian who refused to renounce her faith and others have remained in captivity since then.

Speaking about Chibok girls, Mr Adesina said, “over 100 (Chibok girls) have been returned by the administration.”

“If a government came in when the trail was already cold and you couldn’t trace where the girls were taken, you can’t then blame it solely for not bringing them back, that would not be quite right,” he added.

Under Mr Buhari’s watch, Nigerians witnessed several mass school children abduction for ransom as Boko Haram and bandits ravaged North-East and North Central, respectively.

In coordinated attacks, bandits have abducted hundreds of school children for ransom in Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Katsina and Kebbi, forcing intermittent school closures.

With incessant attacks on schools, the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria rose from 10.5 in 2015 to 18.5 million under the Buhari regime, United Nations Children’s Fund said.

 

Buhari’s Government Has Surpassed Other Administrations In Provision Of Infrastructure – Minister Of Information, Lai Mohammed

 

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s commitment to infrastructure development covering roads, bridges, rail, water dams and sea ports was unprecedented.

 

While inspecting the newly completed Terminal Two of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Mr Mohammed said Mr Buhari’s performance surpassed past administrations.

“No administration in the history of Nigeria has done this much, especially at a time of scarcity of resources,” the minister told journalists on Monday.

Meanwhile, he said the new terminal can process 14 million passengers per annum, just as he clarified that it was not built to replace Terminal One but to complement it.

Mr Mohammed also disclosed that over 10,000 direct and indirect job opportunities had been created in the new terminal.

He said the edifice, replicated in Abuja, Port-Harcourt, Enugu and Kano airports, is a testament to the achievements of Mr Buhari’s administration in infrastructure development.

Speaking on the facilities and fittings in the terminal, the minister said it was a whole new experience, especially in terms of aesthetics, comfort, free trolley services, hotel and premium lounges, friendly customer services and free wifi.

“I must confess it was an exhilarating experience comparable to what obtains anywhere in the world,’’ he said.

The new terminal has 60 check-in counters and seven passenger boarding bridges. Five baggage claim belts, 16 departure desks and 28 arrival desks.

There are eight security screening points, a fully automated security control room with CCTV and eye-based lie detector machine.

 

Buhari’s Government Has Reduced Terrorism To Almost Nothing – Festus Keyamo Brags

Spokeman for all progressive Congress (APC) presidential campaign, Festus Keyamo, has said the party-led federal government has reduced Boko-Haram’s dominance to “almost nothing.”

Mr Keyamo, who is also the minister of state for labour and employment, said this on Monday in an interview with Trust TV.

He was defending the performance of the APC-led government in the last seven years that it has been in power.

The programme also featured Daniel Bwala, a spokesperson for the PDP Presidential Campaign Council who was paired with the minister.

With President Muhammadu Buhari as its flag bearer in 2015, the APC had promised to ensure a buoyant economy, fight insecurity and corruption to reposition the country.

Despite the overwhelming deadly attacks on communities by terrorists in some parts of the country, particularly in north, Mr Keyamo said the government had reduced terrorism significantly when compared to what it was under the PDP-led government.

He alleged that the news highlighting the failures of the current administration were sponsored by the opposition to discredit the ruling party.

“The cliche that the government has failed has become a song that the opposition has virtually rammed down the throats of everybody without looking at the details of what we have done, the statistics and put them in a context. What the opposition has done in the last few years is to memorise some highfalutin words and those are the highfalutin words that the press repeats – government has failed, security has collapsed.

“What did we inherit? We inherited the Boko Haram problem. At that time, they had taken over more than 14 local governments in the North-east and hoisted their flags. We inherited the farmers-herders crisis that had been going on even before Obasanjo’s time. These are existential problems.

“What have we done about those two problems? A club like El-kanemi Football Club of Borno that were playing their football matches in Bauchi because of insecurity— nobody could gather in one place in Maiduguri to watch a football match – now El-kanemi is back to Maiduguri, that is success.

“Boko Haram has not been totally wiped out, but it has reduced significantly because we constructively engaged our neighbours. We reduced them to almost nothing. I am not saying these things have totally wiped out, but on the scale of what we met and on the scale of what we have, it has reduced significantly,” Mr Keyamo claimed.

You’re Inviting Evil On Yourself By Complaining Against Buhari’s Government – Femi Adesina Tells Nigerians

President Buhari spokesman, Femi Adesina has said the myriad of challenges bedeviling the country is courtesy of Nigerians engaging in “war of tongues” against Nigeria.

In this latest weekly article published on his Facebook page on Thursday, the presidential aide who is also a Pentecostal preacher excoriated Nigerians, especially religious and political leaders for “utter negativity” against Nigeria.

“But the role of some Nigerians in perpetuating anomie in the country is worrisome. Through their tongues. They say evil about the country, utter negativity, thinking they are saying it against the government of the day,” Mr Adesina said.

“I mean even bishops, pastors, imams, commentators, talk show hosts, all sorts. They are engaged in war of tongues with Nigeria. They don’t know that the more they say it, the more evil happens. The cup fills up, and runs over,” he added.

Mr Adesina’s sermonisation comes in the wake of barrages of attacks by bandits terrorising parts of the country.

On Monday, bandits, in a coordinated attack bombed a train conveying about 1,000 travellers from Kaduna to Abuja, killing eight and injuring 27. Many high profile travellers have been missing and feared abducted.

The president’s image maker condemned the act, swiftly deflecting the blame on critics of the government he serves.

Before now, Mr Adesina had also admitted that life has become “brutish, nasty and short in Nigeria,” lamenting the spate of insecurity in the country.

The Buhari regime has come under fire for failing to rein in armed groups across the country, who conduct mass abductions of schoolchildren, among other criminal activities with reckless abandon.

The regime has expended millions of dollarsto purchase exotic weapons and fighter jets with promises to rout the insurgents. Yet, it has failed woefully to achieve security of lives and properties in its seven years of rule.