Akpabio, 9 ministers join Buhari to China!

PRESIDENT BUHARI DEPARTS FOR CHINA TO ATTEND FOCAC, DISCUSS INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING WITH PRESIDENT JINPING

President Buhari and his Chineses counterpart XI Jinping, inspecting a guard of honour in China

President Muhammadu Buhari has on Friday Friday departed for China to participate in the 7th Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) scheduled to hold September 3 - 4, 2018 in Beijing.

The President’s first engagement in Beijing will be an interactive session with the Nigerian Community in China at the Nigerian Embassy.

Before the formal opening of the FOCAC Summit, President Buhari in his capacity as current Chair of ECOWAS, is expected to deliver remarks at the High-Level Dialogue between Chinese and African leaders, business representatives and African entrepreneurs.

The Nigerian President is scheduled to join President Jinping and other African leaders for the opening and roundtable sessions of the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit under the theme: “Towards an even Stronger China-Africa Community with a shared Future.”

After the FOCAC Summit, President Buhari will hold bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang to discuss infrastructure financing for strategic projects in Nigeria and the upgrading of Nigeria-China relations “from strategic partnership to comprehensive strategic partnership.”

The President will also use the occasion of his audience with the Chinese leadership to assess the progress made so far in Chinese interventions in Nigeria’s key priority infrastructure projects, particularly on-going projects in the railway and power sectors.

It is noteworthy that since the last FOCAC VI Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in December 2015 – the first attended by the Nigerian leader – and his successful State visit to China in April 2016, the current administration has pushed forward practical cooperation with China in the areas of infrastructure construction, trade, investments, finance, power, agriculture, education cooperation, among others.

It would be recalled that President Buhari has consistently acknowledged Chinese support for infrastructure development in Nigeria.

In January 2018 while receiving the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, the President had said:

‘‘We send our gratitude to the Chinese for all their support to Nigeria. Since independence, no country has helped our country on infrastructural development like the Chinese. In some projects, the Chinese help us with 85 percent payment, and soft loans that span 20 years. No country has done that for us.’’

President Buhari will be accompanied to Beijing by his wife, Aisha, who is scheduled to participate in a Spouses’ Programme on China-Africa at the Great Hall of the People, under the theme, ‘‘Joining Hands for a Future of AIDS.’’

Also on the President’s entourage are Governors Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, Akinwunmi Ambode, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and Rochas Anayo Okorocha of Bauchi, Lagos, Jigawa and Imo States respectively.

Others are Senators Abdullahi Adamu, George Akume, Godswill Akpabio and Aliyu Wamakko representing Nasarawa, Benue, Akwa Ibom and Sokoto States respectively.

Also accompanying the President are: the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; Minister of FCT, Muhammad Bello; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma; Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu; Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, and Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika.

Others are the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; the Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar; and the Group Managing Director, NNPC, Maikanti Baru.

GARBA SHEHU
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
August 30, 2018

Gov. Udom's Dead on Arrival Projects

By SYLVESTER INYANG

There is intense uproar about this issue in Akwa Ibom state, and it is becoming very contemplating in many circles.

The variables emanating from Governor Udom’s phantom projects are seemingly becoming the talk in town, and expediently need to be looked in to. In retrospect, what are the verifiable truths about Udom Emmanuel's nine industries for which he is substituting bold-face lies? Can we adjudge the following without being biased or judgmental?

Armoured Vehicle Assembly Plant in Itam

This has been DOA, dead on arrival. Misguided, misconceived, it has not gone beyond groundbreaking.

LED Lighting Factory in Itam

Equally misguided and misconceived. Equally is the DOA on ground-breaking.

Peacock Paints

Taking late Dr Clement Isong's achievement in vain, the purported revival of this iconic industry by Udom Emmanuel has been an excuse to plunder public funds. The so-called revival has not matched either in volume or range of output, what was achieved over *30 years ago. Even at that, the products are not in the market where even if it were, it would be competing, unfavourably we should add, with the output of over 300 local producers. A whole state government should do better but under Udom, it hasn't.

Toothpicks and Pencils Factory The less said about this disgraceful effort the better. Or perhaps more should be said to expose the abysmal incompetence of Udom Emmanuel. Fraudulently conceived and poorly executed, this factory is typical of Udom's so-called industrial development programme. Inappropriate equipment was ordered without a thought to where it would be housed. On arrival, a warehouse was hurriedly borrowed without a proper lease agreement. The factory was commissioned and allegedly put into use only to be shut within a few months. Some 24 months later, the government is desultorily trying to put up a building for it in Itam. No prize for guessing: a failed project without any product in the market.

Syringe Factory

A mum and pop operation; probably a money laundering scheme, by Udom Emmanuel's Turkish business partners. For all the noise, this is a plastics company, pure and simple. Imported moulds are used to blow plastic resins for the plastic parts of the syringe. The hypodermic needles are imported and packaged for sale at higher than import prices. Even the packaging is brought in from out of state. Zero local content, limited employment generation. It is not doing well and may soon pack up shop.

Electricity Meter Factory

This nothing to do with Udom Emmanuel, as Godswill Akpabio set the stage for this investment by buying into Port Harcourt Distribution Company, during the privatisation of DISCOs. Owned by the operators of PHDC, the electricity distributors, this is an assembly operation, pure and simple. Not one component is manufactured in Nigeria. This is precisely the sort of industries we had before under our import substituting industrial programme in the 60s, 70s and 80s, that failed woefully. No self respecting leader should be advertising this sort of operation as an achievement. But that is Udom Emmanuel for you. Clueless.

Tomato Industry

A farm or industry, nobody can say. If a farm, it will be a high cost one, given the kind of sums we have heard bandied about as the cost of the imported green houses, imported equipment and imported experts. If the products are in the market, only Udom's cook is using them. As for industrial processing, we'll believe that when we see them in operation. We can hazard the view now that the present green house operation will not produce enough to feed an economic-sized plant. If in doubt, ask Dangote. As for the much-ballyhooed AKEES, tomatoes business, well, nobody is talking about the millionaires allegedly created by that exercise in public deception, alternative facts or no.

Rice Mill

A scam, as reported by Dr Dele Sobowale in a widely circulated on-the-spot assessment a few weeks back.

*9. Fertiliser Blending Plant in Abak* The biggest alternative fact of all. And that is saying something. A packaging operation commissioned and passed off as a blending one. At the cost of $5million in bank guarantee that exposes all of us in Akwa Ibom. Besides,Udom Emmanuel didn't facilitate that investment, Godswill Akpabio did.

Coconut Oil Processing

Misplaced, misguided and misconceived. Nothing exposes the quality of thinking and vision that undergirds Udom Emmanuel's government than this misadventure. And as if to prove it, the coconut plants have stubbornly refused to grow.

Mexican Cattle Ranch in Uruan

Another stop in Udom Emmanuel's reenactment of Don Quixote's tilt at windmills mistaken for heathen enemies. Again, more evidence of thoughtlessness.

Unlike Udom Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom people live in the real world of his nonperformance. They pay the price, a very high price, for living in that world. They need a governor that comes from the world of reality; the reality of poverty and joblessness, a governor who will relief them of these real burdens by building real industries, by creating real conditions for the people to flourish. Udom Emmanuel and his world of alternative facts must be done away with and the deadline for doing so is but a few months away.

Akwa Ibom Latest: How APC post-congress leadership tussle ends

The leadership tussle that arose after the State Congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State has ended.

The tussle ended on Saturday with members of the former APC state executive led by Dr Effiong Etok, the former state secretary and two former senatorial chairmen, Obong Kufre Inyangette and Obong Uko Umoh announcing the withdrawal of their court case against the APC state chairman, Hon Ini Okopido and other members of his executive.

Dr Effiong Etok, the former state secretary spoke on behalf of the former executive and said they refused to join Dr Udoma Ekarika, the man they supported to be state chairman, when he defected to PDP on Monday because of their love for APC and intervention of former Governor Godswill Akpabio.

"We have to move forward,"  Etok said.

Chief Don Etiebet, the Chairman of APC state caucus thanked Dr Etok and other members of the old executive for allowing peace to reign.

"We have all sank our differences. All the leaders of the party have resolved to work together. Whatever were our misgivings, we believe what God said that you must love your neighbour as you love yourself. We are forgiving ourselves and we are working together for one purpose. This is the new APC moving forward."

Senator Godswill Akpabio also thanked the members of the former executive for agreeing to withdraw their court case against the state congress that produced the present executive.


The former Senate Minority Leader said he intervened in the case because he did not want the party to be bogged down by legal tussle as it prepared for the 2019 elections.

Senator Akpabio thanked Obong Nsima Ekere, the Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), for strongly backing and enabling the reconciliation process.

Below are more pictures of the event

By Emmanuel Silas
Promoted by The Streetjournal

MY THOUGHTS ON THE INCESSANT ATTACKS ON THE MEDIA BY THE EXECUTIVES BY: DR. KAYODE AJULO

Journalism, the Fourth Estate of the Realm and the society's watchdog, is a profession that has paid its dues in nation building and that continues to play the inevitable surveillance function so that  the country for which generations of men and women have laboured to build would not go on its knees.

There is no telling the sacrifices the  practitioners of this noble profession have  made in the evolution of the this country, right from the time of struggle for self government, through the dark ages of the military rule to the dawn of democracy. 

However, one would expect that this group of persons who have given talents, bodies and blood to see their country attain democracy would now be better placed to enthrone civility and good governance for the benefit of all. But the sad reality is that the opposite is the case.

Instead of being positioned to enhance development and good governance, the profession is going through another round of repression in the hands of crude political leaders. 

There have been repeated reports of cases of abuse, harassment, assault, arrest and jailing of journalists in the different parts of the country. The ugly tide has risen to a level where concerned citizens must markedly intervene.

The business of journalism, one must say now requires utmost caution. Journalists now have to be on guard, members of the pen profession have to put their houses in order on a daily basis as they do not know who is next to be picked up, locked up or even incarcerated by politicians who hate to see themselves in the mirror. I must in any case state that this present situation of the Media in Nigeria is a breach of the laws upholding our Constitutional Democracy.

Nigeria like every other nation of the world has laws regulating its affairs and these laws ought to be respected and complied with by Agencies of Government in carrying out their activities. Unfortunately, just like in banana republic, it appears that the Nigerian government has no regard for the rights of Citizens as enshrined in the Constitution. 

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) being the grundnorm has stated in its Section 39 that;
(1) “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impact ideas and information without interference.”

In the recent past, there was the case of Samuel Ogundipe, a Premium Times reporter who was apprehended by the Police. The news of the arrest and account freezing of Mr. Samuel Ogundipe is an appalling narrative in a democratic dispensation. Samuel Ogundipe in the exercise of his duty as a journalist reported news appertaining to the invasion of the National Assembly by the officers and men of the State Security Services and insisted on maintaining the confidentiality of his source in accordance with Article 4 of the Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalist which is made pursuant to Section 9 of the Nigerian Press Council Act (CAP N128 LFN 2004). Having accused him of many unfounded allegations, the officers of the Nigerian police proceeded to arrest him.

The usual trend, until recently, was to arrest a journalist and freed  him or her after few days of arrest then the arraignment of certain unlawful charges. The new turn of regular harassments as exampled by Samuel Ogundipe is unlawful, uncivilised and totally unacceptable. This is condemnable in the strongest of terms as an unreasonable and barbaric act on part of the Nigerian Police.

Trying to muzzle Mr. Samuel Ogundipe whose only offence was being a journalist is a drama taken too far. And the sadder part is the silence of persons who are supposed to rein in on these anomalies. It is now so precarious that we don’t know who will be picked next.

The demolition of the Radio house (Fresh FM) of the renowned musician, Yinka Ayefele is another obvious attack on the media. The Oyo State Government had claimed that the building contravened shoutate laws, even if it did, due process was not followed. What could have been done was either to fine him or withdraw his License. 
I
The demolition of the building is an unfair act stifled at frustrating the Media. The fact  that the matter was already in court is enough to make the government apply breaks, respect the status quo and not to tamper with the building irrespective of whether there was a Court injunction or not. Yet the building was demolished in a manner that tells of the reign of anarchists.

The discerning is very persuaded that the spate of attacks on the media is a politically calculated ploy to either manipulate, tilt or cow the Media in favour of the ruling class in the imminent 2019 elections. Other similar occurrences lend clear credence. The Channels TV was fined 5 million in the month of July 2018 for refusing to be the propaganda machine of the government against National Assembly. 

A host of other Media platforms are going through either suspension, fine or lock down in a democratic regime.  

As things stand, it appears we are having a repeat of the effect of Decree No 4 of 1984 where Nigerians could not voice out their opinions and beliefs.  

With the way things are within the polity, journalists can no longer do their jobs without fear of arrest and incarceration, where it ought to be given a free hand and accorded their right according to Section 39 of the Constitution as stated above.

I am particularly worried that this is a deliberate fettering of the Media who is the eyes of the citizenry. It is now happening at a rate that can no longer be tolerated. We cannot afford to fold arms and watch our hard earned democracy being fragrantly desecrated by autocratic men of governments by attacking the Media unjustifiably. It is condemnable and strange in a democratic regime. All well meaning citizens must rise up against this.

- Dr. Kayode Ajulo, 
Castle of Law, Abuja.

TRIBUTE TO FORMER UN SECRETARY-GENERAL, KOFI ATTA ANNAN (1938-2018)

Goodbye to a great man of peace and liberty -Ajulo

With the despairing news of the death of Kofi Annan, one of his quotes which has become my mantra came to mind;
“If one is going to err, one should err on the side of liberty and freedom”

This quote propels me to think of the dignity of the human race and the rights of every man which should never be denied.

Kofi Annan was a man who had the people at heart and this cuts across all the people of the world. He was a man who promoted world peace and his life has been an inspiration to me.

Indeed, the world has lost one of its finest diplomats who will be remembered for reshaping and vitalizing the UN, giving priority to Human Rights, fighting for the control of the spread of HIV in Africa and his declared opposition to terrorism.

Being the first African Secretary-General of the United Nations, he has set a pace at the fore front for Africans and we can only hope to keep up and maintain his stance.

Kofi Annan through his foundation, Kofi Annan Foundation has left a legacy which leaves its indelible marks on the shores of history.

I’m sure with the aim of the foundation which is to promote better global governance and strengthen the capacities of people all over the world to achieve a fairer and more peaceful world, his struggles cannot easily be forgotten.

The office of the Secretary General of the United Nations is number one technically skilled expert office in the world; it is the ultimate enviable seat, when Kofi Annan occupied the position, he never compromised on his standards and beliefs, instead he fought for what he believed in, regardless of the oppositions he encountered. 

However, it’s regrettable to noticed recently that most people who I can term as opportunists, who once they’ve occupied an office change entirely and compromise all they’ve fought for. This should not be so, we should have a heart for the people, make our stand known and never compromise on our beliefs. These I have learnt from Kofi Annan.

Apart from visual public occasions and conferences where we’ve met, it’s saddening that I never got the chance to have a one on one interaction with this great man before he passed on, but one thing I cherish most is his passion and the premium he placed on democracy and freedom for all. And this is what Nigeria needs to run with and focus on at this point in time with the elections coming up next year.

At this point, though it is saddening, but death is inevitable, I join the family, friends and the whole world at large to say good bye to this great man of peace.


Dr. Olukayode A. Ajulo
Chairman, Board of Trustees, Egalitarian Mission for Africa.
Castle of Law, Abuja.
Nigeria.

Actions Before Demise of Former UN Secretary General Kofi Atta Anna (1938 -2018)

Former United Nations Secretary General and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kofi Annan has died, the Kofi Annan Foundation said on Saturday (Aug 18). 

Annan, who is a citizen of Ghana, died in hospital at Bern, Switzerland, in the early hours of Saturday, two close associates of Annan said. 

A statement from the Kofi Annan Foundation also said: "It is with immense sadness that the Annan family and the Kofi Annan Foundation announce that Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate, passed away peacefully on Saturday 18th August after a short illness."

Kofi Atta Annan was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1997 to December 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize.

Life of Kofi Atta Anna as published by Columbia University:  

Fellow, Committee on Global Thought 

Kofi A. Annan (April 8, 1938 - August 18, 2018) of Ghana, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, served from 1997 to 2006 and was the first to emerge from the ranks of United Nations staff.

One of  Annan’s main priorities as Secretary-General was a comprehensive program of reform aimed at revitalizing the United Nations, and making the international system more effective. He was a constant advocate for human rights, the rule of law, the Millennium Development Goals and Africa, and sought to bring the Organization closer to the global public by forging ties with civil society, the private sector and other partners.

At Annan’s initiative, UN peacekeeping was strengthened in ways that enabled the United Nations to cope with a rapid rise in the number of operations and personnel. It was also at Annan’s urging that, in 2005, Member States established two new intergovernmental bodies: the Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights Council.  Annan, likewise, played a central role in the creation of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the adoption of the UN’s first-ever counter-terrorism strategy, and the acceptance by Member States of the “responsibility to protect” people from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. His “Global Compact” initiative, launched in 1999, has become the world’s largest effort to promote corporate social responsibility.

Annan undertook wide-ranging diplomatic initiatives. In 1998, he helped to ease the transition to civilian rule in Nigeria. Also that year, he visited Iraq in an effort to resolve an impasse between that country and the Security Council over compliance with resolutions involving weapons inspections and other matters—an effort that helped to avoid an outbreak of hostilities, which was imminent at that time. In 1999, he was deeply involved in the process by which East Timor gained independence from Indonesia. He was responsible for certifying Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, and in 2006, his efforts contributed to securing a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Also in 2006, he mediated a settlement of the dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria over the Bakassi peninsula through implementation of the judgment of the International Court of Justice. His efforts to strengthen the Organization’s management, coherence and accountability involved major investments in training and technology, the introduction of a new whistleblower policy and financial disclosure requirements, and steps aimed at improving coordination at the country level.

Annan joined the UN system in 1962 as an administrative and budget officer with the World Health Organization in Geneva. He later served with the Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, the UN Emergency Force (UNEF II) in Ismailia, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, and in various senior posts in New York dealing with human resources, budget, finance and staff security. Immediately before becoming Secretary-General, he was Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping.  Annan also served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the former Yugoslavia (1995 to 1996), and facilitated the repatriation from Iraq of more than 900 international staff and other non-Iraqi nationals (1990).

Annan studied at the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, and completed his undergraduate work in economics at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1961. From 1961 to1962, he undertook graduate studies at the Institute of International Affairs in Geneva, and in 1972 earned a Master of Science degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.

Annan was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize for Peace, jointly with the United Nations. He has also received numerous honorary degrees and many other national and international prizes, medals and honors.


In May of 2009, Kofi Annan became a Fellow of the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia University.

Credit: Columbia University

Read also: Tribute to Kofi Annan

FREAKING: See How Okada Riders Invaded The Runway Of Sokoto Airport While A Plane Was Taxiing

This is not a video game of Airplane Vs Motorcycles. It’s a real life footage from the Sokoto Airport which was taken by a pilot. The plane was taxiing on the first week of August, 2018 when the pilots spotted motorcycle riders using the runway with them. It is alleged that they stormed the airport to welcome one of their political leaders.


The bikers seem to have been excited as one of them can even be spotted waving at the airplane.
Sam Adurogboye who is the General Manager of Public Affairs at The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) confirmed that the agency is currently investigating the matter.

 Credit: AUTOJOSH.com/

PRESIDENT BUHARI SETS TO PROCEED TO LONDON ON 10-DAY HOLIDAY

PRESIDENT BUHARI TO PROCEED ON 10-DAY HOLIDAY

President Muhammadu Buhari begins a 10 working days holiday from August 3, 2018.

In compliance with Section 145 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, a letter has been transmitted to the President of the Senate, and the Speaker, House of Representatives to that effect.

While the President is on vacation, the Vice President will be in acting capacity as President.

President Buhari will be in London for the holiday.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)
August 1, 2018

2019: The Outcome of Young and Visionary Presidential Aspirants meeting in Abuja

A united front towards the race for presidential candidacy is foreseable as leading youth presidential aspirants for 2019 general election have held a couple of meetings in Abuja, NUJEurope understand.

The meeting attended by fifteen (15) young and visionary aspirants on Tuesday took place at the residence of the founder of the revolutionary protest group, #OurMumuDonDo , called Area-Father, Mr Charles Oputa (CharlyBoy) in Abuja. 

Briefing his followers after the meeting which he "deemed to be a progressive, productive", the convener of the #TakeitBack Movement, Omoyele Sowore, stated that Nigerians' problems are not insurmountable merely being handled by bad leadership.

The meeting according to him, was to see how the younger candidates could unite in the struggle to free Nigeria from the old guards who are intent on holding her hostage.

 Sowore made it clear that his programme for youth is covered in his comprehensive agenda with the acronym SPICER HEAT – Security, Power, Infrastructure, Corruption, Economy, Restructuring, Health, Education, Agriculture and Tourism.

The focus of this agenda is to provide employment and offer young people the independence they need to thrive.

He further stressed the need for justice, stating that the cabals cannot give the equity, the honesty or the transparency that they do simply not have.

Sowore met with Fela Durotoye, Thomas Ikubese, Kingsley Moghalu, Mathias Tsado, Alistair Soyode, Ahmed Buhari and others, andaccording to him it is no longer business as usual. 

Alistair Soyode, the CEO of Ben Television and convener of YesNigeria organisation who os also one of the presidential aspirants stressed the call for understanding the choice for hambinger of hope to secure a better and greatet Nigeria as 2019 general election approaches.

Below is the outcome of the meeting. 

TOWARDS THE 2019 GENERAL ELECTIONS

“ELECTION AS REVOLUTION”.

 COMMUNIQUE : CONSULTATIVE MEETING OF UNDERSIGNED PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS ON TUESDAY 31ST JULY 2018.

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

It is no longer debatable that our country Nigeria has been brought to her knees, and is tottering on the brink of collapse.

"In no more than the life of a generation, our nation and people are witnessing the catastrophic failure of governance and the near collapse of virtually all our national institutions; such that we have now become the country with the largest concentration of poor people in the world". -The pact of young and visionary presidential aspirants.

"The ties that bind us together are today under such enormous pressures, that we can say without any doubt that never in our history have we been confronted by such a scale and scope of existential crises.

We are very clear in our minds and share the collective conviction, that our present woes, in their history is as a result of collective failure of leadership by those who have been in the leadership of our country for decades, and the establishment that have institutionalised support in their self-interest and visionless leadership.

We share the grievance and anger of our people, as well as their yearnings and aspirations for a new Nigeria different from the one bequeathed on us by our leaders from independence in 1960 till date 31st July, 2018.

We are categorical about those who should accept responsibility for our failures as a nation 1960-2018; and as visionary presidential aspirants coming together under PACT, we are united in our convictions, that our national
rebirth can be achieved through collective engagements to install a new political order 2019 by taking up leadership responsibilities in the overall common good.

We are conscious of the fact that, the ploy, by the establishment form new coalitions with the antics of defection from party to party, is a ploy calculated at ensuring that power does not slip out off their hands.

We denounce such coalition and defection forming pranks and antics as calculated attempts to deceive the mass of our people.

We call on the mass of our people, who are victims of their misrule, not to allow them to be deceived again.

This is why those of us who represent a new crop and paradigm shift in leadership, and embodiment of a new vision have agreed to come together and work for the realization a greater Nigeria for the actualization of our full potentials in human and materials resources.
Suffice it to say that, those of us who have indicated interest with our aspirations to lead our country avowed to engage a radical transformational developmental process by way of this resolution reached today Tuesday, 31st of July 2018 as we deliberate on the challenges of our country, with acommitment and resolve to begin the process of taking collective ownership of this renaissance struggle aimed at national rebirth in rebuilding the nation.

OUR RESOLVE AND DECISIONS

In the light of the foregoing and as a response to the collective yearnings and aspirations of our people; we have resolved as follows:

1: Recognising that at the core of our existential challenges as a people and nation is the failure of leadership;

2: we affirm, that as the new face of visionary leadership for our country, we are collectively stepping into the fray, to fill the leadership vacuum, and offer leadership at this momentous juncture in our history;

3: We affirm that collectively, we are committed to the process of building a United Front to mobilize our people to lead the change we desire during the 2019 general elections;

4: We understand that Unity is a process, and not an event, and as such, we undertake to effect necessary steps towards consolidating on the process of building a united front based on shared vision and ideas;

5: Towards this end, we are in agreement that internal party processes towards producing eventual party candidates and flag bearers should be allowed to reach its logical conclusion;

6: Furthermore, we are committed to step up the process of building a united front once party candidates have emerged; and shall continually hold consultations among ourselves and broker conversations with our parties towards ensuring that we are able to present a United Front towards the 2019 general elections;

7: Finally, we know that the 2019 general elections will be a historically decisive one; we know that the conditions are ripening for an electoral process with outcome that can be revolutionarily transformative.

8: We embrace this process of the 2019 election as a revolution.

IN CONCLUSION:

Recognising the crises we face as a people, and understanding that the collective leadership failure of the current ruling establishment is responsible for this failure;

we have stepped forward, to stand in the breach, and provide the new type of visionary leadership for our country;

Such new leadership, so sorely needed is the basic requirement for us to achieve national and human development and realise our full potential as a people and nation.

We affirm, that we are the embodiment of the new Nigeria, and of the process to achieve our national liberation as a country, social emancipation as a people, and societal rebirth and renewal.

We represent the future of our country, a future that begins now!

We shall be presenting a consensus candidate as soon as practicable."

In attendance were:

Thomas-Wilson Ikubese

Kingsley Moghalu

Comrade Eragbe Anslem

Sowore Omoyele

Fela Durotoye

Tope Fasua

Sina Fagbenro-Byron

Jaye Gaskia

Ahmed Buhari

Mathias Tsado

Victor Ani-Laju

Alistair Soyode

Godstime Sidney Iroabuchi

Clement Jimbo

Elishama Ideh.

More pictures and videos of the meeting below: 

Compiled and edited by Lashley Oladigbolu (London)
photo credits: Sowore.org, BenTelevision