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This was contained in a press statement titled, ‘Eid-el-Kabir: President Buhari extols the sacrifices of Nigerians, urges patience as government addresses hardships’.

The statement read in part, “Reflecting on current challenges facing the country, the President states that COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the economies of all countries, including Nigeria, in addition to the fact that floods have caused large scale destruction to agricultural farmlands, thereby impacting negatively on our efforts to boost local production in line with our policy to drastically reduce food importation.

“This, he explains, has led to food inflation which the government is working hard to address.

“Bo government in our recent history has invested as heavily as we are doing to promote local production of about 20 other commodities, through the provision of loans and several other forms of support to our farmers.

“Apart from the destruction caused to rice farms by floods, middlemen have also taken advantage of the local rice production to exploit fellow Nigerians, thereby undermining our goal of supporting local food production at affordable prices.

“As an elected president who enjoys the goodwill of the ordinary people that gave us their mandate, let me assure you that we are continuing with measures to bring relief to Nigerians, including making fertilizer available at affordable prices to our farmers.”

“I urge all Muslims to continue to live in peace and harmony with their fellow Nigerians of other faiths in the spirit of peaceful coexistence. Let us pray for the progress of Nigeria at all times. Let us expose undesirable elements among us who are creating security problems for the country.”

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DPR Director, Sarki Auwalu, stated this while responding to questions and comments generated by a paper he delivered in Lagos, recently, at the Second Quarter, 2021 Business Dinner of Petroleum Club Lagos.

He said, “So, to eliminate subsidy, they don’t call it subsidy anymore now, it’s under-recovery of purchase. So, to eliminate under-recovery, what you need is alternative fuel. Without an alternative, you will subject people to higher prices and that is why we go for price freedom.

“As at today, there are 22 million cars in Nigeria. Eight million are for public use. Imagine if you want to convert every car into gas, the average cost of conversion is $400. Converting eight million cars requires $3.2 billion. To do that, there are a lot of environmental investors which can invest and recover from the sale of gas and we are encouraging that.

“Once that is achieved, you will see that PMS can be sold at N1,000. After all, the average distance covered by one-gallon equivalent when you compare it with LNG or CNG with respect to energy for mobility is 2.7 against one. One for PMS, 2.7 for LNG or CNG.

”So, with that advantage, you will see that it creates an opportunity for this industry again. The issue of subsidy, the volume will all vanish and that is what we are working towards.”

Punch

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The House of Representatives, has mandated its Committee on Special Duties to liaise with the relevant authorities of the Federal Government to immortalize Prof. Felicia Adebola Adedoyin for her contributions to the advancement of Nigeria.

The resolution followed a unanimous adoption of a motion moved by a member from Oyo State, Olajide Olatubosun, which was titled ‘Need to Immortalise the Author of the National Pledge, Late Prof. (Mrs) Felicia Adebola Adedoyin.’

At the plenary,  Olatubosun recalled that the National Pledge was written in 1976 by Prof Felicia Adebola Adedoyin who was a princess from the Iji Ruling House of Saki, Oyo State.

The lawmaker also noted that the motivation for writing the National Pledge was the reality of non-existence of a National Pledge for Nigeria at the time, unlike other nations like the United States of America and Ghana in West Africa.

The lawmaker said, “The thoughtful and solemn words of the National Pledge have become an invocation for every Nigerian citizen to serve our fatherland with faithfulness, loyalty and honesty;

“The House regrets that the iconic composer of the National Pledge passed away on Saturday, May 1, 2021, after a brief illness.

“The House is convinced that the contribution of the deceased great Nigerian deserves special acknowledgement by immortalising her to keep her memories alive.”

Punch

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This was made known in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, titled, ‘Despite our challenges, we’re still a lucky country, says President Buhari’.

The statement read, “We are a lucky country and should congratulate ourselves, despite challenges that could have torn us apart, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.

“The President spoke Tuesday at State House, Abuja, while receiving the report of the National Security Summit held on May 26, 2021, by the House of Representatives. The report was submitted by a team of House members, led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

“President Buhari urged leaders to respect the people, from the lowest to the highest, ‘so that it becomes a duty to them (the people) to pay back to the leadership.’

“Respect for the people, according to the President, should come in allowing them ‘to choose who they like as their leaders, irrespective of political party or religion.’

“Describing the event as ‘a remarkable occasion,’ President Buhari restated his determination to serve the country to the best of his ability, recalling his visits to the 36 States during the campaign for 2019 elections.”

The statement quoted Buhari as saying, “The number of people that turned out to see me, some waiting for 10 hours in the sun, was more than anyone could buy, or force. They just wanted to see who this Buhari was. People wonder why Nigerians accept me, despite not being rich. I wonder, too. I felt I just have to serve Nigeria and Nigerians to the best of my ability.”

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The House also called on the police to “conduct a proper investigation into the matter and refrain from parading Ms. Chidinma around to grant interviews on the matter under investigation.”

The House further called on the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, to “call all police personnel to order and ensure that there is no repeat of this violation of human rights and media access to arrested persons in the future, to avoid compromising the case in a court of law.”

In addition, the House said the IGP must ensure that “Ms. Ojukwu (the accused) does not die in custody or commit suicide while awaiting trial as in some past cases.”

These were the resolutions passed by the lawmakers at the plenary on Tuesday, following their unanimous adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Tolu Akande-Sadipe and titled ‘Call for the Compliance of the Police Force with the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Proper Investigation into the Death of Late Mr. Usifo Ataga.’

Punch

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The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has announced a meeting between members of the parliament and the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), scheduled for this evening.

Gbajabiamila urged all members to assemble at the car park by 7 pm, from where they would be conveyed to the Presidential Villa for the meeting.

The Senate is also to meet with Buhari at 8 pm.

Punch

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The Senate, has rejected the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Chairman of the Committee, Kabiru Gaya, in his report, said Onochie did not satisfy the provisions of the Federal Character Principles.

The Senate at the committee of the whole subsequently voted against her nomination.

Punch