[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the next three weeks, President Muhammadu Buhari would be expected to dissolve his cabinet as his first term winds down. Unlike in 2015 when it took him unnecessarily long time to announce his cabinet, he would be expected to hit the ground running as soon as he is inaugurated for a second term on May 29.

Grassroots Publishers offers the President an advisory by highlighting members of his cabinet who should not be in contention for a ministerial appointment in his second term.

Abdulrahman Danba’zzau (Minister of Interior)

The Minister of Interior came to office highly recommended. A cerebral Army general who distinguished himself in service. But he has failed to stamp his authority as a security expert on internal security of the country. Our borders remain porous making it easier for bandits to cross into the country and leave at will. This has further exacerbated insecurity in the country especially in Zamfara, Sokoto and different parts of the North East and North Central where scores have been killed and kidnapping has become the order of the day.

Danba’zzau has failed President Buhari and his country and does not deserve to be re-appointed into government.

Mansur Dan Alli (Minister of Defence)

Mansur Muhammad Dan Ali, also a retired Nigerian Army Brigadier General, is the current Minister of Defence. By all standard of performance, many would readily agree that this minister is a huge failure.

While the military may have received better patronage from the government, Alli seems to have ran out of ideas about how to further contain insurgents who are becoming more daring in recent times.

But more scandalous for the current minister of defence is his inability to reign in the bandits killing innocent people in his home state of Zamfara. Hundreds of people have been killed by unknown bandits in Zamfara and Sokoto states. Instead of stopping the banditry, he has been blaming traditional rulers of promoting it without naming any name. This man certainly does not deserve appointment as a minister of this country.

Chris Ngige (Minister of Labour and Productivity)

Another minister that we consider a failure in the current cabinet is the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige.

However, some months down the line into the life of this administration, labour disputes began to rear its head. But instead of being pro-active, Ngige failed to live up to expectation. Many Nigerians believe that the minister has not lived to his responsibility due to his inability to resolve disputes timely and decisively.

Ngige could not prevent the strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, in November 2018 and allowed it to drag for more than three months until he was given a presidential order to end the strike.

His handling of the Nigeria Labour Congress demands for N30, 000 minimum wage was equally lacklustre.

His most recent comments on brain drain in the medical profession ridiculed the Buhari administration. He had said during a television interview about Nigerian doctors leaving the country that they were free to go since Nigeria had more than enough doctors.

Professor Isaac Adewole (Minister of Health)

Under Professor Isaac Adewole, Nigeria’s readiness to combat epidemic has remained in doubt. An international NGO, Prevent Epidemics, listed Nigeria among countries with the lowest readiness for epidemic control in Africa, and with several outbreaks of diseases year after year.

The failure of the minister has also manifested in the management of the National Health Insurance Scheme, HIS, which has reportedly become the worst performing scheme for health coverage globally.

Adewole was unable to manage the dispute between JOHESU and the Federal Government which began on April 18th, 2018 leading to over a month strike as negotiations between the two parties always turned deadlocked, crippling activities in hospitals across the nation.

Solomon Dalung (Minister of Sports)

Dalung was unable to resolve the leadership crisis in the National Football Federation, between NFF President, Amaju Pinnick and Chris Giwa because he became a party to the dispute. Dalung had insisted on restoring Giwa to the glass house despite FIFA threat to ban Nigeria for a period of five years.

Under Dalung, Nigeria’s sports have suffered, and Nigeria has suffered international embarrassments due to his incompetence. Nigeria was hit with another international sports embarrassment after the U-23 football team in the Rio Olympics were stranded in Atlanta. They eventually arrived Brazil only few hours before their first match against Japan in Manaus.

Many also believe the minister’s serial gaffes have embarrassed the country and Nigerians on several occasion. He once called the United States of America the “United States of Nigeria” when he tried to explain why the team was stranded in Atlanta.

Dalung was also caught in another gaffe when he appeared before a House of Representatives committee to defend the money spent from the ministry’s budget. “The funds SPENDED were properly SPENDED”, he said while answering a question on why he spent out of approved funds for his Ministry.

Geoffrey Onyeama (Minister of Foreign Affairs)

One of the key responsibilities of Mr Geoffrey Onyeama as the Minister of Foreign Affairs is to protect the interest of Nigerians in Diaspora. But many believe that the foreign affairs ministry under Onyema’s watch has not taken tangible strategic steps to safeguard the lives and property of Nigerians living abroad, especially in South Africa.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, had in 2017 stated that at least 116 Nigerians had been killed in South Africa in two years. Quoting statistical figures, Dabiri-Erewa said 63 per cent of them were extra-judicially killed by police in the country.

Despite Onyeama’s several meetings with officials of the country’s foreign affairs ministry for enhanced collaboration, the killing of Nigerians in South Africa has continued unabated. Just recently, two nationals of the country were stabbed to death during xenophobic attacks in Johannesburg and Cape Town on April 5 and April 6, 2019, respectively.

The killing of Nigerians in diaspora has continued at an unprecedented rate under this minister. While he may have done well in representing the country very well abroad, his handling of the threats to the lives of Nigerians abroad has been abysmal.

Onyeama had previously come under the hammer of Nigerians on social media by blaming the killing of Nigerians in South Africa on crime. “The crime situation in South Africa is very high, probably the highest in Africa,” adding that “So there is a high level of crime, it is not just that Nigerians are victims of crime in South Africa.”

[dropcap]G[/dropcap]reatness is a property for which no man can receive credit too soon; it must be possessed long before it is acknowledged.”When one of the world’s greatest thinkers, Ralph Waldo Emerson handed down the above words of wisdom, those he had in mind were certainly the likes of High Chief Celestine Okafor, the 12th Ikwele Of Isu Kingdom! .
For the trail-blazing traditional mogul from Ibusa, Delta State, it is certainly impossible to gloss over his attributes for greatness.He is the embodiment of cerebral articulation, the essence of unparalleled philanthropy,
the epitome of intellection and breathtaking simplicity, the personification of undiluted humanness, the perfect example of traditional leadership symbolism, the paragon of idealism, the soul of humanity, the heart of warrior, a perfect gentleman. His Eminence,High Chief Celestine Okafor is a man of qualities, he is a father, grassroot man and a Traditional Juggernaut,He is a grassroot mobilizer and a lover of Ibusa tradition.
His Eminence, High Chief Celestine Okafor as the 12th Ikwele Of Isu Kingdom,he means different things to different people; to his wife and children, he is a loving husband and a kind daddy, while to us his admirers he is known as the Digital traditional Strategist but his detractors always erroneously see him as an Obstacle because of his rising profile and acceptance by the grassroots.

His Eminence, High Chief Celestine Okafor is not only the Pride of Ibusa Kindom but also the Pride of the People of
Oshimili North for whom he had waged countless traditional wars for and won virtually all, just like the Greek
mythological Odyssey who fought and won difficult battles in History, the grassroots traditional mobilizer of our time also fought and won many battles even those considered as herculean in nature for his people.He occupies one of the most important thrones in Igbuzo Kingdom but doesn’t make a fuss of it.High Chief Celestine Okafor is officially the spiritual leader and custodian of Igbuzo. He is the only living Igbuzo man that has the ears of the gods and the ancestors even as he relays the messages of our gods to the living.
As his greetings (Owouta….means The one who wages the arrows) connotes, he has the sole responsibility of protecting Igbuzo and her children from the negative spiritual arrows fired at the town and her people – a duty he performs every second of the day!At the beginning of every year, the Ikwelle of Igbuzo must cleanse the land from every sacrilege, taboo and sins through the “ICHU EKWENSU” festival and this festival is usually preceded by the Ikwelle spending nights in the thick forests of Igbuzo as he battles Satan and all his evil spirits. At the completion of this spiritual exercise, the stage is set for the cleansing of the land and every sons and daughters of Igbuzo roll out the drum to queue behind the eyes of the gods in cleansing the land.
The Ikwelle  institution is the engine room of Ibusa traditional system ,Ikwelle of Ibusa is  the only man who initiates the Warlords in the town before the the senior diopka and Obuzor chalks any of the warlords – Odogwu Of Igbuzo, Iyase Of Igbuzo and the Uwolo Of Igbuzo, the occupant-to-be must pass through the spiritual powers and endorsement of Ikwelle who prepares him for the onerous task ahead.

Ikwelle of Ibusa is not a political position nor influenced by position in the society but strictly a spiritual affair and
the umbilical cord from the first Ikwelle to the recent Ikwelle has remained unbroken. Let us not forget that
the Ikwelle Institution is the only seat in Igbuzo that can not be politicized, because Ikwelle Igbozu is “god among men” As the 12th Ikwelle of Ibusa , You have really voiced out and fought for your people’s common goals,You remains the only traditional authority who knows the plight, feelings and desires of his People and Youths. High Chief Celestine Okafor has achieved in Ibusa and he has been able to touch the lives of the Youths like never before and also proved himself a force to reckon with among frontline players of Ibusa traditional system.

Indeed the birthday celebration of this digital traditional warlord of Ibusa of our time had been useful and Resourceful for his service to humanity.Therefore today let me on behalf of the Grassroots Publishers join the rest of my beloved Ibusa kingdom,Oshimili North LGA, Deltans and Nigerians at large to Celebrate our traditional iconoclastic Ikwelle of Igbuzo, to thank Almighty God for your life and to pray that he continues to bless you with robust health and imbue you with his continued guidance, protection, and enduring provision.Your reign shall bring prosperity and peace to Ibusa and your family.

Happy birthday to the regent,Ikwelle of Ibuzor kingdom, a great lover of our tradition.

Owouta! Owouta!! Owouta!!!

By: Ike Abiagom

[dropcap]N[/dropcap]igeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday unveiled the world-class Oshodi Transport Interchange and the reconstructed Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, saying that the interchange will change the face public transportation in the country.

Speaking at the unveiling in Oshodi, Buhari said the key projects reflected the drive and success of his administration in pursuing policies and programmes that would positively impact on the citizen.

“The New Oshodi Transport Interchange, the mass transit medium and high-capacity public buses and the reconstructed Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road by  Lagos State Government clearly demonstrate the need to continue to provide high impact projects for the development of infrastructure and opportunities for job creation at all levels.

“This transport interchange with different terminals is going to change the face of public transportation. The mass transit buses totaling 820 buses will also move the people of Lagos State in a more comfortable and more efficient manner,” he said.

According to Buhari, these projects by Lagos State perfectly aligned with the efforts of the Federal Government to improve the country’s infrastructure, especially in the transport sector, adding that to complement the Oshodi Transport Interchange, the Federal Government had recently approved the reconstruction of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway up to Oworonshoki and Old Toll Gate which was last attended to 40 years ago.

:We have recently commissioned the new International Airport Terminals in Port Harcourt and Abuja, as well as the rail lines from Abuja to Kaduna. The Lagos to Ibadan Rail Line is under construction. Our government will continue to prioritize high impact infrastructure which will vastly improve the lives of our people,” he said.

Speaking, Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, said he had no doubt in his mind that the future prosperity of this State is secured, saying that it was on record that the State had never had this measure of support from the Federal Government as this current administration

According to Ambode, his administration believed strongly that the projects being commissioned today were the state government’s own modest contributions to the national development of Nigeria, adding that these projects would not have been possible without the President’s quiet but impactful decision to approve and release the payments of the Paris Club refund and the refund on Federal Road projects incurred by the States.

“Mr. President, the first tranche of the Paris Club refund to States approved by Your Excellency was what we used to pay the 40% down-payment for the 820 buses you see here today,” he said, adding that the second tranche of the Paris Club refund, in addition to the refund by the Federal Government on Federal road projects executed by States, were the resources government applied to the construction of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road and this First in Africa Transport Interchange,” he stated.

The governor stated that the projects were ready to go fully operational to serve the needs of Nigerians, saying that the Murtala Mohammed Airport Road and the U-Turn Flyover would be open for public use immediately, while the Two Flyovers would be opened for use from May 10th after the quality assurance work was completed.

“Of the 3 Terminals at the Oshodi Transport Interchange, Terminal 3 will become fully operational on May 1 while Terminals 1 and 2 will become operational by the end of May. We have, in the last four years, invested so much in strengthening the social and physical infrastructure base of the State economy.

“The dividends of these efforts are becoming manifest in all sectors of the economy. With the completion of these projects and given the level of commitment of the next administration as well as the continuous support of the Federal Government, I am assured that the immediate and future prospects of our State is very bright,” he said.

Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya disclosed that the interchange would attend to between 700,000 and one million passengers on daily basis and that it would boost 24-hour economy in the area.

According to him, the first phase of the project would kick-off with 820 high capacity buses.

On the Airport Road, the commissioner said the project was meant tackle traffic and environmental challenges in the area, as the road had 10 lanes, two flyovers and five pedestrian bridges, adding that 800 trees would be planted along the road.

By: Ngidi Onyebuchi Maureen

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Federal Government has  dismissed the rumours that fuel subsidy on fuel will be removed assuring Nigerians no plans to remove  subsidy.

The Minister of Finance, Ms Zainab Ahmed, said this during a ministerial press briefing at the 2019 International Monetary Fund and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC. The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator  Udo Udoma and the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, were also in attendance.

Recall that the Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, had last week called on the Federal Government to remove fuel subsidy, saying it was the right thing to do.

Lagarde had said that with the low revenue mobilisation that existed in Nigeria in terms of tax to Gross Domestic Product, it was important for the country to remove fuel subsidies and move available funds into improving health, education, and infrastructure, among others.

The IMF had earlier its 2019 Article IV Consultation on Nigeria noted that phasing out implicit fuel subsidies while strengthening social safety nets to mitigate the impact on the most vulnerable would help reduce the poverty gap and free up additional fiscal space in the country.

She had said, “We believe that removing fossil fuel subsidies is the right way to go. If you look at our numbers from 2015, it is no less than about $5.2tn that is spent on fuel subsidies and the consequences thereof.

“I would add as a footnote as far as Nigeria is concerned that, with the low revenue mobilisation that exists in the country in terms of tax to GDP, Nigeria is amongst the lowest. A real effort has to be done in order to maintain a good public finance situation for the country and direct investment towards health, education, and infrastructure.”

Days after Lagarde’s call for fuel subsidy removal, fuel queues resurfaced in Nigeria and worsened as of Saturday.

In view of this, the finance minister explained that the Federal Government was not anywhere near subsidy removal.

She said, “There is no imminent plan to remove fuel subsidy. We are here to discuss with the global community on various policy issues. One of the issues that always come up in the report, especially the IMF World Economic Outlook report, is how we handle fuel subsidies. So, in principle, the IMF will say fuel subsidies are better removed so that we can use the resources for other important sectors. And in principle, that is a fact to do so.

“But in Nigeria, we don’t have any plan to remove fuel subsidy this time because we have not yet designed buffers that will enable us to remove subsidy and provide cushions for our people. So, there is no plan to remove fuel subsidy. We will be working with various groups to find out what needs to be done if we have to remove fuel subsidy. What is the alternative? We haven’t yet found viable alternatives. So, we are not at the point of removing fuel subsidy.”

In her immediate response to the IMF’s recommendation that Nigeria should remove fuel subsidy, Ahmed had said the FG would look into the advice by the IMF on subsidy removal but cautioned that this would be done in phases.

She said, “To the IMF, we just came out of the Article IV review. The review was a positive one and had good advice from the IMF to Nigeria and they have indicated that they are available to provide technical support to improve our liquidity management, our debt management and other fiscal measures.

“The advice from the IMF on fuel subsidy removal was good advice but also we have to implement it in a manner that is both successful and sustainable. We are not in a situation to wake up one day and just remove subsidy.”

“We have to educate the people; we have to show Nigerians what the replacement for those subsidies will be. So, we have a lot of work to do. We also need to understand that you don’t remove large amounts of subsidy in one go, it has to be graduated and the public has to be well-informed on what you are trying to do.”

By: Ngidi Onyebuchi Maureen

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]ixed reactions have trailed revelation made by Former Vice President and PDP Presidential candidate in the February 23rd presidential election, Atiku Abubakar that his father, Garba Atiku Abdulkadir, hailed from Sokoto State, while his mother, Aisha Kande, hailed from Dutse, now Jigawa State.

His statement followed claims by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC that he is not a citizen of Nigeria.

The APC, in a petition filed at the presidential election tribunal, stated that Atiku was born in Cameroon and so is a Cameroonian by birth and as such, is not eligible to run for president.

Responding to APC’s claim, Atiku said, “Contrary to the allegations contained in paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the 3rd respondent’s (APC’s) reply, the petitioners state that the 1st petitioner (Atiku) is a citizen of Nigeria by birth and thus qualified to vote and be voted for and returned in the election to the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, held on Saturday February 23, 2019 going by the relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“The 1st petitioner was born on November 25, 1946, in Jada, Adamawa State, by Nigerian parents and he is, therefore, a citizen of Nigeria by birth. The 1st petitioner’s father, Garba Atiku Abdulkadir, was a Nigerian by birth who hailed from Wumo in the present-day Sokoto State, while the mother, Aisha Kande, was also a Nigerian who hailed from Dutse in the present-day Jigawa State.

“The parents of the 1st Petitioner are both Fulani, a community/tribe indigenous to Nigeria.

“The birth of the 1st petitioner in Jada, in the present-day Adamawa State of Nigeria, was occasioned by the movement of his paternal grandfather called Atiku, who was an itinerant trader, from Wumo in the present-day Sokoto State to Jada in company with his friend, Ardo Usman. That in Jada, Atiku, the grandfather of the 1st petitioner, gave birth to Garba who in tum gave birth to the 1st petitioner and named him after his father, Atiku.

“The averments in the aforesaid paragraphs are indeed fabricated, contrived, made in bad faith and designed to embarrass the 1st petitioner” he said.

Nigerians have however, wondered why the Waziri of Adamawa claims to hail from Adamawa state when his father hailed from Sokoto state.

By: Ngidi Onyebuchi Maureen